Back in 2016, Sweden's JOHNOSSI (consisting of vocalist/guitarist John Englebert and drummer Oskar "Ossi" Bonde) released an EP by the name of "Air Is Free" and it got a lot of people's attention. Already successful in their home country, having won a multitude of awards, they found themselves expanding their audience further and further, across Europe and the rest of the world, with their bombastic, anthemic brand of acoustic driven indie rock. 2017 now see's them pick up where they left off with the release of their brand new full length album; "Blood Jungle"...roll the dice, let's play Jumanji...
We open up with title-track of sorts "Blood" and we're greeted with some, unusual, chanted yet warped vocals over some atmospheric sound sampling, before it transitions into this deep, bassy, slow burning rocker that, leads into a simple, sing-along chorus...it can feel a little lethargic but it's definitely a grower and a solid introduction, before THAT track, "Air Is Free" really get's this album underway. It may already be a couple of months old but it's lost absolutely none of it's charm, sounding as bold and positive as ever, releasing so many endorphin's and allowing the listener to feel like they can go ahead and accomplish anything they ever wanted; such a feel good track this one.
New track "Hands" follows up and it's a gentle little acoustic -driven number, but while it sounds sweet it does carry with it a serious message about police brutality, very apropos given the levels of media attention surrounding the issue in 2016...very politically charged but very focused on representing both sides, it stands out as a wonderfully written little song and an album highlight. Speaking of highlights, this album has plenty of them to offer! Other new tracks such as "Freeman" carries with it slightly similar vibes to the aforementioned "Air Is Free", the tone may differ slightly within the story John portrays here but at it's core it's about freedom to do as one pleases, be it spiritually or physically or even legally. "On A Roll" while utilizing some simple, classic almost western-inspired guitar also has a soulful chorus of sorts, backed by the soft choir-esque gang vocals in part and it's a very positive listen, before "Hey Kiddo" offers one of the most up-beat tracks of the record; with it's huge pop-driven chorus and the whistled segments really bring this track to life.
There really isn't anything I can say that's at fault with this record...the duo have written some brilliant tracks here, the balance between styles is on point and it all flows incredibly well, right up until closing track "Got Your Gun", one of their grittier efforts, and really there is nothing you can really dislike here. A perfect album for genre neutrals, acoustic singer-songwriter types and rockers alike...if ANY criticism can be given, is that it really should have included "Alone In The Summer" from the EP, other than that? "Blood Jungle"....Bloody well done! [9]
We open up with title-track of sorts "Blood" and we're greeted with some, unusual, chanted yet warped vocals over some atmospheric sound sampling, before it transitions into this deep, bassy, slow burning rocker that, leads into a simple, sing-along chorus...it can feel a little lethargic but it's definitely a grower and a solid introduction, before THAT track, "Air Is Free" really get's this album underway. It may already be a couple of months old but it's lost absolutely none of it's charm, sounding as bold and positive as ever, releasing so many endorphin's and allowing the listener to feel like they can go ahead and accomplish anything they ever wanted; such a feel good track this one.
New track "Hands" follows up and it's a gentle little acoustic -driven number, but while it sounds sweet it does carry with it a serious message about police brutality, very apropos given the levels of media attention surrounding the issue in 2016...very politically charged but very focused on representing both sides, it stands out as a wonderfully written little song and an album highlight. Speaking of highlights, this album has plenty of them to offer! Other new tracks such as "Freeman" carries with it slightly similar vibes to the aforementioned "Air Is Free", the tone may differ slightly within the story John portrays here but at it's core it's about freedom to do as one pleases, be it spiritually or physically or even legally. "On A Roll" while utilizing some simple, classic almost western-inspired guitar also has a soulful chorus of sorts, backed by the soft choir-esque gang vocals in part and it's a very positive listen, before "Hey Kiddo" offers one of the most up-beat tracks of the record; with it's huge pop-driven chorus and the whistled segments really bring this track to life.
There really isn't anything I can say that's at fault with this record...the duo have written some brilliant tracks here, the balance between styles is on point and it all flows incredibly well, right up until closing track "Got Your Gun", one of their grittier efforts, and really there is nothing you can really dislike here. A perfect album for genre neutrals, acoustic singer-songwriter types and rockers alike...if ANY criticism can be given, is that it really should have included "Alone In The Summer" from the EP, other than that? "Blood Jungle"....Bloody well done! [9]
RSS Feed