((Jonquil)) Band Profile and Upcoming Chicago Concerts - Oh My Rockness

I kid you not. Jonquil's "One Hundred Suns" just might be our favorite record of the year. And that's something we DON'T back down from.

So...Jonquil is a wonderfully poppy and math-rocky (with a dash of R & B soul) band from Oxford, UK consisting of Hugo Manuel (who also records/plays under the name Chad Valley... we really love Chad Valley) and Sam Hudson Scott and Robin McDiarmid and Dominic Hand. You know who Jonquil sounds like? Foals. And we love Foals (lots of Rockness love today), so that's definitely a compliment.

Jonquil themselves say their sound is like "Paul Simon taking on The Smiths." Sounds good to me. But they should also have said Foals. Oh wait, I just thought of another comparison! Jack Penate meets a little bit of Active Child. Boom.

Anyway, Jonquil's rhythms go all over the place (we wouldn't call them math-rock if they didn't) and most often they come at you rocking that crisp and clean guitar sound. Love that sound (more love). Sure, Jonquil's melodies meander as math-rocky bands are wont to do, but they still somehow retain a delightfully consistent bounce. And that's what you call pretty pop perfect.

Oh yeah, that "One Hundred Suns" album I mentioned at the beginning? That's Jonquil's debut and it is out now on Dovecote (Hooray for Earth, Wise Blood, Ski Lodge). Go find yourself a copy. I'm straight-up serious.

Published September 28, 2011
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