CASSETTE REVIEW: Shivering Window “VttV” (Juniper Tree Sounds)

Shivering Window “VttV” (Juniper Tree Sounds)

http://junipertreesongs.bandcamp.com/album/jts005-vt-tv
http://junipertreesongs.bandcamp.com/

                It’s strange how I’ve listened to and reviewed Shivering Window on two separate occasions now (Juniper Tree Sounds #001 and #002), and I remember liking them sure, but the only thing I can really remember about their music specifically going into this tape is something that was said about them not by me. 

                Recently, Kent State and Shivering Window put out a split tape. [Editor's Note: Review forthcoming; the tape is in the mail]   In the description of that, Shivering Window is compared to Guided by Voices.  That’s all I remember about them right now.  While I’m sure I compared them to other bands (and not GBV) in my last two reviews of them, I don’t remember which bands I compared them to exactly and, well, quite frankly I’m not going to go back and look it up either because I like a certain element of surprise.   I’m like a tampon—I like to keep it fresh. 

                While listening to the second song on “VttV”, I came to the conclusion that not only does this sound like “Polly”, but this really does sound a lot like Nirvana. 

                Now, there are several different variations of Nirvana that people know.  We have the early Nirvana, which is “Bleach” and “Incesticide” era, then the popular Nirvana, which is “Nevermind”, and then the later years which would be “In Utero”.   What most people forget about though is that Nirvana has a bunch of bootlegs out there and even an entire boxed set dedicated to demos, unfinished songs and all that lot.

                Listening to “VttV” reminds me a lot of the first time I listened to “With the Lights Out”.   In fact, if you told me that this was a special cassette that went along with that set and it was only sold in some certain country and now it’s being made available in the United States, I’d be inclined to believe you at first.   (Then again, I was fooled by Morgue Toad, so don’t take my judgment there for 100%)

                It just has a lot of that raw passion and soul that you don’t hear amongst the gritty rock crowd any more.  I’m sure something 99% of the rock bands that I could name off of the top of my head that are currently “active” wouldn’t be able to recreate a sound like this if their musical careers depended upon it. 

                Now my wife just interrupted my flow of thought and so I don’t remember whether or not I had another point to make here.  It seemed like I had another paragraph I wanted to conclude with, but now it has vanished into the abyss, a victim of my wife’s need to tell me pointless commentary that takes me out of my zone.  (When I have my earbuds in, leave me alone!)