Last night I had listened to most of Jake Bugg's second album Shangri La. More than pleased with what I heard, I went from one song to the next without much pause, except for a glass of water and a couple stretches. But then, I got caught in the moment of track ten, Pine Trees. Up to this point, Bugg presented similarities to his self-titled first album, and, in a good way, this song wasn't much different (more on this song later). I began to think, "What can't this nineteen year-old do?"
There's element of folk, rocknroll, country, and punk. All the songs included his creative lyrical phrasing, with a little more confidence, or maybe cockiness - a troubadour who knows what he wants out of his music. When hearing Bugg interviewed, there's a maturity there, too - a nineteen year-old who knows what he wants out of life. There was an addition of Bugg giving us a taste of his electric guitar ability (Slumville Sunrise, What Doesn't Kill You, Kingpin), which I was lucky to see live earlier this year at The Iridium in New York City (thanks to concertblogger.com). As I sensed then, and continued to after having listened to most of Bugg's second album, there is more to be seen - his talent very evident, yet still revealing itself. Up to this point, there was no question Bugg had already shattered any doubt of the second album flop and the idea that he was posturing as a wanna-be Dylan.
Track ten, Pine Trees, made me stop and want to write this. Writing music reviews is nauseating, unless it's for music worth having a conversation about. There are many reasons to listen to music and to make music. On this track, Bugg conveys this, as well as the power of a voice and how it can carry a song. It is a soft song with simplistic guitar strumming. Bugg's voice is the lead instrument and is the part of his music that will leave people talking, or shaking their heads as they did leaving The Iridium, not believing he's nineteen. The song Simple As This, from his first album, had a similar affect on me. There was resonance of Buddy Holly, but more importantly, made me, the listener, think - about the past and where I was heading.
Bugg couldn't have known where he was heading a few years ago, still writing songs in his childhood bedroom in Nottingham, England. When his first album came out, he had never left England before the album's release, which landed number one on the UK charts. Since, Bugg has toured the world, went from the smallest stage at the Glastonbury Festival to being one of the main acts, and on November 19th he'll release his second album, Shangri La, which was produced by Rick Rubin. The album title is the name of Rubin's Malibu studio.
About a year after Bugg's first album release, there are moments on the second album where his voice is recognizably deeper. I was sold on Bugg after the first album, but maybe the more mature voice will make cynics take him more seriously. The voice is his staple, and this second album proves Bugg will be a staple in the music business for many years to come. I hope he keeps creating because for cynics that say there's no music worth listening to "these days", well, he's a reason to listen.
I could use the last paragraph as the other highlights section. But, Shangri La is a consistent album all the way through and is possibly more cohesive than Bugg's debut. In addition to Pine Trees, today my favorites are:
Track 1, There's A Beast and We All Feed It. Rockabilly-esque lyric reciting with an uptempo country instrumentation.
Track 4, Me and You. Bugg sings, "All the time / People follow us where we go / We both should believe in the path that we chose." I heard this first live and the audience was frozen, watching Bugg's conviction in his craft. The song ended and a friend remarked, "That's a keeper."
Track 12, Storm Passes Away. Bugg often ends shows playing Johnny Cash's Folsom Prison Blues. The influence is heard on this album's closer by how Bugg finishes lines.
Bugg ends Shangri La and leaves the listener wanting more. Again, his talent is still revealing itself, yet Bugg is positioning himself as the soon-to-be influence. I finished the album and pressed play again. I'm sensing there will be another day when the other tracks are the go-to songs. In all, Bugg's second album, like all great music, provides an escape - Shangri La.
Below is Bugg performing Pine Trees live & the crowd joins along:
There's element of folk, rocknroll, country, and punk. All the songs included his creative lyrical phrasing, with a little more confidence, or maybe cockiness - a troubadour who knows what he wants out of his music. When hearing Bugg interviewed, there's a maturity there, too - a nineteen year-old who knows what he wants out of life. There was an addition of Bugg giving us a taste of his electric guitar ability (Slumville Sunrise, What Doesn't Kill You, Kingpin), which I was lucky to see live earlier this year at The Iridium in New York City (thanks to concertblogger.com). As I sensed then, and continued to after having listened to most of Bugg's second album, there is more to be seen - his talent very evident, yet still revealing itself. Up to this point, there was no question Bugg had already shattered any doubt of the second album flop and the idea that he was posturing as a wanna-be Dylan.
Track ten, Pine Trees, made me stop and want to write this. Writing music reviews is nauseating, unless it's for music worth having a conversation about. There are many reasons to listen to music and to make music. On this track, Bugg conveys this, as well as the power of a voice and how it can carry a song. It is a soft song with simplistic guitar strumming. Bugg's voice is the lead instrument and is the part of his music that will leave people talking, or shaking their heads as they did leaving The Iridium, not believing he's nineteen. The song Simple As This, from his first album, had a similar affect on me. There was resonance of Buddy Holly, but more importantly, made me, the listener, think - about the past and where I was heading.
Bugg couldn't have known where he was heading a few years ago, still writing songs in his childhood bedroom in Nottingham, England. When his first album came out, he had never left England before the album's release, which landed number one on the UK charts. Since, Bugg has toured the world, went from the smallest stage at the Glastonbury Festival to being one of the main acts, and on November 19th he'll release his second album, Shangri La, which was produced by Rick Rubin. The album title is the name of Rubin's Malibu studio.
About a year after Bugg's first album release, there are moments on the second album where his voice is recognizably deeper. I was sold on Bugg after the first album, but maybe the more mature voice will make cynics take him more seriously. The voice is his staple, and this second album proves Bugg will be a staple in the music business for many years to come. I hope he keeps creating because for cynics that say there's no music worth listening to "these days", well, he's a reason to listen.
I could use the last paragraph as the other highlights section. But, Shangri La is a consistent album all the way through and is possibly more cohesive than Bugg's debut. In addition to Pine Trees, today my favorites are:
Track 1, There's A Beast and We All Feed It. Rockabilly-esque lyric reciting with an uptempo country instrumentation.
Track 4, Me and You. Bugg sings, "All the time / People follow us where we go / We both should believe in the path that we chose." I heard this first live and the audience was frozen, watching Bugg's conviction in his craft. The song ended and a friend remarked, "That's a keeper."
Track 12, Storm Passes Away. Bugg often ends shows playing Johnny Cash's Folsom Prison Blues. The influence is heard on this album's closer by how Bugg finishes lines.
Bugg ends Shangri La and leaves the listener wanting more. Again, his talent is still revealing itself, yet Bugg is positioning himself as the soon-to-be influence. I finished the album and pressed play again. I'm sensing there will be another day when the other tracks are the go-to songs. In all, Bugg's second album, like all great music, provides an escape - Shangri La.
Below is Bugg performing Pine Trees live & the crowd joins along:
