Search - June :: I Am Beautiful

This is lovelier than you deserve.

D. Nunnery | 10/18/1998

(4 out of 5 stars)

"June is/was (depending on your attitude toward the historical present) a beautiful band from Chapel Hill that represented the best of the "silver era" of the town's music, i.e., after the time circa 1993 when Superchunk, Polvo, and Archers of Loaf were mostly local, and before the lesser era when Ben Folds Five and The Squirrel Nut Zippers became the bands most folks asociate with Chapel Hill. June is often called "melodic" and "thoughtful," and they were, with Kat Cook's lyrics referencing Macbeth and Jerusalem and all, but they were neither shoegazing nor airy. They wrote anthems, like "Stripteaser" and the sadly-not-on-this-album "Bees in a Jar," glorious pop explosions ("The Theme of the Anti-Hero," "Feeding on the Same Things"), and plenty of songs that just make you feel like a better human being for having heard them. The only thing, by my lights, that cheats them out of a fifth star is that "Feeding...", "Bees..." and a few more brilliancies don't appear here. They were much more "musical" than most Chapel Hill bands, and smarter, but they never ever come off as noodly or arty-farty or pretentious. June could hold the stage with no problem against other, unrestrained bands of the era, like Picasso Trigger and Her Majesty's Secret Cervix. They are powerful and lovely and just so damned good. Kat sings, and might remind you of Mary Timony, or Kim Warnick of the Fastbacks, or even Annie Lennox. John Price (lead guitar) and Andy Magowan (bass) are a lot sharper than the average bear, and Jon Howie, who replaced the demi-divine Matt Gross as drummer, is a hellkicker. Tricia Tuttle (guitar and backing vocal) is a star, whether her voice is wrapping around Kat's or her guitar is slinking around John's. This is a damned fine band, and it's a shame they imploded while touring behind this album, because too few people will hear them now. You can, though, and should. You can hear Sonic Youth, the Pixies, the Cure, maybe a touch of the Smiths, and some other stuff you associate with your disaffected teens, as well as the sort of "collegiate" melody you'd associate with K Records or Simple Machines. Think maybe about Heavenly if they'd learned to howl, or Velocity Girl smoking with you out on the porch. My little life would be less complete had I not heard and bought and swallowed this album. It's beautiful music from beautiful people, and it might make you prettier as well."