An expertly constructed debut LP from the José González-fronted trio.
Junip are perhaps most widely known for having amongst their number Swedish singer-songwriter José González, but their short history (this is their third physical release in five years) is rather rich in its own right. Quietly intense, occasionally foreboding songs (including an utterly stellar cover of Springsteen’s The Ghost of Tom Joad as the B side to an old single – Spotify it if you’ve a spare moment and a hanky) that González is known for are beautifully fleshed out by his bandmates Elias Araya and Tobias Winterkorn. On Fields the combination produce their strongest work yet.
They accomplish this by adhering to a formula for much of the record, but it is a strong one. That intense foreboding habitually begins as a González strum and builds so gradually to a climax of revolving musical ideas that by the time they get there the listener could potentially be a wreck. Premier amongst these is the genuine smoulder of Without You. The soft ostinati rise not powerfully, but viscously to demonstrate the song’s potency, a triumph of subtle dynamics. The ensuing summit, at around the four-minute mark, is felt in the guts and takes another minute to cool down from – this is expert construction.
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Source: BBC Music