Junip (album)
| Untitled | |
|---|---|
Junip is the second LP by Swedish based indie rock band Junip. The album was released April 22, 2013 on City Slang (Europe) and the following day on Mute (North America).
Critical reception
| Aggregate scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Metacritic | (76/100)[1] |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |   [2] |
| Clash | 6/10[3] |
| FILTER | 83%[4] |
| The Independent | [5] |
| musicOMH | [6] |
| Now | [7] |
| Pitchfork | 7.0/10[8] |
| PopMatters |   [9] |
| Rolling Stone |  [10] |
| Under the Radar |  [11] |
Junip received mostly positive reviews from music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a weighted average score out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received a metascore of 76, based on 17 reviews.[1] At FILTER, Zach Kraimer highlighted how this album like their last "finds them occupying the same melancholy, earnest spaces", and told that the band "have since outgrown some restrictive boundaries."[4] Heather Phares of Allmusic called the release "even more of a grower" than their previous offering, which is done "in more ways than one", such as "bigger arrangements and productions" and in their songwriting.[2] The Independent's Holly Williams found that the album "still resides in the folktronica zone", which Williams noted the album "can be plodding and takes a while to get going, but also occasionally reaches soaring, festival-fields-at-dusk heights."[5]
Christopher Monk at musicOMH alluded to how "Junip isn’t a flashy album", yet still vowed that the album is "lovely stuff."[6] Christine Werthman of CMJ emphasized that "the sounds are bigger on Junip," and stressed that "it’s the audible give and take among the performers this time that makes the album intimate."[12] The Quietus' Ryan Foley commented that if you like when "Gonzalez's intricate, mellifluous guitar playing is not front and center," that the "committed followers of this side of his artistry will certainly be satisfied."[13]
At Under the Radar, Laura Studarus evoked how "less is more-or so the saying goes" because "when the trio pulls back, they almost consistently find their sweet spot."[11] Pitchfork's Stephen M. Deusner told that "there’s nothing quite so streamlined or quite so dramatic on Junip, yet "there’s also nothing to suggest the band is flailing. Mainly they simply keep on chugging."[9] In addition, Deusner affirmed that "what worked on Fields works just as well here; what didn't still doesn't; and constancy may be the band's greatest weakness", and noted how that "Ultimately, Junip keep their distance, offering a comforting hand on your shoulder rather than a full and unreserved embrace."[9] At Rolling Stone, Jon Dolan noted that Junip finds "something creepily beautiful down every one of theirs."[10]
James Evans of Clash found that "at their best though, Junip's exotic folk gems have a slow-burning charm and are an impressive step forward from Gonzalez's easy listening cover versions."[3] At Now, Benjamin Boles equivocated that the release is "all very easy to listen to, but occasionally too close to easy listening."[7] PopMatters' Benjamin Aspray told that "the rest of Junip never quite matches its first track" and highlighted that the release "faces the line of fire, only to step back."[9] At This Is Fake DIY, Greg Inglis affirmed that "despite the occasional smattering of experimentation there is little if any progression from their previous material" however "whilst there are a couple of noteworthy exceptions there is simply too much here that simply slips into background music fodder."[14]
Track listing
All tracks are written by Junip (José González, Tobias Winterkorn and Elias Araya)
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Line of Fire" | 5:39 |
| 2. | "Suddenly" | 3:26 |
| 3. | "So Clear" | 4:45 |
| 4. | "Your Life, Your Call" | 4:07 |
| 5. | "Villain" | 1:58 |
| 6. | "Walking Lightly" | 5:43 |
| 7. | "Head First" | 2:37 |
| 8. | "Baton" | 3:44 |
| 9. | "Beginnings" | 5:00 |
| 10. | "After All Is Said and Done" | 5:40 |
Personnel
All instruments played by Elias Araya, José González, Tobias Winterkorn and Don Alsterberg except tambourine on 6 played by Håkan Wirenstrand.
In media
The song "Line of Fire" was used in commercials for the series finale of Breaking Bad. The song was also featured in season 1, episode 11 of The Blacklist and in season 1, episode 17 of The Originals. It's also used in episode S01E18 of "Elementary".
The song "Walking Lightly" has been adapted for use by fans of Notts County FC, the changed verses being: "We are, Notts County! We are, Notts County! Near or far, here we are! Notts County!"
References
- ^ a b Metacritic (23 April 2013). "Critic Reviews for Junip". CBS Interactive. Retrieved 28 April 2013.
- ^ a b Phares, Heather (22 April 2013). "Junip - Junip : Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards". Allmusic. Retrieved 28 April 2013.
- ^ a b Evans, James (15 April 2013). "Junip - Junip". Clash. Retrieved 28 April 2013.
- ^ a b Kraimer, Zack (24 April 2013). "Reviews - Junip". FILTER. Retrieved 28 April 2013.
- ^ a b Williams, Holly (20 April 2013). "Album: Junip, Junip (City Slang)". The Independent. Retrieved 28 April 2013.
- ^ a b Monk, Christopher (22 April 2013). "Junip - Junip". musicOMH. Retrieved 28 April 2013.
- ^ a b Boles, Benjamin (25 April 2013). "Junip". Now. Retrieved 28 April 2013.
- ^ Deusner, Stephen M. (23 April 2013). "Junip: Junip". Pitchfork. Retrieved 28 April 2013.
- ^ a b c d Aspray, Benjamin (25 April 2013). "Junip: Junip". PopMatters. Retrieved 28 April 2013.
- ^ a b Dolan, Jon (23 April 2013). "Junip Album Review". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 28 April 2013.
- ^ a b Studarus, Laura (24 April 2013). "Junip: Junip (Mute)". Under the Radar. Retrieved 28 April 2013.
- ^ Werthman, Christine (23 April 2013). "Review: Junip - Junip (Mute)". CMJ. Retrieved 28 April 2013.
- ^ Foley, Ryan (25 April 2013). "Reviews Junip". The Quietus. Retrieved 28 April 2013.
- ^ Inglis, Greg (22 April 2013). "Junip - Junip". This Is Fake DIY. Retrieved 28 April 2013.