Seattle quintet Juno was one of those bands from the past decade that there should have been more of. Consisting of guitarist/vocalist Arlie Carstens, guitarist Jason Guyer, third guitarist and keyboardist Gabe Carter, drummer Greg Ferguson, and a revolving cast of studio and touring bass players, the group released only two records at the turn of the century before disbanding in 2003. To label the band “emo-core” is a disgraceful insult to every loud, intelligent guitar rock group of the past half-century; theirs was a sound that would obliterate self-indulgent whiners like Dashboard Confessional or The Promise Ring from the stage in a swift fury. With a three-pronged guitar attack, a daring prog-rock approach to songwriting, and smart, insightful lyrics, it’s no surprise that the major labels and MTV gave them a wide berth while pursuing more marketable groups. A typical live Juno set would usually include amps cranked to eleven, intermittent diving from monitors, splintering shards of feedback, and violent guitar thrashings resulting in head injuries to various members of the band. It didn’t take long for them to become underground favorites.

After an assortment of seven inches and brief courtships by Sub Pop and Jade Tree, Juno signed with Kim Coletta’s DeSoto Records for their debut, This Is the Way It Goes and Goes and Goes (1999). It’s a strong first release, only weighed down by occasional forays into overextended Mogwai-esque boredom-rock during its midsection. It would be hard to argue with Arlie Carstens’ vocal comparisons to Bob Mould, and it’s no more difficult to imagine the Husker Du frontman emote lines like:

You saved for me a memory of my former self,
But I won’t ask if you promise not to tell.
Lord knows we really never had much else.
It slides in real slow, you slide out real slow.
When she died she was just twelve years old.

Yet Juno’s sound is more about texture and subtle nuance, toying with dynamics and structure rather than full-frontal and direct guitar assaults. The organ at the intro of “The Young Influentials” is a nice touch, and what at first seems like a gut-wrenching ballad transforms into an aggressive stop-and-start workout for the band.

“The Young Influentials” – Juno 4:00 (This Is the Way It Goes and Goes and Goes, DeSoto 1999)

All great bands have a secret weapon, and for Juno it was drummer Greg Ferguson, a musician in complete deference of the song, never showboating, propelling each section with reliable time and thoughtful patterns. The rewarding half-time breakdowns are just one of the joys of “Venus on 9th Street,” where the three guitars shtick is applied to magnificent utilization.

“Venus on 9th Street’ – Juno 3:15 (This Is the Way It Goes and Goes and Goes, DeSoto 1999)

The follow-up to their debut, A Future Lived in Past Tense (2001), is one of the best guitar records since Hum’s glorious and criminally overlooked Downward Is Heavenward (1998). The concise six-stringed drills of the debut are expanded into atmospheric spoken-word mood pieces and furious onslaughts of noise, with the occasional marimba-led ballad and hypnotic instrumental tossed in. A Future also shows the band experimenting more with odd time signatures and, as “Help Is on the Way” exhibits, minimalistic repetition. Note how the hammered-on guitars slowly pan left and right during the introduction and how Ferguson’s bass drum delightfully anticipates the next section. At 1:43 the three guitars can’t control themselves any longer, forcefully bouncing off one other as Carstens’ vocals increase in intensity.

“Help Is on the Way” – Juno 5:29 (A Future Lived in Past Tense, DeSoto 2001)

The highlight of the record is saved for the finale, a monstrous juggernaut of a song titled “Killing It in a Quiet Way,” which couldn’t be more misleading. At nearly seven minutes, the track is an ideal illustration of what Juno had matured into over the course of a few years, and encompasses all the best elements of the album. Listen at 3:03 as the guitars erupt into chaos, and at 4:12 Ferguson blasts into one of the sickest 5/4 drum patterns I’ve ever had the pleasure of hearing; from there the guitars promptly enter the stratosphere. It’s absolutely stunning, and one of the few songs in existence that is mandatory listening at 130 decibels.

“Killing It in a Quiet Way” – Juno 6:51 (A Future Lived in Past Tense, DeSoto 2001)

Juno was a band that should not be relegated to the annals of obscure 90’s indie rock; every guitar player absolutely must own a copy of A Future, and any fan of rock music in general would do well to pick up either.