The Day The Angels Cried

Description

The acclaimed filmmaker and musician Jim Jarmusch and experimental lutenist and composer Jozef van Wissem first met almost 20 years ago. In 2011, they began performing and producing records together. Their third album, which follows American Landscapes (2023), is titled The Day The Angels Cried. The duo weave an intricate tapestry of lute and guitar for minimal, droning free-folk compositions intended to entrance listeners with their dark hypnosis. This time around, vocals and electronics have been added. Van Wissem’s work stands in a tradition of avant-garde minimalism and lends itself well to the director’s austere cinematic works. Jarmusch has played guitar in bands on and off since the late 70s. Van Wissem's compositional style involves hypnotic circular musical phrases which leave plenty of contemplative space between the notes. Jarmusch has said he considers these songs to be Van Wissem’s compositions, and that he sees himself as someone filling the background to Jozef’s foreground, like on a film shoot.