Though considered Swedish singer-songwriter Jose Gonzalez’s side band, Junip has the higher profile. At least that’s the impression one gets from the large crowd of young twentysomethings gathered in front of the Honda stage on Saturday.
On the one hand, it’s gratifying to see the modest Gonzalez get the attention his distinctive talents deserve. On the other, the audience seemed more interested in their conversations and pot than whatever was happening onstage, with the chatter often threatening to drown out the Swedish sixpiece. Just as well, perhaps, as it’s not clear that this configuration shows off Gonzalez in the best light.
The combination of spacy electronics and percolating rhythms suited his mellifluous voice just fine, but one of his key features – his skillful, Segovia-meets-the-Beatles guitar – was downplayed to the point of being practically non-existent. Maybe that was the point.
At any rate, the band alternated between gentle indie-folk pop tunes like “Suddenly” and “Always” and groove-driven ditties like “Walking Lightly” and “Your Life Your Call” that all cast Gonzalez as the indie-pop Al Stewart. The band didn’t really catch fire until the final third, when would-be anthems “Far Away,” “In Every Direction,” and “Without You” built from floating gentility to simmering drive.
Both set and vision culminated in “Line of Fire,” which finally got the crowd’s attention enough for them to sing along. There’s lots in Junip’s music, but a boisterous festival crowd wasn’t the best channel to receive it.
For more ACL Fest coverage, see austinchronicle.com/acl. For photo galleries from the fest, see austinchronicle.com/photos.
This article appears in October 11 • 2013.
