The third and final installment in a trilogy of solo albums, this Joseph explores a similar path as
Alike Joseph and
Simple Joseph, but it reaches a new level of purity and beauty.
Noel Akchote is credited for guitar and amplifier. He works with feedback, producing delicate, sustained tones by gently touching the strings or flipping pickup switches. The sounds never get aggressive; on the contrary, the guitarist struggles to keep things quiet and pleasurable -- even though that last word may seem a bit odd. In "20" -- the four tracks are titled "17" through "20," but they don't add up with the tracks on the previous albums (four each) -- things get louder and noisier, but the first three pieces stand as little gems of control. "17," for instance, exerts quite a fascination on the listener, its delicate tones ringing endlessly, the guitarist exploring the rich possibilities of very limited gestures, even putting together a beat from the flipping of switches and foot pedals. The Joseph series is quite different from
Akchote's work in improvising groups or rock/jazz outfits (see
the Recyclers or his work with
Katerine). Expect music that has more to do with sound art and the placement of a sound event in space and time than with something associated to the guitar. ~ François Couture