A Very Horrific ‘Maut’ Indeed…

22 Mar

Courtesy their Wiki page.

I cannot do a Top Five list for this band, so don’t expect that. I cannot genre-limit them or compare them to other bands, so don’t expect that either. As part of a pentagram of bands, Bhayanak Maut (BM) has come to define my Indian metal experience along with Scribe, Demonic Resurrection, Skyharbor & Bevar Sea (eclectic, I know). So I thought it would be a great opportunity to educate you sheep about Metchul, specifically about the Indian metal scene (not that I need a reason, but I might as well ramble on).

I confess I’m quite bad at defining said genres, as are most people. Nevertheless, for the uninitiated, one could try to define BM as a heavily deathcore-inclined band with obvious inspiration from grindcore and groove metal. Some would argue they can afford to experiment beyond their comfort zone, while some would say they should hang onto tradition; I couldn’t possibly comment.

Now into two full albums, two (rather brilliant) EPs and knee-deep in their third full release, BM have been around long enough to be called Mumbai-scene veterans. Despite a low-key start and early influence of gateway bands of the wicked West, they have snuggled into a dark independent pit of their own and created their own signature oft-interspersed with a strong Indian flavour (“MNS Messenger” and “Ranti Nasha” hooks always get me) which has predictably translated into a loyal Indian fan-base.  One should listen and compare their exploratory first album Hell Is All People to their watershed Malignant EP (“Elcit Set Nois Rot”, “Boiled.Unwound.Filatured”, “PICA” and “Phlegm Blot Technik”…which is basically all the songs in that EP) to better understand their stylistic shift. Following their phenomenal sophomore Untitled album (“Ungentle” and “You’re Perfect Now Change”: oh, the feels!), I personally think their latest Metastasis EP is an ominous sign of great things to come.

The first thing that hits you about BM is the goosebumps-inducing dual vocals style, followed closely by a dam-burst of bone-crunching riffs and mesmerizing blast beats. It’s obviously not a new concept, but rarely have I seen such synergy between two vocalists: Vinay’s (Vinay Venkatesh) death gutturals are perfectly complemented by Sunny’s (Sunneith Revankar) fry screams, creating a dichotomous clamour that comes together perfectly at crescendos. This swadesi juggernaut is driven by Baba (R. Venkatraman) and Aditya on guitars, while drums by Rahul Hariharan have bound this band together and given them the deathcore-with-no-breakdowns flavour I have so come to cherish. Their bass did tend to get masked in some acts; but they have a new bassist in Ishaan Krishna who joined last year from NerveRek / Modern Mafia, and has fit right into their demolition-derbyesque live acts.

I remember their performance in 2010 at BITS Pilani. Between all the headbanging, moshing and punching (!) in the front row, one image stuck in my head, of both these behemoths standing one-foot-on-monitor and belting out earache in quick and brutal succession (listen to “Blasted Beyond Belief” if you don’t believe me, you philistine!).

I was fortunate to see them live again at the 2012 NH7 Weekender in Delhi and they picked up where they left off in Pilani, which was basically to “tear you a new one”. They are a dying breed, a band which thrives on live performances and is never afraid to improvise. Vinay, his beard, Sunny and Baba are a stage act to admire, and keep every performance volatile and unpredictable. I guess their onstage antics are only surpassed by our beloved clowns at Scribe.

It was hence rather unsurprising that BM successfully owned national rock pilgrimages such as GIR, Deccan Rock and Independence Rock Fest, apart from regularly featuring in NH7 Weekenders and various college fests. They also stepped into hallowed grounds when they followed Demonic Resurrection, Undying Inc. and Scribe in playing at the Inferno Festival in Oslo, Norway. BM is peaking right now, and it’s safe to say they are a source of inspiration for the countless fledgling metal acts that are stumbling around to find their identity and niche in this dank basement that is the Indian scene.

Bhayanak Maut played at Blue Frog’s Metal Night on March 2 (after a year-long hiatus) and it seems like they will play again only next year, so I’ll just go back to my headphones now and wait for their third full-length [storyline-based] (http:/facialdiscrimination.tumblr.com/) album.

– Samarth Hegde

PS: On a related note, connoisseurs of a more extreme experience should check out ‘Demonstealer’ Makhija and Vinay Venkatesh’s brutal-death metal outfit, Reptilian Death. Oh, also check out Sunneith’s groove metal ex-supergroup Providence if that’s your thing.

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Top Five Pick-Me-Ups for a Dreary Wednesday Morning

19 Mar

CoffeeIt is said that Mondays are the dreariest days of the workweek, but we think it’s actually Wednesdays: that doldrum of restlessness and ennui in the middle of a seemingly never-ending workweek. But let’s think positively. When life gives you lemons, there’s nothing like a perky new song to brighten up your day. Give our top five a shot and you’ll know what I’m talking about.

5. “Cups” by Anna Kendrick

Originally recorded by the Carter Family in 1931, this song was revived in 2009 by the band Lulu and the Lampshades, followed by Anna Burden in 2011, when it went viral thanks to the combination of the cup game with the song.  Anna Kendrick performed it in 2012 on the soundtrack of Pitch Perfect.

The song starts with a bunch of beats that may seem unusual at first; that is, until you realise they’re being generated by cups and handclaps. Soon after, Anna Kendrick’s melodic voice floats into your cerebral cortex, tingling your ears as she keeps reminding you that you’re going to miss her when she’s gone.

It’s a perfect pep up song for an escape. Tired of routine? Need a change of lifestyle? Maybe just a shift in perspective? Pick yourself up sugar, they’re going to miss you when you’re gone.

4. “Good Life” by One Republic

If you ever need a song to get someone in the mood to just get up and show up, this is your best bet. A subtle reminder of the fact that day turns to night, night turns to whatever we want, this song generates the perfect vibes to gently lift your mood while still being easy on the ears. The video’s a bit artsy, the band’s a bit quirky, the song takes you over and in the end you find your head swaying and shoulders bobbing to the realization that this could really be a good life.

It also makes your insides fuzzy, but maybe that’s just me.

3. “New Shoes” by Paolo Nutini

The song starts with a cool beat, and builds up to what I’d call a mellow high. Paolo Nutini is at his catchy best with “New Shoes” on his debut album These Streets, which was featured on a 2007 international ad campaign by Puma AG. Coupled with an upbeat video, Nutini’s soothing voice puts your mind at ease and is a pick-me-up in itself. It’s the kind of song I want to start my day with when I really want to kick some ass, and I don’t need an excuse, ‘cause I’m wearing my brand new shoes.

2. “Dust Clears” by Clean Bandit

On a slightly more serious note, we arrive at “Dust Clears”, by Clean Bandit. It’s rather easy to relate to, as it’s abstract to the point where it seems to fit any life situation. But as you listen to the song, the dust clears and it all starts to disappear. The visualization shows the stark difference between living lives and merely existing and the song makes one feel like picking up the pieces and getting back out there. The violin solo in the middle of the song defines a whole new level of awesomeness, as does the music production on the whole.

1. “Wake Me Up” by Avicii

It would be unfair to say that American soul singer Aloe Blacc is the star of the song that has been described as the ‘summer anthem’ this year. Avicii does his usual mix, creating a divine composition of magic in music, which is enough to make anyone feel buoyant and positive. The lyrics are beautiful and responsible for giving gravity to the song, which, complimented by the foot-tapping beat in the music, create an exquisite sensation.

Honorable Mention: “I Love to Singa” by Owl Jolson

Thank God for online search engines, or I’d have spent my life trying to figure out the name of my favourite song in childhood. Originally released in 1936, the song is an eight-minute long Merrie Melodies animated cartoon, its story being a tribute to Al Jolson’s film, The Jazz Singer. Owl Jolson is a class act, and you can’t help but smile as you watch him do the Creole, singing his song in perfect contentment. It’s a heart-melting, ‘aww’-inducing production that makes your day just a little bit better.

–  Ayeesha Khanna

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De La Soul at Yoshi’s, San Francisco (7/3/2014)

16 Mar

De La Soul is one of those bands that could have defined hip-hop. Their debut album 3 Feet High and Rising, now 25 years old, was widely considered one of the best of its year and achieved commercial success. That album could have brought about the Daisy Age of hip-hop. For better or worse, that didn’t happen. Nevertheless, De La Soul is one of the pillars of old-school hip-hop and their live show more than justifies that respect.

This is the first old-school hip-hop concert that I’ve ever been to and I never realized how much space is in those old songs for audience participation. The choruses all seemed to have been designed for the audience to shout along with. You haven’t heard any of their music properly until you’ve been in a mob all singing it out together.

Their crowd skills were incredible. They talked and joked constantly and the audience response was intense. They brought a forest of hands up from the beginning of the concert and that forest was not felled until the concert finished. It was quite the intense performance and the crowd showed the energy that deserved. Also many points for the constant San Francisco shout-outs.

The show went over much of their stable of hits, including Me, Myself and I, Oodles of Os, Ring Ring Ring (Ha Ha Hey), A Roller Skating Jam Named “Saturdays” and Oooh. There were a few missteps in their performance, but that was just part of the charm. This was three guys who have been around since the beginning of hip-hop and never forgotten how much fun it is supposed to be. They wanted everyone to enjoy the show and delivered enough that anything else was impossible.

– @murthynikhil

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Wolfmother at BITS, Hyderabad (8/3/2014)

13 Mar

Wolfmother probably isn’t one of those bands that you can become a die-hard fan of, swear by, and get tattoos done on your forearms to show your unflinching support for. Unless you’re Australian. In which case, apologies, mate.

Because, let’s face it, as the generic rock lover in each of us progresses in age and taste, Wolfmother resides in but a tiny corner of our music collections – coming up now and then in rock mixes and playlists, giving us a substantial amount to headbang to while it lasts and then innocuously disappearing again until its next appearance. Even their Grammy winning single, for example, is largely unheard of in rock circles around and above the Equator.

But all said and done, it’s not every day that a band that can actually boast a Grammy to their name comes down to your town to do a gig. And when they do, you’d certainly be a fool to not give them a chance.

Wolfmother, live.

If you’ve correctly gauged my opinions about Wolfmother till now, you’d figure out that I wasn’t exactly slobbering over the thought of seeing them live, but the fact that I’ve listened to “Joker and the Thief” since my school days gave me enough reason to look forward to them. The fact that the venue was the sister campus of my own college only made things rosier.

When they kicked off on the fine Saturday evening, it was difficult to not observe the amount of energy the trio packed into their performance. Nevertheless, as the minutes rolled by, it was also difficult to not observe the dearth of variety in their songs. Sure, for the first half an hour or so, while they dished out singles from their two studio albums, they had everyone – from the rabid headbanger to the passive-aggressive bystander – tapping their feet and shaking their heads, but after a while, the music became a tad too repetitive for my taste. I did keep my head shaking and feet tapping though, lest I be booed at by the music connoisseurs around me, but the only reason I was still interested was the fact that they were yet to play “Joker and the Thief”. And that’s that.

But don’t let my biases and limited previous exposure to Wolfmother downplay the commendable workmanship of the band. Andrew Stockdale’s vocals, soaring and clean, fit in just fine to complement his heavy, down-tuned guitar riffs and the swanky occasional solo. However, Ian Peres, who divided his time between the bass and the keyboard, left a greater impression with his hairdo than he did with either instrument. (But that’s not because his music wasn’t any good, but because his dreadlocks and general enthusiasm on stage were.) To be fair though, he did his job pretty well. Lastly, Vin Steele, who was in charge of drums, was really the one who kept the energy in the music flowing right till the end, with his pounding beats and driving rhythm.

Wild.

Wild.

Their set list comprised of songs from both their studio albums: their eponymous debut from 2005 (which included songs like “Dimension”, “Apple Tree”, “Mind’s Eye” and “Love Train”) and Cosmic Egg from 2009 (“New Moon Rising”, “California Queen”). However, since both these albums largely fit into the hard rock/neo-psychedelia genre, it was difficult to find many stylistic differences during their live gig as well. Adding to this melee of heavy riffs and pummeling beats was their Grammy winning single “Woman”, which received a lot of cheer and got many a head oscillating with much rapidity. When, however, they left the stage without performing “Joker and the Thief”, the one song that the teeming majority of the throng had come to see them perform, the public cheer gave way to something that bordered on fury and mutiny. This turned out to be a rather cheap ruse, because they returned thirty seconds later, playing that instantly recognizable riff that elicited twice as much cheer and near-maddening popular excitement. Needless to say, their execution was spot on.

Wolfmother at BITS, Hyderabad

In hindsight, it was definitely a good gig. They had the right energy, the right talent, and the right set list as well. But, at a personal level, the band did leave a lot to be desired. They never really connected with me, nor, I would wager, with the average Joe who was present there as well. In fact, had they really walked off without performing “Joker and the Thief”, I wonder whether I would have rated them highly at all.

But yes, it was fun while it lasted. I shook my head, tapped my feet, and had a good time. But would I go for another gig if they come down to play again? I doubt it.

—

Words and pictures by @wrahool

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Janelle Monáe at the Justin Herman Plaza, San Francisco (7/3/2014)

10 Mar

As I have said multiple times before, I really like Janelle Monáe. She’s smart, imaginative and energetic. Her music is rarely short of excellent. Also, her live performances are incredible. So, when salesforce.com sponsored a free show of hers to celebrate their 15th anniversary and accompanying food drive, I jumped at the chance to see her live again.

This may have been a free show, but it was certainly treated like any other. It opened with an overture leading into her entrance onstage in a straightjacket to follow the Palace of the Dogs narrative that she’s spent the better part of the last decade setting up. From there, she jumped straight into a solo “Givin’ Em What They Want” that never seemed to miss Prince at all. Janelle Monáe was clearly able to supply everything anyone could need all by herself.

The show was a mixture of hits from all over her discography. “Dance Apocalyptic” led into “Sincerely, Jane” flawlessly. “Electric Lady” saw her moonwalk across the entire stage, and was followed with covers of the Jackson 5’s “I Want You Back” and “ABC”. “Q.U.E.E.N” saw her do both her own and Erykah Badu’s parts of the song, but sadly “Tightrope” did not include a stab at Big Boi’s rap. As ever, the show closed with a very extended “Come Alive” jam.

Janelle Monáe is one of my favorite people to see live. Her sincerity and enthusiasm are absolutely unparalleled. Her shows are meticulously produced and her stage presence is staggering. There are very few performers with her talent working today. She sets quite the high bar for her competition and shows like this one consistently do the impossible. They push that bar higher.

– @murthynikhil

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Naturally Scattered: An Interview with Raxit Tewari

26 Feb

Scatter Nature

Raxit Tewari’s main band Sky Rabbit is something of an Indian indie legend. It started off as a metal band called Medusa that dropped six-track album way back in 2005, before transforming itself into the current electro-pop/indie avatar which won big at the JD Rock Awards this year.

Tewari’s solo side project Your Chin seems to have been born from the same ethos that caused Medusa’s alchemic transformation into Sky Rabbit. It may seem like effortless mood-music, but there is a solid groundwork of talent and aesthetic sense that supports it all.

Tewari describes his second EP, Scatter Nature, as soundtrack music for a solitary walk through a busy city, possibly his hometown of Mumbai. It’s pretty much a perfect summation: Scatter Nature made us think of strangers colliding and interacting like independent particles in this harried world.

“Run Along Now Little One” is the stand-out track on the EP. Tewari’s signature, peculiarly flat vocals describe arcane prophecies (“Laughing gas will burn us while we’re dodging tragedies”) over music that introspects, sighs and flows along with the pace of life. The accompanying video, directed by Misha Ghose and Naman Saraiya, is perhaps the perfect accompaniment. It syncs Raxit’s music with grungy tableaus of Mumbai life – a red telephone, a rusty lock, smoggy skylines – showcasing editor Sourya Sen’s skills as much as the directors’ or the artist’s.

This is not to say that the other three songs on Scatter Nature aren’t worth mentioning. “Fingerprints & Mugshots” is a deal less dreamy than but in a way more wholesome in sound. The phrasing of words and sentences on “Who Would Have Thought” is a character on its own. And the plaintive stretch of the titular words on “For Love”, layered over an electro-pop version of almost-dance music, is just pure magic. It’s also the closest to Sky Rabbit, in our opinion.

All in all, Scatter Nature is a great EP. It got us really excited about what we might hear from Your Chin in the future.

So excited, in fact, that we decided to hear from him now. To round off our review, here’s a short interview with none other than Raxit Tewari himself!

Photo credits: Anuj Prajapati

Photo credits: Anuj Prajapati

Top Five Records: Let’s start with something that we’re quite curious about. Why the chin, of all body parts?

Your Chin: It sucks when it walks out on you. Chewing is almost impossible. You’re left to ingesting with plastic pipes going straight into your esophagus. And that’s just one of the many things. It’s important to acknowledge and address it if you want to prevent all of this.

TFR: Artists often create solo projects to express ideas that might not fit in with other, non-solo acts. How does your musical process with Your Chin differ from how you go about making and publicizing music as a part of Sky Rabbit?

YC: Your Chin’s mostly about sitting in a room and writing/producing music with a computer. I have been tinkering with software for a while now and wanted to see if I could produce some worthwhile music like this.

TFR: Where does your music take inspiration from? Was there a particular artist or even a set of experiences that really guided you here?

YC: A lot of things really. All of them get sewn in. It keeps happening over time.

TFR: You’ve previously described your first EP as the sound of the city, presumably a seethingly busy one like Mumbai, moving along with you. What’s the right frame of mind for this one?

YC: This one’s more of a put-it-on-your-phones-and-go-for-a-walk-EP.

TFR: There’s a lot going on in your music – in terms of technique, texture and style. Tell us a little bit about your working process.

YC: I usually put down smaller ideas on impulse and then build on them at a later stage.

TFR: You recently opened for Gotye at the Oz Fest in Delhi. What was that experience like?

YC: Gotye has a terrific live act. Was an honour to open for someone who is so on top of his game.

TFR: Your style of music is not the most common type out there in India. What has the response been like, in gigs and festivals around the country?

YC: It’s been wonderful. Not underwhelming in anyway. It’s been very consistently progressive over the last few years.

TFR: We loved the music video for “Run Along Little One”, especially the beautiful, grungy montage of urban life. Tell us a little bit about the creative process that went into making this video.

YC: Thank you! Glad you loved it. We went out for a day and shot a whole lot of this place not far from home. Literally rediscovered it in so many ways. Found new nooks and corners. It was extremely impulsive and a lot of fun.

TFR: The last question we have for you is a pretty standard one. Who is the one artist, alive or dead, that you’d most like to work with?

YC: Brian Eno?

So there you have it. Listen to Scatter Nature below!

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Agam at Hard Rock Cafe, Hyderabad (20/2/2014)

23 Feb

Harish Sivaramakrishnan

The Indian rock scene has, over the years, engendered numerous artists and acts – many of which have given us reason to feel proud of the music that our country produces today. From the pioneering works of Moheener Ghoraguli in the 1970s to the near-virtuosos like Baiju Dharmajan and Warren Mendonsa, Indian rock has indeed walked a long and meandering path. More importantly, they have established and re-established the fact that our musicians have often been able to step outside the mundane mediocrity of Bollywood and make refreshing music, by drawing heavily from Western rock while remaining faithful to their Indian roots.

Agam hail from Bangalore, and they call themselves a Carnatic-progressive rock band. Their music is thus a heady mix of Carnatic classical, set against an ambitious backdrop of technically challenging rock; this is not surprising, as they cite Indian Ocean, Dream Theater and Rush as their primary influences. The genesis of Agam goes back to the music club of BITS Pilani when vocalist Harish Sivaramakrishnan and drummer Ganesh Ram Nagarajan started jamming casually. They continued their shared passion after college and, after officially forming Agam, their first big breakthrough came when A R Rahman himself adjudged them winners of a band talent hunt on a Tamil TV channel. Since then, they’ve performed in gigs all over the country and have released a studio album in 2012. They have even featured in MTV’s prestigious Coke Studio in the same year.

Their recent gig at Hard Rock Cafe, Hyderabad was a wonderful demonstration of their talent – which they manage to nurture, in spite of all of them being full-time IT professionals today.

The first thing that hits you when you hear them live is the raw classical roots that Harish’s aalaps stem from. His voice reaches soaring crests and peaks, all the while remaining unflinchingly musical and melodic, reminding one that classical vocals continue to be the mainstay of any fusion band today.

But let that not downplay the inherent talents of the other members. T. Praveen Kumar’s guitar work and Ganesh’s pounding drums were also top notch, and while the keyboardist never did come into the limelight (much to my disappointment, as the keyboard forms a cornerstone of prog music, more so than the guitar), he kept the strings and the chords flowing just fine, making the overall experience wholly enjoyable. And the bassist – who was temporarily replacing their usual bassist, who couldn’t be present for the gig – did some splendid slapping on a five-string bass.

Agam

Agam performed a number of original compositions from their album The Inner Self Awakens. And much to the delight of the fans, they threw in a couple of A R Rahman covers as well – from Dil Se and Tu Hi Re. The covers were so beautifully rendered that even the most devout of Rahman or Hariharan fans would have appreciated them wholeheartedly. After nearly two long hours of beautiful music, when the show was reaching its unfortunate end, they succumbed to popular pressure and did an encore of two of their more popular songs, “Dhanashree Thillana” and “The Boat Song”, both of which were met with wild cheers from the crowd.

Most of their songs, I observed, demonstrated a high level of technical proficiency – be it with the guitar solos or the drums – and the evening reached its instrumental climax when Ganesh executed a wonderful Peart-inspired drum solo that left the entire HRC reeling. It was an absolute delight watching him wield those sticks with such dexterity; he exhibited infectious levels of enthusiasm coupled with such consummate ease that it was difficult to not admire his style of play. I also observed (given the rabid Rush fan that I am) their music is extremely inspired by Rush. A particular example is the beginning chord/drum progression in “Swans of Saraswati”, which seemed like a tribute to Rush’s iconic “YYZ”. (For the ones who are unaware, the introduction to “YYZ”, played in a time signature of 5/4, repeatedly renders “Y-Y-Z” in Morse Code using various musical arrangements, and it is one of Rush’s best known instrumental pieces.)

After the gig ended, my friend and I rushed over to meet Ganesh and Harish, and we chatted about an Alma Mater that we all shared. All in all, I enjoyed Agam thoroughly. I have heard their studio album a number of times, and while I wouldn’t blame the album per se, I must say, I liked them live far better. To the extent that, if you asked me whether I would go for another Agam gig any time soon, I would say yes. Without a second thought.

– Subhayan Mukerjee (@wrahool)

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Top Five Songs to Include on a Mixtape For Your Indie Beloved

14 Feb

Trying to think of a way to introduce a Valentine’s Day-themed list article while avoiding all the common tropes (pro-Valentines, anti-Valentines, pro-anti-Valentines, etc.) is becoming harder and harder; there’s very little middle ground to walk between flower-burning and chocolate-gorging.

To try and skip over the debate, this T5R article instead provides five non-conventional songs that you ought to use when making that time-tested classic gift: the mixed-tape.

More specifically, here are 5 songs that absolutely have to go into your next mixed-tape for your present and/or future beloved; this way, you won’t have to reuse “With or Without You” for the 900th time.
 
 

5. “Absolutely Cuckoo” by The Magnetic Fields

Magnetic-fields-in-concert

The Magnetic Fields’ three-volume concept album 69 Love Songs contains exactly that: 69 love songs. Despite the fact that the album is about love songs, and not love itself, “Absolutely Cuckoo” definitely works as an unconventional inclusion on any romantic mix tape. Stephen Merritt manages to condense all the neuroticism of an early relationship into barely a minute-and-a-half, by imploring her not to fall in love with him just yet (since he might be cuckoo). In the process he admits to falling in love all the same, and also builds up the most fantastically in-depth worst case scenario of what would happen if things went south. The song’s beauty lies in the fact that we’ve all done this. We’ve all caused our what-ifs to pile up until all we can do is wallow in neuroticism. “Absolutely Cuckoo” takes this tendency and turns it around to create a song that’s so warm, well-crafted and mildly humorous that it effectively reveals the emperor’s nudity, while also providing an absolutely endearing song with which to bring you and your steady closer together.


 

4. “Stealing the Moonlight” by Gold Motel

GoldMotel-01-big

Gold Motel’s upbeat jangle-pop infused “Stealing the Moonlight” from their debut album Summer House perfectly articulates the emotions of the early days of a recently- re-enamored social introvert’s relationship. Greta Morgan’s aloof, unencumbered vocals combine with a bouncy set of guitars, bass and drums (provided by Chicago colleagues Eric Hehr, Dan Duszynski, Matt Minx and Adam Coldhouse)  to capture the warmth and fuzziness of early love. The wide-eyed innocence that “Stealing the Moonlight” conveys is instantly relatable (in a way which reminds me of “I Want to Hold Your Hand” by the Beatles) and works well on any mix.


 

3. “Hotel Yorba” by The White Stripes

WS_2007photo_3

If you can ignore the mild creepiness of Jack and Meg White’s relationship at the time, as well as the slightly off-centre music video, The White Stripe’s “Hotel Yorba” works as a pretty great love song. Against the backdrop of foot-stomping upbeat country and garage rock, Jack White allows himself time to ruminate about an almost whimsical life in the backwoods with his missus. It’s an easy song to get carried away by: the infectious optimism about the future that the song radiates is bound to transmit itself into your inamorato/inamorata, and that can never be a bad thing. Plus, brownie points for being used in the extended pilot of Arrested Development.


 

2. “Ghosts” by Laura Marling

Laura_Marling_3

“Ghosts” takes a rather different approach to the aspects of a new relationship, by looking at that two-tonne tether to the past, i.e. exes. Laura Marling channels the 90s café singer-songwriter in her to produce an acoustic-driven ballad that absolutely has to be shared with your main squeeze. It’s nearly impossible to enter a new relationship without carrying the emotional baggage of the past (as practically 90% of all sitcoms can testify) , and Laura gets that. “Ghosts” conveys the inner turmoil of a man as he approaches his new lover, at once admitting both his haunting by his past and her role in helping with the exorcism. This is a relationship in all its reality – not in isolation, and not under any pretension, but still hopeful.


 

1. “Northern Sky” by Nick Drake

Nick_Drake_(1971)

“I never felt magic crazy as this

I never saw moons knew the meaning of the sea”

Everything about Nick Drake’s world in “Northern Sky” is magical, ethereal, and beautiful. Nick’s easy-going baritone melds with piano, guitar, keyboards and bells as he invites his lover into his world through the simple gesture of telling her exactly how he feels about her.

Nick Drake’s poetry, combined with the gorgeous musical backing, makes “Northern Sky” a timeless work of art. Including it in a mix is a no-brainer.


 
 

Happy Friday and/or Valentine’s Day, from the T5R Team!

– Karthik M. (with a little inspiration from Pune).

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Top Five Stunning Rock Covers to Shock and Awe

10 Feb

This is an extremely ambitious list. Not only does it try to select five out of all the good, the bad and ugly of rock covers that exist in the world, but it also tries to include a seemingly wide genre of musicians. As a result, you’ll find everything on this list: from an alternative metal band to a Spanish soprano singer, from an alt-rock super-group to a humble Indian indie band, and from a British metal icon to a classical pop pianist, all trying their level best to recreate some of the finest songs from rock music’s tumultuous past. Hope you enjoy it.

5. Tool covers Led Zeppelin’s “No Quarter”

Led Zeppelin

“No Quarter” is one of those vintage rock songs that reek of Led Zeppelin from the moment they get underway. Yes, it is bereft of any of Jimmy Page’s textbook guitar solos, and yes, it’s not the first song that comes to your mind when you think of Robert Plant either. Yet, it always comes off as a masterpiece that just couldn’t have been the work of any other band – until nearly three decades later, that is.

Tool, who lay stake to being one of the finest experimental metal bands of today, decided to cover this Led Zep classic in their 2000 album, Salival – and while doing so, they also decided to add a dash of their own progressive flavor to it.

The result is, needless to say, absolutely stunning – though, if you’re a first timer, it could take a bit of getting used to. The cover is over eleven minutes long, over four minutes longer than the original. The vocals, courtesy Maynard James Keenan, are often modulated, which may raise some conventional eyebrows.

But leaving that aside, the music is staggering. The song is dark; there’s an element of dread that runs under the thick layers of drums and heavy distortion guitar. And then there is the usual Tool innovation that rears its head now and then, be it with their rendition of the trippy riffs in the beginning or the bass and guitar arpeggios that replace the original piano.

In the end, the cover completely deviates from the original thanks to a brilliantly improvised climax full of powerful riffs, alternate lyrics, heavy bass and a thundering drum sequence that we only wish had continued for a little more.

With this cover, Tool have not only taken a page from Led Zep’s iconic yesteryears, but have also planted it amid the dreary annals of progressive metal in their own unique manner.

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4. Tori Amos covers Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit”

Tori Amos

To begin, let us first agree upon some things that countless others have agreed upon before. “Smells Like Teen Spirit” is the song of the early 90s, and Nevermind was probably the greatest thing to come out of Seattle since Jimi Hendrix. With these established, let us now look at Tori Amos’ cover of this cult classic.

If you were expecting a faithful rendition, one that begins with the instantly recognizable riff that grunge fans have head-banged to over the past few decades, you probably haven’t heard Tori Amos. Because in essence, Tori Amos is far – really really far – from the genre of music that Kurt Cobain pioneered. She’s a classical pianist, and she’s much older than what Kurt Cobain would have been had he been alive today. Her approach to the song is thus starkly different, and the only way you can appreciate this cover is with an open mind.

For starters, the cover is completely piano-based, and is therefore much, much slower and softer than the loud and angst-ridden original. Which means, if you’re looking for Cobain’s guitar solo, you won’t find it here. What you will find instead is a beautiful voice and some sublime, almost dreamy, piano. This is definitely not what Nirvana had in mind when they recorded this song, but the point is, it’s not meant to be what Nirvana produced either. The two versions have nothing in common except for the lyrics and the skeleton tune; trying to compare the two would be a bit like comparing pizza with cheesecake because both have cheese in them. Yes, it is the cheese that makes both of them so good, but it’s really mindless to try and choose one over the other, isn’t it?

My advice would be to listen to the cover and try to appreciate what Tori has attempted to do.

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3. A Perfect Circle covers John Lennon’s “Imagine”

John Lennon

The original “Imagine” is a very happy song that tries to propagate happy ideas – of unity, peace and humanism. Attempting to make a dark, almost depressing cover of such a happy song does seem like a cruel thing to do – a bit like punching a rabbit in the face, and then trying to feel good about it. But the progressive-alt rock super-group A Perfect Circle had done exactly that in their 2004 album eMOTIVe. And the worst (or best?) bit is this: it is rather good.

The dark undercurrents are noticeable the moment you hear all the minor notes in the otherwise familiar piano arpeggio. John Lennon played the majors, while here, they just don’t. If anyone ever dissed about cover artists, saying that they fail to step outside the original, and that they fail to find a fresh perspective to music, he or she has probably never heard A Perfect Circle. This cover hasn’t just added a unique perspective to Lennon’s classic: it has bordered on the visionary.

The vocals (it’s the same Maynard James Keenan from Tool) continue the same sense of foreboding that the piano began. The droning rhythms of the drums and the synths supplement the vocals to create an atmosphere that sounds and feels sinister, almost ominous.

As a cover therefore, this is top class stuff. It’s quite unlike any other cover that you’ve heard. However, it doesn’t feel complete.

What seems to be lacking is lead guitars, which would have provided the final cut necessary to take this cover to the very top of this list. Apart from that, this is a must-listen – and unfortunately for all the happy rabbit fans, a must-admire.

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2. Montserrat Caballé and Bruce Dickinson cover Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody”

Montserrat Caballe and Freddy Mercury

If there’s one word for attempting to cover “Bohemian Rhapsody”, it’s ‘ambitious’, and if there’s something that such ambition can lead to it, it’s generally a disaster. But when you have a Spanish operatic soprano – who’s shared the stage with Freddie Mercury in her career – embarking on such an attempt with the undisputed champion of British heavy metal, it’s difficult to not give them a chance.

The cover is eerily faithful to the original and has all the iconic elements that make the song the classic that it is. The beginning chorus has vocals in different harmonies, followed by Montserrat’s soulful voice that sends a silent shudder down your spine. Iron Maiden fans will absolutely love how Bruce Dickinson’s soaring vocals sink in to take this role. His voice reaches every high note that makes the original so remarkable, and the execution is just so perfect that it would have brought a tear to the eye of old Freddie.

As Montserrat and Bruce alternate with the lyrics, a majestic orchestra gives them accompaniment. What this means is that you won’t find Brian May’s lead guitar when you will expect it; instead you’ll find a wave of symphonic strings, peppered with the occasional piano almost throughout the length of the song. However, you can rest assured that the melodies in the cover are almost as much a treat for your ears as Queen’s original was.

Go give it a listen, and be mesmerized.

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1. Thermal and a Quarter cover The Beatles’ “Hey Jude”

The Beatles

So far in this list we’ve discussed a wide range of covers: a darker cover of an already dark song (“No Quarter”), a seemingly antithetical cover of a loud, angry song (“Smells Like Teen Spirit”), a sad, dispiriting cover of a joyous song (“Imagine”) and an unerring cover of a particularly difficult song (“Bohemian Rhapsody”). To add to this diversity, we’ll now look at a fun cover of one of the most popular songs in rock history.

Thermal and a Quarter have been creating ripples in the Indian indie-music scene for quite a few years now. They are immensely talented and incredibly technical in their compositions, and their cover of the eye-wateringly popular Beatles classic “Hey Jude” comes as a breath of fresh air for all indie music lovers.

From the very first note, this cover stands out. It instantly catches your attention with its strange and syncopated style of play. What follows is absolute genius. The concept is terrific – a funk-blues cover of The Beatles – and the execution is spot on. Bruce Lee Mani’s vocals do complete justice to this bold attempt, as do the clever flute fillers, the pounding drums and the driving bass.

This is just masterclass stuff and thus tops this list. By far.

– @wrahool

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The National: Trouble Will Find Me

3 Feb

You always know what you are going to get with a National album. As ever, Trouble Will Find Me is a technically skilled yet highly accessible alternative rock album. They remain evocative and emotional. They maintain their darkness and their humor. They are still very personal. The only issue is that their sound has also stayed constant.

It often feels that every single song by The National is the same. This is blatantly untrue, even when brought down to the scale of just this album. “Don’t Swallow The Cap”, for instance, pushes you forward with its plays while songs like “Fireproof” lounge in their melancholy. Also, quality shifts. The two aforementioned songs are excellent, while songs like “Sea of Love” and “Slipped” are fine, but instantly forgettable.

This is an album to listen to while staring out at a gray sky. Occasionally, phrases or tunes will reach your mind and draw a smile. They are after all a clever band. Lines like “I am secretly in love with everyone I grew up with” from “Demons” are too human not to relate to. However, like the rain outside, the album is too familiar and too uniform to ever interrupt your inner dialogue, and an album needs to do more to impress.

– @murthynikhil

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