Sydney band Jinja Safari’s eponymous debut album is a lot of fun. It bursts with a bubbly, playful energy that makes you want to get up and dance, or go and ride your bike with your friends – which is exactly what the band does in the video to lead single, ‘Plagiarist’. ‘Plagiarist’, which I’ve seen every Saturday on Rage for the past few weeks, is a good indication of what you’ll find on this album – walls of close harmony, soaring lead vocals and African-inspired rhythms.
The first half of this album will undoubtedly draw comparisons to Paul Simon’s Graceland, but fans of Vampire Weekend and Grizzly Bear will also feel right at home listening to Jinja Safari.
Album opener ‘Apple’ is a syncopated joy-ride, brimming with hurried guitar and bass lines, bongos, and call-and-response vocals. Syncopated bell-like guitar tone brightens the layered sounds throughout the album, and especially shines on ‘Mombassa on the Line’. Jinja Safari is also imbued with a sense of playfulness, particularly in the tongue in cheek electro synth of ‘Oh Benzo!’.
The album takes a darker turn with ‘Harrison’, a tribute to the late Beatle complete with tabla and sitar sounds. The serious mood continues with ‘Just One Thing’, a ballad that wouldn’t be out of place on a Sia album. Singer Marcus Azon’s octave-doubled vocals (a la Bon Iver) are the feature here, creating an emotional centre to the still full instrumentation.
This is a very impressive debut album. It is polished and melodic, and the complex overlay of musical elements makes repeat listening a treat. The production on Jinja Safari is beautiful, crisp enough to hear all of the many musical elements while still adhering to a wall-of-sound aesthetic.
The pick of the album for me is ‘Source of the Nile’, a bright-eyed epic that makes you want to float downriver on a raft in the sun, with your new best friends Jinja Safari who are just so excited to share their latest adventure with you.
7/10
Reviewer: Frances Bulley