The Joy Of Nature/Goddies/2021 Compilation EP Review

 

  Portugal's  The  Joy  Of  nature  have  returned  with  a  compilation  which  continues  their  mixture  of  experimental  and  neo-folk  form  their  previous  releases  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  2021  ep  "Goodies"  which  consists  of  unreleased  and  compilation  tracks.

  A  very  dark  and  experimental  sound  starts  off  the  ep  while  all  of  the  musical  instruments  on  the  recording also  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them.  When  acoustic  guitars  are  utilized  they  also b ring  in  elements  of  neo  folk  along  with t he  vocals  being  done  mostly in  a  clean  style  and  the  music  also  adds  in  some  ambient  style  soundscapes.

  The  acoustic  guitars  also  add  in  a  good  mixture  of  finger  picking  and  full  chords  while  percussions  can  also b e  heard  in  the  background.  The  music  also  has  its  psychedelic  moments  along  with  the  tracks  also  mixing  in  flutes  and  other  folk  instruments  and  the  guitar  leads  are  also  done  in  a  very  melodic  style.

  On  these  tracks  The  Joy  Of  Nature  brings  in  a  mixture  of  neo-folk,  psychedelia,  experimental  and  ambient  to  create  a  sound  of  their  own.  The  production  sounds  very  dark  while  the  lyrics  cover  darkness,  nature  and  esoteric  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  a  very  great  sounding  compilation  from  The  Joy  of  Nature  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  experimental,  neo-folk,  psychedelia  and  ambient,  you  should  check  out  this  ep.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "The  Knife  Reflects  The  Smile"  and  "Glass  And  Smoke".  8  out  of  10.

https://www.facebook.com/thejoyofnature/      

The Joy Of Nature/Until Only The Mountain Remains/Dornwald Records/2020 CD Review

 

  The  Joy  Of  Nature  are  a  band  from  Portugal  that  has  been  featured  before  in  this  zine  and  plays  a  mixture of  experimental  and  neo-folk  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2020  album  "Until  Only  The  Mountain  Remains"  which  was  released  by Dornwald  Records.

  Acoustic  guitars  start  off  the  album  while  also  adding  in  a  good  mixture  of  full  chords  and  finger  picking.  Musical  bells  can  also  be  heard  in  some  parts  of  the  recording  along  with  the  second  track  also  introducing  stringed  instruments  and  spoken  word  parts  onto  the  recording  and  the  music  also  adds  in  a  great  amount  of  neo  folk  elements.

  Whispers  can  also  be  heard  in  some  parts  of  the  recording  while  the  music  also  has  its  experimental  moments.  At  times  the  music  also  captures  a  very  poetic  atmosphere  along  with  one  track  also  introducing  clean  vocals  onto  the  recording  as  well  as  one  of  the  songs  also  being  over  10  minutes  in  length  and  as  the  album  progresses  a  brief  use  of  drum  beats  and  electric  guitars  can  also  be  heard  and  they  also  add  in  a  touch  of  post  rock.

  On  this  recording  The  Joy  Of  Nature  remains  true  to  the  experimental  style  of  neo-folk  that  they  had  established  on  previous  releases.  The  production  sounds  very  dark  while  the  lyrics  cover  nature,  poetry  and  folklore  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  the  Joy  Of  Nature  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  experimental  and  neo-folk,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Rotten  Axle-Handle  Mountain"  "The  World  Of  Dew"  "These  Things  Can  Knock  The  Heads  Of  Everyone"  and  "Wait  For  Me  By  The  Winter  Stream". 8 out  of  10.

Stream the Album: open.spotify.com/album/7t17oO9lJs1cUDFAuHbcCv?si=J_fhnocnRBS4MaVm-UAOGw

Facebook Page of The Project: https://www.facebook.com/thejoyofnature

Watch the Official Video of "The Girl With The Razor": www.youtube.com/watch?v=0mT4Oe__xmU

Watch the Official Video of "Taking Leave of a Friend": www.youtube.com/watch?v=eCnAg3HwS9A        

:novemthree:/The Joy Of Nature/Meandering In Streams Of Reflection/Auguries Of Innocence/2009 Split Album Review

  This  is  a  review  of  a  split  album  between  U.S.A's  :novemthree:  and  Portugal's  The  Joy  Of  nature  both  bands  that  have  been  featured before  in  this  zine  with  the  album  being  self  released  in  2009  and  called  "Meandering In Streams Of Reflection/Auguries Of Innocence"  and  we  will  start  off  the  review  with  :novemthree:  which  continues  their  psychedelic  form  of  neo-folk  music.

  There  side  of  the  split  starts  off  with  acoustic  guitars  which  uses  of  mixture  of  finger  picking  and  full  chords  and  percussion  which  gives  the  music  a  tribal  and  shamanistic  feeling  and  after  awhile  folk  instruments  are  added  into  the  recording  along  with  some  melodic  pagan  chanting  and  on  the  following  tack  vocals  become  a  part  of  the  album.

  When  we  get  more  into  their  side  of  the  split  the  music  starts  getting  a  bit  more  diverse  and  darker  while  also  bring  in  elements  of  60's  folk  and  psychedelic  rock  and  they  also  bring  in  a  small  amount  of  instrumentals.

  Song  lyrics  cover  nature  themes,  while  the  production  has  a  very  dark  and  old  school  sound  to  it.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  The  Joy Of  Nature  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  psychedelic  neo-folk  music,  you  should  check  out  their  side  of  the  split.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "The  First  Flowers"  and  "Meadow  Song.  

  Next  up  is  The  Joy  Of  Nature  a  band  that  plays  a  very  experimental  form  of  neo-folk  music.

  Their  side  of  the  splits  starts  off  with  acoustic  and  electric  guitars,  folk instruments  and  spoken  vocals  and  after  awhile  regular  singing  becomes  a  part  of  the  recording  along  with  a  small  amount  of  guitar  slides.

  When  their  side  of  the  split  goes  into  other  songs  you  can  hear  traces  of  60's  and  psychedelic  rock  being  added  into  certain  sections  of  the  recording  along  with  the  music  getting  more  diverse  with  each  track  and  there  is  also  a  brief  use  of  heavy  parts  that  have  an  almost  black  metal  feeling  to  them  and  after  awhile  synths  are  brought  in  briefly  and  they  also b ring  a  very  dark  sounding  atmosphere  to the  recording  as  well  as  bringing  in  small  parts  of  harsh  noise.

  Song  lyrics  cover  dark,  metaphysical  and  nature  themes,  while  the  production  has  a  very  strong  and  powerful  sound  where  you  can  hear  all  of  the  musical  instruments  that  are  present  on  their  side  of  the  split.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  the  Joy  Of  nature  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  experimental  neo-folk  music,  you  should  check  out  their  side  of  the  split.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Nobody's  Fault  but  Mine"  and  "The  Show  Is  Over".

  In  conclusion  I  feel  this  is  a  very  great  sounding  split  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  neo-folk,  you  should  check  out  their  side  of  the  split.  8  out  of  10.

https://novemthree.bandcamp.com/

The Joy Of Nature Interview

1. Can you introduce our readers to The Joy Of Nature?
The Joy of Nature is the musical vehicle of LC and his troupe of collaborators, trying to express the beauty and power of nature, of the nature of things. It was born on 1998 as The Joy of Nature and Discipline and the name was reduced to the current one on 2006.

2. How would you describe the musical style that you present on your albums?
It is mostly organic, made with folk instruments, sometimes ambient, sometimes psychedelic, other times avantgarde. It changes from record to record, but keeping a noticeable identity.

3. What are some of the lyrical subjects and topics you write about?
Many subjects and topics. It depends on what is being transmitted. There is no fixation for some specific topic.

4. What is the meaning and the inspiration behind the bands name?
It’s just a name that expresses a way of looking at the world.

5. Have you had any opportunities to do live shows yet, if so what are some of the best shows that the band has played so far and how would you describe your stage performance?
We played this Summer at Lisbon and Oporto. Well, we presented something quite different from what is recorded. We used some improvisation, played a lot of unreleased material. The Joy of Nature live demands some concentration from the public, to have a connection with the crowd. When it happens that way, it is something very special. But if in this year’s shows we played more the avantgarde side of The Joy of Nature, in next performances we can just perform folk songs.

6. How has your music been received so far by neo-folk fans worldwide?
I don’t know quite well. It would be easier to ask them, how they receive it.

7. How would you describe your musical progress over the years and what direction do you see the music heading into on future releases?
There’s a musical progress in The Joy of Nature’s music, but not concerning style. An album can be disturbing acoustic ambient and the next one can be an album of normal songs, more or less folkier. And another one may be quite close to avantgarde. Who knows the direction? Just see myself stripping of the music, turning it more pure.

8. What are some bands or musical styles that have influenced your music and what are you listening to nowadays?
When we listen to a lot of different things, it’s hard to know exactly what influenced us, but medieval music, traditional folk music, some classical and avantgarde composers, even some indie rock and post punk must have influenced us. Lately I’ve been listening to medieval music, Jandek, The National, Yo la Tengo, Charalambides, Debussy, Stravinsky, etc. Quite an eclectic selection.

9. Does Paganism play any role in your music?
Paganism is a word with a meaning that has been misunderstood. Pagan means something like peasant, so paganism is something like old peasant’s way. It’s a word that does not make sense to me anymore, so I can’t answer the question.

10. Outside of music, what are some of your interests?
Cinema, literature, arts in general, anthropology, philosophy.

11. Any final words or thoughts before we close this interview?
Thank you for your interest!

https://thejoyofnature.bandcamp.com/

The Joy Of Nature/The Empty Circle Part II Rastos de Sangue e fragmentos de Tradicao/Ahnstern/2009 CD Review

The Joy Of Nature are a band from Portugal that mixes neo-folk with experimental music and this is a review of their 2009 album "The Empty Circle Part II Rastos de Sangue e fragmentos da Tradicao" which was released by Ahnstern.

Acoustic guitars are mostly full chords and finger picking that brings out with feel of the dark age with a lot of other folk instruments and percussion being used that gives the music a tribal and shamanistic feel mixed in with some noise elements that bring the  experimental side to the music.

Vocals are all clean singing male and female vocals with some spoken word passages., while the lyrics are written in Portuguese and it is about the spiritual inheritance of the ancestors of that country, as for the production it is very dark and ancient sounding.

In my opinion The Joy of Nature are a very good experimental neo-folk band that should appeal to all fans of this genre. RECOMMENDED TRACKS INCLUDE "Tancheo" "Sete Cidares" "Por Tua Saudade" and "O Corjeto Sinstro das Sombres". RECOMMENDED BUY.

https://thejoyofnature.bandcamp.com/