Joram Feitsma – Stroom

When I pressed play a lone voice asked, ‘Wouldn’t it be nice to get more?’ A not so random advertisement generated solely for my benefit of course. The answer in reality is, wouldn’t it be nice to get less.

Joram Feitsma’s beautiful new album sits in-between more and less. Plentiful in its exhortation, rich in its search for the meaning in emotion while the accompanying instrumentation seemingly feels restrained, poignant to the point of haunting intensity. Even the playing is exhilarating when it is being quiet.

The thing about experiencing Stroom is the sheer quality of detail. As if each note means something on its own, as if each piece occupies exactly the right time. Water and electricity the underlying metaphors. But lost without a piano to play. I’m glad this collection of sounds that formulate such meaning together isn’t necessarily easy to categorize because it exits on higher plane, sitting above such trivial matters. It is also heart-warming to know that music of this grade surrounds us in such abundance, you just need to pull back the covers and look. Perhaps unusually it is hard to point to a single composition as being better than another. Each time the next number begins I think this is best, even more touching than its predecessor. However, I don’t think that’s the point. Stroom is about an entirety of feeling, highs and lows. From A-Z. They all sing from the same hymn sheet.

Assembled over five years, the album also features a series of written poems to highlight each track. There are also videos to explore. All of which is a bonus but either way sometimes headphones or the fresh air are the places to get lost in.

Listen https://open.spotify.com/album/6oDFublvMHNWGje9LDElSB
Buy https://joramfeitsma.bandcamp.com/album/stroom
https://www.instagram.com/joramfeitsmamusic/

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