Quite accidentally, after reviewing an EP called ‘5′, I am now writing about an album entitled ‘Three’. Like Plastic Fuzz’s EP, the latest Junkboy album also defies pigeonholing; their press agent handily describing their third long player as “pastoral-prog-rock-soft-focus-electronic-komische-folk-core”. I first got to hear about the work of brothers Mik and Rich Hanscomb for their second album ‘Lost Parade’. It was a real grower of a record, which seemed perfectly attuned to the summer season with its subtle atmospheres that seemed as much informed by Talk Talk as The Beach Boys. ‘Three’ is a logical progression though a little more strident and immediate in its approach.
It begins with nine minutes of aural heaven courtesy of ‘Volcano Mono’; an instrumental underscored by piano keys which seem to emulate the morning sun as subtle use of beats and brass instruments create a magical ambience. I particularly liked the way ‘Red Firecracker’ mutates into a pastoral segment about three minutes in and ‘Kamo River’ is a lush, melodic centrepiece. The band are also becoming increasingly more adept at vocal-led efforts. ‘There Is Light’ and ‘A Word From Our Sponsor’ could have been hippy folk nonsense were it not for the robust rhythms underpinning them. On a more general level, although they could have been forgiven for consolidating on their previous “slo-fi” album, Junkboy have raised their game with a more confident record, which expands their sonic palette and self-cultivated dreamworld even further.
Web Sites:
Junkboy MySpace
Enraptured Records Label Site
Further Listening:
Arnold, The Beach Boys, Shinri, Talk Talk
I have a promo of this too, not sure about it yet. There are some great moments when listening to it, but then I can’t seem to recall them after the event.
I think i need a few more spins