Acclaimed director and musician Jim Jarmusch and experimental lute player and composer Jozef van Wissem met nearly 20 years ago, forming a close bond after they ran into each other on the streets of New York City. In 2011, they began performing and producing records together. The follow up to 'American Landscapes ' entitled 'The Day The Angels Cried' releases June 6 and coincides with a world tour. The duo weaves an intricate lute and guitar string tapestry of droning, minimal free-folk compositions destined to captivate listeners with their dark hypnosis. This time vocals and electronics are added as well. Van Wissem’s work comes from a tradition of avant-garde minimalism and lends itself well to the director’s stark 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 that allow for a lot of contemplative space between the note

Well, that's the promo text, but here's the review. 'The Day The Angels Cried' is a brief album of 7 tracks, barely 35 minutes. Beginning with "Concerning Celestial Hierarchy," a stylized atmospheric lute instrumental, it sets up a Gothy neo-folk ambience. Next, the title track has heavily chambered speak-sung vocals plucked strings, kind of a Current 93/Death in June vibe. If there was such a thing as doom-liute playing, "The First Language" would be a prime example. Lower string chords and scrappy electronics gives this track a folk-industrial bent. Sounds like there's some Tibetan horns in there too, but likely a combo of other similar sounds. Mournful, for sure. "She Burns in Devotion, Her Virtue Sweet Like Honey" is the most melodic track so far; lute and ambient bass riff on a chord progression. Not bad, but it repeats too many times and doesn't evolve. Something different with "There Is No Answer" - experimental light noise ambient drone, then, later on, a lengthy (film) dialogue sample. The longest track (8:17), "To Those Who Mourn" is very slow psychedelia that might sound like the Grateful Dead at 16 rpm. Final track "Concerning The Law Of Angels" has processed vocals over guitar and lute, acoustic and electric, atmosphere over compositional concessions, abstract and amorphous in content. I'm sure there will be many who love this album for its dark, murky ambience, but I was hoping for a bit more substance. I think Jarmusch's name may be its strongest selling point considering his following. Limited to 1,000 vinyl, 500 CD.