A SELECTION OF REVIEWS:
The Belgian project June 11 released their debut CD in 2008. “The Temple Of Wood” was released during the 2nd part of 2011 and according to me it’s the most surprising CD I’ve ever heard on EE Tapes. I fully enjoyed “The Temple Of Wood”, which is a sweet voyage throughout different musical horizons and influences.
It’s a mix of jazzy passages, cabaret music, lullabies and a few South-American influences (the album was partly written in Argentina) like tango reminiscences. The vocals are sometimes reminding me of living pioneers like Nick Cave and Leonard Cohen. So I wasn’t really surprised to hear a cover of the Cohen song “You Know Who I Am.” It was reworked with a rather tango-inspired touch. But other songs are quite Leonard Cohen as well and I here especially refer to the beautiful “Everybody Wants The Same Thing”. Quite comparable and still a bit Cave-like is the more ballad-like “The Art Of Losing”.
“The Temple Of wood” also moves on the edge of a real lullaby on the French sung “Ce Dimanche”. And there are more surprises on this album as well. There is the more classical sounding “The Forces” inspired by the music of Franz Schubert and I also want to mention the piano ballad “The Jar”.
No doubt about it, this album is a little jewel full of sensibility and musical knowledge.
(DP:8/9)DP - SIDE LINE 25 feb. 2012
June 11 - The Temple Of Wood (CD – EE Tapes) - review at SIDE-LINE
JUNE … in winter.
A sunny Sunday afternoon in winter, lit fireplace, snow in the garden, a cup of hot thee, home baked cookies, Christmas around the corner and completing the picture … JUNE11. “The Temple Of Wood” is that kind of record! Yes … life CAN be beautiful.
Poems from Heinrich Heine, translated and processed into a song (Like A Flower), a track based on work from Schubert (“piano trio in Eb, op. 100 - 2nd movement”) … Nice touches for music and literature students but nothing more as far as I am concerned. Playing around with Art does not necessarily lead to superior Quality.
What does? Good taste, talent and surrounding yourself with skilled and fine musicians! Jan Van den Broeke (ex THE MISZ) has good taste and talent and seemingly knows all the right people! Their names? Katleen De Vos, Mieke Versyp, Drita Kotaji, Mary Osunbor, Mirco Waem, Miguel Frasca, Jacob d’ Hollander, Stefan Thaens and Kris Laukens. Together they have turned Jan Van den Broeke’s material into an admirable temple where “sensitive” people can enjoy the quietness. “The Temple Of Wood” is a beautiful, elegant and refined CD, worth your money and attention. It offers 10 delicate songs, vulnerable and fluid …
Guitar, bandoneon, piano, clarinet, sax, viola, violin, and different voices and languages (English, French and Spanish) offer master painter Jan Van den Broeke a rich instrumental and vocal palette, which allows him to create an interesting, warm and varied singer-songwriters album.
One question... Does “The Temple Of Wood” really need a Leonard Cohen cover? I don’t think so. The work of Jan Van den Broeke himself is superior in any way.
“The Temple Of Wood” was recorded in Belgium France and Argentina and released on the first of November 2011.
It’s limited to 300 copies. The first 75 copies are hand-numbered and extra photographs are added.
Another EE Tapes Quality product!
Didier PIETERS Peek A Boo Magazine 21 nov. 2011
Er is dankzij enkele mooie vinylheruitgaven hernieuwde aandacht voor de minimale elektronica van The Misz, het bekendste project van Jan Van den Broeke. Maar ook in de jaren 1980 maakte Van den Broeke al zeer ingetogen minimalistische solomuziek: oorspronkelijk als Absent Music, intussen al een paar jaar als June11. Door de inbreng van gastmuzikanten en zangeressen is de klank steeds rijker geworden, maar ook op deze cd is nog goed te horen waar Van den Broeke vandaan komt. De cover van Leonard Cohen (‘You Know Who I Am’) is één wapenfeit. En de manier waarop elektronica gekruist wordt met gitaren, klarinet, viool en piano, en waarop de mannelijke/vrouwelijke vocalen elkaar afwisselen, doet sterk denken aan The Velvet Underground, in het bijzonder VU-tracks als ‘Pale Blue Eyes’. Laten we dit meteen maar nuanceren tot een klankmatige referentie: er is zeker melancholie in het werk van June11 aanwezig, maar je zal hem op een zomeravond veeleer gitaartokkelend onder een eenzame boom aantreffen, dan in een SM travestietenbar of in de goot met een naald in zijn arm. June11 is nogal romantisch: maanlicht, sterren, pianomuziek van Franz Schubert en poëzie van Heinrich Heine. Toch zit hier en daar ook een weerhaakje, onder andere door de lijken van 600 dolfijnen. Hoewel de combinatie van dit soort muziek met de warme stemmen al snel een zekere loomheid opwekt, hopen we dat de lichtinval op ons leven ooit van dien aard is dat we ‘The Temple Of Wood’ integraal én herhaaldelijk kunnen consumeren.
(pv) Gonzo (circus) 107 (Jan/Feb 2012)
