Junip / Junip

Filed in Junip,

Album Reviews | Released on City Slang
| By Stephanie Chase

Junip
Junip
(City Slang)
***
Describing the band as “somewhere between a German jazz band and an African pop band”, singer songwriter Jose González’s band Junip is a truly different entity from his solo work. Whilst his trademark haunting vocals and acoustic guitar are still there, Junip as a band have a much more layered sound and seem to draw from a broader range of influences than perhaps Jose could muster on his own.

Opening with ‘Line of Fire’, González’s trademark haunting vocals immediately hit you as he asks “what would you do if it all came back to you.” There’s a steadiness to the song that immediately engages you and carries you through right till the end.

González’s description of African pop blended with jazz is best exemplified on the track ‘Suddenly’. Lyrically it is as upbeat and optimistic as González has probably ever been. The guitar work has a clear African influence but it almost seems as if drummer Elias Araya and keyboardist Tobias Winterkorn are improvising around González.

The album’s most surprising track is ‘Your Life, Your Call’, four songs into the album and you may have thought you’ve sussed out the band’s sound and then suddenly you’re thrown a synth pop curve ball, complete with handclaps. As incongruous as it might seem at first, it actually manages to fit in well and shows the band are still up for a bit of experimentation.

While sometimes there’s a worry the González’s more breathy vocals could get lost among a full band, they manage to blend so well with the music that the whole sound becomes one rich and layered tapestry. It’s almost impossible to imagine either part working without the other.

‘Head First’ is the point in the album where everything starts to wind down. It’s a laid back and almost sleepy track, but it still manages to throw up some interesting sounds courtesy of Tobias Winterkorn. However on ‘Baton’, the mixture of percussion and González’s whistling is just a bit too mellowed out, sadly this is one bit of experimentation that was better left alone.

As the album finishes its unfortunate that it’s second half didn’t live up to the first. The final tracks all seem a bit too similar and it becomes really easy to totally loose interest. ‘Beginnings’ is so drawn out that it feels twice as long as the 5 minutes it actually is, and whilst there is some redemption on the finale ‘After all is Said and Done’ you do feel a bit cheated by the album’s lacklustre second half.

‘Junip’ is an album capable of bringing more than a few surprises and it throws up more questions about the band’s direction than it answers. Whilst there are a few moments of magic it’s really not one that will instantly endear itself to you. Still it does make for a good, easy listen, even if it does run the risk of fading into the background.
Stephanie Chase