Jonquil - One Hundred Suns Review

Who?
Jonquil are an Oxford, UK rock trio that dabbles in math rock and folk pop in a manner that's self described as "Paul Simon's take on The Smiths."

How is it?
Pretty damn good.

Whether you choose to accept it or not, there's a corner in your brain and crevice in your heart that wants to love Jonquil. Their intricate, highly nuanced blend of gnomic indie-pop is effervescent, timeless and utterly resplendent. Like a brainier version of Vampire Weekend, the four bucks that make up Jonquil are confident, carefree and wholly captivating. Lead single "Get Up," is fizzy, sun-drenched and deceptively sneaky. On its first few listens the song is mildly underwhelming, not so much for its rhythm or its swerve, but mostly for vocalist Hugo Manuel's penchant for warbled mumbling. As if he has a mouth full of marbles, his utterances and verses can often be repressed, foggy and downright alienating. But sure enough a few more listens and the song swims into the bloodstream.

The synth-fueled "Fighting Smiles," is one of the EP's true peaks, a falsetto-laden affair with swirling guitars, intimate drumming and a sweetly affecting chorus as strong as any released this year. On the contrary to "Get Up," Manuel's vocals are crystalline, controlled and on the mark. In short, it's as close to perfect as anything on the EP. It's not all hyperbole though. "It Never Rains," and "Pillow Quest," are a muddled mess of a middle section and were it not for the dynamic "Compound," the gorgeous "I Don't Know I Know," and the accordion-laced "Lions," this EP probably wouldn't be worth much more than "Fighting Smiles," and "Get Up." Thankfully that's not the case and this is an EP worth revisiting....full text Somehow it’s pretty doubtful that Jonquil’s decision to call their new EP One Hundred Suns had anything to do with Linkin Park’s sensational comeback record A Thousand Suns (trust those guys to for a millennium of yellow stars where clearly one is enough for our humble planet). The art-rock ensemble from Oxford are more renown for intricate, carefully orchestrated folk experiments rather than clunky collaborations with Jay-Z, so it’s not surprising that there is no scratching or rapping over downtuned guitars on this record. There are, however, a few interesting new aspects to their sound.

One Hundred Suns starts with a melange of a softly-softly synth line, falsetto vocals and some lovely clean guitar doodling. The song is called ‘Fighting Smiles’ and becomes an almost danceable jungle-jangle-pop song with a little emotional edge to it. It seems as if Jonquil have paid close attention to this year’s Vampire Weekend and Local Natives albums, both of whom took the dying ambers of western afro-pop and reignited them by using autotune, electronic samples and Americana-style vocal harmonies.

There’s a bit of a lo-fi bedroom echo to Hugo Manuel’s vocals, and there is ample space for the drums to rumble, roll and break into tropical patterns and for the guitars to flutter like a songbird with a nervous disposition. ‘It Never Rains’ sounds like an overcast day at the beach, which are the best days anyway – nobody wants to be grilled into a whimpering, sweaty mess, and you can sit on the hotel balcony, guilt-free, drinking rum....full text Whether you choose to accept it or not, there's a corner in your brain and crevice in your heart that wants to love Jonquil. Their intricate, highly nuanced blend of gnomic indie-pop is effervescent, timeless and utterly resplendent. Like a brainier version of Vampire Weekend, the four bucks that make up Jonquil are confident, carefree and wholly captivating. Lead single "Get Up," is fizzy, sun-drenched and deceptively sneaky. On its first few listens the song is mildly underwhelming, not so much for its rhythm or its swerve, but mostly for vocalist Hugo Manuel's penchant for warbled mumbling. As if he has a mouth full of marbles, his utterances and verses can often be repressed, foggy and downright alienating. But sure enough a few more listens and the song swims into the bloodstream.

The synth-fueled "Fighting Smiles," is one of the EP's true peaks, a falsetto-laden affair with swirling guitars, intimate drumming and a sweetly affecting chorus as strong as any released this year. On the contrary to "Get Up," Manuel's vocals are crystalline, controlled and on the mark. In short, it's as close to perfect as anything on the EP. It's not all hyperbole though. "It Never Rains," and "Pillow Quest," are a muddled mess of a middle section and were it not for the dynamic "Compound," the gorgeous "I Don't Know I Know," and the accordion-laced "Lions," this EP probably wouldn't be worth much more than "Fighting Smiles," and "Get Up." Thankfully that's not the case and this is an EP worth revisiting....full text