Treecreeper requires a slow burn. The only problem is that their amalgam of alt-country/folk/rock doesn’t typically allow for such measures. All sorts of comparisons abound when taking in Juniper, the Wendover quartet’s sophomore album – Son Volt, The Jayhawks, Magnolia Electric Co. Yet none of these allow for the sweet, sweet time Treecreeper insists on taking.

The musical meandering that marks the Brothers Burns – Will and Greg – and their Treecreeper comrades seems completely out of place amidst the instrumental choices. If this were some kind of post-rock or dream pop release where slow builds and ethereal lulls are mainstream, then nothing need be said. Instead, Treecreeper chooses to place the slowly developing melodic construct squarely within a genre that’s never seen it.

The question, then, is fairly simple: do they pull it off? For the most part, audiences will be pleased with the results. The tunes on Juniper range from five (‘Out Here’) to nine minutes (‘November 23rd’) in length, giving the wide-open spaces often referred to within country/folk tunes their true expanse. Yet when the songs wander too far off the path, Juniper loses its hold.

The best example of such sonic wistfulness can be found on ‘Cascade’ where a fine straightforward acoustic strum unfolds at a glacial pace. The last three minutes of the eight minute track almost force you to pay attention elsewhere. The same can be said of ‘Recede’, whose electric guitars should, well, electrify, but instead it becomes burdensome atop a poor vocal mix.

For the most part, however, Juniper breathes important space into the country/rock mix. ‘Bird Artist’ echoes the aforementioned Son Volt minus the harmonies and vocalist Will Burns does his best Matthew Mayfield impersonation. The result is a brooding song that soothes and stuns in equal measure. ‘Autumn’ amps up the proceedings as much as possible within the context with an Athens, Georgia feel marking the entire five-plus minute affair.

‘November 23rd’ closes Juniper with an electric sear that doesn’t stop quickly enough, endangering the material of becoming too easily forgotten. Enjoying the journey is a proper move for Treecreeper and they should continue whist mining the idea for better (and shorter) material. It’s simply frustrating that the learning process can be so painful at times.

Treecreeper: ‘November 23rd’