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MojoAug 20, 2014Jungle skillfully replicate the sexy patinas of their varied influence. [Sep 2014, p.94]
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Aug 7, 2014The end result is an undeniably slick but ultimately superficial album.
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Jul 24, 2014Jungle’s core members, childhood best friends Josh and Tom, make well-balanced dance tunes--lush, but with plenty of breathing space between slow builds and feverish climaxes.
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Jul 22, 2014It’s equally as innovative as it is mundane, equally as ambitious as it is safe, and equally as fun as it is tedious. Well, the last one isn’t quite true, this album is a ton of fun.
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Jul 16, 2014The duo is stingy with the low end on much of Jungle, preferring to keep its heads and equalizers in the clouds. As a result, the clubbier tracks feel less formulaic, and the record as a whole becomes more substantial.
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Jul 16, 2014Their arrangements are accomplished, and even the constant falsetto vocals are tempered enough to be pleasant throughout the album, but it's difficult to discern what exactly--if anything--Jungle actually stand for.
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Jul 14, 2014Their heat-haze hybrid of soul grooves and falsetto-funk chic feels too under-cooked to sustain a whole album.
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Jul 14, 2014As it stands, remaining at that upper register with every word and line, the album’s 39 minutes feel much longer, leaving one high and dry.
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Jul 14, 2014West London synth duo Jungle claim to “bring the heat” on their debut album, but it’s more the languid haze of a holiday beach than the intensity of a dancefloor.
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Jul 14, 2014It all runs very smoothly--perhaps too smoothly for some tastes--but listen past the sheen and the headphone goods are there.
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Jul 14, 2014The details of bandmember identities and backgrounds quickly become extraneous in light of the wealth of intriguing sounds presented on this incredibly well-constructed debut.
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Jul 11, 2014On their debut, Jungle show that you don't have to reinvent the wheel as long as it's travelling down brand new, unexplored avenues.
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Jul 10, 2014By deliberately creating a sense of mystery around themselves, Jungle may have raised expectations that their music cannot yet deliver on.
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Jul 10, 2014Jungle is a polished debut, but there’s no sense that J and T (or whoever is actually singing here) feel any sort of commitment to their lyrics, their arrangements, or anything beyond producing neatly packaged songs that slide them into festival slots.
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Jul 10, 2014It’s from hearing the brand new tracks that Jungle’s burgeoning songwriting mastery is really showcased.
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Jul 8, 2014iven the excitement that’s put to tape, it’s obvious this has been Jungle’s intention all along; not to be mysterious, not even to be adored; just to be the record that plays while people’s lives are shaped. Something that’s remembered within every pang of nostalgia.
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Jul 8, 2014Combining the pop world’s two biggest current loves--forward-thinking dance music and throwback soul/funk--Jungle are ticking every box on the ‘perfect debut’ checklist, and they’re doing it with pizazz.
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UncutJul 3, 2014They've got a food ear for summer anthems but Jungle lacks the knowing self-deprecation and tender lyricism of Hot Chip or Metronomy, so all you're left with here is a pleasant pastiche. [Aug 2014, p.75]
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Jul 3, 2014When you see Jungle live, it takes very little provocation for them to extend their songs into euphoric, funk-laden, instrumental prang-outs that mesmerise your mind’s eye. Unfortunately, the album lacks a little of that psychedelic deviation, and instead chooses to quite politely proffer 11 great and concise songs, with a whistling instrumental mid-point.
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Jul 3, 2014What’s really intriguing about Jungle, though, is its darker side. There's a tone of inner-city malaise, romantic ruin and psychedelic alienation to a raft of its tracks that speaks to those modern urbanites feeling screen-wiped and robbed of opportunities, busy earnin’ for nothing.
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Jul 3, 2014There are times when the album feels like it starts to tread the same ground, but there is also sign that Jungle have it in them to do things that are different.
Awards & Rankings
User score distribution:
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Positive: 27 out of 31
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Mixed: 3 out of 31
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Negative: 1 out of 31
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Apr 16, 2023
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Apr 1, 2022
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Aug 13, 2015