FFWD REW

Joan of Arc – Testimonium Songs

Polyvinyl

It’s sad to say but Joan of Arc’s glory days are far behind them. While they once occupied a prominent position in the indie music consciousness the Chicago artistes are now strictly for the devoted. Testimonium Songs is a perfect reason why.

Written to accompany a theatre group’s interpretation of Objectivist poet Charles Reznikoff’s Testimony the album is a tough sell to say the least and hardly takes it easy on the listener. Featuring a rotating cast of players and guests like David Grubbs Melina Ausikaitis and Fred Lonberg-Holm Joan of Arc are as always led by Tim Kinsella whose creaking off-tune vocals become even more of an acquired taste thanks to some harsh and bleak lyrical material.

But it’s in the arrangements where the record experiences its biggest pitfalls with JoA’s free-form take to art-damaged rock playing out dark deranged and uncomfortable — often due to sections of the record literally sounding like the band tuning up. It also doesn’t help that the group tread little new sonic ground here and the few a cappella tracks especially the cringeworthy barbershop-styled closer do the album no favours.

Even by Joan of Arc standards Testimonium Songs is a hard album to love or even listen to.

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