Jamaica - Ventura

French electro-rock duo Jamaica haven’t got the memo that the indie discos have all been lost to recession, The Wombats are “back in Liverpool” and Black Kids never taught that girl’s boyfriend how to dance. They’re more than happy to be playing a style of music that is deader to most than VHS and they radiate a refreshing enthusiasm and security in what they do.

Opener ‘2on2’ is weirdly reminiscent of early 2000s American sitcom themes, with its sunny disposition and jaunty but driving pace. It’s just begging to accompany a montage of B-rate actors and needlessly informal fonts. The swaps between synths and guitars are made deceptively seamlessly and the smooth vocals of Antoine Hilaire make for consistently listenable pop-flavoured tracks. ‘All Inclusive’ tries for an indie rock staple, with a crowd-pleasing chorus and easily grasped riffs while ‘Ferris Willer’ has the stutters and whispered, conversational, vocals to make your heart ache for The Rakes. Even the brooding ‘Rushmore’, with its confusing refrain of ‘We’re the fake Americans… We’re the fake Europeans… and this is my Rushmore’ hits nearly all the right notes, Jamaica displaying a surprising depth to their offering. Consistent and satisfying without being in any way shocking, the pair then suddenly blow the whole thing apart with ‘Turbo’. They abandon vocals, discover their inner 65daysofstatic, and send a bubbling bassline through some screeching synths, no doubt terrified. It’s possibly one of the most interesting tracks of the year so far, as ridiculous as that sounds.

The boundaries remain well and truly unpushed and the high water mark is rather dry but this is an incredibly solid and polished offering. While all too many bands are dressing up their largely uninteresting core concepts in tenuous philosophising or ill-fitting culturally admirable references, Jamaica are pretty happy just to appreciate the honesty of all at face-value. In every aspect the duo use a charming simplicity and integrity to craft a light but consistently entertaining experience.

It’s clear within minutes that Jamaica really won’t be troubling any end of year lists but you can’t help but feel at the end of the recording these are two French blokes who’ve made exactly the album they wanted to. Even if you aren’t with Jamaica in style (sure it’s not 2006 anymore, you could be forgiven) it’s hard not to be in spirit. That’s Ventura’s greatest achievement, it’s a feel good album, not through cynical design, but just through making whoever is listening feel good.