Album Review: The Jungle Giants - Speakerzoid

This is the kind of fun, indie-poptastic music that tells us winter is coming… to an end. The Brisbane four-piece return with their second full-length; a mature, considered and uncompromising collection of tunes.

At times sparse, at others — such as during Lemon Myrtle — employing sonic colouring to blur the space between guitar-pop and synthesised electro, it's an interesting mix; one that contributes to a solid release without providing a genre pigeonhole for the band.

More focused tracks like What Do You Think hark back to Stephen Malkmus' halcyon days as a solo artist, a summery guitar tune with uplifting vocal melody and guitar solos. The 90-second Mexico channels fellow wunderkinds San Cisco with its effervescent flute trills, provides an indisputable highlight.

Sam Hales' vocals seem familiar (a less enthusiastic version of Ball Park Music's Sam Cromack, perhaps?) and his and fellow guitarist Cesira Aitken's competing guitar lines interweave well. The band's rhythm section, however, driven by drummer Keelan Bijker and especially bass player Andrew Dooris, are where The Jungle Giants get their groove. The Beck-meets-The Avalanches-esque Not Bad showcases how effective aural space can be (even if Bijker overdoes the cowbell), and from the opening track, Every Kind Of Way, Dooris' bass commands your eardrums.

There are occasional lapses, including the spoken-word lyrics of Every Kind Of Way that begin the record on an uneven path, but overall Speakerzoid presents The Jungle Giants as an intelligent collective.