NEWS
EVENTS
Jagwar Ma - Howlin (Review)
Indie | Monday 10th June 2013 | James
There must be something in the water in Australia right now. As Perth-born Tame Impala climb the ladder of rock all over the world and cement their position as one of the most boundary-pushing bands around, their fellow countrymen Pond delivered one of 2012's finest records with Beards, Wives, Denim before Impala-frontman Kevin Parker went off and created another record of the year with Melody's Echo Chamber. Down under seems to be sweltering with psychedelia-inspired creativity right now, and young upstarts Jagwar Ma are the heirs to the Australian throne it would seem.
Having already found themselves with famous fans in the shape of Noel Gallagher and Johnny Marr, Jagwar Ma (real names: Jono Ma and Gabriel Winterfield) are a Sydney-based trippy duo who want to deliver “good vibes”. The real twist is that, far from being inspired by Sydney, the duo's sound is more akin to Salford. Jagwar Ma look intent on bringing back the summer of love, incorporating Stone Roses grooves with Primal Scream youthfulness. With Temples' star continuously growing in Britain, Jagwar Ma are undoubtedly the best equivalent outside of these shores. Noel Gallagher recently suggested that, should the band's debut album live up to the hype, “the imperial forces shall be defeated”. No pressure, then.
To their credit, if Jagwar Ma are under pressure to deliver with debut album Howlin it does not show. Opener 'What Love' starts brimming with confidence: reverb guitars interweave with crippling basslines and a sense that Jagwar Ma are forging their own destiny. With German producer Ewan Pearson at the helm, the duo recorded the album on a farm in Northern France with barely any equipment. If you think that this holds them back, you are mightily wrong. Jagwar Ma sound as if they have been working with state-of-the-art equipment and the majority of this record is avant-garde music inspired by past greats. It's a brilliant concoction of effervescence, psychedelia and trippy ambience.
'Uncertainty' is full of revelling bounce with jangling guitars stretched over a drowned-out beats. The spectral nature of the guitars suggest Jagwar Ma could easily be mistaken for Primal Scream's younger, tearaway brother. Whilst this record is unlikely to be as prominent, it could easily become 2013's answer to Screamedelica. 'The Throw' displays their quality best with psychedelic swirling riffs and a dazed and dousing vocal. The song is sprawling and epic, wandering carelessly like a raver who has had too much, before drifting off in a wave of reverb laden ambrosial beats.
The real positive of Howlin is that it keeps listeners on their toes in a similar way to Tame Impala's 2012 blockbuster record Lonerism. Just when you expect the song to go one way, it seeps into another. When you think you've nailed down Jagwar Ma's sound in your mind, they alter it and surprise you. It is a testament to their ability and bravery that a band so young has the self-belief to continuously evolve (even from one second to the next). 'That Loneliness', for instance, is a short burst of garage-rock with a heavenly Winterfield vocal which is not too dissimilar to the aforementioned Parker's. 'Come Save Me', meanwhile, strays into Tame Impala territory with crunching synths and plenty of effects creating a summery vibe. This central pairing are clearly radio-friendly pieces of craft which will undoubtedly become highlights of the band's festival sets this summer.
However, there is yet more experimentation to behold. 'Four' sounds like some twisted amalgamation of house and rock which would suit a film adaptation of 1984 brilliantly. The song switches seamlessly from dance to pop and then back to rock, but it doesn't matter because there's no time to think on this record. You just have to enjoy it. It's hard not to enjoy it when its creators sound like they are having a ball. 'Let Her Go' begins a straightforward pop rock song in the vein of the early Beatles but descends into a 60s-inspired rock stomp which features brilliant delicate melodies.
'Man I Need' is doused with reverb and sounds like an angry Kasabian taking on The Stone Roses whilst 'Exercise' is urgent and progressive. The album's closer, 'Backward Berlin' (no doubt a nod to their producer) steals the show, though. As the song builds with swirling synthesizers, cymbals begin to crash before anthemic “oohs” and “aahs” demonstrate the most accessible song the duo have written to date. “Under your skin” Winterfield breathes, and he isn't wrong. This record will embed itself in anyone who hears it this summer.
A true product of the times, Howlin effortlessly merges dance music with rock to create one of the best records this year. Whilst it may live in the shadow of the bands who have inspired it (Primal Scream, Happy Mondays, The Stone Roses), Jagwar Ma do show they have a true innate ability to create pieces of brilliance. Australia is clearly the breeding ground of a whole host of creative geniuses right now and Jagwar Ma are up there with the very best of them. Welcome to the summer of love.
Rating: 9/10
Download: 'What Love', 'The Throw', 'Come Save Me', 'Backwards Berlin'
By James Rodger @jamesdrodger
