Junip - Line of Fire

I was in H&M yesterday when this song came on through the speakers. I've got a Shazam type thing built into the phone, so I went for it. Casually stood with my phone in the air. How does that even work anyway? How can it possibly recognise songs that way?

Anyway, I got home and listened, and it struck me that the vocalist sounded very similar to someone I had heard already, but couldn't quite put my finger on it. A few hours later and I searched the band, only to find that the singer was only José bloody González! If you dunno who that is, listen to this. I'm thinking you'll probably recognise it.

So this Swedish band are returning from a 5 year hiatus with a new, self-titled album that is due to come out next month, with this song being track numero uno.

Courtesy of: http://www.flickr.com/photos/crashfire/5011057072/in/photostream/

This is another track that falls under the "chilled" category. The chord sequence would fit well with Florence + The Machine's "You've Got The Love". There's an acoustic guitar pattern with some kind of light percussion underneath and what sounds like an organ. The vocals are very simple and lovely, and the lyrics are almost like a self-help guidance, and incredibly passsionate:

"What would you do
If it all came back to you?
Each crest of each wave
Bright as lightning

What would you say
If you had to leave today?
Leave everything behind

Even though for once you're shining"

At this point, the chords change into a major key and seem a bit more uplifted. There's also harmony on the vocals:

"Standing on higher ground
When you hear the sounds
You realise it's just the wind
And you notice it matters who and what you let under your skin"

The song starts to pick up here, I think the drums introduce cymbals or play a bit heavier:

"If put to the test
Would you step back from the line of fire?
Hold everything back
All emotions and desires"

It seems that the song picks up a little bit more with each different section. José sings a little bit higher in this next section, and the drums again add a little bit extra:

"Convince yourself to be someone else

And hold back from the world
Your lack of confidence
What you choose to believe in
Dictates your rise or your fall
Dictates your rise or your fall"

This next bit is probably my second favourite part of the song:

"With no one else around you
No one to understand you
No one to hear your calls
Look through all your dark corners
You're backed up against the wall
Step back from the line of fire"

Then there's an instrumental bit, including a sound STRAIGHT out of Bedshaped by Keane. It's called a Moog Synthesiser... It's a bit onomatopoeic actually, as it does sound a bit like it's going "moooooog", but in fact it's just named after its creator, Robert Moog. The next bit is very similar to the beginning:

"What would you do
If it all came back to you?
Each crest of each wave
Bright as the lightning"

He then sings: "I'd do the same as you" four times over, and at this point the drums pick up a bit, and I'm sure I can hear maracas. This is my favourite part. Then he sings: "What you choose to believe in/takes you as you fall", and everything picks back up again, like it was at the most dramatic point in the song:

"No one else around you
No one to understand you
No one to hear your calls
Look through all your dark corners
You're backed up against the wall"

The end is very dramatic, as he sings: "Step back from the line of fire" about 8 times, but with the strings going for it, more harmonies, more drums and the Moog thing, and it's just very lovely really, a nice atmosphere. After the 8 times, there's an instrumental until the end which is very soothing.

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