Jagwar Ma
Howlin
It seems lately that it’d be more shocking if a new buzz band wasn’t danceable. That’s no dig against current blog darlings Jagwar Ma, who sleekly deal out aerobic beats to rollick their grinning blend of acoustic and synthetic elements. Throw out genres or influences, most bands are all mashing things up. There’s fuzzy synthesizers and nostalgic drum machine crackling coolly with hits from a live drum kit and an occasional guitar riffs snapped by some rubbery, funked-up bass grooves.
“Man I Need,” is halfway between a buoyant early 90’s club jam and some surfy late-90’s Brit-pop tune; the singer prods a selfish would-be lover to admit that they only see what they want to see, just as we’re hearing whatever, or whoever we want to hear. (Beck? New Order? Oasis? Beta Band?) Despite silly lyrics about “resurrecting the sky,” they hit it home on their beach traipsing, slow-dance ballad “Did You Have To,” singing “What do you know about me?” There’s no detectable Bowie-influence, but, still, the resolution seems to be: “Let’s dance!”
