Jombi - The Sophomore Album
It is commonly-known that Nashville, Tennessee is “The City of Music” due to its rich history and the fact that it’s a cesspool of musicians both big and small. 3 hours South East, however, is Memphis; which may as well be The City of Music 2.0. Recognized as the birthplace of blues and rock n’ roll (my two favorite genres to ever exist), Memphis is a place of decadent culture that has made several people stars such as Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, B.B. King, and practically hundreds of others. Now in the modern age, Memphis is still pumping out fantastic musicians and among those resides Jombi - the band putting psychedelic rock back on the map.
On December 29th, Jombi released their sophomore album; Out to Pasture. According to surrounding press and promotion, it seems that this record is more on the conceptual side since the band has described it as “a step forward in dynamic range and technical tendencies, and shows the experimentation with exploratory and noisy soundscapes, airy vocal harmonies, and lush americana instrumentation”. Apart from this, the style of lyricism sticks to the theme of “embracing the next step in life, whatever it may be” through storytelling that surrounds aspects of self-discovery, childhood, change, and the human experience that is life on Earth. Artists that influenced the new record consist of Radiohead, Pink Floyd, King Gizzard and & The Lizard Wizard, The Beatles, Billy Strings, and Pinegrove; which had me more-than-eager to give it a listen and of course, a review.
Out to Pasture, without a doubt, was a rollercoaster ride that took several listens to get accustomed to. From the combination of elements found in general rock, country, bluegrass, and psychedelic rock, it was a bit weird from a sound standpoint. On several occasions I’ve seen artists combine unlikely methods where it works but for me, this just didn’t seem to hit that mark. With all the styles being thrown into the mix, it reminded me of worship music more than anything; not comparative to Creed or Evanescence but more so MercyMe, Matt Maher, and those alike.
That’s not to say it was all bad, though. There were two “saving graces” if you will on Out to Pasture that showed sheer promise for Jombi, and those songs were none other than Nothing Left to Say (2) and The Rocker (3).
Nothing Left to Say was originally released on June 9th, 2023 as the first single off of Out to Pasture and rightfully so; it seems to capture the energy that Jombi is shooting for with the album in the best light manageable. The song is alternative rock through and through from all perspectives (vocal, instrumental, lyrical, etc.) and the instrumental breakdown near the end is refreshing and a blast from the past no matter how you look at it. The guitar in specific is reminiscent of Billy Corgan’s (Smashing Pumpkins) style and it lays itself down as the foundation of the song through its highs, lows, and in-betweens.
The Rocker, though, reigns supreme in my ranking. It is rock through and through but the kind that allows the listener to see through the bands of the past; CSNY, Fleetwood Mac, Santana, Dire Straits, and surely more. The uniqueness of Jombi fits for songs just as this and the guitar solo is sure to melt some faces off just as the guitar gods (Jimmy Page, Robby Krieger, Jimi Hendrix, Tony Iommi, etc.) intended all those years ago.
In a nutshell, Out to Pasture has some hits and it has some misses just as any other conceptual/experimental record does. Jombi is still small in retrospect to the ever growing world of music so I have no doubts that they will grow and excel beyond this record, especially based on their skill as instrumentalists. As of publishing, Out to Pasture will be available everywhere on December 29th for you to listen for yourself; whether you disagree with my findings or not.
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