The Score Playlist is back! And we gave it a gritty reboot in the meanwhile, so remember, while this may not be the playlist you deserve, this is definitely the playlist you need.
This week we roped in Kunal and gave him a yellow rubber duckie to swim up the stream of modern indian music. An excerpt from his blog.
“Only thing that’s on my mind…is who’s gonna run this town tonight”
– Jay Z ft Rihanna and Kanye
So yes we are back. Not exactly with a bang, if you see the stats, but more like ‘hello, can we come in?’. After being cut out from the world for 16 days, taking a bike trip to Leh( Amey will be covering it so much better than I ever can), standing atop 17500 ft and being completely oblivious to what’s happening in the music scene (I didn’t even know there was something called the iTunes festival), I am back in Bombay ready for the grind and getting back to doing what I do best. Eat junk food!
I am just staring at the screen tapping the keys on the keyboard cause I have no idea what I want to write about. It’s because being ‘into the wild’ doesn’t help you when you want to come up with a topic to write on.
I have been trying to listen to new bands (well some are new to me). Some i liked and others not so much. So here’s a list of 5 bands you should definitely check out. The standards are all mine and you might not agree with me. But just give their music a listen and form your opinion!
1. Barefaced Liar
These guys from Delhi played a sound that could be termed as an amalgamation of classic rock and modern progressive sound. Which is not surprising considering their influences range from Led Zeppelin to Tool. While they may not have a sound that totally differentiates them from the crowd, they are very very good at the things they do.
And that may well help them progress. Because they know where their strengths lie and and play to that. They are not such a new band; they have been around since 2002 but due to on and off parting, it has not been smooth for them. Still over the last couple of years they have managed to remain consistent. They’ve been playing a lot of shows and recording their songs. The songs that got me hooked were ‘Glow‘ and ‘Out of My League‘ . Hopefully will do well over the next couple of years!
2. The Lightyears Explode
Shalom Benjamin, Saurabh Roy, Aaron Carvalho
I went to this ‘Punk Night’ gig at Blue Frog a couple of months ago. This very band came up on stage last and they owned the place. Like wow, this is how punk should be!! Saurabh Roy (on vocals and guitars) was screaming, jumping around, manhandling the mike and what not. It was a pity I could only stand through a couple of songs of theirs as I had to leave shortly afterwards (stupid deadlines).
Anyway, the next day, I downloaded their EP which starts off with ‘She Probably Still Is’ and the song just instantly has you clinging. ‘Masala Punk’ is another great track. The next two songs are average but they end with a stellar one called ‘The Weapon’ with great intro guitar riffs.
Their live performances are bound to be a blast. Comparisons to Green Day are normal but their sound actually reminds me of NOFX. They are probably not as polished as other bands but when you hear a raw sound with the vocalist going mental on stage interspersed with great guitar riffs and solid drumming, do you really care for polish?
3. The Colour Compound
A new Bombay based band that cites ‘Incubus’ as one of the artists they like which in itself had me intrigued. I had the chance to watch them play at Hard Rock (watch this space next week for more coverage) and I was quite taken aback by the quality of their music.
The Colour Compound.
They seem to play a mix of pop rock/alternative. The two vocalists, Rohan and Bradley, both have very different voices which lends a nice dimension to the vocals. Some of their songs that I particularly liked are ‘Keep it Together’, ‘Why’ and ‘Can’t Afford To Cry’. The band recently released an EP titled ‘ Sincerely Yours’. They make foot tapping jazz inspired music with as much aplomb as they create soulful ballads. I will wait for new songs from them. Maybe an ‘Incubus’ cover. You can check out their songs at Soundcloud.
2: Goddess Gagged
Goddess Gagged. Pic courstesy of Krish Makhija
One of the best bands I have heard this year. Their music has been defined as progressive post-hardcore. And with inspiration ranging from ‘Tool’ to ‘Porcupine Tree’ to ‘A Perfect Circle’, Goddess Gagged creates music that can only be defined as spellbinding. Their songs are over 5 mins long(almost all). But not once do you get bored.
After winning Strawberry Fields in 2010, they have turned heads wherever they have played. Their songs though leaning towards hardcore have a very ambient and atmospheric element to them. If you love the bands that inspire them, you will definitely like them.
If you haven’t heard these bands, hear Goddess Gagged, like them and maybe then discover bands that inspire them. Except Siddharth Basrur, all the other 4 members are very young (and well Siddharth is not very old either) and that is one of the coolest things! Cause being a 22 year old myself, I can only imagine the joy they must be getting out of making original quality music at such a young age.
You can stream their music at Reverbnation. Listen for ‘Flow’ and then move onto ‘Visionary’
P.S. The name is derived from a ‘Protest the Hero’ song.
5. DIY
Do It Yourself. Every music magazine, blog or article that makes a list of bands that you should listen to, somehow NEVER include that one band you love a lot (please tell me this has happened to you too). So the last band on this list will be filled by you. You might have heard a great band that no one knows about. Or are too scared to talk about it, cause you will become a laughing stock if your friends don’t like their music. There is no need for me to validate the music that you listen to. If you have discovered a new band whose music speaks to you, then THAT is the band that you should listen to this 2011!
And maybe even we should.
– My Roots (Shaa’ir & Func)
Kunal Pawar lives in Bombay, plays Football on most days and hangs out with friends on the remaining days. Currently ‘Wasting Light’ is being played on loop.
He almost always is at a coffee shop (which is not such a good selling point actually). And he plans to start his own someday that will have a space for live music.
You can catch him ranting about music, girls and penalty kicks at http://aswethinkis.wordpress.com on Thursdays.
