Music Review // Jobbaloon "The Invitation"

https://jobbaloon.bandcamp.com/album/the-invitation //

I really like the name Jobbaloon because even though it likely has some other meaning I'm not aware of it reminds me of something out of "Alice In Wonderland" and I love "Alice In Wonderland".   These songs are pretty far out too, which makes me think they could be something from that sort of place- Wonderland- as they don't hold to a lot of what you consider to be the common concepts of music right now.

One of the first things you might notice about these songs is that they aren't the standard verse/chorus/verse.   Some of them are closer to it, but for the most part these songs feel more like trips- like going from Point A to Point B- rather than stopping, going back and revisiting somewhere we've already been.   The words, the singing, can also be a lot of sounds but not actual words like "da da da" which is just something which makes it feel less and less traditional.  Though, again, a song such as "Aligned" can have a lot of words and feel more like a verse/chorus/verse song as well.

There are beats and acoustics.   There are spoken words and strings.   There are horns, there are keys.   Sometimes I'm thinking of Radiohead's "Paranoid Android" and other times the closest influence I can get is from The Scattered Pages.  But what is this exactly?  You can listen to it a hundred times and try to pick it apart but not find that answer.   Is it rock? Pop? Electronica? With the instruments involved (like that sweet, sweet guitar) and tempo I think it can be any mix of those at one time, but the way which it is all delivered just brings the sounds on "The Invitation" into a genre all its own.

One thought which stays with me during this album is "Abide in the What-is".   They say that depression is caused by focusing on the past and anxiety comes from focusing on the future.  Too often I feel like we're overwhelmed because we think about what we have to do or what we didn't get to do yesterday rather than just enjoying what's going on right now around us.  I try so hard these days to live in the now.  Jobbaloon has created songs here which feel rather spiritual and at times can seem like more of a mantra than lyrics.  Whether you already are or just need a push in that direction as well, this album should be part of your daily routine.