OVER THE ATLANTIC - junica

(CD, Carpark)

Listening to “Glass Breaks” you start to wait for the band to break into the chorus of “Always the sun” at any moment, that’s how poppy they are. Ever since the first time we detected a return of guitars both electric and acoustic into electronica the term indietronica has arrived and grown in size enormously. And while some talk about the return of the shoegazers – either bemoaningly or with wide open and warm welcome – it would also be possible to regard this movement as a return back to normal. The sensible judgement in a lot of ways. The cold and impersonal minimal clicks and cuts had their time in the sun, enjoying the digital aesthetics over every day life and life in general for a long time. It is good to get some music that brightens and warms up the living rooms of regular people with regular outlooks in life. I do wonder where all the digital nomads and hyper-urban creative industries specialists that lead their lives on airports and ports of hyperfast supertrains, carrying their high-end notebooks in backpacks at all times, have gone now. (see reviews for Novel23, Fujiya & Miyagi or Rec-Overflow to get a backflash as to what was then.) Maybe fallen in love and settled down somewhere? With about a billion ipods sold around the world this once avant-garde lifestyle has seeped into the mainstream. Back to normal.

Over The Atlantic fill the blank position perfectly and with ease it seems. They also want to spread their music to both sides of the pole. For instance, “I cannot believe” is a perfect American indie-pop song (though the band is from New Zealand) as could be found on any decent record on Merge. Then there is the complete electro-pop “Honest words”. And then some guitar freak out as well (“France”), some almost ambient noise meets drum rhythms (“Fly to the states”) and some other surprises, unexpected bitparts and things popping up. All in all the record is so gentle, subdued and subtle that it is hard to pull your hands in and grasp anything. But it is a good feeling to bathe your hands in their warm embrace while you are trying. The music on “junica” drips and trickles with softness and mellowness and warmth but it also stays on the safe side from bittersweet or too much sugar. Some harsher indie guitar licks here and there (e.g. during “35 black and white”) make sure you’ll be fine when digesting.

I am still waiting for Indietronica to go for the big size. Some artists have already tried their hand at diverse genres (Jamie Lidell’s take at danceable Soul and Funk comes to mind, Pendler’s variation of well-known themes and songs as well but that’s in a completely different direction) but none of them have gone for the big, orchestral size yet. Like “C’mon Baby stop your crying” by Spiritualized or anything by the drugriddled Brian Wilson or anyone crazy enough to invite an orchestra into the studio. It is not on here, but I can feel it with “Over the Atlantic”. The only thing keeping them from going really big size might be the singing voice of Bevan Smith or Nik Brinkman (I don’t know who of the two sings, maybe they change vocals but that wouldn’t really sound too different then) which breaks and falters at all the right places for indiemusic with a homegrown flavour. Which isn’t too good when needing to front a big size arrangement. But definitely fits here. As everything does fit together extremely well and is produced and arranged without holes or tinges.

“Junica” is like a nice carpet on your floor and warm light and beautiful shadows flowing in through the window. Perfect for the cold early autumn days that are about to come. Enjoy the good days while they last.