Album Review: Junip - Junip

My initial assumption with Junip's new album was hesitant: Being a big fan of the 2010 release, Fields, I was not entirely sure how the self-titled sophomore would follow up. For the readers who are not familiar with José González's style, it is haunting, gentle and soulful, yet it can also be quite homogenous. This is particularly the case with his trio: Nylon-string acoustic guitar, organ/synth and drums form the makeup of the group's sound and style, with only minimal and very subtle diversity.

Sonically, the follow up to Fields has not deviated too far. I do not see a big change in sound, and some tracks seem to be pale imitations to those that they were based on in the previous release, which were substantial and soulful.  However, there are some real gems on the album, such as Suddenly, which retains the flavour but disregards the construct of their previous works; Your Life Your Call; and Villain, which opens with huge energy and determination, and it could have been a very strong opening track.

Overall, the album is a great listen, and Junip is a formidable sonic presence. The decent tracks stand out with poise and rich flavour, and with their quality alone make the album a worthwhile listen. The drawback of the album however is that the rest of the tracks seem to just be there to fill in playing time. There is minimal deviation or progression with these songs compared with the last release. For example, So Clear which seems to be To The Grain re-written, and this is a little disappointing. In all, the positive outweighs the negative, and this album is a reasonable follow up.