Review Summary: A joyous, giddy, infectiously memorable pop album that deserves more attention.
Let me get something out of the way first. I'm basically a run-of-the-mill pop-hating rockist. It might have been growing up in the 90s and swallowing everything with loud electric guitars MTV and VH1 offered, but that's how I turned out. This might mean I'm not qualified to review this, but the funniest thing is, after approaching it with an open mind, I found out I liked it.
Okay, rant over. History time.
Bow Wow Wow. Outside of hardcore new wave fans, curious cratediggers and people who thoroughly researched one line from "Suck My Kiss", the band seems doomed to permanent obscurity after losing whatever momentum they had (if they ever had any) to
Adam & the Ants in the early 1980s. After all, it's not as if a band fronted by a 15-year old girl who sounds like Björk on crack and sings about either sex, masturbation, odd jungle/tribal metaphors or just surreal, incoherent nonsense would have much of a chance at mainstream recognition.
But somehow, they actually managed to make more than a few good songs during their short time together.
The band
Anabella Lwin - vocals
Leigh Gorman - bass
Matthew Ashman - guitar
David Barbarossa - drums
The album overall
Sadly, this album does not contain the most famous Bow Wow Wow hit "I Want Candy", which coincidentally happens to be the best song they ever released. Being their first album, some songs have a distinct amateurish feeling, and the band tend to be horribly formulaic, having one too many songs that end up sounding alike. Still, it's kind of hard not to get won over either by the unfailingly catchy melodies, rather humorous lyrics or the relentless African-esque tom-tom beats, all performed in an effortless, self-assured manner. Go ahead, try not to end up drumming with your fingers.
As said before, Annabella Lwin's voice is an acquired taste, and hearing her yowl about adult topics can certainly be disconcerting if all the implications are considered. However, you are in luck: there are no songs here about that. They're all dumped on the other releases. And it's not as if pop music ever demanded to be taken seriously.
Final word before the track by track: the album is a huge mixed bag, thanks to the highly specialized genre. Like most mixed bags, when it works, it's intoxicating. When it doesn't, it's just boring. And sometimes it falls in between.
The songs
Jungle Boy is the opening track (and a possible outtake from the
Jungle Book soundtrack), and our first snapshot of BWW's style. Beginning with a quick surf rock inspired melody from Matthew Ashman, it quickly launches into the main refrain, relying on the trademark primal drumming from David Barbarossa, which works well with the funk-inspired guitar- and basslines. Lwin doesn't sing so much as squeal the song as if she's on the edge of going insane - note all the weird inflections and accents employed. Overall, it's a quick, satisfying slice of pop music.
Chihuahua has a very catchy vocal melody in its refrain, which shows off a distinct Spaghetti Western influence. But don't be mistaken: the band are still in "wacky" mode here - listen to all the funny vocal noises and the mock-tribal shouting. Lwin actually sings in the chorus, as opposed to squealing and screaming, and shows off her range a bit. So as a whole the song is more atmospheric and slightly more nervous, and the band's disciplined approach makes sure that it doesn't overstay its welcome.
Prince of Darkness is a mostly instrumental showcase, and the band toss off another slightly anxious song, with the dominant guitar melody again showing off the same influence (the lads love their
The Good, the Bad and the Ugly tapes). Leigh Gorman's performance here on the bass is very good indeed, and really funky. The lads also add some insane grunting and chanting, which depending on how stuck-up/not in the mood the listener is can either be funny or insulting. I find them funny, and think they mesh well with the frantic beats.
Mickey, Put It Down abandons the "faintly jittery" feeling and reverts to "effortless, sunny, surf rock-influenced pop". The song relies on repeated chants of "Hey, hey, put your
[I can't understand this word] away" in lieu of a refrain. Despite how that sounds on paper, the band pull it off, no small feat. Not much else I can write about this song, as I've said Bow Wow Wow basically have a formula, and this is merely a continuation of it without wearing it thin.
(I'm a) TV Savage starts with yet more frantic tribal pounding, and goes into a verse that relies on an extremely catchy two-chord guitar riff and vocal interplay between Annabella Lwin and the rest of the band. Structure-wise the song is quite bonkers, randomly switching between the refrain, a weird scatting bridge and various verses, with an instrmental section in the middle. And it also happens that this song is very addictive and catchy, with the band focused enough to let it run for only 2 minutes 40 seconds.
Elimination Dancing is the first distinctly below average track to be encountered on this album. The song has a reasonably memorable and very funky central riff and a rather more atmospheric production (the reverbed chorus is a nice touch), but I wish they would've used better lyrics. For some reason this song always struck me as rather silly, but not the win-you-over kind of silly which was available so far. A resounding "meh".
Golly! Golly! Go Buddy!'s introductory surf-rock guitar lick gives way to an extremely fast-paced but still catchy main riff anchored by David Barbarossa's relentless rhythm. With Matthew in a supporting role, Leigh runs wild all over this track, laying down some insane bass solos. The song also employs an odd structure of one verse followed by a quick chant of the titular refrain, with the exception of the instrumental bridge, where the band again provide one of their comic vocal freakouts. I'd say this is one of the highlights of the album.
King Kong is a change of pace: a slower track that sounds almost like a pastiche of folk music. Well, at least in the two-chord plodding guitar riff. I'm pretty sure folk music never had the bass as the leading melodic instrument, spastic chants, primitive drumming or ludicrous, surreal nonsense lyrics. It certainly works as a respite from the spastic insanity, and it shows that Bow Wow Wow have a bit of variety in them... well, at least in terms of tempo.
Go Wild in the Country retreads the subject matter of the opener, ranting about how cities are Eeeeeevil and being in the country is great 'cause you get total freedom... or something. It also operates at a slower tempo (though not as slow as the previous song), but this fact does not inhibit the band, who still lay down some rather fast and funky strummed melodies (and crazy background shouting). The only problem here is that the production is slightly muddy and muffled, where it was previously clear and if not great, at least adequate. It would be a highlight of the album, but I can't ignore the piss take mixing.
I'm not a Know it All begins with a two-note riff, and in the verses David tones down the spazzed-out drumming style. The problem with this song is, this late in the album, the formulaic nature of the band's work is starting to show, and they live or die by the songwriting quality. And this song is average at best. Sure, the group's African-mimicking chants are a funny diversion, but the slow pace and unimaginative chorus sink it.
Why are Babies so Wise elects to pick up the pace, and continues the configuration the listener is familliar with by now - Matthew plays a lumbering arpeggiated riff, Leigh shows off with some very fast fretwork, David worships the tom-tom, Annabella again writes a batch of bizarre nonsense. In terms of memorability, it gets a passing grade, and it's an improvement over the boring "I'm not a Know it All".
Orang-outang is an instrumental showcase for the band, and a definite highlight, combining tribal drums with ominous Spaghetti Western-influenced guitar melodies. As a pastiche of the sort of things
Ennio Morricone did in the 1960s, it works perfectly - the band add their own stamp to the style in the form of (you guessed it!) relentless African percussion. It's a nice diversion, and somewhat more interesting than its companion piece, "Prince of Darkness".
The last song,
Hello, Hello Daddy, slows down the tempo one last time. The intro is suitably over-the-top (Lwin proclaiming herself to be "the creator of life" to tape-looped crowd applause), but the rest of the song is depressingly formulaic and lacking in energy - not even Leigh's reliable slap-happy melodies can save the song. The main riffs in particular are very formulaic, and the repeated use of tape-looped crowd applause grows a bit annoying. Overall, a really disappointing way to end the album.
In the end,
See Jungle!... might be quite formulaic and it does lose steam towards the end, but it remains a joyous, giddy, infectiously memorable pop album that deserves more attention. Bow Wow Wow may have stolen their main characteristic from Adam & the Ants, but they still sound fresh and exciting after two decades.
Recommendations: "Jungle Boy", "Prince of Darkness", "Golly! Golly! Go Buddy!", "Orang-outang".
