Review: Junius – Reports From the Threshold of Death

Rated:

3.5/5

Like its predecessor, 2009’s acclaimed The Martyrdom of a Catastrophist, the second full-length from Boston-based space-rock maestros Junius is lush and melodic, soaring and dreamlike. Through a narcotic progression of oceanic chords, pulsing bass lines, and hypnotic keyboard swells, the band occasionally invokes a less dense My Bloody Valentine while vocalist-guitarist Joseph Martinez conjures a dulcet wail that vaguely recalls that of the Deftones’ Chino Moreno. It’s a genuinely moving sonic alchemy, made more so by the fact that Martinez’s lyrics were apparently inspired by accounts of near-death experiences. Yet more proof that walking toward the white light isn’t always a bad idea. J. BENNETT