by Dan Goldin (@post_trash_)
Let’s talk about JOBS. Not as in what you may or may not do for a living, but the primarily New York based band, JOBS, a bright shinning beacon of experimental music. The quartet, comprised of Max Jaffe (percussion), Rob Lundberg (bass), Jessica Pavone (viola) and Dave Scanlon (guitar, synths, vocals), are set to release Endless Birthdays on August 7th via Ramp Local Records (Godcaster, ESSi, Spirits Having Fun), pushing the envelop on the sonic template they’ve been steadily expanding since 2015 (and prior as Killer Bob). On their latest the band will have you questioning what exactly is “pop music” and just how far can it stretch into other realms. There’s nothing “Top 40” about the artistic sound of JOBS, but every bit of challenging arrangements or melodic void is paired with equal amounts of accessibility and good natured wonder.
“Opulent Fields,” the album’s third single is described in their press release as the band’s “stab at radio-friendliness” and while that might be a reach, it’s is a gorgeous composition, a false feeling of security when paired together with the song’s lyrics. A depiction of our country’s complacency and overt acceptance of the gun violence that has run rampant for decades, the song opens with “your child and the shooter shake hands, your child and a shooter meet talking over cold beer.” It’s that thought that anyone you could meet could be motivated by violent intentions, and that often the “shooter is no stranger.” The words sit heavy on discordant chord progressions, a minimalist and futuristic sense of both beauty and dread achieved simultaneously.