When you hear the Americana-soaked music coming from Jon-Olov Woxlin, your initial impression might be that of a man living in the southern United States (think Mississippi or Louisiana or something like that). In actuality, Jon-Olov is from Gothenburg, Sweden, making his distinctive brand of mile-a-minute folk all the more unique. His latest offering, the 12-song JUNK TRUNK, highlights Jon-Olov’s penchant for cleverly-worded folk rock with an onus placed on spontaneity. Expect bouncing basslines, plenty of acoustic guitar strumming, and Jon-Olov’s ear-catching baritone throughout – each track on this album is simply three instruments and Jon-Olov’s vocals. It’s stark and it’s simple, but it works for Jon-Olov & co.
Album opener “Exit Sign Explicit” finds Jon-Olov borderline rapping overtop an acoustic guitar backbone. Are his songs political? Are they religious? It’s hard to tell while he’s spitting lyrics at a surprisingly brisk pace… What’s even more surprising is that this entire album was recorded in a single winter afternoon. It makes you ponder whether Jon-Olov made up a lot of these lyrics on the spot, or, if songs like “Exit Sign” have been anxiously poured over for hours and hours before coming to existence. It brings a fun dichotomy to every listen of JUNK TRUNK – is Jon-Olov capturing a treasured composition via one special moment in time, or are these songs meant to be fleeting and fun?
Track two, “Already There” is layered with a sighing pedal steel guitar – a flourish that pairs nicely with Jon-Olov’s forlorn vocals. This is Jon-Olov at his best – heartfelt vocals with the perfect amount of vibrato layered over masterful guitar from collaborator Erik Gunnars Risberg. Same goes for the forlorn fiddle accompaniment on “Mother of Fate,” Risberg captures a true feeling of sadness with his virtuosic playing. Jon-Olov rarely attempts a second take of any of his parts:
“’cause it usually deprives the songs from sounding natural. I like the live feeling of a record.”
It’s hard to imagine Jon-Olov and Erik nailing a song like “Already There” or “Mother of Fate” on a first take… But here we are. The man/men are enigmas, and it makes the journey through JUNK TRUNK all the more profound.
Once you make it all the way through JUNK TRUNK, Jon-Olov nails you with “Millennial Whoop,” which gives some potential insight into his songwriting prowess. “This is way worse than selling your soul to the devil / The meaning of this verse ain’t got no deep secrets to unravel / Don’t you know that lyrics are no longer profound?” Jon-Olov is telling you like it is while simultaneously embodying the frankness he’s singing about. It’s a meta moment, and just like the rest of the album, it leaves us with more questions than answers… And we think that’s ultimately a good thing.
You can find JUNK TRUNK on both Bandcamp (below) and Spotify.