A Window & A Mirror (WC)

A Window & A Mirror is a complete collection of Joan of Arc’s seminal material from their debut in 1996 through 2002 (their ‘Jade Tree years’).  For nearly a quarter century, Joan of Arc maintained a fluid lineup that drew from a multitude of subversive Chicago music communities. The group’s obdurate dedication to shape-shifting reinvention charmed and frustrated audiences in equal measure, often simultaneously. What they produced resists all attempts at easy summary.  Only one person, band-leader Tim Kinsella, remained in Joan of Arc from its 1996 debut to its final days in 2020, however every musician and behind-the-scenes collaborator that played a role in Joan of Arc (a number that exceeds 100) influenced the band’s direction and character.  Joan of Arc is the result of Tim's work with a community of radical artists who came to him from the underground, or were found there after he sought them out to engage in strange and memorable experiments in sound. No two Joan of Arc albums sound identical, but listening closely to this work we begin to trace out the footprint of ideas that took root on one LP and blossomed into the next.  With A Window & A Mirror, we tell part of the story and resurrect the early phase of the group’s evolution. Excavated from Kinsella’s grandmother’s basement, the 132-page hardbound book collects his journals, photos, and essays written in real time as these albums came together, and includes a long lost Joan of Arc artifact: Red Blue Yellow, a rare recording captured at a notorious show where Kinsella and his co-conspirators would convene for a one-time performance under the name Red Blue Yellow, following the demise of Kinsella’s pioneering emo band Cap’n’Jazz. Red Blue Yellow promptly broke up and became Joan of Arc. Red Blue Yellow is the missing link between Cap’n’Jazz and Joan of Arc and is only now seeing the light of day. Also included in this collection is access to the “Joan of Archive,” a digital collection of literally hundreds of demo-tapes, live recordings, and musical meanderings mapping the band’s evolution. The group meticulously cataloged their development during this period, and purchasers of A Window & A Mirror will now be granted access to the motherlode.  The complete collection comes in a custom-built wooden box featuring laser-etched artwork each signed by Tim Kinsella, including deluxe colored vinyl pressings of the band’s first five studio albums originally released on Jade Tree Records: A Portable Model Of, How Memory Works, Live in Chicago 1999, The Gap, So Much Staying Alive and Lovelessness, the Red Blue Yellow 7”, plus the 132-page hardbound book and access to the “Joan of Archive.”  The standalone book is also available a la carte. Its first edition of 1000 hand-numbered copies includes the Red Blue Yellow 7”, and access to the “Joan of Archive.” -------- The complete box set includes: - 132-page hardbound book (A deep dive into the band’s formation and Jade Tree era, featuring Tim Kinsella’s personal journals, photos, and essays recounting their first five records) - Custom-built, hand-numbered wooden box featuring laser-etched artwork, each signed by Tim Kinsella - 5 LPs on colored vinyl: A Portable Model Of (on Aqua Blue vinyl) How Memory Works (on Olive Green vinyl) Live in Chicago, 1999 (2xLP on Gold vinyl) The Gap (on Electric Blue vinyl) So Much Staying Alive and Lovelessness (on Red vinyl) - Red Blue Yellow (7" on Tri-colored Red/Blue/Yellow vinyl) - Access to the “Joan of Archive” (a massive digital collection of 200+ demos, live recordings, practice tapes, and alternate mixes)