Login to Add to Favorites
Junes Not Faking - Not Planning To Leave... Planning To Escape
Album Details
- Artist: Junes Not Faking
- EP: Not Planning To Leave... Planning To Escape
- Label: Self-Released
- Year of Release: 2009
- ME Rating:
- Reviewed by: Brian Rutherford on 2009-11-06
- Viewed: 673 times
Media
Call me a homer, then again, I don't usually favor a New York based band, so that's shot too. When it comes to Texas, I'm very proud of those small time indies in The Republic of Texas. Especially when they're as talented as June's Not Faking . Though not many Pop/Punk flavored talent comes from San Antonio, these guys seem to have a little more than your everyday radio sound.
Placing 10th in IOTY09 is their DIY effort, Not Planning to Leave...Planning to Escape. "The Movie Song" is just plain fun, as a constant moving punk and radio rock harmonics slides to the bridge and a final build up smacks with the outro. These guys might not be making anything new, but they certainly make it sound fun to see in concert. There's a slickness here that only true musicians are capable of, and I'm happily confused as to why these guys don't have serious representation.
"Hola, Amiga, Banana" is different from the rest. A multi-fold sound is created by a looping clap, acoustic melody and a lead singer with plenty of confidence. "Something More" is the track I featured in a podcast a few weeks back. Without a doubt, more familiarity with this track, as with most of their songs, brings a lot more enjoyment. I'd be interested to check out their live show as they mirror a bit of Catch 22 with their intermittent whole band vocals, and swagger.
Streaming from their MS (MySpace) player, I checked out "The Delay" and felt two completely different vibes. Poorer quality recording but most importantly, it was nearly a different style of guitar. That's where these guys can confuse you, in a tasteful manner. Dare I say, Blink 182 energy and a combining rhythm guitar from 30 Seconds To Mars creates a nice pattern. But when the end of the song nears and they actually jump ship to something a bit more hard edged, I hope to hear more of this formula from them in the future.
As long as they don't break themselves up, I see a bright future for this oddly placed Pop/Punk formation.
User Reviews and Comments
Log In or Register to Rate AlbumsTell us why this album is great or sucks ass, or correct the reviewer. If you write enough quality reviews you may find yourself on the editorial staff.
Reviews have to be over 100 words, shorter ones are classed as comments.
Review or Comment
Log In or Register to Rate Albums
Review:
on 2009-09-04 humbug52 Said:
As a San Antonio, Texas band coming off their first summer tour Junes Not Faking surely has come a long way since their roots as a horribly recorded and mediocre pop-punk band. Having spent several years and several lineup changes trying, just like the the lyrics of their songs suggest, to find themselves; Junes Not Faking have come together to polish off their punk and make it gleam with a hint of good natured pop mentality and romanticized "lets escape from this place and fall in love" lyrics in the vain of "Enema of The State" era Blink-182.
While JNF still has a long way to go to compete with the catchy superhits of Blink, there is a clear ambition and musical talent that keeps them going. On the verge of recording new songs to release a full album to an eager and ever-growing fan base both locally and nationally, Junes Not Faking truly encompasses the idea of an independent band; particularly as a far cry from the currently over-saturated metal and hardcore scene.
With the year in question being 2009, one can look in retrospect at the plethora of shows JNF has played to dedicated fans both at traditional venues, birthday/graduation/etc... parties, and on tour and see a distinct commitment to quality and energy in their live sets unrivaled by the majority of bands involved in the SA-Town scene.
The first track of the album "The Movie Song" starts things off with an energetic introduction of upbeat pop-punk and invites listeners in with an easy to follow chorus backed by a can-do attitude expressed in the youthful escapism of the rest of the lyrics. By the time a short bass solo begins leading into the climax of the song, the listener can already catch themselves singing along.
Shortly followed by the crunchy lead guitar of "Summer Eyes" and the catchy rhythm guitar, JNF follows up with a punk-rock love song heavy laden with quotable lyrics such as "We'll fall apart it's nothing new to us. (It's hard to say) It's hard to say it wasn't meant for us..." that carries the listeners along the breakup of the writer. Backed by impressive drumming, this song is a welcome addition to any collection of punk music.
Continuing to what is easily a fan favorite, "The Delay" is the most musically mature and energetic song on the album. Rhythm guitar duels with lead as listeners are encouraged to "Go and lose ourselves tonight, we'll find our place in the sky. We can't delay this time so lets lose ourselves tonight." Playful and fun, with a delicious breakdown mid song which climaxes with a great "GO!" that simply puts a smile on your face; "The Delay" is the crown jewel of this album.
Skipping over the comical "Hola Amiga Banana" which adds an original twist to the set list, we arrive at "Something More" which is definitely not what is left desired at the end of the song. Nothing is missing from this punch-packing conclusion to the album. Amazingly rapid drum intro, the quintessential gang vocals ("I just can't do this no more!"), and another fantastic chorus, the only thing that this song and this band needs "Something More" of, is people listening to it.
Rating: 10/10
