Junip - Fields [Deluxe]

Artist:

Junip

UPC:

724596945124

Description:

Personnel: Jos? Gonz?lez (vocals, guitar); Tobias Winterkorn (keyboards); Elias Araya (drums).
Audio Mixer: Don Alstherberg.
Recording information: Don Pierre Studio (2000); East Mental Studio, V?nersborg, Sweden (2000); Stampen (2000); Svenska Grammofon Studion, G?teborg, Sweden (2000); Don Pierre Studio (2004); East Mental Studio, V?nersborg, Sweden (2004); Stampen (2004); Svenska Grammofon Studion, G?teborg, Sweden (2004).
Fields, the debut album by Jos? Gonz?lez`s band Junip, was nearly a decade in the making, and it sounds like it. Not because it`s particularly elaborate -- actually, in many places, it`s nearly as spare as Gonz?lez`s solo work -- but because the chemistry evident on these songs only comes with time. Gonz?lez and his bandmates, keyboardist Tobias Winterkorn and drummer Elias Araya, began playing together in the late `90s. Though they went in different directions for several years, with Araya studying art and Winterkorn teaching and building a studio while Gonz?lez made a name for himself as a solo singer/songwriter, Fields` simple, confident, surprisingly easy feel shows that Junip was never far from their minds. They sound like a real band, and Gonz?lez is as much a team player here as the other two-thirds of the group; while "To the Grain" could have appeared on one of his own albums, most of these songs are fleshed out in their own unique way. "In Every Direction" kicks off the album with hypnotic beats and keyboards that have a much more rock feel than anything Gonz?lez has done on his own, while "Tide" closes it with big drums and drones. In between are songs filled with interesting, but not showy, textures and ideas, from "Rope & Summit"`s acoustic Krautrock motorik to "Sweet & Bitter"`s distorted beats. "Howl" is another standout, futuristic folk-blues with percussion that sounds like an impromptu rhythm tapped on a water glass. Elsewhere, jazz and the repetition-based Ethiopian music Gonz?lez grew up with make their presences felt, giving Fields a subtly exotic feel that sets a lingering mood. Indeed, mood sometimes overtakes songwriting, with tracks like "Without You" and "Off Point" focusing more on atmosphere than melody. Despite this, it`s a real pleasure to hear Gonz?lez thinking and playing bigger here with the help of his friends. Fields is intriguing in a low-key way that grows with repeated listening and will make Gonz?lez fans into Junip fans. ~ Heather Phares

Track Listing:

DISC 1: FIELDS:

1. In Every Direction
2. Always
3. Rope & Summit
4. Without You
5. It`s Alright
6. Howl
7. Sweet & Bitter
8. Don`t Let It Pass
9. Off Point
10. To the Grain
11. Tide

DISC 2: ROPE & SUMMIT EP: CHICKENS/AZALEADALEN:

1. Rope & Summit
2. Far Away
3. At the Doors
4. Loops
5. Chickens
6. Azaleadalen

DISC 3: BLACK REFUGE EP:

1. Black Refuge
2. Turn to the Assassin
3. Official
4. Chugga-Chugga
5. Ghost of Tom Joad, The

Album Information

Release Date:

09/14/2010

Type:

Performer

Genre:

Rock & Pop

Subgenre:

Alt Country

Label:

Mute

Producer:

Junip; Mattias Nyberg; Don Alstherberg

Catalog Number:

9451

Original Release Year:

2010

# of Discs:

3

Studio/Live:

Studio

Mono/Stereo:

Stereo

Runtime:

96 : 24

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