Sitting on my friend’s living room floor this past August, I was introduced to the British electronic duo known as Jungle. I was immediately entranced. He showed me the video to their song, “Back on 74,” and it’s now easily my most replayed music video ever.
Recorded in one take is four minutes of pure disco, soul and pop bliss combined with some of the most mesmerizing dancing I’ve ever seen.
Little did I know that this was just one of 14 music videos that Jungle would create for every single song off their newest album, “Volcano.”
Released in August of this past year, the duo’s fourth album is an ode to genres of the past, much like the rest of their music. The influence of soul, hip-hop, disco and funk on “Volcano” cannot be overstated, and yet, they still manage to create something completely fresh.
There’s no question the tracks on “Volcano” combine to make the perfect dance album. I truly find it hard to sit still when listening to any of Jungle’s songs. And so, it makes perfect sense that they would choose to capitalize on their music with equally as captivating videos.
While they’ve made similar choreographed videos for some of their past songs, the release of “Volcano” was accompanied by a 40-minute collection of music videos. Every video was individually released over a few months, and it felt like a holiday whenever I would get the YouTube notification for a new video.
Shay Latukolan perfectly choreographs a cast of spellbinding dancers that follow a distinct storyline with interconnected plotlines. The videos serve as puzzle pieces of the project for, viewers to slowly assemble into a narrative.
With the project’s visual component complete, “Volcano” tells the tale of complicated love, whether directed towards someone else or self-love, that goes much deeper than just dancing to catchy music.
While these interpersonal narratives are unfolding, two producers (presumably the members of Jungle) watch over the action in a warmly lit recording studio. Before one song transitions to the next, random sound bites from seemingly unrelated sources play in the studio. In between “Us Against The World” and “Holding On,” a man in a Transatlantic accent says, “There are those who would say that the story which follows could happen only in a dream / Regardless of where it could happen, this is the way it did happen.”
This type of commentary, mixed with the presence of the director’s clapboards and a character who announces each song while looking off to another camera, creates a new layer of the puzzle. How, if at all, do the soundbites from the producers connect to the album? Why is it filmed as if it were a movie inside of another movie? How much power do the announcers and producers wield in the on-stage action?
Honestly, I still ponder these questions when watching the videos. But to me, that’s the fun of it.
Not only can I enjoy the style of dance in each respective song, but I can piece together a complicated story that takes a new meaning every time I rewatch it. The motion picture for this album is truly a paragon of visual arts.
But any album review is incomplete without sharing my favorite and least favorite tracks on the album (not that the latter really exist). To name a few, “Every Night,” “I’ve Been In Love (feat. Channel Tres),” “PROBLEMZ” and “Candle Flame (feat Erick the Architect)” all have a special place in my heart. And if you see me speed-walking to class with my headphones on, chances are I’m listening to one of them.
It’s not often that such a fully realized and complicated piece of art is released for free, and I do not believe this album has received nearly the amount of praise and attention that it should. If you haven’t listened or seen the motion picture already, Jungle’s “Volcano” easily deserves 45 minutes of your undivided attention. Yesterday.
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