The Music Box.
Entries about the music I like.
Tarun Balani — The Shape Of Things To Come
I spoke about GoGo Penguin’s latest album earlier this year. Spoke about enjoying empty-white-room contemporary jazz. I also spoke about New Delhi jazz drummer Tarun Balani’s electronic project, Seasonal Affected Beats earlier this year. His latest as bandleader, a 31-minute (empty-white-room contemporary) jazz EP The Shape Of Things To Come [1] is a lot more diverse than his material as Seasonal Affected Beats, while also being airy and very enjoyable. Check it out here.
Sankarabharanam
I wish I understood carnatic music better than I do, which is not well at all. As with so much art, film serves as a great gateway. Sankarabharanam is a classic of Telugu cinema, and really of Indian cinema. It’s story, centered on a carnatic music maestro and his relationships with his daughter and disciples, required an immaculately composed soundtrack carried by a tremendously skilled vocalist. It found this in composer KV Mahadevan and vocalist SP Balasubrahmanyam, my gateway to this music. As someone who grew up with SP’s voice in Roja, Hum Aapke Hain Kaun, Maine Pyaar Kiya, et al, I was affected by his passing. I have since been listening to a lot of his music, including his unbelievable work on this album; in my view, a must-hear.
Peter Cat Recording Company — Bismillah
Anybody who talks about Indian indie talks about Peter Cat Recording Company. It’s the Indian independent music version of you like beatles? So it isn’t really a hot take to say, you like PCRC? But here goes: Bismillah is a great album.
Lifafa — Jaago
Some time in 2014, my friend and I were partaking in that quintessentially Bombay concept of a sharing table at that quintessentially Bombay institution, Janta, when we were joined by the lead singer of what was then, and is now, my favourite Indian band, someone we assumed was a girlfriend, and someone we assumed was a girl friend. Bombay doesn't allow known faces private conversations.
Prabh Deep — K I N G
I’ve been unable to indulge in hip-hop much anymore. A weird thing that has begun happening with me and hip-hop is something that happens whenever you hang out with your alco-weird friend. You’re always on the look out for a fight picked with a stranger, or inappropriate views about women or something else from a litany of embarrassments. Anyway, I don’t feel that way about Prabh Deep’s K I N G. In fact it’s one of my favourite records from 2019. It’s also my most listened to album from that year.
Treble Puns — Sounds Like Treble
The other day, this guy asked me, ‘so you support local artists and all, huh?’ I said yes I do, then for some reason felt the need to justify that I support good art no matter where it’s from; it just so happens that a fair bit of it is from India. The justification’s purpose: to give due respect to the likes of this Bengaluru-based instrumental rock band, Treble Puns, whose debut EP, Sound Like Treble, I’ve really enjoyed. It’s loud/soft/loud instru-rock that stands out from other post-rock acts because of Abhimanyu Roy’s Indian-folk-inspired scales and Sohini Bhattacharya’s hard-hitting robotic drums.