One of the most rewarding feelings in the world of small clubs and local acts is catching a band on the rise. Juniper Lane is just that, and while they currently play mostly in the D.C.-Viginia area, their self-released new album, Tightrope, and its recognition at Boston1s annual NEMO Music Conference tells of a band on its way up the industry ladder.
On Tuesday Night, Juniper Lane celebrates the official release of Tightrope, the band1s second album. Their debut, Counting, appeared in 1999, to positive reviews and the band enjoyed airplay on DC101. The new, ten-song album Tightrope was engineered by Mitch Easter, who has worked with bands such as REM and Ben Folds Five. The opening track, “Grace,” was also featured on 99.1 WHFS1 Megahertz compilation.
Though still small-scale enough to be dubbed “underground,” Juniper Lane1s music most definitely qualifies them as a radio-friendly act. Singer Vivion Smith1s clear, pop-pure vocals and her worthy piano chops do not betray the band1s modern rock sensibilities. While the band still describes itself as “alternative,” they lean towards the Lilith Fair side of the wide-ranging moniker, and are miles ahead of bands like Incubus in their musical evolution.
Tightrope starts off strong, evoking the style of the Los Angeles-based Supreme Beings of Leisure, but then proves that the band is closer to modern rock roots than the turn-table groove now popular for female fronted bands like Portishead or Lamb. Some tracks float lightly on softer melodies while guitarist Chris Bonavia still can turn it up a notch on harder, more classic rock tunes. The straightforward drumming and the smart, melodic bass lines of Juniper Lane1s rhythm section carry the songs along at a solid pace.
Smith1s vocals have been compared to the likes of Tori Amos and Paula Cole, and the group1s coed harmonies create the smooth, lush style of an a capella group. Her lyrics hold up under scrutiny, proving they are not merely inane rhymes, but that they have a poetry that could stand up in a folk format as well. Her vocals, too, suggest that no matter where her career takes her, no audience could refuse hearing her sing.
But if Tightrope1s quality is any indication, then Smith and her band mates have little to worry about for their careers. Juniper Lane ability to write strong, melodic rock songs without relying on heavy outside assistance displays a reliable creative quality that need only be recognized for it to be brought, deservedly, into the limelight. Tightrope is a reassurance that it does not take major label support to put out a crystal clear album that matches the tracks1 quality only with apparently first-rate studio production.
