The Solid and the Hollow - Album Review by I Don't Hear a Single..

"The Junipers have never released a duff album. I'm deliberately trying not to mention songs because this is a proper album to be listened to from start to finish. Absolutely essential"

 Just as with David Brookings, I return to our very early days, a decade ago, when I reviewed The Junipers' Red Bouquet Fair. I've been with them ever since and enjoyed Robyn Gibson's Bob Of The Pops adventures through the period to now.

A new Junipers album is also a reason to celebrate as they bring my beloved Psych Pop back to life. More recently, the quartet have been as interesting as ever, but been a little more mellow. None of that here, this is a real Guitar album, back to earlier days and a full revelation of how great Psych Pop is. 

The Solid And The Hollow not only makes an old man very happy, but is also one of the best psych pop albums for a long time.The whole thing is beautifully arranged, the instrumentals are works of art and show off Gibson's dulcet tones beautifully. 

It really sounds as though it could have been recorded in those hazy 60's days when the genre took off. But there are also hints of the late 80s revival. The album offers up both beat and the more mellow, but all are arranged perfectly, providing a dreamlike vibe or a killer Psych Beat. 

I'm deliberately trying not to mention songs because this is a proper album to be listened to from start to finish. But as you head over you may want to compare the 60s Beat of When She Turns with the wonderful Piano led closing masterpiece that is Moments Of Truth.

In between you get everything that the band is great at, Mellotron, jangle and stunning mood setters. The Junipers have never released a duff album, but this is more of a Guitar album, a step back to the early days if you like and no one masters Psych Pop like these four. Absolutely Essential!

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.