Joi: Looking Out of The Window
April 1, 2011
Audio CD (21 December 2010)
Original Release Date: 21 December, 2010
Number of Discs: 1
Label: RMC & Link Productions/Abani Tanti
Composer: Joi Barua
Genre: Assamese Modern Songs / Cross Genre
ASIN: B004KHJ4WY
Price: Rs. 55 (Audio CD) / $ 7.12 (Amazon) / $ 7.92 (iTunes)
Rating: 
With the weather playing the role of gloom and doom to perfection these days, one needs a breather, and even the tiniest sliver of sunshine that creeps in through the grays is welcome. Joi Barua’s album “Joi: Looking Out of The Window” is one such ray of smooth, unadulterated, pure happiness.
The best way to listen to the album is to just go with the flow. Turn off all thoughts, and stop worrying about that nagging hassle, and just let go. Because that’s how it is meant to be listened to. The irony is that lot of thought has been put into the making of the songs in the album. Each song seems to have been dissected and analyzed, and no song in the album is superfluous.
When I tried categorizing the songs into conventional genres though, I got stumped. No one song sticks to one particular genre. It’s like they are a class of their own. One thing is sure though, it is all about the soul. The song could use heavy acoustics and drums that just might make you think rock, but in the end it is all soul. Or at times you might think this song is getting jazzy, but then you get just a hint of folk into it. Enough of the prelude, moving on to the songs in the album already.
The album starts with “Kot”, which has an extremely pleasing intro. It starts softly, and slowly picks up pace, with the chorus getting heavy with the drums and the bass guitar. Listen out to the notes in the intro being threaded through the verses, forming a pleasant background. Towards the interlude the song starts getting a little unpredictable but then you realize once you listen to the whole album that unpredictability is something you should expect from these songs. The next song, “Aikon Baikon” might just be the most listened to song in the album, what with the video and audio being floated on the internet much to the pleasure of Joi Barua’s loyal listeners. The song is peppy, with a hint of old-school Assamese rock and roll (you just have to go along with me in this one) lurking behind the suave classic rock in the song. One song in the album that is bound to make you loosen up, and let go of those tight nerves.
The next song is “Tumi Bhabisa Ki”, and it has a very classic old club feel to it, kind of makes you think of a club of the finest kind, with them good ol’ gentlemen sitting around talking about life and politics with this song playing in the background. That’s the picture that comes to my mind each time I hear it. Even though this song is on the lines of a love song, it has this sedate feel to it, which transcends it to beyond being just another love song. Now the next song, “Uri Jaai” is kind of special because this one made me stop and think. And I have reason to believe that the song was specially molded to be in tandem with the lyrics. The intro is dark and disturbing, not because of anything else, but because it makes you wonder where the song is leading to. My favorite part is the chords that go with the song, makes it all the more beautiful. From a tumultuous beginning, towards a light and breezy end, this song is the acoustic equivalent of the stormy clouds parting way for the sun.
“Tejimola”, the next song, is in two words, pure delight. Based on the famous lore of Tejimola that never fails to tug at our heart strings, this song is an epitome of hope beyond despair. This also happens to be one of the first songs I had listened to in the album, and it had made me wonder what really had gone into making this song. When I say it is all about the soul, it doesn’t get any better than this. Be it the pathos, or just the right notes at the right moments, this song has been perfectly seasoned to bring the lore of Tejimola to life. How best to listen to it? Close your eyes, and paint the pictures that come to your mind… and what you get is a portrait splashed with all happy shades of peace.
“Dusoku Melute” is the next song in the album, and is again an upbeat number, and is perfectly attuned to the lyrics. Like the lyrics booklet says it, it is about “the restlessness of youth, the silliness of youth, of the rush…” This is the kind of song that makes you want to set on a long bike ride along the mountains, daring the treacherous curves, letting the wind blow through your hair, and feeling life pulsating in your veins like never before. A very “young” number, bound to make your heart go thump-thump.
I am partial to this next song, “Tumi” because I swear this song has helped me calm myself down many a troubled nights. No, seriously! This also happens to be the song I keep humming the most. The song is about finding the heavenly in each one of us, and with the typical “Guxai naam” verses included in it, it raises itself above the earthly in earnest. Acoustically this song has a very somber feel to it, and in a weird way made me remember the song “Khoon Chala” from “Rang De Basanti”. The chorus reaches into that deep recess of your heart, and settles itself into some crevice you never had discovered until now. I swear.
You know what they say about going out with a bang? Well, the last song in the album “Doba Kobaai”, serves just that purpose. Very upbeat, and with a lot of focus on the beats that is bound to bring about a rush of blood to your head. The song is a celebration, a revelation. And it celebrates the spirit of letting yourself go, and allowing a little crazy to seep into you. Best bet, follow what your heart asks you to do on listening to this.
That was some lengthy review, but in my defense, I couldn’t have done justice to it in lesser number of words. The album package impressed me a lot too! In fact this has to be the very first time someone has attempted to explain the pronunciation of our “X” sound (as in Axom). Attention to these minute details makes you realize just how much thought has gone into the creating of this album. Kudos to the whole team! Definitely looking forward to Joi Barua’s next.
Editor’s Note: Although, the album is great but the album is poorly marketed. We hope the makers take note of this aspect more seriously.
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