Juniper

Reviewed: "Sirens" (CD)

Albums I have come into ownership of recently:
- Blur: Parklife (well, better late than never…)

- Zero 7: When It Falls, Simple Things
- The Pixies: The Best Of
- Juniper: Sirens

As to the Zero 7 and The Pixies, I bought them out of interest and very good they are too. As to Juniper, having seen them live, I was thoroughly impressed. Totally, in fact.
Now, I’ve come to this review having read a few by various parties, who focused on elements of musical technique and how Juniper is different to other bands on the South Wales scene. This much is true – musically, they are very different (the choral vocals of the Dickenson sisters account for this, in addition to the melodic guitar runs, which are reminiscent of Garvin Wheeler of the Sundays).

And this is all good. I could sit here and write that they are ‘exciting live’, their songs ‘have beautiful lyrical qualities’ and ‘will go far.’ Except I’m not going to.
What I am going to write instead is this.
I came to Juniper with one song (Zero Degrees) which I thought was good and that they warranted seeing live, which I did in Swansea University’s student union bar, Divas.
I left there with a gig that will stick in my mind (for all the right reasons) and their full CD, which, a few days later I popped in my car and drove round all day.
Some bands can’t sound like their CD. Juniper has no problem, producing a good sound however they are played or play. Seeing as it was a sunny day, this was the ideal atmosphere to listen to them. It’s feel-good music, especially with songs such as Losing Faith and Windswept, which grab you, don’t let go and you suddenly feel your finger reaching for the repeat and volume up button on the facia. Also, Windswept should have a health warning on it as it makes you drive fast…
See, after spending a whole day listening to ‘Sirens’ I can honestly say that if Juniper had me hooked due to their live performance, they have me trapped and unable to escape now.
I have a feeling that Juniper will be featuring a lot on these playlists now. Now, I should say it’s because they are so different and break from the norm, are musically talented etc, etc but instead I’m just going to say that they are bloody good. Period.
The world does not need more bands like Juniper, as it would detract from the originals. Let’s hope that they go far (which won’t be hard for them!) and we can all grab a CD, stick it on in the car and drive around simply enjoying.
Now, can’t be more simple than that, can it?

The Best Bit: Pressing play
The Worst Bit: Coming to the end
Reviewed by JT