Joie De Vivre

The North End

Written by: TL on 18/07/2010 21:16:53

When last I reviewed Joie De Vivre - That would be on last year's "Summer Months EP" - I made a point of explaining how they were a representative of the original emo sound, arriving in the scene some ten years too late to ride its brief wave of popularity. I compared them to Mineral, having barely listened to Mineral myself, mostly out of some vague idea that "I'm pretty sure this is what Mineral generally sounded like".

Now, I have actually had the time to listen to Mineral, and I can say with as much factual accuracy as I'll ever muster, that Joie De Vivre sound exactly like Mineral, with the addition of horns to the soundscape. For every song on the new album "The North End", JDV follow Mineral's lead by drawing songs out with sleepy paces and soft plucking of guitar strings, while their lead singer employs the classic, emo, mumble-n-wail dynamic, pouring his heart into bluntly sentimental lines. Curiously for Danes, on more than one occasion he sounds like Kasper Eistrup of the locally famous band Kashmir.

Regardless, Joie De Vivre still stand in approximately the same position they did when I last heard from them. They deliver an interpretation of the classic emo sound with as much skill and loyalty as one could ask for, and this is both their blessing and their curse. On one hand, they are one of very few bands I know of that still do this and do it well, but on the other, it seems like they're intent on keeping their sound as pure a tribute to their influences as possible, rather than trying to reinvent the style in the new millenium. It's not like Mineral flooded the market with records though, so I don't think the world will mind JDV carrying their torch onwards, but one must wonder if that's all they're going to do, or if the future will see them try to come up with a few surprises as well. For now, Joie De Vivre are still very much a niché-band, yet a quite good one at that.

7

Download: Sundays, Autumn In New London, Next Year Will Be Better
For The Fans Of: Mineral, Sunny Day Real Estate, slower Jimmy Eat World material
Listen: myspace.com/joiedevivreband

Release Date 02.05.2010
Count Your Lucky Stars

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