Description:	USED LP on Important, JAMES BLACKSHAW & JOZEF VAN WISSEM EX+/EX-
	Format:	LP (vinyl)
	Condition:	Used
	Genre(s):	Folk/Folk Rock
	Label:	Important
	Price:	£13.99
	Availability:	Sold out / currently unavailable. Sorry!

4
...according to our Ant on 22 January 2009.

Phil was so excited about the arrival of the 'The Wolf Also Shall Dwell With The Lamb' LP by Brethren Of The Free Spirit that he passed out and Brian almost had to give him the kiss of life but he came round and had some fresh air and water. He then proceeded to place the needle on the record and was so relaxed by the soothing sounds that he soiled himself so couldn't review it which was most unfortunate. Being the man that I am I've taken the baton so here goes... Well most of you who are interested in this record already know that this is the work of James Blackshaw and Jozef Van Wissem. What strikes me about the start of the record is how sparse the sound is compared to a lot of Blackshaw's rich 12 string work. It does build but it begins with a very minimal approach. The beauty is in the simplicity. The second track is particularly heat warming and magical with lush use of repetition. 'Into The Dust Of The Earth' is reminiscent of the vibe on their previous album and if you enjoyed that then I dare say this will cuddle up nicely with it in your collection. Out on important Records along with a load of other titles on the label this week.

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What their label says...

Brethren of the Free Spirit are guitarist/composer James Blackshaw and lutenist/composer Jozef van Wissem. Named after a cult of 13th-century Northern European religious heretics this duo play with an appropriately zealous intensity. Brethren of the Free Spirit debuted in New York and went on a crusade through the Lowlands, Belgium, Spain, Ireland and London even apearing On the Dutch National VPRO TV show 'Vrije Geluiden." Intricate phrases circle and spiral in on themselves, and in the end it's the subtle shifts in rhythm and tonal coloration that provide a kind of transcendence in a sea of repetition. The Wolf Shall Also... was recorded at Locksley Hall, Amsterdam in April 2008. It considest of 4 long circular compositions in which the duo employ all methods of contemporary performace styles to free the lute and merge the two instruments.  Intentionally recorded in mono it's ocasionally impossible to tell the two instruments apart. Perhaps that's just what makes this duo so successfull - the players and the instruments become unified in historical references to the musics of both the ancient lute contemporary acoustic guitar. For example, Into The Dust Of The Earth is based on a classical baroque lute prelude from the 1650 by an anonymous composer. The theme is mirrored midway turning the piece into a palindrome, updating the material in the process. Blackshaw weaves his 12 string tapestry hypnotically intertwining the lute and the guitar into one modern piece of ancient tunage bringing the lute into the present day. The drawings on the cover by Belgian brethren Wouter Van Haelemeesch reference greek myths as well as medieval alchemical emblems by the likes of Michael Maier.