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Junior League Band

Mitchell Williams Fo' Govena

(Self Released; US: 30 Sep 2008; UK: Available as import)

Washington, DC outfit the Junior League Band effortlessly blends pop, rock, blues, and Depression-era country to create a unique, infectious, and classically American sound on their second full length album, Mitchell Williams Fo’ Govena. The songs range from bluesy “Folding Cash” (inspired by Leadbelly) to the Muscle Shoals sound of “South Carolina Blues” to the oldtimey “The Station”. Although Junior League does hop from style to style, the album never feels uneven or disjointed, thanks to frontwoman Lissy Rosemont’s smooth and soulful vocals and near-constant banjo. Fans of Old Crow Medicine Show and Gillian Welch will dig the band’s rootsy sound, while those who listen to Sufjan Stevens may find themselves drawn to the Junior League Band’s eccentricity and indie pop sensibilities. However, at barely over thirty minutes, Mitchell Williams Fo’ Govena is far too short, leaving the average listener, no matter their preferred musical genre, desperate for more.

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Juli Thanki is a graduate student studying trauma and memory in the postbellum South. She tries to live her life by the adage "What Would Dolly Parton Do?" but has yet to build an eponymous theme park, undergo obscene amounts of plastic surgery, or duet with Porter Wagoner (that last one might prove a little difficult, but nevertheless she perseveres). When not writing for PopMatters, Juli can generally be found playing the banjo incompetently, consuming copious amounts of coffee, and tanning in the blue glow of her laptop.


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