Jake Bugg has enjoyed a meteoric rise over the last twelve months. His eponymous debut reached No 1 in the UK album chart and was nominated for this year's Mercury Music Prize.
His music has drawn favourable comparisons to Bob Dylan, Johnny Cash and Neil Young. At the tender age of 19 he is set to release his second album, only one year after his first. By modern standards that's a very quick turnaround, and it's clear the Nottingham singer/songwriter works fast.
Bugg travelled to The USA for Shangri La, and the album is named after super producer Rick Rubin's Malibu studio where it was recorded. Can his second long player back up the success of his hugely popular debut? Read our track by track review of Shangri La below, and find out...
'There's A Beast And We All Feed It'
The album starts off in particularly Dylan-esque style. A skiffle type stomper that brings 'Subterranean Homesick Blues' strongly to mind, it's a short and sweet start to the album. Bugg's delivery often verges on the nasal, and here's it is particularly prominent, although somehow he gets away with without it being to the detriment of the song.
'Slumville Sunrise'
Showcasing Bugg's slightly heavier sound, this song sees his rasping vocals soar over a blues arrangement that shows an impressive maturity for his young age. On this evidence there's more to this little troubadour than meets the eye.
'What Doesn't Kill You'
The Arctic Monkeys have moved on to quiffs and stadia now, so there is a vacancy for a teenage indie heartthrob to play songs like 'I Bet You Look Good On The Dancefloor' in their place. Bugg picks up the mantel with gusto here, but the result sounds a bit dated and second hand in all honesty. Seems to be more of a record executive's dream of a good song rather than one the singer truly believes in.
Below: listen to 'What Doesn't Kill You'
'Me And You'
Bugg's on much safer ground here. A romantic lament about the end of a relationship, he captures the melancholy perfectly over a disarmingly beautiful piece of music that catches the listener unaware after a fairly raucous start to the album. The singer can be a bit crash bang wallop on some tracks, but this shows a side that some perhaps didn't think he had in his locker. Brings to mind 1960s Cat Stevens in the rhythm and guitar sound. More of this please.
'Messed Up Kids'
More is what we get straight with 'Messed Up Kids'. Possibly even more accomplished than 'Me And You', it floats along on what sounds like a mandolin riff that gives way to a soaring chorus. The subject is a slightly tired one of alienated youth with nothing to do but hang around town centres and who "sell their drugs and sell their bodies", but when the music's this good it can certainly be forgiven.
'A Song About Love'
The song starts off with vocals that show more depth than the opening tracks, and the album certainly seems to be settling down to a very strong middle section. The voice on this song evokes memories of Nick Drake although the musical arrangement is a lot fuller. Probably not as strong as the last two tracks, but it's certainly not a bad song by any means.
'All Your Reasons'
There is a rich guitar sound on this track that drives it along nicely. The early promise isn't completely fulfilled though, as this is another mid-tempo track but doesn't quite have the guile and skill of the others. It comes and goes without really leaving enough impression and with the listener quite keen to move on at the end of the five minutes it plays for.
'Kingpin'
Jake Bugg proudly pronounces that he "has the blues" here but he sounds pretty upbeat about it. This is another of the quicker, noisier songs that were to the fore at the start of the album. There's no doubt he does them well, and this is no exception. With all this extra instrumentation, how long until some wag shouts 'Judas!' at him on his new tour?
'Kitchen Table'
"Sometimes it's better just to run than to face the pain" is a sample lyric from this downbeat song that is peppered with soft Hammond keyboard breaks and studio hands playing egg shakers. It's a pleasant enough song that starts well but slightly outstays its welcome. Very much a mid-album track.
'Pine Trees'
This is Bugg back to basics. Just him and an acoustic guitar, and it really is very effective. He certainly wears his 1960s influences on his sleeve, but on this album he never feels like a tribute act to the era. This is certainly one of the strongest songs on the album so far, and it's very good indeed.
'Simple Pleasures'
A slightly turgid penultimate song. When Bugg aims for something approaching stadium rock he can fall a touch flat, and this song is a good example. It's not bad, but he's really at his best when he's either making a racket or in his most intimate moments. This falls between those two stools and the result is slightly underwhelming.
'Storm Passes Away'
Bugg sings the line 'They keep telling me I'm older than I'm supposed to be' on the final track. It sounds like a reply to almost everyone who talks about Bugg's music mentioning his maturity for a 19-year-old. It is certainly remarkable. This is another song that demonstrates this. He wisely resists the temptation for go for a big finish, and this understated yet very good final song brings the album to a very satisfying close.
Verdict
Jake Bugg's second album is a very satisfying body of work. After three tracks there is a feeling that it might turn into a frustrating A&R man's fantasy, but the rest of the album shows depths of musical and emotional subtlety that are pleasing to hear.
Some tracks don't quite hit the mark. Single 'What Doesn't Kill You' doesn't feel like Bugg playing to his strengths, and 'All Your Reasons' brings down the energy slightly half way through the record. However, there are certainly enough good songs on this album to make up for that. 'Me and You', 'Messed Up Kids' and 'Pine Trees' are particular highlights, and there are plenty of other good songs besides.
If you were put off by the sub-Arctic Monkeys single, there are are still plenty of reasons here to keep the faith with Jake Bugg on this album. It's a record that shows off talents many people didn't think he possessed. The first album seemed to rely at times on the novelty of an 18-year-old playing 1960s folk, but this record speaks for itself. An excellent follow-up that deserves to eclipse the success of his debut.
Shangri La is available on Jake Bugg Records on 18 November, 2013
