RED BOUQUET FAIR ALBUM REVIEW in SHINDIG MAGAZINE...

Attention to detail is a hallmark of Leicester's finest on their carefully crafted third album of dreamy pastoral folk and gentle soft-psych.

This is a beautifully understated record, with a deft Left Banke like  lightness of touch, a laidback Byrdsian swagger and a Curt Boettcher sense of wonder.

There are echoes too of modern day contemporaries such as The High Llamas, sandpit reverence on the Beach Boys indebted opening salvo of 'Red Bouquet Fair' and 'Follow Loretta', or a seasoned Teenage Fanclub on the shimmering, sumptuous sunshine pop of 'Esmeranda'.

However The Junipers really come into their own with an array of perfectly executed honey coated harmonies that blend pleasingly with meandering minor chords full of warmth.  They demonstrate a Brian Jones like sense of studio curiosity too, raiding a cupboard full of instrumentation to embellish an already rich canvas, skillfully deploying the likes of sitar, harpsichord, mellotron or ukulele whenever the mood dictates. Nigh on perfect! 
 

PAINT THE GROUND ALBUM REVIEW on SOUNDS GOOD LOOKS GOOD...

 

"Paint The Ground" by THE JUNIPERS – A Review Of The 2012 Album.

GET THE ALBUM HERE!

"…Let The Feeling Flow…" – Paint The Ground by THE JUNIPERS

Initially released in 2012 as a 10-track Download only – someone in Sugarbush Records thinks "Paint The Ground" deserves another shot at stardom – and I’d say when it comes to Leicester’s Folk-Rock act THE JUNIPERS - they'd be right. 

This is a gorgeous little album – chock full of pleasing melodies – and now it’s being reissued in April 2014 with a bonus track on the VINYL LP (“Everywhere Was You” – Track 3 on Side 1). It's a limited edition of 300 copies (with a different sleeve) on Sugarbush SB600.

Stylistically - think a folksy variant of The LA’s with just as many catchy tunes. A sort of English BIG STAR with perhaps a taste of MATTHEWS SOUTHERN COMFORT and even the country melodies of THE JAYHAWKS. The painted art of the front cover might make you think this is perhaps Retro Psych – it isn’t (although the swirling song structures ape that sound at times). The Junipers feel more New Folk than Psych - like a hybrid of all of the above but with the added stew of Sixties Pop like THE ASSOCIATION or even the jangle of THE BYRDS.

Beautifully produced by Gavin Monhagon (Kings Of Leon, The Editors and Ryan Adams) - the opener "Look Into My River" hooks you immediately with its guitars, flute and layered soft vocals - while “Dandelion Man” ups the happy pace to a point where you may feel an uncontrollable urge to place a dandelion in the Afro hair of a foreign student on the London Underground.

“Golden Fields In Golden Sun” is pretty but perhaps takes the hippy lyrics a step too far – but the superb “Antler Season” is a musical nugget that will surely grace a “Juno” type soundtrack any day now. “Phoebus Filled The Town” even has a Steve Hackett guitar vibe (lyrics from it title this review) - sounding not unlike “Horizons” on “Foxtrot" at times. Very tasty indeed…

On the lovely “They Lived Up In The Valley” The Junipers sing of “such a quiet family…kept things to themselves…”

Well when you succumb to this gorgeous album – like me - you won’t be keeping quiet about them or this…well done lads.

Debut Album "CUT YOUR KEY" Available Again on CD..

 Our debut album from 2008 is once again available to buy on CD only from our Bandcamp Page. It is the original CD set with booklet and when you buy from Bandcamp you will receive a pin badge and the digital version of the album which includes a load of bonus tracks.

We haven't been able to sell the album for about 10 years because the record label owned the rights to the music and artwork. Standard music industry stuff but the logistics of selling the CD ourselves or doing a vinyl press was too complicated for simple folk like us. We will always be grateful to the label for taking a chance on us and funding the album in the first place and we have now come to an agreement with the them so we can now sell the original CD and digital album again. BUY HERE!

We would love to fund a vinyl release of the album but will need to see if the funds can be raised.

"A delightful record" - Mark Radcliffe, BBC 6 Music

"As chord changes eke out nostalgia and optimism in equal degrees, Side Two of Abbey Road is happily evoked" - Uncut Magazine

The Junipers make an absolutely beautiful sound" - Janice Long, BBC Radio 2

"They have a great sound going on, excellent stuff" - Marc Riley, BBC 6 Music

"Imagine Curt Boettcher and Brian Wilson double teaming McCartney's Ram. Nowhere near enough bands sound like prime Harry Nilsson nowadays" - Shindig! Magazine

"Like McCartney's bouncing pop ditties. Radio-friendly, lovable pop with it's hair in the stars" - Record Collector Magazine

"I love it, it makes me cry with nostalgia" - Mark Wirtz, Abbey Road producer


The Junipers debut album Cut Your Key was recorded with the bands first line up in 2007 after signing with San Remo Records.

The album was started when record label San Remo took a chance and signed the band for an album deal. The band and label searched for recording studios and producers for the right fit. John Leckie was even approached and Abbey Road was also discussed. After trialing a few places the band were not entirely happy with the results and felt that the feel of their original demos was missing. Eventually the band decided to record the album themselves at their own studio in Leicester with the drums being recorded between there and with Gavin Monaghan at Magic Garden studios in Wolverhamton, who'd produced a NO 1 hit record and known for his work with Broadcast, Robert Plant and Ocean Colour Scene. With the album almost complete a computer fault lead to the album being lost, being rookies the band had failed to back anything up. The band pulled themselves together and treated the first attempt as a practice run and re-recorded the album from scratch and captured it far better than the lost version. A blessing in disguise. 

Cut your Key received praise on radio from the likes of Mark Radcliffe, Janice Long, Marc Riley, Tom Robinson and Whispering Bob Harris. Tracks from the album appeared on magazine cover compilation CD's for Uncut Magazine, Word magazine, and Shindig! magazine. A track also appeared on iTunes "Hotly Tipped for 2009" compilation (how wrong they were LOL!). The single "Callooh Callay", taken from the album earned The Junipers "Single of the Week" on BBC Radio 2.

The digital Bandcamp exclusive version of the album includes brand new mixes and remasters. Also a few bonus items including the full original inlay and liner notes, outtakes, full instrumental version of the album, and the surviving tracks from the abandoned 2006 album for Manchester label Gardensticks.