Asif Khan » reviews

Leave Your Sleep – Natalie Merchant

asif — Fri, 30 Apr 2010 18:30:53 +0000

One time vocalist for 10,000 Maniacs, Natalie Merchant has since erected a pulpit for herself, atop of which she conducts some spectacular vocal performances. Her solo work has comprised mainly of songwriting which tread a fairly different path from that of the Maniacs. Lately, she began to rely more on the spoken word than anything else, which was noticed well in her previous album “The House Carpenter’s Daughter”, which was entrenched in folk traditional tales. Her recent album “Leave Your Sleep” moves in a similar direction; only this time she picks up classic tales and poetry by some of the literary greats and confronts them with her own songwriting skills. The genres of music which serve as the backdrop for the verses are quite widespread. Slow swerving jazz on “The Blind Men and the Elephant”, fitting Native American influences on “Indian Names” and the Celtic tones of “Crying, My Little One” make you feel as comfortable as a baby in her mother’s lap. These are but a part, for it’s the orchestral compositions which score a bigger fare. “The Janitor’s Boy”, “It Makes A Change”, “Land of Nod” and “Spring And Fall: To a Young Child” create soundscapes which would resound for the greater period of your separation from this album.

Elect the Dead Symphony – Serj Tankian

asif — Fri, 30 Apr 2010 18:30:50 +0000

Dead men don’t tell tales. Yes, we may have heard this oft repeated quote in gangster flicks when the mob decides to take care of someone for good. But when the living cease to be of any good use, its probably left to the dead to rise up to the occasion. Serj Tankian, vocalist of the blitzkrieg that System of a Down was, emerged as one of the most articulate voices for the downtrodden in a social system gone to the dogs. SOAD may have slowly moved themselves into the shadow of the limelight, but Serj continued to talk. And the best way he could talk was by singing in his distinctive hard hitting voice. His solo effort “Elect The Dead” garnered rave reviews, which prompted him to release it again as “Elect The Dead Symphony”, a recording of a live performance accompanied by a full fledged orchestra. Best summed up as an operatic effort, Serj does work it out well, even though he maybe no Freddie Mercury or a Geoff Tate as far as vocal prowess goes. His voice doesn’t need to soar above the jarring riffs and pounds; it just floats above the harmonies of the orchestra. “Sky is Over” becomes a much more pleasant experience. The topics are socially relevant, and the voice is stern. And it would do well to hear it.

Head First – Goldfrapp

asif — Fri, 30 Apr 2010 18:30:37 +0000

The British electronic music duo of Goldfrapp hasn’t really remained loyal to a particular variety of music over the span of their discography. Their latest album “Head First” just makes it the fifth piece which makes this truth more complete. With synthpop melodies, 80s style disco inspired club music minus the funk elements, and all of it married to a modern softer, club based space oriented sound, “Head First” is a neat departure from the previous downtempo “Seventh Tree” as well as the glam rock feel of the hugely popular “Black Cherry”. Right from the start, they simply propel you with cryogenic fuel on the lead single “Rocket” with the sparkling sheen of its choruses. Its not just on rocket, the entire album is filled up with showers of sparkling glitter and exploding confetti. The warm keyboard moves on “Alive”, the staccato beats of “Dreaming” or the twistingly robotic “Shiny and Warm”, each of them just add to the glimmer. Come on, even the sparseness of “Hunt” and the eeriness of “Voicething” can be said to be giving out twinkles. It would remain to be seen if they get nominated for a Mercury with this album like their debut “Felt Mountain”, but we’d say they’d be a strong contender.

Congratulations – MGMT

asif — Fri, 30 Apr 2010 18:30:26 +0000

In an age where singles have erased the inherent concept of releasing albums, it does display a lot of guts if a band tries it the other way round. But then MGMT hasn’t really shied away from making records with idiosyncrasies. Since the runaway success of “Oracular Spectacular”, they established themselves as a band which was willing to try out a different approach to their music. Their latest record “Congratulations” treads on the same path, and succeeds in tailoring a record which has to be heard in totality if you want to bask in its splendor. Psych hiccups prevail throughout the album, which make you stop, wait, and wonder with relish. All in a style so retro that it takes us a good half a century back. The title track provides a mellow reprieve from the onslaught of the adrenalized overdrive of the rest of the album. “Flash Delirium” lifts and then leaves you to a free fall, landing into the spooky wahwah sounds of “I Found A Whistle” whose echoing vocals make way into an eerily appealing landscape on “Siberian Breaks”. The penultimate “Lady Dada’s Nightmare”, purely instrumental, is sure to give the intended person sleepless nights with its uncanny calmness. Clap clap!

Slash – Slash

asif — Fri, 30 Apr 2010 18:30:24 +0000

The legacy of Slash lies in the stuff he did a good decade and a half ago. Yet the iconic image he built with not just his guitar playing skills, but also his onstage persona, lives on till this day. Guns N’ Roses may have had Axl Rose and his idiosyncrasies as its mascot, but you can’t deny the presence and impact of the taciturn shirtless guitarist with a hat placed askance and a precariously held cigarette making way through the curtain of his tangled hair. Of course, Slash cant’ sing. That job is best taken care of by his Gibsons. So when he decided to embark upon a solo self titled album, he picked up a motley collection of vocalists, both from times gone by and now. Notable voices include the haunting wail of the blackest of all metal vocalists Ozzy Osbourne (“Crucify The Dead”), the enduring rasp of that eternal lady-hunter Lemmy Kilmister (“Doctor Alibi”) and the restrained energy of Chris Cornell (“Promise”). Slash treats us to some of his virtuosity on the strings in ample measure on the album, which is witnessed well on his collaboration with Dave Grohl and buddy Duff McKagan on “Watch This”. A listenable album for old time’s sake.

Here Lies Love – David Byrne & Fatboy Slim

asif — Fri, 30 Apr 2010 18:30:17 +0000

If there was one word which defined Imelda Marcos, it was excess. Imelda who? And if you are wondering if Marcos refers to her genealogy with a patriarchal mob, it’s best to stay content in just knowing she is one woman who forms the subject for the collaboration of two of the most prolific musicians we have known. But when David Byrne and Fatboy Slim created “Here Lies Love”, excess was something they never really thought of including. Rather it is the absolute converse. The only thing where they probably thought of numbers was making this into a double disc effort. Which hardly is an oversight considering who are the folks behind the record. Composed predominantly of females voices from different timelines in music history (barring the inveterate troubadour Steve Earle on the chugging “A Perfect Hand”). The album is a disparate mix of sounds – ranging from latin rhythms, disco, soul – stitched together perfectly. Top it up with a mix of eclectic female voices, and you have a record which would please the depths of your sensory perceptions. Cyndi Lauper on “Eleven Days” as also with Tori Amos on midtempo pop of “Why Don’t You Love Me?” comes through as pleasant surprise after all these years. Tori also extols you to move flamenco style on “You’ll Be Taken Care Of”. Don’t forget to jive to Sharon Jones’ soulful voice on “Dancing Together”.

Mantis – Shaa’ir & Func

asif — Fri, 30 Apr 2010 18:30:11 +0000

All that the world needs is a little more love. And even if there is more, there can always be some more. The New York – Mumbai duo of Shaa’ir + Func embarked on a journey of spreading, like we said, some more love, and creating a lot more music. Two albums under their belt already, they released their third album “Mantis” recently, and we must say it covers a lot of terra amour. Much on the lines of its predecessors. Randolph in his avatar as Func is as formidable as ever behind the programming of the music. The random electronic blips, the mellifluous progression of the melody and the well timed percussive machines almost make you forget that the man is actually one of the finest wielders of the six strings we’ve known too. Monica aka Shaa’ir caresses with her soulful voice as she waxes eloquent with her poetic verses. The aptly titled “My Roots” opens the album with a pronounced electronic rendering of Marathi folk (‘Koli’ dance, if we are correct). “Hyperbole” carves out a parabola of energy; “Love Love Love” oscillates in innocent elliptical orbits; “Every Time Your Around” shudders in spheres of trepidation. This is sufficient ammo to fall prey – willingly – to some more love, and some more of their music.

Twilight Theater – Poets of the Fall

asif — Fri, 30 Apr 2010 18:30:07 +0000

At the time the Finnish sextet of Poets of the Fall set foot on Indian soil, they managed to successfully convert a significant populace into their followers. With the subsequent release of some good pop rock material, that following has only stuck faithfully, but also grown in numbers. They may be known best for the smashing success of their album “Carnival of Rust” till now, but with “Twilight Theater”, they promise to break into a new mould. Rising upon just pop rock tunes, they edge towards ambitious plans of epic rock fitting into a cinematic groove. “Dreaming Wide Awake”, with its midtempo moments serves as an effective warming up appetizer to the album, just before you plunge yourself into the seriousness of “War” which veers itself between acoustic simplicity and the rising bravado of a strong chorus which slips into verse right after reaching a crescendo. Vocalist Saaresto gives one of his better performances with a voice that displays signs of a maturity which went somewhat unnoticed on earlier records. But then it isn’t all serious stuff either. They do stick to their formulaic pop rock sensibility, which is displayed in good measure on the dance tuned “Change”, the pumping “Dying To Live” and the dichotomous “Smoke and Mirrors”.

Fist of God – MSTRKRFT

asif — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 07:36:38 +0000

The Canadian duo of Jesse F Keeler (better known as the unimaginative, yet obvious, JFK) and Al-P, in the short span that they have been together, managed to carve out a niche for themselves as one of the most sought after remix artistes. Though they may not have received much applause for their debut album ‘The Looks’, they have refined their sound since then to incorporate metal influences on a dance punk base to create a sound which is going to make for some really groovy house beats to move the party. ‘Vuvuvu’ builds a space barrier all around itself and transports itself on an alien UFO to the outer recesses of consciousness, which is something that comes naturally after you have been treated to thick beats on ‘It Ain’t Love’ and ‘Bounce’ both of which features rappers like Lil Mo and NORE. The album is held together tight by these tracks, although it does feel a bit lacking when the sissy ‘Heartbreaker’ exposes you to the voice of John Legend (of course he is a great vocalist, but then his voice is meant to wobble knees; not jam knees as this album supposes to do). Pick it up if you want to pump up the tempo at any of your house parties. And did we forget to mention that the album artwork warrants attention too with the fingers of a fist made out of women’s asses and legs.

Grounded in Space – Advaita

asif — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 07:35:09 +0000

Creating fusion music, especially when considered in conjunction with Indian classical music is akin to walking on thin ice – the effect of a single strain at the wrong spot, and you run the risk of going down under. Thankfully, Delhi based band Advaita has been providing us with doses of raga based music, in a manner which has been more like gliding on ice. Boasting of fairly large eight member lineup (which of course is required, considering the necessities of spatial creation of the sounds of the tabla, sarangi, and a classical vocalist, besides the conventional guitars and drums), they have blended genres to create a work of art which spellbinds with an exuberance, which paradoxically soothes you. Their debut album, ‘Grounded in Space’ is an experiment in psychedelia floating around you in colourful notes, which begins with ‘Rasiya’ showcasing the talent of their classical singer as the sarangi plays melancholically in the background, builds up at ‘Miliha’, reaches a crescendo with ‘Ghir Ghir’ (a recounting of the much adored feeling amongst classical musicians for the monsoons) and eases out by the time you reach the final track ‘Hamsadhwani’. A sound which should find widespread acclaim amongst an eclectic audience, and release on a major label should go on to make sure this is one of the milestone albums this year.