Juno
"Magnified and Reduced by Inches" w/ "Pablo Y Zelda"
Jade Tree, timowen@jadetree.com
Release Date: 1997
The problem with most 7"s is that they just don't finish the job. A couple good tunes, then the ride is over. Nothing wrong with a couple good tunes, of course, but the musical portion of our brain -- at least for those of us who don't listen to much radio -- has been socialized to ingest a complete musical statement. For most bands, it takes a full album to create such a sense of closure.
Not so with this offering from Juno. "Magnified and Reduced by Inches" does more with its seven inches of wax than most indie rockers could with a double gatefold LP. The lovely opening piano figure quickly crumples under deliciously chunky guitar and choppy drums. By the time the vocals hit, the song is on a sweeping journey of full-throttle bends that don't let up an inch until the needle lifts five minutes later. This is how arena rock was supposed to mature!
The flipside, "Pablo Y Zelda," is quieter, and enjoyable enough. But it is merely the drizzle following a thunderstorm. Don't worry about that, though. You'll replay side A so many times you'll forget to turn it over.
-- Jon Carson
carson@outersound.com
