Album Review: Jungle - Jungle

As a perhaps more recent review, I've been listening to Jungle's new album. Who are Jungle? I don't think anyone really knows. Redefining the very meaning of the word hipster, I don't think even Jungle's parents know who Jungle are.

But their name comes with a lot of weight; Jungle have been steadily releasing some pretty good tracks over the course of the year, and getting a fair bit of radio play. Their self-titled debut album, Jungle, is both weighty and worthy of their initial praise.

What does it sound like?
Jungle is a neo-soul album, through and through. However, Jungle's own unique brand of neo-soul takes a lot of influence from the latest trends in 'edgy' dance music, bringing a fresh, warm sound. As a result, Jungle sometimes sounds halfway between James Blake and Bill Withers. But their re-invention is so perfect, that you sometimes wonder if soul ever did sound any different.

Think future garage if it went back to it's funk roots. Kinda like what Daft Punk did with Random Access Memories.

Best tracks:
- 'Crumbler', 'Busy Earnin''

It's pretty hard to pick the best tracks on the album, considering that the album is a joy from end to end. 'Crumbler' has some wonderful beachy vibes though, and is definitely my favourite song, alongside the warm 70s feel of 'Busy Earnin''. 'Julia' is a close third though. And 'Time'. Heck, the whole album is full of bangers.

Worst tracks:
- n/a

I genuinely don't think the album drops at any point in both style and quality. Flawless end to end.

Overall: 8/10

Jungle is a spectacular debut album. However, in a twisted mockery of success, Jungle have perfected their sound, possibly too well. After a while, one starts to notice that Jungle have a little bit of a formula going. It's not exactly a cast iron mould per se, but the production duo definitely have found what works (really damn well) and stuck to it like glue.

As a result, Jungle are a victim of their own success; the album does not continuously push any boundaries, leaving you satisfied, but not astounded. It's perhaps the lack of this shock factor that limits me to an 8.

It also makes me worry for the pair. Will they top this first effort? Or have they just found the sweet spot between soul and modern dance music?

That aside, the album is fantastic, and even though the album isn't vastly different to their singles (which is in a way a refreshing change from some other albums) it definitely is a breath of fresh air. Good on you guys.

Album Review: Band of Skulls - Himalayan

Well, well, well. Himalayan is something special. Band of Skulls really have produced an amazing album here.

Band of Skulls are a 3-piece rock outfit from Southampton, featuring the holy trinity of rock music; bass, guitar, drums. That's it. Pure and simple. Throw some vocals on top, and boom.

It is perhaps this simplicity that makes Band of Skulls good at what they do, and beckons them to draw creativity to keep their sound fresh.

As a band which in my eyes are the English equivalent of the Black Keys (plus one), they come with high praise (Baby Darling Doll Face Honey) and great musicianship.

What does it sound like?
Equal parts punchy and smooth, Himalayan sounds fantastic. As the title suggests, the album has a big sound, but has a lovely crisp feel to it; Band of Skulls bring a lovely bare sound that is never too cluttered, but still has a heck of a bite.

The album is garage rock through and through, and never fails to remind you; the album is no nonsense, moving from track to track with brutal efficiency. Each track leaves you hanging, only for the next to bring you back into the foray.

There is no time for filler tracks.

There are definitely a few twinges of influences here and there; 'Nightmares' has a slight Britpop twinge to it, 'Hoochie Coochie' reminds me a little bit of Led Zeppelin. But nothing feels stolen, it simply feels like you're taking a journey through a musical landscape.

Best tracks:
- 'Himalayan', 'Brothers and Sisters'

The eponymous track 'Himalayan' is amazing, put simply. 'Brothers and Sisters' shows a little bit more of the blues side to the album, while still keeping you on your toes.

Worst tracks:
- n/a

Seriously, none.

Overall: 9/10

This is an album that only gets better with each listen. To me, the album is as good as Baby Darling Doll Face Honey, possibly better. Band of Skulls have definitely not lost their touch after 3 albums. Here's hoping for a spectacular 4th.

Album Review: Aloe Blacc - Lift Your Spirit

Yeah I know this is a bit late, but here's my review of Aloe Blacc's new album Lift Your Spirit.

Aloe Blacc's been around for a while, with his song 'I Need A Dollar' perhaps being his best known song. However, he's been floating around on the sidelines mostly, largely eclipsed by better known R&B/soul artists like John Legend.

That is not to say that Aloe Blacc hasn't made some great stuff though, and Lift Your Spirit is no exception.

How does it sound?
A truly lovely smelting pot of soul and folk; two genres that are heart are definitely kindred spirits, but lead down two different musical roads.

Aloe Blacc has definitely taken inspiration from his work with Avicii (who has recently been making his own unique brand of folk inspired EDM), infusing European folk rhythms and instrumentation into modern R&B/soul. The result is uplifting, entertaining, and generally a great listen.

Best tracks:
- 'The Man' and 'Love Is The Answer'

To be honest, all of the songs are pretty good, but these two are my favourite. 'Eyes of a Child' is a close third.

Worst tracks:
- n/a

I really can't complain about any of the songs on this album. Sure, songs like 'Here Today' are possibly a little bit too sugary-sweet for my liking, but they're not bad songs. Plus, that's the whole feel of this album; unadulterated, pure joy.

Overall: 8/10

This album really is great, and I think it definitely will bring Aloe Blacc flying into the spotlight. A much cleaner, smoother, and generally inventive album than Pharrell Williams' G I R L, I feel that Lift Your Spirit is definitely one of the better records of the year.

Unfortunately, it's not quite amazing enough for me to give above an 8; while it really is pretty faultless, it lacks that special something in both creativeness and shine to bring it up to the dizzying heights of a 9 or 10. That's not to say that Aloe doesn't bring a lot of ideas to the album, it's just more of a variation on a famous meal than a completely new dish.

Definitely worth a listen though.

End of hiatus...

Wow. I really haven't updated this in a long while. I've been listening to quite a bit of stuff this year, but I've been quite busy with other things unfortunately.

Fear not! I will be posting some quick fire updates over the next couple of weeks (minus the time I'm at Mysteryland and ArcTanGent).

So, what have I been up to? Well, I finished my 3rd year final exams at the end of May, and then did 3 weeks of project work for my Masters. Followed by 8 weeks of a summer placement. Yowzer.

Sandwiched in between the chaos was a beautiful little venture to 2000trees Festival (Upcote Farm, UK), which was simply fantastic.

I'll update this with a picture later, if I find any. Without nipples.

Anyways, here's some of the cool tracks I've stumbled across in the last 15 minutes or so.

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Lindsay Lowend's latest track on Soundcloud has a lovely, pure and dark feel to it. Fantastic beats, nothing more to say. Chiptune meets dub.

TEED's started producing some new stuff, and has launched his new record label, Nice Age. To commemorate the occasion, he's put out a new track with Anna Lunoe. The Orlando Dub mix offers something a little bit different, which I like.

BILLON's track Special is just plain fun. Standard deep house vibes.

And I felt like I couldn't go without including some of alt-J's new stuff. Very excited for their new album, and 'Every Other Freckle' is a great taster.

I'm going to be uploading some reviews of some albums I've been listening to over the next few days, probably two a day. Some are relatively old now (perhaps March/April), however some are perhaps more recent (last month). Keep your eyes peeled!

Plodding on...

Unfortunately, between Zelda and converting a stack of notes into a degree, I haven't had much time left for this blog. 

However, I'm still listening to Elbow's new album right now, so while I churn out a new review, I thought I'd space things out with a little bit of Burial, and Disclosure x Friend Within.

'The Mechanism' is destined to be hugely popular, and although the Burial track is a little less recent, it's still great stuff.

Album Review: Tensnake - Glow

Tensnake's debut album, Glow, came out last month. It's taken me a while to put up this review, as I've been unsure about what I think of the album.

What should I expect?
Truth be told, I don't know a lot about Tensnake; from the bits and pieces I've found out, he seems to be a German DJ/producer, who's been making music for a good few years. However, it's taken him until 2014 to bring out an album.

Although a lot of places on the internet classify him in the 'deep house' genre, Glow is not just a deep house album. It definitely has a house vibe to it, but it's got a pretty bright and funky sound to it.

You will probably like Tensnake if you like Madeon, Daft Punk, and Disclosure.

How does it sound?
Glow is a strange album. It really sounds like a smelting pot of 80s funk/disco and house, but somehow doesn't sound like funky house. For me, it's definitely a welcome sound though.

For those of you who know very little about house and are happy to admit it, Glow features crisp electro synths that are pretty reminiscent of Breakbot, and a warm, soft sound that really fits the album title pretty well. The pop-tinged melodies are easy to listen to, and pretty relaxing, while still keeping you engaged.

The album is definitely a mixed bag, and that's what makes it so hard to pinpoint; the album ranges from tracks like 'First Song' with it's post-dubstep vibes, to tracks like 'No Colour' that sound like a warm, down tempo Daft Punk song.

However, I'm not 100% sure whether the album is a lovely collection of ideas, or highly disorganised.

Best songs: 
- 'No Relief' and 'Pressure'

'No Relief' is by far the best song on the album; a beautiful sparse soundscape that really leaves you wanting more. 'Pressure' shows a bit more of the disco side to Glow, and the vocals by Thabo fit perfectly.

Worst song:
- 'Love Sublime', 'Selfish', 'Holla'

I thought that the disco sound on 'Love Sublime' and 'Selfish' was a little bit too much for me. Despite having Nile Rodgers on both tracks, these two are definitely amongst the weakest. And although I normally do two songs, 'Holla' does sound like he's ripping off SBTRKT a lot, which pissed me off a bit.

Overall: 5/10

While this album doesn't come even close to Disclosure's Settle, it is still an alright electronic album. Glow manages to be quite unique in the fact that the beginning and the end of the album sound very different, but I think it's a good thing, and so I'm giving it a high 5.

Why, so middle of the road? I feel mean giving it a 5, but some of the songs are kinda weak. But for an album filled with 16 songs, it's definitely to be expected. Did Tensnake over stretch himself? Almost definitely.

The album feels like a bunch of singles glued together with some OK tracks. It feels like he should have cut down to maybe 11 songs, and ran with it. Glow is unfortunately quite disorganised, and Tensnake sounds like he's tried to cram as many popular current ideas into one album.

As a result, the album has a few songs which will make pretty good singles; but although some of the singles alone are possibly 8s, the album doesn't really come together.

Slow posting...

I've been pretty slow between posts lately; a deadly cocktail of Zelda: ALBW, revising for 3rd year finals and binging on Game of Thrones has reduced my musical input.

Nonetheless, here are a few of the tracks I've come across in the past week:

1. Four Tet - 'Ascii Bot'

It's perhaps debatable whether Four Tet will ever stop making amazing tracks. His latest track is no exception, and is flawless end to end.

2. Panama - 'Destroyer (Cosmo's Midnight Remix)'

Just a nice bit of post-dubstep. The melody just flows through me. Definitely worth a listen.

3. The Kooks - 'Hooray for Henry'

The Kooks are gearing up for their fourth album; will 'Hooray for Henry' be on it? Maybe, maybe not. Eitherways, it's a nice little soulful ditty. I'm loving the rock and roll vibes.

A couple of tunes...

MNEK uploaded his latest single to his Soundcloud. Pretty funky stuff. Also, I dug up this downtempo, Lindsay Lowend mix of 'Prom Night' by Anamanaguchi.

Both are definitely worth a listen!