Michael Shelley

JUNIPER – «I Was Thinking About You» b/w «Ride Between The Cars» (Confidential Recordings, 11/2023)

El primer sencillo de Juniper, el tremendamente pegadizo “Boys Boys Boys Boys Boys” se grabó cuando ella tenía sólo 14 años. El 7 de noviembre (de 2023) se publica su nuevo sencillo, una canción de ruptura titulada “I Was Thinking About You”, y que encuentra a la cantante como una muy atareada estudiante de primer año de universidad, que se adapta a la vida lejos de casa y que hace malabarismos con las clases, los ensayos a capella en el campus y los trabajos de la “uni”. Es evidente pues que muchas cosas pueden cambiar en unos pocos años en esta etapa de la vida, pero lo que no ha cambiado es el estilo pop de Juniper Shelley, totalmente contemporáneo pero siempre respetuoso con sus influencias vintage de los años 60 y 70.

En este sencillo, una continuación de su segundo álbum “She Steals Candy” (publicado en enero de 2023), Juniper vuelve a formar equipo con su padre, compositor y DJ de la emisora WFMU, Michael Shelley. El equipo trabaja en el estudio de su casa en Nueva Jersey, donde la regla número uno es mantener la música divertida. Esta fórmula ha resultado en canciones que se han oido en emisoras de todo el mundo, que han sido plastificadas en Japón (¡en vinilo rosa!) y que han provocado multitud de elogios de la prensa, como…

The Boston Herald: «Una de las mejores cosas que se publicarán este año”

Adventures In Americana: “El segundo álbum retro-pop de un estudiante de último año de secundaria es una delicia azucarada y el sueño de un fanático de la música”

The Jersey Journal: “Una de las sorpresas más brillantes del verano ”

The Big Takeover: “¡Una pura delicia!”

Faster and Louder: “Todo en este álbum da en el clavo”

Goldmine: “Hay una exuberancia vertiginosa en cada una de estas canciones”.

«I Was Thinking About You» comenzó con Juniper tocando a Michael algunas canciones de Harry Styles, y Michael se inspiró para intentar escribir algo en ese estadio que uniera su propio punto de vista con el de su hija y el del Sr. Styles. La grabación comenzó con una breve demostración casera que se llevó al Storybook Sound de Maplewood NJ, donde Steve Goulding (Mekons, The Rumour, Nick Lowe, etc.) agregó la batería. El resto de la grabación se completó en el estudio de su casa, a excepción de los saxofones, que fueron grabados en Argentina por Guillermina Pagano, y la guitarra eléctrica solista que Isaac Holmes grabó en su estudio de Gales. (Quizás recuerdes el maravilloso solo de Isaac en la canción “She Steals Candy”). El solo de piano estaba destinado a ser temporal y se agregó solo para mostrarle al baterista Steve dónde estaría el solo, y se tocó en un teléfono celular con un micrófono hasta el altavoz en la aplicación gratuita de piano KORG, pero, de manera impredecible, su sonido único terminó encajando. perfectamente en la mezcla final.

La “cara B” del sencillo es una reelaboración de “Ride Between The Cars”, la versión original de un tema de “She Steals Candy”, reelaborado aquí con una sensación un poco más relajada que se conecta con la historia de una joven que se tambalea al límite, pero (con suerte) a punto de lograr un gran avance. Inmediatamente después de grabar las pistas básicas de lo que se convirtió en la versión LP, la banda probó exactamente una toma con una guitarra acústica, con Steve cambiando al interesante ritmo lento que se escucha aquí, y decidió que el enfoque eléctrico era el camino a seguir, y se olvidó de todo. sobre esta versión. Finalmente, resucitó y terminó en el estudio de su casa con Dave Amels agregando otro sonido más de su colección de teclados antiguos y Keith Yaun (de The Bakersfield Breakers) agregando algunos teclados embrujadores.

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I WAS THINKING ABOUT YOU – Dave Amels – harmonium  – Steve Goulding – drums – Isaac Holmes – guitar solo – Guillermina Pagano – saxes – Juniper Shelley – vocals – Michael Shelley – bass, guitars, piano, harpsichord, written & produced by Michael Shelley.

RIDE BETWEEN THE CARS (AM version) – Dave Amels – electric piano, Vox organ – Steve Goulding – drums – Juniper Shelley – vocals – Michael Shelley – bass, written & produced by – Keith Yaun – electric guitars

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ARTIST: Juniper

SINGLE: I WAS THINKING ABOUT YOU

RELEASE DATE: November 7, 2023

LABEL: Confidential Recordings

WEBSITE: junipersongs.com

JUNIPER – She Steals Candy (Confidential Recordings / Fabcom Recordings, 2023)

https://juniperssongs.bandcamp.com/album/she-steals-candy

Youthful pop auteur Juniper Shelley’s self-titled debut album was one of 2020s most audacious musical surprises, introducing a smart and sincere new artist whose fresh, infectious song craft reflects her wide-ranging musical inspirations while expressing the perspective of a contemporary teenager.

The high school senior’s second album, “She Steals Candy,” is a showcase for her love of diverse song-oriented music. The sixteen track collection is a journey through musical genres that examines the definition of what a pop song can be as the talented New Jersey teen delivers another set of melodically and emotionally resonant tunes, recorded with key musical contributions from an all-star cast of pop luminaries including Greg Townson (Los Straitjackets), Chris Geddes (Belle and Sebastian), Steve Goulding (Mekons), John Perrin (NRBQ), Alex Hall (J.D. McPherson) and Dennis Diken (The Smithereens).

VIDEO: JUNIPER «Baby Doll»

Lending their voices to the album are April March, Megan Reilly, and Rebecca Turner (all solo artists in their own right) and Karen Basset (The Pandoras) and Barbara Endes (Girls On Grass).

Juniper’s abiding musical curiosities, and her love for new and classic sounds, are evident throughout “She Steals Candy.” The lp, produced by acclaimed singer-songwriter and longtime WFMU DJ Michael Shelley (who happens to be Juniper’s dad), maintains an unmistakably contemporary sensibility while tapping into the timeless resonance of the vintage sounds that Juniper loves to explore. Her knack for catchy pop powers such tunes as “Bang!,” “Ride Between the Cars,” “Alone with You,” ”I’ve Got A Boy,” and the album’s title track.

Elsewhere, Juniper delivers a heartfelt update of the Bangles’ “James,” and turns the Amy Rigby penned “Baby Doll” into a modern girl-power anthem. The genre-hopping continues with the Latin percussion heavy “Taste the Soup,” co-written by The Muffs’ Kim Shattuck and Cub’s Lisa Marr, and even dips into Gene Simmons’ songbook to unearth the catchy “See You Tonight,” which gets a bossa nova jolt here from Brazilian guitarist Roohari.

One curious feature of the album was the idea to include four covers of songs by the mid-sixties Texas band The Ron-Dels, all written by a young Delbert McClinton whose songwriting was (knowingly or unknowingly) fusing his Texas roots and his band’s bluesy garage-rock sounds with “Beatles For Sale” era songwriting. The results were originally released on a slew of 45s that never quite broke the band out of their regional popularity, but captured something special about that era and deserved wider exposure.  Juniper breathes new life to these songs with the help of her three duet partners, Ira Kaplan (Yo La Tengo), Page Burkum (The Cactus Blossoms), power-pop hit maker Kurt Baker, and some stellar guitar work from Jon Graboff (Ryan Adams).

A couple of 60s gems get a fresh update. “Dawn Stole My Guy,” a swinging garage rock rave-up genre switch of Johnny Fortune’s 1964 non-hit “Don Stole My Girl” and 1965’s “Little Miss Stuck-Up,” from the catalog of “Del Ashley” (a pseudonym for a pre-Bread David Gates) which receives an updated Wrecking Crew reverent treatment.

Considering the dynamic range of styles and instrumentation that the recordings cover, the album manages to surprise over and over without quite making the listener aware of what’s happening. The songs take the listener on a seamless journey.  The influences unfold gradually.

Definitely a product of the Covid era, the first few tracks were started to give the father and daughter team something to do during the early days of quarantine. About half the tracks were completed with collaborators working in their various homes and stitched together back in the family basement. Once the lockdown was over, in-person sessions were scheduled, with all the musicians involved grateful for the opportunity to participate in the collaborative creative process, and the record was completed.

Perhaps the biggest surprise for many upon discovering Juniper’s debut was the album’s deifying of expectations. Many listeners when hearing the singer was a teen, expected syrupy contemporary teen-pop, but Juniper delivered a harder-to-pin-down collection, and that approach continues on her follow-up

Special recognition goes out to legendary mastering engineer Greg Calbi who took sixteen songs, recorded at different times in various sessions around the globe and used his decades of experience to meld them into a cohesive sonic experience.

Though released at the start of lockdown, Juniper’s debut album still managed to find fans on radio and in the press (and got a deluxe release in Japan). The Big Takeover called it “A pure delight!” Powerpop Blogspot said, “This kid is a freaking star who’s just made one of the albums of the year. Seriously, there isn’t a less than fabulous track on the whole thing.”  The Coachella Valley weekly stated “This wunderkind displays a kind of innate musical talent that can’t be taught…” and Shindig pronounced, “Bubblegum garage has never sounded so good.”

Conquering all manner of new musical territory, “She Steals Candy” marks a major creative leap forward for Juniper, who comments, “When I look at this new album alongside the last one, it’s exciting to see how the music has matured with me. I can really see myself grow up through the two albums, and I think each is a kind of snapshot of me.”

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ARTIST: Juniper

ALBUM: She Steals Candy

RELEASE DATE: January 10, 2023

A CO-RELEASE FROM: Confidential Recordings/Fabcom Records

WEBSITES: junipersongs.com, fabcomrecords.com

BANDCAMP: https://juniperssongs.bandcamp.com/album/she-steals-candy