Jungle

Week 39: Blossoms- Gary

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I loved the album’s name after a stolen 8-foot-tall fibreglass gorilla from a Garden Centre in Lanarkshire, Scotland, last year. The song isn’t bad, either. I also love the way they shape themselves to spell out his name. Now, you associate the band with shoegaze and all that, but although this does feature synths, there is a lot of disco funk in this one. In fact, the record is split into disco funk, the kind of music you would associate with Jungle, and the other half is quintessential Blossoms. I like it a lot, and the tracks have a lot of playfulness.

The sound of the disco funk half of the album is retro yet modern. The opener, ‘Big Star,’ beautifully explores the theme of longing for a relationship and the anxiety of making a good first impression. I believe the current Everton manager Seán Dyche also appears on ‘What Can I Say After I’m Sorry?’. Well, he does on the video, anyway.

The title track is fun and groovy, with the band pleading with you to look out for the stolen fibreglass gorilla. I also enjoyed ‘Mothers’ and ‘Nightclub’. To be honest, I didn’t find any of the tracks shit. It’s different from what I have heard before, especially in the first half. I never saw them venture into Jungle’s turf, but I’m certain that the London outfit won’t begrudge them doing so. The second half plays it safe and sticks with their usual sound. That’s the only downfall for me.

Song recommendations: ‘Gary’, ‘Mothers’, ‘Nightclub’

8/10

Week 26: Nothing but Thieves- Dead Club City

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I had heard of the name before but never listened to their tracks. A lady called Roxanne, who I speak to, is a fan. “Dead Club City” is their fourth album and the first time I listened to the band.

The record begins with the leading single, ‘Welcome to the DCC’, and straightaway, my ears prick up as I was not expecting a band with such a name to have a Jungle-esque track, let alone beginning to an album. I loved the feel-good groove to the opener; as I mentioned before, it reminded me of Jungle.

I thought this album would be all-out indie, but it is laced with disco, indie, rock and psychedelia. Elements of some of the songs had a Tame Impala feel to them. Then we have the Jungle-esque groove of ‘Keeping You Around’ and ‘Do You Love Me Yet?’. The latter has some mad guitar solo, which I unfortunately discovered was the outro, so the track fades out when the solo should have played until its conclusion. They missed a trick by not doing that.

There is even room for ballads on the record. The standout is ‘Green Eyes:: Siena’, where Conor Mason’s tender vocals accompany the acoustic. The lyrics are quite deep, too.

The album closes with ‘Pop the Balloon, an all-out assault on your ears for the majority, but then there is a complete drop in the tempo, which happens without any indication it is approaching. “Dead Club City” isn’t bad for my first introduction to the band. I know some purists may not like this diverse record, but honestly, it kept me interested, and I will now listen to more of their material in the future.

Song recommendations: ‘Do You Love Me Yet?’, ‘Welcome to the DCC’, ‘Pop the Balloon

7/10

Week Five: J Hus- Big Conspiracy

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It has been a very testing time for the vocalist from Stratford since the release of his debut album “Common Sense”, which charted at No.6 in the main chart and secured the top spot in the R&B chart. However, on this record, he doesn’t really talk about any of his personal problems during the past two years or so. If anything, this record is much wiser for a kid that is only twenty-three years old. Whatever it is that he was dealing with has seen him come out on the other side with a more mature point of view of the world. The debut was more spontaneous and had a sense of “I’ve made it, so I am going to have fun and live fast” attitude to it, whereas his follow-up shows more of his talents, and that he feels a lot more comfortable with the direction, he is heading in with his music.

You notice this from the title track alone and understand the hyperbole surrounding J Hus. Another thing I particularly like about the record is how the producer TSB has made it feel more like a live performance than a recorded record in a studio. I will need to check if the tracks were performed as a live show (albeit not to the public.) rather than the usual method of recording these days. Although this may be his record, the performance of icee tgm catches my ear on the opening two tracks. Especially on “Helicopter”. I recommend looking out for this talented female vocalist in the coming year.

She is not the only artist to be collaborating on the record. J Hus has opted to showcase himself more and use only three collaborations with icee tgm, Burna Boy and Koffee. Although some tracks have pop elements to them, their references to guns and sex, like “Play Play” and the very comedic “Cucumber”, might not be deemed radio-friendly enough for the mainstream singles chart.

As the album goes on, it gets darker and darker. I liked “Deeper Than Rap”, as you get a real insight into J’s life through the piano instrumental accompanying his autobiographical story. What is especially good about this record and why it deserved the top spot is that it blends all the sounds associated with the UK through the decades. It is ranging from Jungle, Drum & Bass, Garage, Grime and so forth. With Stormzy and now J Hus already scoring No.1 albums this year, it raises the stakes for other Grime artists to emulate.

9/10