Jonquil - Lions
Oxford six-piece are back with their second musical offering ‘Lions’, and it marks their progression from their debut release ‘Sunny Casinos’.
The young band seem to have thought hard about their musical arrangements, and for the most part I’d expect the guys to be a lot older than their 18-24 age bracket. Opening track ‘Lily’ is warm and welcoming, its wacky vocal harmonies are interesting and endearing.
‘Lions’ is made up of grand and glorious folk infused songs that are full of substance and original enough to keep the Jonquil guys being compared to any other weird-folk effort. There are a lot of tender and subtle moments on here, but to me they are the moments that really make the album. Hugo Manuel’s voice is strong and consistent throughout the 14 tracks, and there’s plenty of experimentation in the vocal department, especially on the title track ‘Lions’ where you hear collective chants over an accordion waltz that wouldn’t sound out of place if played at a circus or funfair.
This is an experimental great, sometimes when a band tries to do something out of the ordinary it ends in disaster but that is not the case with ‘Lions’. This album is definitely worth listening to.