Jucifer If Thine Enemy Hunger

For those unfamiliar with Jucifer, the Georgia duo consists of guitarist and vocalist Amber Valentine and drummer Edgar Livengood. Together they form an incredibly innovative and versatile rock group that, with their latest album If Thine Enemy Hunger, has instantly become a mainstay in my current listening rotation of bands. Prior to hearing this album, I had never felt the need to check out this group, no matter how many times I had heard the name praised with Pitchfork-esque genre descriptions like "indie lo-fi metal" and the like. However, terms like that no longer seem absurd or unnecessary after giving If Thine Enemy Hunger a listen. This disc truly has a great amount of variety throughout its near hour-long lifetime. From the opening two sludge/drone inspired tracks "She Tides The Deep" and "Centralia", to the catchy hooks and mid-tempo rock of songs like "Lucky Ones Burn" and "Pontius of Palia," Jucifer is clearly intent on staying far away from the repetitive garbage that tends to be on many current rock albums. It's impossible to further describe the duo without referencing the phenomenal vocals provided by Valentine. Just like the instrumentation, her vocals vary show great versatility, from dark and heavy (while still melodic) to attention-grabbing pop, and as heard on "Antietam", high pitched screeching that might just give The Blood Brothers a run for their money. Honestly, the vocal wailing in the aforementioned track is probably my least favorite part of the entire disc by a long shot, but I'm willing to overlook it in favor of the rest of this fantastic album. Another impressive aspect of the record is the great balance that Jucifer possesses between the two members. Quite often I feel like the musical focus in rock duos is unnecessarily put upon one member, much like the focus upon Jack White in The White Stripes. As soon as Livengood's drumming appears on the album, the listener realizes that this is clearly not the case. The slower sludge-rock tracks strongly rely on the unhurried, yet skilled drumming to build up monumental amounts of heaviness that fit so well with Valentine's dark vocals. After all, many believe that slow drumming is far more difficult than being a one trick blast-beat-and-double-bass pony. And when the pace picks up in the catchier riff-heavy songs, Livengood is far from being left behind and continues to support his half of the duo. Despite the high quality of the drumming of on If Thine Enemy Hunger, I have to go with the stripped down indie track "The Plastic Museum" as the song that really stands out to me. Comprised of only two guitar tracks (one distorted and one acoustic), the song's delicate vocals and simplistic one string riffs are nothing short of mesmerizing. But as much as I could listen to "The Plastic Museum" on repeat for hours, it is merely one-fifteenth of the reasons why If Thine Enemy Hunger should be heralded as one of the year's best. Bottom Line: By proving that they're capable of intertwining tracks of sludge, indie, and hook-filled rock into a cohesive hour of listening enjoyment, Jucifer has instantly become a band that I will be closely following for years to come. Even if the idea of a female fronted rock duo has never appealed to you, I strongly suggest that you give If Thine Enemy Hunger a listen. I may have been exposed to Jucifer a little late, but I guess that just means I have a better back catalog to explore. Buy this album, you won't regret it.