June Star – Pull Awake
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After fifteen plus years crisscrossing the country and streaking north and south along the East Coast, Baltimore’s own June Star have long since paid their dues. Nine studio recordings have established primary songwriter Andrew Grimm as one of popular music’s great unsung writing talents, but the band doesn’t begin and end with him. His chief creative collaborator, pedal steel guitarist David Hadley, has left every bit as indelible of a mark on the band’s artistic history with his sinewy, signature lines. These virtues remain in full force on the band’s latest studio effort, Pull Awake. The album features eleven songs vividly presented with superb production and energetic, committed performances.
The first performance, “Tether”, starts Pull Awake off impressively. Grimm’s baritone has a dry, ironic edge reminiscent of the singer/songwriter James McMurtry. Unlike McMurtry, however, Grimm’s range allows him to shift for the choruses with much more conventional vocal delivery. The song does a great job of blending acoustic and electric guitars while still maintaining its focus on the low-fi end of the meter. “Feathers” moves away from the opener’s songwriting style into a much more direct, physically engaging guitar workout. Grimm’s voice cuts loose completely here and the result shows his considerable abilities when singing in a full on rock voice. The lightly mournful air surrounding “House Call” and its prominent pedal steel work help give it the vibe of the hour before sunrise. This song sounds like something sung at the end of an exhausting night with someone you love. There’s sweetness, desperation, exhaustion, and acceptance peering out from behind every line and between the lines.
June Star wears mid-tempo rock like a loose garment and plumbs that well again on “Wonders”, but adds to it by stressing vocal excellence. Even the lightest touches can elevate a good song to something great and the contributing harmony vocals further open the music’s pre-existing melodic possibilities. “Passed Over” is one of Pull Awake’s strongest entries thanks to its masterful build and the sympathetic juxtaposition of its musical elements. Everything comes together for a rousing, yet tastefully played, climax. “Coma” embraces the band’s rockier edge while still retaining the same traditional thrust defining many of the band’s songs, but the album’s best nod to outright rock is the Tom Pettyish “Apollo”. The bluesy snarl biting at the track’s edge gives it an appealing moody air and the steady stomp of percussion reinforces its strength. Pull Awake’s muted finale, “The King Is Dead”, wafts by with a tangibly haunted quality rising off its strings and Grimm delivers a nuanced vocal tailored to the song.
One listen to Pull Awake will amply illustrate for novice listeners why this band has persisted on the margins of mainstream success. The songwriting is five star quality with a consideration and deliberateness of spirit one doesn’t often associate with such acts. Moreover, they wear their influences proudly, but no one can ever dismiss Pull Awake’s eleven tracks as imitative trash. Instead, this is an album that features any number of elements many listeners find favor with today – insightful, even literary, lyrical content and an ear for affecting melodies.
9 out of 10 stars.
Lydia Hillenburg