Vinyl Review: "Ex Voto" by Djunah

Ex Voto

I'm going to pierce the veil just a little bit right now for you. At the time of this writing, it's 10:22am on November 3rd. My daughter is sick, and I'm sitting upstairs drinking a pot of delicious Earl Grey Tea.

Also, I'm wearing my awesome AC/DC sleep pants because it's still morning time.

No idea why I did that, but moving on. Today I'm considering the debut release from Chicago's Noise/Experimental/Post-Punk Duo Djunah.

As we're now into week two of Glacially Musical's first ever Vinyl Fortnight, let's point out that so far, everything that's made it to these pages has been rather unique.

Evil Triplet, Left To Starve, The Transgressors, Ghost:Hello, and Rachid Taha have all been difficult to describe for me.

But that's the kind of music that really gets my blood flowing. Yes, anything that can be done has been done before. Of course it's perfectly acceptable to be heavily influenced by other bands.

However, when you find those uncut diamonds that haven't been worn down or turned into gemstones that just don't quite fit into other places...

Djunah

It's exhilarating.

Enter Djunah.

The first question that comes to mind is how do I pronounce their name? Duh-Juh-nah? Dyuna?

I really don't know.

They wouldn't be the first band, even in the vinyl reviews that have that distinction.

Breag Naofa anyone?

Oh, I just re-read the first email about this record, their publicist is a bit wordy and it's JUNE-uh. Hmm. Perhaps they're also a djent band too?

I'm going to need me to focus up here just a bit.

The band isn't a band, but a duo. Who else remembers that time when The Black Keys made lo-fi duos a thing?

And on this spectacularly pressed slab of vinyl the juxtaposition of warn, clear sound reproduction of lo-fi garage rock is delectable.

So, what will you hear?

First off, this is someone who's angry. The world has beaten her down and it's time for her to come out of her shell, but it's hard to do that and be her real self. There's too much internalization of societal norms.

During her rants and raves....she hears the voice of her parents in the back of her head and she reigns in her rancor, only to be sweet and demure once again.

It makes for an exciting, but uneven listening. But if it were even, it would be boring. Where it gets interesting though...

That Four Non Blondes influence? I see you.

That's nothing shocking, but.... That Patti Griffin, Dar Williams influence? I see you too. It would be inappropriate to call myself a fan of those women, but I've accompanied my wife to see them both in concert, the latter twice.

On these pages, Sofia Talvik, Moira Smiley, and others along those lines have been reviewed. I'm quite possibly the only metal journalist to have seen Mayhem, Dar Williams, Melissa Etheridge, Butterfly Boucher, and Patti Griffin.

I know the form as it were.

But what if instead of hope and joy, the overriding emotion is anger? What if instead of an acoustic guitar, it's a Gibson SG Special with a P90 and an overdriven amp?

What if when the song gets to you, the melody drains from your voice and your screams are all that can be heard?

What if you've just had too much of this world and you can't take it any more?

Well then, you're probably Djunah.

And the rest of us are lucky to have heard you.

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