EUPHONIOUS TROLLEY EP REVIEW in SHINDIG MAGAZINE...

 

The Dukes of Stratosphear, Naz Nomad and the Nightmares, The Uncle Devil Show... Funny isn't it, that when bands behind a pseudonym  that they often make some of the best music of their career. And you can add to that list Euphonious Trolley, who are actually Leicesters long running psych-poppers The Junipers playing stuff that they have deemed "too poppy" for their proper albums.

The early 70's tinged powerpop on this four track EP (think Macca, 10CC, Beach Boys) sounds more focused, fun and melodic than anything they've recorded to date. 

For Paul McCartney fans, 'Oh Gilbert (I Need Help)' is the track to play first, though opener 'And In  My Dreams'. which sounds so good it could be an outtake from the first Orgone Box album, runs a close second. 

Maybe they should shelve their serious stuff for a while and focus on this - it's what they were clearly born to do. 

Ashley Norris

THE JUNIPERS - AN APOLOGY by ASHLEY NORRIS....

 I was more than little surprised when I got sent the band’s latest EP, the marvelously titled Euphonious Trolley, to review for a magazine and feel head over heels in love with it. While it is heading for pastiche territory – which is why perhaps the band chose to issue it kind of under pseudonym – the quality of the songs is incredible. And In My Dreams, which kicks off with a lovely Revolver style guitar burst sounds so good it could be an outtake from the first Orgone Box album, while Oh Gilbert, I Need Help, (I want to write a song like Jet) is as perkily tuneful as many of the songs it musically (and lyrically) references.

‘Maybe they should shelve their serious stuff for a while and focus on this – it is what they were clearly born to do,’ I wrote.

Except that after writing the review I went out and checked out their second album Paint The Ground and immediately felt like a bit of a chump. Originally issued as a download, though it has just come out on vinyl courtesy of the fine folks at Sugar Bush, Paint The Ground isn’t just The Junipers’ masterpiece, it is one of the best psych albums issued in this country in the last decade.

EUPHONIOUS TROLLEY EP REVIEW ON JANGLE POP HUB...

 

EP Review: The Junipers - The Junipers Euphonious Trolley EP 1 (2013) (Self-released)

On their previous full length releases, Paint The Ground (2012) and Red Bouquet Fair (2016) The Junipers have shown themselves to be the fine exponents of a heavy psychedelic, Byrdsian vibe that has become their signature sound. 

As such I was very surprised when I eventually purchased a copy of the 2016's 12 String High various artist compilation (released by the Spanish, You Are The Cosmos label) which included a Junipers track (And in my Dreams - see above) that undressed the usual psychedelic influences and just left the most naked pure jangle-pop sound. It was enchanting, but very unlike The Junipers usual style.


Digging about to find out where the track had come from the track I eventually established it was on a 2013 download only EP, advertised with a somewhat absurd cover art and with an equally ridiculous title.

Having downloaded the EP from Bandcamp it soon became obvious that the title was the only thing that was ridiculous about this release as it contains four of the most beautifully pure modern day slices of jangle-pop that has been produced by any genuinely contemporary band in the last 5 years, with the bizarrely named track Jenny Won't Ride the Roller Coaster (see below) heading 15 glorious minutes of aural pleasure.



So why the stylistic change for such a brief interlude? After much internet searching and digging about I eventually found a now defunct blog (last updated in December 2015) which contains an article on the source of this somewhat atypical release (click here for full article from the superb Bite it Deep blog that is actually written by Pete Gough who plays guitar for the band and used his blog as a vehicle to express his appreciation for lost 60's and 70's pop treasures).

Bizarrely this in an EP of 'discards'! These are the tracks that did not fit into their heavy psychedelic vibe as they were considered too 'poppy'. As such it was the intention of the band to release them on a series of EP's under the 'Ephonious Trolley' moniker.

Plainly this self released project may well have been shelved considering their has never been a follow up to this initial volume since 2013 and the original plans (as per the Bancamp profile of this release) to one day produce an album of these poppy discard EP's may now never happen...which is a massive shame as it undoubtedly would have been an essential addition to our collections.

BUY THE EP HERE!

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