JIBOIA - Salar

"After their Discrepant debut - OOOO (CREP 060LP, 2018) - Lisbon-based travelers Jibóia return to the fold with another offering of globetrotting psychedelia with Salar. With the core trio of Óscar Silva, Ricardo Martins, and Mestre André augmented by a stellar parade of collaborators on various roles, Salarfurther expands on the transglobal visions by now pretty trademarked by the band. Interspersed among shorter vignettes for drums, saxophone and bass, each of the more fully fleshed tracks casts a guest to elevate Jibóia's music to uncharted realms - both in a mystical and geographical sense. Opener "Selar" summons the cello of songstress Joana Guerra for a skewed dialogue with Silva's guitar, propelled by Martins' drums and percussion and André's electronic textures into 4 minutes and 20 seconds that feel epic - if there was any psychedelic numerological symbolism needed. On "Solar," Silva's non-western plucking rides on for Yaw Tembe's trumpet to veer in a multitude in directions, while the mysterious "Sitar" conjures the voice of Moroccan musician Ayoub El Ayadi for a contemplative nighttime prayer. Elsewhere, guitarist Rui Carvalho aka Filho da Mãeinjects dissonant guitar lines unto "Sarar"'s pummeling dance and Pedro Augusto's electronics hover below the shapeshifting dynamics of "Sonar," among mesmerizing keyboard lines. "Salir," featuring Daiyen Jone's enchanted flute, brings the album to a close at its most reflective, all crepuscular synth lines and reverbed handclaps.