Rating – 3 1/2 stars out of 5
It’s Christmas Time 2014. I boot up a copy of Tales from the Borderlands on my Xbox. On this day, I’m thinking I am going to play another Telltale game where I make a few choices, enjoy a good story and get an easy 1000 achievement points. However, what I didn’t expect about this game was an unbelievable soundtrack. One of those songs was the amazing tune Busy Earnin’ by Jungle. So amazing, that I immediately found a copy online of the album and had sent to me post haste. I was instantly hooked to songs like Time, The Heat and Platoon among others. Since then, I’ve enjoyed their other albums, For Ever and Loving in Stereo. Today, we are taking a look at their fourth album, Volcano. Let’s see if their sound still holds up.
For those who are not aware, Jungle is made up of two primary members, Josh Lloyd-Watson and Tom McFarland who produce all of the music. It is described as Neo-Soul but is a blend of Disco, Dance, Pop and a little Funk to boot. The way I typically describe them is a really good beat with some backing vocals which creates a tune stuck in your head for weeks on end. They also make these really awesome videos which are basically vehicles for interpretive dance numbers with amazing performers. I can honestly say I don’t have anything else like them in my entire music catalog.
Track 1: Us Against the World (3:27) –
The first track starts off well. Has a good hook, actually sounds like a complete song with verses and chorus which is something you don’t see from this group. The beat is extremely infectious. There is even an outro, this song really works. The singing has an extra production touch on it which is fine here but it will rear its head again later in the album with unfortunate results.
Track 2: Holding On (3:16) –
This could be described as a little diddy, more of what Jungle typically does with the tracks. The lyrics are fine but good luck interpreting the chorus. I will use this word a lot through the album, non-sensical. The words can’t be made out, it’s just noise that sounds like singing. The chorus is full of this. The song is fine, but this is all about the beats and nothing more.
Track 3: Candle Flame (w/Erick The Architect) (2:54) –
When the intro drops to the song, it hits pretty well but I’m already expecting more out of this experience. I thankfully get that once Erick the Architect starts in. I love this beat a lot, it’s an old school type rap with the Jungle famous beat. Again, can’t make out the chorus but it is saved by the rap and singing. Good outro that cascades into the next song.
This is part of what could be described as a trilogy video with Dominoes and I’ve Been in Love which is a lot of fun and can easily be found on YouTube or wherever you watch your videos.
Track 4: Dominoes (2:57) –
The song starts promising enough, but is held back by it’s simplicity. It’s a catchy beat, “Dominoes, don’t you know?” but as the middle song of the trilogy I think I’m expecting more. Maybe they should have switched Us Against the World and Dominoes in the play list? It’s not a bad song, it feels like more of an intro to the type of album this is.
Track 5: I’ve Been in Love (w/Channel Tres) (2:49) –
Hands down, the best song on the album and all because of Channel Tres. The chorus is fun and clear. Actually, despite this being my favorite song, the lyrics are a bit out of place. It’s explicit at times and while I have zero issues with the words, you can’t play it in mixed company either. Jungle’s music is meant to be appreciated by as many people as you can find and you can’t do that with this song. So I’ll have to keep in the same folder as say something from Dr. Dre or Eminem but it is fantastic.
Track 6: Back on 74 (3:29) –
This song is very mellow. It’s quite simple, and the groove is a little fun but there is nothing special to it. When the song hits “Let it Go”, it’s not kidding. The video is honestly a lot better than the song. Please, let it go (it’s carrying on much too long) and move on to the next song.
Track 7: You Ain’t No Celebrity(w/Roots Manuva) (2:33) –
Starts off pretty darn good with the “You Ain’t No Celebrity (Honey)”. There is a lot to like here and the beat moves very well. The only problem I found is that Roots doesn’t show up until about 1:45 into the song which wouldn’t be a problem but the song is only two and a half minutes. He “pushes and pulls” and then he is out. Really good song, but not great.
Track 8: Coming Back (3:22) –
A really fun track that sounds like it belongs on a commercial somewhere. Maybe a spearmint gum, breathsavers ad or something. “It’s always nice to meet ya.” Arguably though, I would have liked to see this one be shorter but the previous track be longer. The respective songs would have played to their strengths more and the result would be a better flow.
Track 9: Don’t Play (w/Mood Talk) (3:46) –
Let me preface this song summary by saying, I get that the title is something of a joke. It’s “Don’t Play”, meaning it is an interlude of sorts or imitating a constant record skip. Whatever it is, it’s super annoying. I would actually like to hear the song (from what I can tell “unskipped”, it would be quite good). Instead, the literally longest song on the record is a waste of time. I even went and found it on YouTube just to make sure my cd wasn’t a bad copy. Nope, still don’t like it.
By the way, the comments on this song on YouTube are freaking hilarious in declaring this “Best Song on the Album.” People need to get their hearing checked.
Track 10: Every Night (3:05) –
Remember when I mentioned non-sensical singing? This song is full of it, lyrics and chorus included. “Ooooo” and “Every Night” are about the only thing I’m able to make out and that’s after listening to it five or six times. The beat is not bad, but there is nothing to hold it together.
Track 11: Problemz (3:04) –
A little better than Every Night, and the beat/melody tend to flow better. However, the non-sensical singing is still in focus and it becomes a chore to listen through. “How U Doin’?”, the tag line for this song is probably a question that is best left unanswered at this point.
Track 12: Good at Breaking Hearts (3:33) –
Change is good, this song has a nice, mellow beat and you can almost feel the palm trees swaying back and forth (wait, isn’t that the next track?). This is very much a surprise number that is nestled at near the end of the album. Sweet sunshine indeed.
Track 13: Palm Trees (3:19) –
As expected, the song cascades into more “sand and beach” action. This one isn’t quite as good but it’s not a bad song or anything. It’s a return to the nonsense though. I do like the hook, and it is keeping that peaceful vibe. I would imagine instead of breaking this apart from “Good at Breaking Hearts”, they work best together as one long contiguous track.
Track 14: Pretty Little Thing (w/Bas) (3:01) –
The final track, this one tended to grow on me from the first listen (most of the others stayed about the same from my initial playthrough). However, it still doesn’t move me, it’s probably due to the talking that Bas does. This is the other song on the album marked as “explicit”, for the drug references assumingly. “Tripping on acid in the Adriatic sea” is an example of one of those lyrics. That doesn’t scream explicit to me, but it’s worth noting.
For those who are not aware, Jungle also took this album and turned it into a “motion picture” of sorts. It is available on-line but currently only through their fan club with a pass. I’m guessing the four videos on Youtube for Candle Flame, Dominoes, I’ve Been in Love and Back on 74 are part of that but it’s hard to know for sure. I absolute hate going through hoops to see something and would gladly buy a blu-ray (or even 4k since the videos are shot in 4k) of it if they would offer it over normal channels. I do see a CD/DVD on the UK store but it disappears if you switch back to the US store. Again, more hoops. Hopefully, it shows up in due time even if they have to go the manufactured on demand type release route.
After reading this you might think I don’t like the album very much but I do. It’s good but there are spots where I’m holding my head and waiting for the song to lead to go to the next track. The magic of the first album does rear it’s head occasionally with Candle Flame, Us Against the World or I’ve Been in Love but it nearly disappears on the second half. Recommended to the people who already listen to Jungle but newcomers to the scene will have trouble. Enjoy.
