After several years of absence, Junip (a three-piece indie folk rock band from Sweden) debuted their eponymous sophomore album. Blending the psychedelic rock of the 60's and 70's with modern synths and empathetic vocals, José González and his pals come out swinging but wind up just short of a home run.
Junip was founded in 1998 and released their first EP two years later, titled StraightAfter several years of absence, Junip (a three-piece indie folk rock band from Sweden) debuted their eponymous sophomore album. Blending the psychedelic rock of the 60's and 70's with modern synths and empathetic vocals, José González and his pals come out swinging but wind up just short of a home run.
Junip was founded in 1998 and released their first EP two years later, titled Straight Lines. The band was put on hold in 2003 when González's own career took off, they then got back together again in 2005 to release their second EP Black Refuge. Once again González took off on his own path and was solo until 2010 when the band got back together and released their first full-length album known as Fields. The release of Fields gave the trio some momentum and three years later, they're back and still maintaining the same hypnotic rhythm they originally had 15 years ago.
The album opens up with “Line of Fire”, an uptempo and ethereal-sounding jam. Preceding this is “Suddenly”, a more somber chill-out song that still maintains a hypnotic vibe for which Junip is known. Coming up in the No. 3 spot is “So Clear,” another propulsive song that makes you want to rock out just as “Line of Fire” did. This is where the trio hits their first speed bump: consistency. While Junip's originality and use of varying instruments (such as the Moog synthesizer) is much appreciated, they lack consistency which is important for a more enjoyable listening experience. The album seems to jump between buoyant indie rock to downtempo mellow folk that makes you want to close your eyes and relax. The constant variances between songs prove difficult to get totally immersed in the group's album and take away from the truly great experience that could've been if they had simply stuck with a single trajectory. If Junip were to release these songs as singles there's no doubt they'd be highly praised but compiled into one album the talented trio's latest feels like a swing and a miss.… Expand