“The best thing about it? Faith finds a new beginning.”

– Redemption, on The Absence of Laughter by Jason Zac Band

The first step in the musical journey of this album is a synthesis of many beautiful and haunting variations. The quickened pace in ‘Don’t Turn Away’ drives the song. The breakdown on this track is terrific, with the heavy strings and swing feel keeping you locked in and nodding. And just when you get comfortable, the fast-paced rhythm takes over, returning you back to the baseline. ‘Redemption’ takes the same feel and somehow softens it, allowing you to reflect on the stunning mix of this track. The vocals and harmonies redeem the dark mood from the first two tracks, and leaves you wondering where will this go?

‘Jellyfish’ at first strikes you as the middle-of-album ballad, but in what is becoming true JZB spirit, the middle of the track snaps into a hook that I could have sworn I was ready for. The way the soundscape expands while still being vocal-centered is sheer brilliance. The sawtooth lead synth solo leading into the harmonized bass-vocal section is held together superbly with the drums. One thing to keep in mind is how intricately different musical flavours have been woven together into stunning tracks. There is no wasting time trying to get the listener’s attention. Anything that is not prominent in the mix exists to provide the exact tone and feel that the band wants to you experience. This has been so meticulously executed that it may slip under the radar of the casual listener. Which, you should not be.

‘The Dark Spiral of Time’ is a return to the main path of this musical journey. The laughter and upswing feel is gone, but every time one feels overwhelmed by what is a heavy and sombre mood, JZB shifts the tone and feel just slightly, lending you the hope of a return to normalcy. ‘Wayfarer’s Dream’ has a lilting theme to it and is a spotlight on the band’s progressive capabilities. The same ideas are fleshed out extensively in the title track ‘The Absence of Laughter’, a fantastic showcase of the orchestration on this album – both with instruments and voices.

The journey takes a turn with ‘Parindey’ and the next track, ‘We Keep Marching On’. It is the catharsis you’ve been waiting for, and once again, when you feel you are at the top of the mountain, JZB’s higher purpose with this album throws you down into the depths with an anchor of ambient soundscapes, minor chords, motifs and lyrics to keep you rooted to the spot, courtesy ‘Death and the Moonlight’, perhaps the most dramatic track on the album. Bass and drums dominate ‘Like A Woman Scorned’, with a welcoming switch in feel and mood. The last track, a piano reprise, is like Jason’s last stand in the battle. Whimsical, deep, troubling – this track is a musical composition that oozes excellence.

JZB take the time to unfold and construct sequences with multiple layers that are so, so appealing – from crescendos to instrumental and vocal solos that are backed exquisitely by one another. Every track is like a fishing line with a tackle that floats on the water – you can stay on the surface, but you are free to sink in to explore and unravel the depths and intricacies. Start at the beginning and immerse yourself in this album. Don’t shuffle The Absence of Laughter on a playlist. Oh, and if you were wondering if one person could play twelve musical instruments, the answer is Jason Zachariah.

Leftovers begins with ‘Origin’, a possible ode to the evolution of her style of music. Fusion would be a loosely held term to identify her style, because it is a conglomeration of diverse genres, each running off in its own merit only to be drawn into the strength of her voice, which blends seamlessly from funk to Carnatic.

‘Origins’ breaks into Muthuswami Dikshitar’s Natai raga accompanied by her band which comprises guitarist Anthony Cammarota, drummer Ishan Jadwani and bassist Bijit Bhattacharya. It would be safe to say, that the beginning of any pathbreaking genre is composed of experiments. This EP appears to be one such experiment.

‘Folders’ begins with Aditi on the keyboard. The first few notes seem jazzy until Aditi’s crisp voice cuts into the calming tones on the guitar and a lazy percussion. It later escalates into a scramble of Carnatic and hip hop. However, turning around the Indie scene and making it question where it stands.

One other artist that I could draw an uneven parallel to was Bindu Subramaniam and her Thayir Sadam Project. But with a snippet of ‘Dont Re Rude’, Aditi eases into a relatable refrain, jazz forming the overwhelming component.

In the fourth song of her EP, Aditi falls back to her Carnatic roots. In a world where people rehash old music to make new, one can only hope that such music lasts the test of time.

My friends call the music of Whale in the Pond ‘dreamfolk’. It’s a fitting qualifier, given that most of their music is just right for unfocused stares into the distance with mists of longing in the eyes. Their songs fit right into those obscure little pieces you come across on YouTube if you happen to click your way into the meandering digital vales of post-rock from cold Bavaria or atmospheric doom ballads from Norway.

The band is a trio : Sourjyo Sinha (primary songwriter, singer, musician), Shireen Ghosh (multi-instrumentalist, mixer, producer) and Deep Phoenix (guitars and percussion). Every last note on their debut EP has been composed, mixed and produced independently. They count on social media, friends and word-of-mouth to get their music out into the world. They are students who make music for indie films and ad jingles, ruminate on creating their own musicals and work hard at exams and academic papers.

If the whole thing sounds a bit too charming for real life, then you might already be experiencing their sound more profoundly than you think. The songs exude warmth; seemingly easy rhythm makes for eager engagement with the twilight-ballroom-world of ‘Araby‘ (“You make me crave for the ways you control me”) and the hypnagogic, dream-twinkle verses of ‘Marbles‘ (“Constellations align as I’m waiting, waiting home for you”). Both songs call on impulses nurtured by storytellers, lovers, nostalgia junkies and purposefully lost souls.

‘The Call‘ is the band’s trip to Yellow Submarine and Monty Python’s Always Look on the Bright Side of Life. Wacky, but it manages to craft a chaotic sentimentality within its carefully counted notations. ‘Gadha’r Bachcha‘ is not as impressive, but ‘Autumn Winds’ dissolves you into the whisper of surreptitious strings and drifting lyricism that unassumingly concocts two minutes of hallucinatory courtship (“Its only you and I/ Amid the hay/ Beyond the orange sky/ Another day”).

At the end of a song named ‘A Gallant Gentleman’ by the Australian band We Lost The Sea, a crowd of seraphim-like voices appear to conclude it with a wordless sheath of incomparably beautiful vocal melody. Whale in the Pond’s EP often sounds like it aspires to reach that moment of absolute clarity, to explode its art into a climax of such unquestionable beauty that all you can do is rewind and replay without a word. They are not there yet, but I have not been this hopeful about an indie outfit since Tarana Marwah’s Komorebi (Delhi-based maker of auditory magic that you must find and obsess over).

In conclusion, their EP deserves many buys, downloads, shares, replays and many, many hours of sitting to and falling in love with. Whale in the Pond are the beginning of a sound that both creates and satisfies its own versions of yearning and memory. That’s a hard thing to do, especially in five songs. Go listen.

]]> https://whatsthescene.com/album/marbles-by-whale-in-the-pond/feed/ 0 68086 https://whatsthescene.com/album/our-house-by-stella-by-starlight/ https://whatsthescene.com/album/our-house-by-stella-by-starlight/#respond Mon, 06 Jun 2016 16:18:23 +0000 http://whatsthescene.com/?post_type=album&p=67444 Our House by Stella By Starlight does what a debut album/EP should. Although it betrays the band’s flaws it also, more importantly, highlights why we should be paying more attention to them now and in the future. Stella By Starlight is a 6-piece indie-folk/acoustic outfit from Mumbai that has actually been on the scene for quite a while – since 2012 to be specific. After touring India and playing for crowds at prestigious venues, the band released their debut EP in January 2016. Our House may be a collection of only four songs but the album took two whole years to craft. It is a perfect snapshot of the band’s journey during those years, which also adds to the nostalgic and melancholic feel of the album.

It feels like Indie/Folk music is what all the hip kids are listening to these days at all their cool music festivals and it is a burgeoning genre in the Indian music scene with indie artists such as Prateek Kuhad and Nischay Parekh gaining immense popularity. This is why it can be hard to stand out when the music scene is awash with other great indie artists. However, with this EP, Stella By Starlight has made a valiant effort to do so. While listening to the album, the first thing that caught my attention was the vocals. They were just right – not astoundingly powerful but not washed-out either. The vocals were restrained, soft and soothing with just the right amount of oomph when needed.

Given, this EP is not experimental or out of the box but really, does it need to be? Our House is perfectly pleasant with songs that you can listen to on a loop for hours. This doesn’t mean that the band has played it safe either. Every song is well-crafted where all the instruments and the vocals work so well with each other. Percussion is deliberately sparse on the album and so are dramatic interludes to maintain the mellow mood of the album.

Our House starts off on shaky ground with ‘Coco’. It is a nice song, but ‘nice’ should not be the word to describe the first song on the album. ‘Coco’ is a light-hearted, piano-driven song about a beloved pet that has a ‘Mr. Bojangles’ vibe at the beginning. However, the song lacks complexity and is hence, not memorable.

Fortunately, the next song ‘January’ is an absolute gem and a personal favourite. This track is set off by the beautiful breathy vocals and appealing melody and is the kind of track I wish was the opener of the EP. ‘January’ is an acoustic track that fits the sorrowful lyrics seamlessly and just when you think the track couldn’t get any better they throw in a flute instrumental by Shirish Malhotra that is just divine.

This track is followed by another stellar song ‘Days’ where, again, the vocals shine. The vocal harmonies and backing vocals lend a dreamy quality to the song. Another acoustic track, ‘Days’ is haunting and bittersweet but picks up the tempo slightly towards the end before mellowing out again to finish on a melancholic note. It also features the harmonica that takes the nostalgic feel up a notch.

The EP ends with a heart-wrenching song – ‘Waiting on Him’. This song is more of a ballad than a folk song as for most of the song, the vocals are accompanied only by a piano. The track does get a bit cheesy at the end when the saxophone section begins but on the whole ‘Waiting on Him’ is an enjoyable, smooth ballad that works as a nice outro for the album.

Apart from the first track, which is tad cutesy and odd, Stella By Starlight has managed to create a smooth, laid-back, minimalistic debut EP that acts as a tasty amuse-bouche for what is to come. Our House is another great EP to come out of the indie/folk genre that is mature and restrained and where the sparse instrumentation and wispy vocals work very well together. The entire EP was produced and arranged by Nigel Rajaratnam so a huge shout-out goes out to him for polishing the songs so well. Judging from their debut EP, there are definitely more airy, dreamy folk tracks waiting for us in the future from Stella By Starlight.

Bath bombs are dope. Humankind has dreamt for centuries of being able to bathe in outer space and/or liquified cotton candy, and recent advances in bougie bath technology have made those dreams come true. Anyone who thinks that the world would be a better place without bath bombs is a fool and on the wrong side of history.

Wet made a musical bath bomb. Don’t You is a cohesive album, one with a consistent theme of trepidation and confusion about love and a singular sound. The latter of these qualities has received the most attention. Kelly Zutrau’s vocals and the backing instrumentals are both subject to heavy production, much of which is reminiscent of recent trends in alternative RnB. The effect can be striking, and the first three songs on the album make a strong case for the melding of time-tested indie-pop tropes and modern production. Zutrau’s voice piercing the murky ambient beat at the beginning of each song is striking, and on standout tracks like the ‘Don’t Wanna Be Your Girl’ and ‘You’re the Best’ her singing is allowed to take centre stage for the majority of the song. Unfortunately this is too often not the case, and her vocals become just another piece in the morass of muted drums, keys, and guitar by the midpoint of most songs.

By the end of the 11th and final song the first three seem less impressive. Even at only 41 minutes this is an album that feels too long. So maybe its a bit misleading to say that Don’t You is a bath bomb. Really, Wet made an album of 11 bath bombs, and those 11 bath bombs are all pretty much the same. Maybe one adds some glitter to your bath, and another smells particularly nice, but that’s the extent of the bathing experience offered. I’m willing to bet that the thrill of a bath bomb bath diminishes a little when its the same bath every time, and Wet faces the same problem. And just like how a bath bomb doesn’t change the fact that you’re sitting in a tub of your own filth water, the introduction of fun, hip vocal layering and production doesn’t change the fact that these are indie pop songs about pains of love.

You should listen to at least some of these songs, especially the opening three. You should use bath bombs. If you want to truly embrace this aesthetic you should do the two simultaneously. But show some restraint with these activities, and don’t ruin what could be a genuinely enjoyable experience by overdoing it.

Note: I am not currently sponsored by Lush or any other luxury soap companies, but am clearly very interested in changing that.