MP3: Junip - Far away
Both José González and Junip's music is best suited for a seated theater than a standing-room only club, but that didn't stop the latter from putting on an excellent show at the last stop of their premiere US tour in Seattle on Saturday night. Expectations were met and exceeded and the new material sounded great once I let myself get into their hypnotic groove. Great heavy 70s vibe too, with the driving organ and extra percussionist on stage -- definitely got the feeling they could easily let things ramble off into spacier territory with quality results. Maybe next time, in November? When they come back with a more established repertoire?
Though I really did enjoy the show, I still have a few bones to pick. One, and this is more of a general complaint not specific to Junip, the mandatory/expected encore is bullshit. I love seeing a band play a solid, well-planned and focused set; even better if they leave the audience wanting more (and don't give it to them). Second, Mr. González needs to ween off the covers. I fully expected "The ghost of Tom Joad" since the band recorded it for the "Black refuge" EP, but had I left pre-encore, I would have missed it and been none the wiser. In fact, I kinda wish I did leave pre-encore because what they did play was not worth sticking around for. Two covers (the aforementioned Springsteen plus a Nico song) with an unmemorable original sandwiched between? Lame. Shame to go out on a bad note.
Junip - Far away