The final act of Searching for Strawberries: The Story of Jongo Bongo is out now. If you’ve not been following along on the journey of Jongo, Act I set us up on how he decided to hike the Santiago De Camino while Act II explored the after effects of the hike…love and friendship.
As Act II closed out, we left Jongo in Montreal. The question that pops up as the chapter closes is did the Santiago De Camino journey heal him or help him or is he more of a mess than when he started?
Act III kicks off with the song “Sunday Morning” and while there’s a wonderful groove, the vibe of the song is a visceral reaction to heartache and heartbreak. The rawness of emotion matches the visual aspect of the song or I should say the visual of the video matches the emotion of the song.
When we asked James, what song surprised him and the band most, he said this about “Fuck You Elmo”,
It’s silly. No one expected that song. My partner and I are both high-level squash players. We were playing a match at a private court and for some reason there was an Elmo doll on a chair, as if watching us play. I was playing well that day and my partner in a moment of frustration looked up at Elmo and said ‘Fuck you Elmo!’ in a joking way. I thought, hey, that sounds like inspiration for a song!
While James may say the song is silly, it’s honest fun and we have all thought the words Rare Americans sing in the song.
Stand out track, “Moving Beyond” has Rare Americans and Jongo reflecting the decisions of life and how sometimes those decisions can wipe out any emotion that is within. Does one let the inner saboteur win or does one allow themselves to take a step forward to move forward.
Closing the album out is “Odd Ducks” and its pinnacle Rare Americans. Fun, infectious, catchy and that’s just the lyrics. The music is funky and groovy and mosh pit bounce worthy but the bass steals the spotlight in “Odd Ducks”. It thunders and booms with crushing resonance.
The honesty Rare Americans gives not only in Act III of Searching for Strawberries: The Story of Jongo Bongo but within the entire album as a whole is what makes the album special. The candid and genuine look into the journey of Jongo and the band allows a deeper understanding of them which also allows fans to connect to them even more.
ACT III
ACT II
ACT I
