Junk - Self Titled
Review by Ashlee Elfman

Years ago, Brooks Robbins, who records under the name Junk, would send me fuzzy demos that he'd record in his room in the company of his favorite black cat. In fact, he'd tell me that he preferred the company of his cat to most people. The recordings were of small (in modesty and composition, not in breadth), emotionally saturated, country tinged songs being oddly whispered in a way that seemed like he was holding the tides back, maybe not wanting to disturb the neighbors. Some of those songs would appear on his official self-titled album, which I received in the mail today. I wasn't sure what to expect. I knew I'd enjoy it, but I wondered if Brooks would finally let the beast loose. It takes listening to only a few of his songs to realize that the beast is most definitely there lurking within shadows of first-time violent love affairs, drinking binges, and self-loathing. Upon listening to the album in full, I realize that that is what Junk's music is all about. Restraint amidst full-hearted longing and destruction.

Brooks has long been influenced by the likes of GG Allin and Hank Williams, and those influences come out stronger in his lyrics than in his somewhat shy, twangy sound, which is often accompanied by the sweet country vocals of his current girlfriend and collaborator, Rachel Brooke. Their voices mingle with a natural chemistry that adds a warm dimension to the loneliness of the songs that were perhaps written during less warm times. "S.O.S." is the perfect example of this emotional play. "You despise what we used to be/It's awful sometimes feelings are so fleeting." To me, this song came off as humbly sentimental, at times fatalistic, and inevitably hopeful. In other words, it has the qualities that make a lot of old-fashioned classics what they are today. I had heard "Fuck and Fight" as a demo a few years back, and it stuck out to me then.

I recall Brooks' quavering, martyr's voice coming in through the fuzz of a most likely second-hand recorder. "What made you think you could bear this cross for me?/I know it hurts you to see me on my knees/ All we do is fuck and fight…" The recorded version seems more like a reflection on feelings of the past, with Brooks' new love crooning alongside him, almost telling him "things are okay now". Of course that underlying quaver in his voice is still there, like a phantom question mark.

It would be interesting to listen to the demo back to back with the album version. Junk's music will not bash you over the head like a lot of the music he listens to, and it's best to dive into his album knowing this. He's digested his influences, but has turned out a fully personal work. Without truly listening, you might not be affected by the simple poetry of the lyrics or the Southern,firefly lullaby of the tunes. Give it a chance, and you will be greatly rewarded with an album of sweetly tortured songs for road trips and journeys of the heart.

 

 

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