Though Todd Lazarski already penned a great mini-review that appears in the May issue of Milwaukee Magazine, Music Notes thought it was fitting to take a longer look at Since Before, the latest Juniper Tar release, before the band headlines a co-album release show with Surgeons In Heat at Turner Hall on Friday.
Fittingly, Since Before serves to show how much Juniper Tar has grown and changed since the band put out its subdued The Howl Street EP in 2010. “Twin Comet” kicks the doors open, setting the early tone with angular guitar work, sludgy bass (at least by folk rock standards), drum rolls, and an anthemic chorus cry, “We’ve grown tired, not worried” liberally sprinkled throughout. The stomp-evoking “The Dullest Cleaver” follows suit, but also ushers in an effective theme with the morbid motif of blood and kitchen cutlery that leeks into subsequent songs.
Even as Juniper Tar proves it can delve ably into the realms of catchy and singalong-able indie rock with songs like the aforementioned openers and apparent first single “After The Tremors,” the band can’t help but revert, at times, to its familiar stripped-down and downtrodden default. That’s not to say it’s unwelcomed by any means, as the absolutely crushing “Canting” (deceivingly, the best song on the record), and airy “There Was Blood” showcases the band’s improvement on what was already its greatest aural asset.
Similarly, “Black Pain Tea” and “Residents” are painted in Juniper Tar’s familiar blood-red acoustic brush strokes with carefully lacquered vocal harmonies and piano accompaniment. A trio of instrumental tracks pads the thematic approach, as each seems to pick up where the previous one left off (through they’re spliced between other songs) and bridge the gap between the restrained rendition of old Juniper Tar and the unchained and much-improved modern model.
By the time a wave of voices competes with fuzzy guitars and synthesizers on catchy closer “Vault,” the band has set a higher standard for itself (and, arguably, Milwaukee music) with Since Before. There’s no going back from here for Juniper Tar, and I can’t wait to hear What Comes After.
