Rope & Summit - EP

iTunes Review

Back in the ‘90s, before Jose González made a name for himself as a solo artist, he did time with hardcore bands in his native Sweden, and eventually formed the folk-flavored band Junip. Very little has been released since their formation in 1998, as González’ career blossomed, and touring and recording left little time for Junip.  Rope & Summit is a teaser to the long awaited full-length by Junip (2010’s Fields), and it promises unearthly delights. The EP imbues the quietly thrumming energy that drives González’ solo work with a pulsing, Motorik force, and fills the spaces between acoustic guitars and handclaps with gently billowing synths and organic drum patterns. If you’ve ever dreamed of González making music with a bit more heft, Junip will thrill you, and every song here is a treasure. One standout, the hypnotic “At the Doors,” ebbs and flows with psych-rock washes of analog keyboards, hissing cymbals and muffled toms; González’s voice is delicate and disembodied, here and elsewhere on Rope & Summit, giving the music an ephemeral, ghostly quality. Our only problem is that we want more.