B.W. Johnson - The Jungle

B.W. Johnson

The Jungle
self-released; 2016

​3.7 out of 5

By Jamie Funk

The Jungle is the concoction of artist and musician B.W. Johnson. Johnson is eighteen-years old, and a very talented, musician and songwriter. He hails from London and has a fair amount of experience with gigs in some of London’s best and most fun venues. This musician is a unique creator, and The Jungle  is a great example of his unique and exciting musical style. 

The album starts out with a track titled the same as the album “The Jungle.” This track, and the album as a whole, is an ode and reflection of modern day society and the chaos of thinking through every odd and crazy thing that happens nowadays. The track starts out with a very unique and unorthodox sound. It is made up of a repetitive piano or xylophone sounding key progression. It’s a loop that repeats over and over again, and lays as the foundation of the entire song. This unique loop is eventually joined in by a poetic or spoken word type of vocals that, despite being very monotone and odd, is a perfect marriage to the melody of the xylophone. 

Many of the tracks in The Jungle have the occasional synths or electric drum pad beat splashed into songs. Yet, unlike the vast majority of electronic music out there, these drum beats or synths are not the foundation of the songs. They don’t even stick around for long. They are just a masterful touch added by the musician. This is one of the best elements of the album. Johnson is capable of mixing in complex sounds, beats and styles all into a coherent concoction that is still fun to listen to.

The album has different styles, or genres, mixed throughout. For example, the songs “The Soul’s Grown Cold” and “This Hole in My Brain” both have a blues rhythm. It’s a random, but excellent, addition to the album. The vocals change and some tracks have a very different type of singing. Sometimes the drums are a main part of the melody, other times they are just a spacey addition in the background. This type of unorthodox composition is odd, but makes the album very fun to listen to. 

​The track “Why Do I” is a nine-minute ballad, and a good description or reflection of the entire album. It is unique, creative, well-thought out and a fun, trippy listen that will not leave you bored. There are not plastic or traditional sounds here, and that’s exactly how The Jungle came out as a whole.

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