Shangri La 
Jake Bugg
Released by Island Records
It’s only been 13 months since Jake Bugg’s eponymous debut went to number one in the UK, but you wouldn’t know it hearing his sophomore album, Shangri La.
Named after producer Rick Rubin’s studio in Malibu where the album was recorded, the most noteworthy thing about this collection of 12 songs is that it’s far more cohesive than Bugg’s first album.
Though Jake Bugg was an incredible debut filled with radio hits, it dropped in intensity steadily throughout the album, with softer, more introspective songs taking charge over the bluesy shuffle tracks like “Lightning Bolt.” On Shangri La, Bugg never really pulls back on the reins too much. Rubin’s production allows for Bugg’s influences to shine through like never before, highlighting his guitar skills by keeping the sound stripped down and raw.
Neil Young comes to mind on grungy folk tracks like “All Your Reasons” and “Simple Pleasures,” while Bugg’s nasally sneer on “Kingpin” makes it hard not to be reminded of Liam Gallagher from Oasis.
It’s a mixed bag of styles, which is what makes it such a good listen. No song is like the one that precedes it—Bugg tries his hand at everything from country (“Storm Passes Away”) to punk (“What Doesn’t Kill You”) and succeeds every step of the way.
Bugg’s strong suit since the start has been his ability to write a wicked melody, and on Shangri La those melodies will be implanted in your head from the first listen.
It doesn’t hurt that the lyrics stick with you as well. Bugg still sings about the rough lives of youth back home in Clifton with remarkable universality on songs like “Slumville Sunrise” and “Messed Up Kids,” but now he adds a year of touring around the world and being in British tabloids to his subject matter.
Right from the get-go on “There’s A Beast And We All Feed It,” Bugg is taking no prisoners and hitting back at the people who have tried to put words in his mouth, twisting his comments about One Direction and Taylor Swift into vicious insults. “Somehow we’d better speak it/ We’re scared someone will tweet it/ It’s on the wall but you won’t read it/ It’s gone before you see it” he sings in a snarl that gives him wisdom far beyond his 19 years.
Following a hugely successful debut album—both critically and commercially—is one of the toughest things to do, but Jake Bugg misses no beat with Shangri La. Now that he has firmly established his ability to maneuver through a variety of genres, it will be interesting to see his eclectic tastes evolve on his third album.
