Junip: Swedish Invasion, part 2

Junip

Bimbo’s 365 Club

San Francisco, CA

June 1, 2013

Junip: Swedish Invasion, part 2

Junip is a mostly, if not entirely, Swedish outfit that plays melancholy folk/rock/psychedelia.  The sound is fairly unique though the songs tend to blend together and their flat studio efforts don’t quite capture the energy and musicianship of their live performance.  At Bimbo’s on Saturday night, they frequently sounded like an American jam band riding the groove which was all good fun and a bit of a surprise.  The only real problem was the late starting time.  After a couple of blah opening acts that haven’t quite found their voice, and after a long, extra warm day in the Bay Area and a

filling, but tasty, meal at Panta Rei in North Beach, my compatriots and I were not particularly inclined to party late into the evening, even on a Saturday.  So, we left mid-set.  Still, Junip is another Swedish group to watch, if for no other reason, because of bandleader Jose Gonzales’ entrancing songwriting.  (He is also famed for ‘Heartbeats,’ the track to one of the best TV ads featuring SF).  Jose has a rather plaintive delivery that can sound both intimate and like he’s singing from some distance away but is certainly one of a kind.  Hopefully, their next studio effort will better capture the live sound. Also worth noting, the show was my first visit back to Bimbo’s in quite a few years, it is one of the lesser known jewels of SF venues that I’d like to frequent much, much more often.

Track to check out: Line of Fire