To accompany their somewhat exotic name, Jagwar Ma have equipped Howlin, their debut album, with a series of exotic sounds. If you’re looking for something that’s vibrant and bursting with colorful ideas this summer, then you really can’t go wrong with this record. For a first time effort, the release shows a lot of bravado and far reaching thought from its three Australian creators. Experimental, catchy, and intriguing, Howlin is very much the little pop enigma that could!
There’s been a lot of talk surrounding this album being inspired by the baggy era and the Manchester centric, indie dance scene of the late 80′s/early 90′s, and to some degree, I’d agree with that. There’s a sense of brightly painted and playfully twisted soul in the underlining of Howlin, but there’s so much more floating within its DNA — that’s what makes it such a memorable debut. There are dashes of contemporary indietronica and synth pop to be found, along with elements of ambience, chillwave and lo-fi funk. There’s also a plentiful and fruitful smothering of psychedelic rock/pop coating the album. In other words, there’s a whole lot going on with this record.
If there’s one major criticism to be made of Jagmar Ma and their debut, it’s that perhaps they’ve thrown too many things at the wall and, in the process, made their sound a touch too broad. Still, the pros of this artistic process definitely outweigh the cons. Sure, Howlin might not be finely chiseled or tightly bound, but there’s plenty of time for the group to carve out a more definitive representation for themselves. Right now, they’re having fun — you can hear it in the music they’re producing. The sense of enjoyment that was poured into the making of Howlin flows freely into our ears ten fold.
At a time when we’re all either mentally or practically putting together our preliminary “best of” lists for the year, we can so easily get lost in the particulars and the finer details. In doing so, we can lose sight of how important it is to simply enjoy music. So, if you’re in need of a jolting reminder, then this is most definitely for you. Even if you’re not, Howlin is bound to make your summer sound just a little bit sweeter!
