New music // Juniper Tar - Since Before
Wednesday, May 30, 2012 at 6:07AM Words // Scott Pingeton
Wisconsin has quickly become a hotbed of gentle, heart-on-sleeve folk. See Bon Iver, S. Carey, Field Report, et al. Juniper Tar's brand of midwest folk-rock is decidedly more muscular. A steady back-beat, electric guitars and rousing keys propel these songs to anthemic heights - perfectly suited to spill from the windows of your car in the summer heat. That isn't to say these are dumb rock songs, though - far from it. But, Mohr's poetry is probably more Springsteen than Cohen - direct, relatable and nuanced enough to reveal more with each listen.
I'm only a few listens in, so I don't want to go too crazy yet, but it's safe to say that Since Before, the band's new album, ranks pretty high on my list of favorite albums of 2012 so far.
You can stream the entire album below. Then make sure to buy it at the band's bandcamp page (I went for the limited 2x vinyl, myself), and while you're at it, get both of the band's previous releases, The Howl Street EP and To The Trees, for free. Can't beat that.
