June of '44
Tropics and Meridians
Quarterstick / Touch & Go
Release Date: 1996
The four fellas from June of 44 spend their downtime playing with hot indie bands like The Sonora Pine, The Crown Hate Ruin, Lungfish and Rex (and that is far from a complete list). Given that all of the members call at least one other band "home," and call home everywhere from Chicago to D.C., you would probably expect one of those jammy sessions that is interesting only if you're already a fan of the musicians. You would be quite wrong.
Tropics and Meridians is far from a batch of throwaways that didn't quite fit in with the full-time band. At its best, the album (as well as June of 44's debut release, Engine Takes to Water) feels crafted. You might go so far as to say "orchestrated," though the songs retain enough of a one-take feel to sound fresh and alive. It's a remarkable achievement for a band that spends so little time together. Truly, these four individuals were fated to make music together. Now, if they could just escape from all those other bands . . .
"Anisette," the lead-off track, is by far the standout. In fact, it's such a standout that it unfairly detracts from the rest of the album. Every time I hear a cool part that grabs me in the remaining five songs, I find myself saying, "Its kind of like that part in 'Anisette'. . . " If ever a band had a defining song, this is it.
Engine Takes to Water featured the fantastic almost-pop tune "June Miller," but there are no easy delights on Tropics. In fact, the album's listenability seems an afterthought. To call the songs "unhurried" is almost a euphemism -- it takes over 36 minutes to make it through the six tracks. Moreover, they rarely stray from their main riff, and the soft-to-loud dynamics are more of a gradual burn than an explosion. But this room to breathe lets the band take the aural moods to their furthest ends.
Truth be told, June of 44 would be a downright bore were it not for the players
involved. But what spectacular players they are.
Doug Scharin's drums are an absolute joy to listen to. He avoids straightforward rock flair and power in favor of a more understated, almost jazzy approach. The result is spellbinding. He sits back and lets the songs be the focus, but his accents are so engrossing that it's hard to pay attention to anything else. When one offbeat fill dramatically changes a song, you know you are listening to something special.
Jeff Mueller and Sean Meadows take a democratic approach to their guitar work, playing variations on a single riff that provide just enough tension to keep the listener on edge. They take the same technique when they share vocal chores. On "June Leaf," the duo's parallel vocals stray off course from one another with dramatic results.
Fred Erskine's employs his trademark melodic rolling bass style that anchored the ferocious Hoover and now anchors the even more ferocious The Crown Hate Ruin. It works extremely well in June of 44's less manic context, as the melodies are even more prevalent without all the fury swirling around them.
June of 44's playing is such a hearty meal that the vocals can't be seen as much more than icing on the cake. But this is some pretty thick and sweet icing. Mueller's vocal delivery is an always-appropriate mix of rhythmic spoken-word, quiet whisper and guttural howl, often all within the same song.
Bob Weston's production is top-notch. Atmospheric touches abound, but they never stand out from the mix, adding layers of sound rather than distracting attention. June of 44's appeal is all about nuances, and Weston's production, particularly his careful treatment of Mueller's and Meadows' vocals, is just as subtle as the playing.
So what happens when a side project winds up better than the members' full-time bands? Keep watching, cuz June of 44 just might give us the answer.
-- Jon Carson
carson@outersound.com
