Reviewed Albums [Album Art]

Stupid Stupid Stupid. The Songbird's first review.

The Foals - Total Life Forever

Karen Elson - The Ghost Who Walks

The Mavyns - Lick The Blue Frog

Karen Elson - The Ghost Who Walks Review.

Karen Elson - The Ghost Who Walks.

Karen Elson. She’s hot. She was a model, you know. A human coat hanger for everyone from Marc Jacobs, D&G, Chanel, Versace and the like. And with good reason. She’s a pretty face. Pale white skin and flaming red hair. And someone who looks like this can play the guitar and sings songs about murder, love and roses. Love at first listen or what?

Then however, she got married to Jack White, and started her own Cabaret band. This explains why her music has a very theatrical quality about it, best heard in some dark, soothing environment. But its not exactly run-of-the-mill fare. It’s a weird hybrid between shy and outgoing.

The first song, the title track is called ‘The Ghost That Walks’ and is among the many highlights on the CD. It’s a slow, silvery murder ballad, using clever clichés and understated horror to leave its mark on you. Infact, the entire album is like that. Desperate and forlorn. Sad, yet oddly hopeful. Echoey and strainy. This album isn’t about record sales or big money. It’s about a person baring her mind and soul through music. The entire album reveals her thought process, showing once again, that there is no greater power than music.

People may ask the question, why listen to Karen Elson? Aren’t there more women singing in the same genre as her, why her? What makes her so special? What’s wrong with Taylor Swift? The answer, is that this album feels like it was written for you. Tell me that you don’t relate to “The only rain that falls in this land, are the tears that fall from me” – Mouths to Feed, or “I was old before I learnt to be young” – Stolen Roses or “A 100 years from now my dear, we shall not care at all; For it will not matter then my dear, if we’ve ever loved at all” from A 100 Years from now and I’ll say that you’re a cold-hearted bitch.

This album is highly recommended. Listen late at night, preferably with friends. And keep silent. I’ve always believed that good musicianship isn’t about your technical proficiency on an instrument or with lyrics [Screw you Joe Satriani!]. It isn’t even about the way you sing, way you dress or the way you live your life. It’s the way your music can make people think, remember, forget, understand and believe. It will concoct imagery in your head, and that is a winning point of the album.

The Foals - Total Life Forever - Review

The Foals - Total Life Forever

The Foals are a unique band. Though they fit into the “rock band” mould, they still don’t. For starters, the music. Is it rock? Is it pop? Is it dance? WHAT!? It’s a question you couldn’t answer after their stupendous first album “Antidotes”. After ‘Total Life Forever’ however, it’s clear. They’re all three. Second, they’re from Oxford. What’s that all about?

Most bands [Example, The Strokes], after great first albums, get the dreaded second album syndrome. ie, they start making shitty music in comparison to their stellar debuts. No one can put Foals into the same category though. The album is clear, powerful piece of music. It sounds like a combination of dirty dance moves, bleary eyed hangovers, and foot-tapping late night parties. Whereas ‘Antidotes’ was nervous and an oddity, this album is a worthy successor to it. It sounds self-assured, confident, but not arrogant and straightforward classy. I’m afraid to say that “Mathletics” has competition as the best Foals song, mainly coming from “Blue Blood”, “Miami” and “Black Gold”. That’s not to take anything away from the other tracks though; each one holds its own individually. The glue that holds this album together is “Spanish Sahara”. Spanish Sahara can be best described as an orgasm. Yes. An orgasm.

It begins like anything else, and nothing else. A gentle, haunting noise in your head. It glides over you and relaxes you, but you never relax. You’re still on edge, nervous, wondering what will happen. Your anxiety is heightened by Yannis’ rolling voice and misty lyrics, and you start to feel the song/you move towards the familiar outbreak of pleasure, and just when you can’t take it anymore, and your about to cross the threshold, it stops, going back to it’s gentle humming. Pleasure becomes Pain. Pain becomes Pleasure. Then it starts all over again. The twinkle-toed drumming. The feather light guitar. The squeaked keyboards. The patient bass. And Yannis’ beautiful voice. And this time it does get too much, and you/the song lets go, in a fiery outbreak of pure ecstasy. Spanish Sahara will blow your head off.

‘This Orient’ is a pop song that sounds like a sober version of The Strokes. It’s the popiest on this album. And perhaps the easiest to skip next on.

The biggest single change on this album is the melodic singing, and the romantically abstract lyrics. [You’ve got the blood on your hands, I think it’s my own – Blue Blood] or [Would you betray me, or save me from you – Miami] or even better [The future’s not what it used to be – Black Gold] or the words that are on every Indie lover boy’s lips [It’s your heart that gives me this western feeling – This Orient]

Another big highlight of this album is the track ‘Alabaster’. Pure musical erotica. It caresses your ears and sooths your mind. Wonderful after a long and hard day.

The Foals have shown that they’re not lightweights, and aren’t jolly prettyboys with 2 good songs. This album is already a contender to Number 1 of the year, and holds itself even among its more illustrious colleagues. Fuck Bloc Party, The Foals are the best Indie band around right now.

Lick The Blue Frog - Review

The Mavyns - Lick The Blue Frog

Aaah. The Mavyns. [Pronounced - may-vin]. But there’s no question of ‘May’ winning with this band. With a batch of songs that have proved outright winners with almost everybody, and couple that with the tumultuous concerts they play and it’s the jackpot. They have tastes that range from the most obvious one, The Beatles, to some as unlikely ones such as White Stripes and Cold War Kids. Their music is high-strung and a comprehensive mash-up of mainly British music and is clever enough to appear dumb. And while you can detect their influences, it’s never as if their playing someone else’s songs. They are the Mavyns. They’re playing the Mavyn’s music.

So finally, they’ve released an album of sorts. It’s a collection of live performances held at the Blue Frog. More like it’s a collection of ultra-energetic drumming, first class guitar solos and highly sentimental lyrics. The Mavyns bash out a debut that’s single-minded in its righteousness. An all-action, balls out quarter rising from the ashes of such bands as The Beatles in its melancholy undertones, Velvet Underground in its musicianship, Bob Dylan in its expansive lyrical conquests and Sex Pistols like confidence in their own ability. They’ve whipped up a perfect storm of tumbling, holler-helmed chaos that settles into a precise, catchy and sweetly-plied fusion. The album’s ambition is only exceeded by it’s quality. The brush that paints this album is further than just the music. Lyrically, there’s a hell lot to write about. In about 42 minutes, they express everything from love, hate, joy, weed, hopelessness, sexual promiscuity, laughter, friendship, tears and death. It’s an album that reveals a lot about the band. It’s melancholic in a deeply personal way. It’s manages to be sad, even when it’s happy. [Proof - “you think you’re beyond what makes you happy, or everything that ever made you sad”]. It might be your best album of 2010. The sound is big, sticky and sounds so damn new, for music inspired in the 60’s. Music you can sing as well dance to. However, everything has a flaw. The Mavyn’s being the live version of ‘Freedomslinger’. The recorded version is so good, it’s almost orgasmic, but it would be a stretch to say that about the live one. The riff, so key to the song, is disjointed and tired. The other, is the scrunched and scruffy guitar/bass tone which somehow offsets ‘My Sound’. It’s got a terrifyingly addictive piano intro, but is thrown off by the almost grungy guitar. It would have been a lot better for simple and musical guitar lines.

The album is good, great even. It takes more than rhyming words and a 4/4 beat to change the way you look at music, and with all due credit, The Mavyns have managed it. It’s a case of Indian music at its theoretical best, combining western influences with eastern charisma. You might wonder what they’re formula is, and end up to a conclusion of Beatle-mashing. But if you like the album and the songs, the only formula you need to love is yours. Truly.

Highlights:-

1. You’re Only Right
2. Hard To Believe
3. Greener Than The Sea
4. My Downtown Baby
5. Screw it! The entire damn album!

Stupid Stupid Stupid - Review

Stupid Stupid Stupid is one of those compilations that you don’t quite know what to expect from it. However, like Jose Marti once said, “Charm is a product of the unexpected”. You can’t help but like it. It makes you feel good, despite the occasional song on it about an unfaithful woman. It makes you feel proud about Indian music.

It’s longer this year, with 21 songs. It’s also broadened it’s horizons with some metal and electronic music on it. The artwork is also loaded with lots of cassettes and a cat. Yes. A cat.

It starts with Seven Degree’s “Shadows In The Dark”, which is a likeable song at best. It has a hasty quality about it, and the chorus is rather disappointing, but the tune and the quality of the way in which it is delivered ensures that your head does a replay of it a few times, couple that with the cliché that is the song title, and it’s an attractive tune. At the end of the day, Seven Degree’s are rather like the White Stripes, [though Rashmi Upadhyay’s drumming skills are better than anything Meg White’s ever played.] with rash and loud guitars over efficient drumming. A good song. Nothing less. Nothing more.

Second up, The Circus with their song “FOPS”. We all remember The Circus from good ole’ Launchpad. We all remember the ridiculous purply picture. We all remember THAT ‘My Humps’ cover. We all remember the suspicious devotion of Reverse Polarity after they were knocked out. And we liked the fact that they were flying the flag for Alternative, even if they have been experimental in their music. The song, FOPS though, is largely rather disappointing after what they did on Launchpad and after. This song is frankly put, weird. The first minute and 15 seconds is the most confounding thing you’ll ever hear this year, save for Rafa Benitez blaming everyone/thing for Liverpool’s failures. But Abhishek Bhatia’s vocals on this song are a blessing. They’re frickin’ amazing. On first listen, this is a terrible song, but with repeated hearings it gets better and better and better. But not one of Circus’s better efforts in the end. Also their line about being unmetal where they said they think pig slaughter ain’t cool is as deluded as VH1’s ‘rock rulez’ ad. Since when did metal, or indeed rock involve pig slaughter?

However, when Gravy Theory’s ‘Radio’ rolls around, you forget everything. It’s a spunky, downright fantastic song. Souradeep Dutta’s vocals lack the [wannabe] accent that is so common in Kolkata’s bands and that is only a good thing. His singing is one of the best on the compilation despite tough competition. Excellent drumming, not so excellent solo though. However, it’s an urgent, vital piece of music that demands you to like it. One of the best on this album. Then comes the snarling “Wronged” by Aftertaste. It’s a guttural, raw song with heavy guitars with quick and upbeat vocals. The chorus is pretty good too. It sticks to its alternative roots and the result is a safe, likeable song. However, it’s one of those songs which you like when you hear, but forget about when the next song comes on. There’s no chance of forgetting the next song though, Freedomslinger by The Mavyns. This song is the best on the album, bar none. It sounds like the Kinks, and it’s so good, that I’m sure the Kinks won’t mind this being a part of their catalogue. It’s also got lyrics that mean something while not meaning anything. The solo is also downright brilliant. It’s quite staggering how Pradeep Mathews maintains the quality of the solo for over two minutes while you regularly hear godawful solos that last for 10-15 seconds but are so bad, that you wish they ended faster. This song is not a class act. It’s all Class. No act. The next song, ‘The Choot Song’ is a disappointing mid-tempo rocker that leaves much to be desired. All that is good is a catchy bass line and the title of the song, and even that's not enough. It's a filler song. Anything more and it'd be overrated. Moving on, The Weapon by The Lightyears is the next song. It’s a good song with the rather inspired lyrics ‘I don’t care, but I still mind’ which means a lot if you think about it. The vocals are energetic and virile. It’s one of the better songs on the album. Then comes along a real gem. ‘In Love With You’ by Lavender Carnage is a classic. It’s also uncomfortably true. It reminds you of the bitch that broke your heart and you started to listen to Lionel Richie and Stevie Wonder. It reminds you of your time together. It reminds you of the way she smelt. It also reminds you of the time when she left you for a guy taller than you and funnier than you. It also reminds you of your misguided attempts to write poetry about/for her. It also rather painfully, reminds you of her reaction to it. [Hell, Srijan Sen imitates your ex for you!] It’s rather a pity it’s such a short song. Despite lasting for only a minute and 45 seconds it manages to leave you gasping when it’s over. It’s one of the finest of the album. And it’s a pity the same can’t be said about the next song, ‘This is Sparta’ by Khiladi. It’s an astonishingly bad song. Apparently it’s about a guy, a girl and two more girls. Guy likes Girl. Girl doesn’t like Guy because the “other” Girls say she deserves more. Hence starts an epic battle. Unfortunately, the concept is better than the execution. Lyrically, it’s not the best as well. [So many reasons for you to see, why I am crazy about thee]. The word thee. It must be Shakespeare’s greatest contribution to this world. The number of terrible lyricists and wannabe poets, who have used this word, are uncountable. The next song, ‘War’ by Boomarang is a classic. Echoing Lennon’s Imagine its sentiments, it’s a song to die for. The lyrics are a masterpiece. [‘You won’t go to heaven, with your AK-47’ and ‘There’s no point in a suicide’ are just a taster] It’s a mellow and soothing ballad that does a lot more than just perk up your ears. Messiah’s new songs, ‘Boys Don’t Cry’ are up next. It’s a brilliant, brilliant song with a quirky bass line. It’s this raw, uncluttered mesh of punk and grunge which many bands have tried but few have yielded results as good as ‘Boys Don’t Cry’. It also has the obligatory declaration of freedom with ‘My dreams aren’t dead’. A very good song and one that you’ll listen to many times. Just like the next one ‘Village Song’ by Fire Exit.

It’s one of those songs which forces you to look at reality and frankly, it’s a depressing song. Not bad depressing. Good depressing. Very good depressing infact. Subhadra Kamath’s vocals are ruddy brilliant. She manages to be hopeless and hopeful at the same time. Also, the musicianship of the band must be commended. They don’t drown out the tabla and the riff is pretty good too. A classy song, by a classy band. Remember Workshop? Launchpad? Hardhats? Blue Overalls? Songs about Masturbation? No? Well they’re here as well. And they spice up proceedings pretty damn well. “Pudhe Sarka” is a song that’ll make you laugh and laugh and laugh. Some of the things on this song are funnier than their epic imitations of Donald Duck during Launchpad. But it’s worth wondering why a metal band are on an “un-metal” compilation. Are non-metal bands and their songs really so bad? However, a great song from one of India’s best bands is more than an adequate compensation. [To note – listen to the ‘hey pretty boy, got some change?’ proof that The Demonstealer can be bloody attractive when he wants to be.]

Artificial Red’s song ‘Human Theory’ is one of those songs that make the voice in your head go ‘go get a job. do some studying. now!’ It talks about being a dog, a fly and a human. Shawn Pereira’s voice is carelessly elegant with a wonderful rough edge to it. He sets a mellow mood to a vaguely psychedelic offering which is continued by ‘The Old Whore’ by Dischordian. Maybe it’s not psychedelic but it keeps the damp expression on your face. It’s describes a *ahem*, a woman, who’s lips are blue. She’s dead now. [RIP] However, she must have been a pretty good woman to have this song written in tribute. It’s like having sex with a guitar. Genuine and perfect. Just like the next one. Second Shift’s ‘July Mind’. It’s lyrically classy and musically unbelievable. It’s a smooth, drifting mid-tempo semi-rocker that has terrific written all over it. The lyrics are…fantastic. The chorus is both catchy and innovative and Vinod Easwaran’s vocals do the song more than justice. The guitar work is fluid and compact. The song itself is a curious mixture of hope and disillusionment. Constellation Project song, ‘Ring the Bell’is a slightly tempered song where Garima Aneja’s huskily sexy voice sets the tone. It’s unnervingly brilliant. She’s as good as Meg White singing ‘Cold Cold Night’. Less raw. More sexy. Like sexaay sexy. You know? She’ll be the end of someone someday. The next song, ‘3 Act Circus’ by Noush Like Sploosh follows in the same vein. It makes a great soundtrack and is instrumentally catchy. It creates a misty and dreamy atmosphere and the harder you try to concentrate on the song, the harder it gets for you to decipher any sort of sense from it. The only thing that is certain in this song is the uncertainty and insecurity that surrounds it. One of the better efforts on the album. ‘Drowning Song’ by Sridhar/Thayil is musical poetry. It’s an echoic song that doesn’t make a lot of sense. There are lots of sounds on this song. Eg. Seagulls, Waves, Grumpy Scary Man, you know? The usual. What you’d expect to find in a song. You know?

The penultimate song, ‘March’ by Medusa. A song which proclaims, ‘it’s all a joke!’ Nice message no? Fortunately, the song isn’t a joke at all. It’s a dance-y, catchy and killer song. When you’re stoned to within an inch of your life, have a female with a ten feet radius and really want to shake your booty, choose this song. This is perfect for staggered movements with someone you’re reproductively interested in. And finally! ‘Make Some Love’ by Digitalkids! Straight out of Bappi Lahiri’s backlog! Something that Mithun Chakravarty would shake it to. It’s a loveable and uncomplicated song. No frills at all. To the point music. Ordinary but extraordinary music.

This compilation is great. And especially in a year blighted by Asheem Chakravarty’s sad demise, and the joke of a ‘Rock in India’ concert, this compilation has been a shining light of hope that shows that all is not lost in the Indian Rock Scene. Definitely recommended! More so because it’s free!

Highlights –:

1. Mavyns – Freedomslinger

2. Lavender Carnage – In Love With You

3. Gravy Theory – Radio

4. Boomerang – War

5. Constellation Project – Ring The Bell.

Rock In India.

Tehelka's article about the Indian rock scene did trigger a Tehelka in the music circles and no doubt re-in forced traditional Indian views about rock being the domain of screechy voices, tattoo's and long unkempt hair.

It could not be further from the truth. It's a lie. I was not only incensed, but quite rightly disappointed that such a reputed magazine will slag off such a promising area in the country. This is my rebuttal to the article. My word. Indiecision and TAAQ posted their highly lauded responses as well. Do read them. I won't be repeating points that they've already said, but here we go. And please forgive the amateur writing.

Indian Rock.

Samar Grewal states “Music journalism lacks balls in our country. You only have 10 bands that are popular when you launch a magazine — and if you were really honest about them, you’d be trashing eight of them. There’d be nothing left to talk about. You have to work in euphemisms.” This may be true, but it holds water all across the world. Does Mr. Grewal think that every band in the UK or US are lauded? No, they are not. Infact, record label bosses and music journalists have a widely held belief that only once in 5-10 years does a band come along that truly changes the world. The rest make up the numbers. And India should be no different. So what if their music is “bad”? If bands have the confidence [or as Mr. Grewal put it, ‘balls’] to play them, then why shouldn’t a new music magazine give them a chance? And moreover, bad & good are a matter of opinion. What one person may think about a band, another might not. Siddharth Srinivasan also says something along the lines of the media having to package a scene, since it’s impossible to sell shit. This might be personal bias, but Lady Gaga is a packaged piece of nothingness that displays everything wrong with modern culture and she still managed to sell 8 million records last year. So why is it suddenly blasphemous for an Indian media to do the same to a band, that despite not wearing revealing clothes, not having a multimillion dollar team of songwriters and a PR company that has a budget bigger than Greece’s state deficit, are considered rather good?

The basic problem with Indian Rock is not the presence of discouraging journalists, but rather the lack of finances and awareness. Most bands that do have a presence in the rock scene have more talent in an eyelid than the judges of various Indian singing competitions. Yet they get paid in the lacs by people for *ahem* creating shabby pop “tunes” with an unashamed injection of “kewl” hip hop. How come anyway? Has any Indian music movie soundtrack come closer to the greatness of Indian Ocean’s ‘Bandeh’ that accompanied Black Friday? Has any music director in this country have the amount of talent and perseverance of Amit Kilam, Rahul Ram, Susmit Sen? Do they? Have they?
Can they ever hope to create a piece of music so beautiful, so stunning that it breaks your heart, and still puts it back together in a mere 8 minutes? The answer is an overwhelming no.

The outdated statistics that Inder Sindhu provides, saying that 80% of all music sales go to Bollywood is another indicator. Why can’t directors and produces of swanky movies take on a young band to write them a song? Is it so difficult? Vishal Dadlani, lead singer of Pentagram seems to be doing alright in Bollywood, singing along with the man responsible for Lady Gaga, Akon.

The movie that many claim is responsible for India’s rock music revival, ‘Rock On!!’ was ultimately a money making racket. Javed Akhtar who wrote the lyrics himself admitted he barely knew about the Indian rock scene but still managed to slag it off. [Seriously, do ALL rock bands have tattoos and long hair?] Also, Samar Grewal states that we’re not serious about our music, as we’re too infatuated with out western idols. True, but that can also be termed “inspiration”. And speaking of western idols and ‘Rock On!!’ Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy, who did the music, would they kindly explain how they totally ripped off the beginning of Black Eyes Peas song ‘Don’t Phunk With My Heart’ in “their” song, ‘Yeh Mera Dil’ in Don?

The writer, also states that since Rock originated with crime, sex and intoxication and politics in the west, our version of rock doesn’t really qualify as rock. He states that it lacks any sort of character, and is a reversal of the genre’s origins. He says that more often than not, “musicians” in this country are bankrolled by indulgent parents. This argument holds water to a certain level, but come on; Elvis’s mom bought him his first guitar! I don’t see anyone deriding him or his momma? However, how is it the fault of musicians that they don’t have to work for a year or so to buy a guitar? [Think John Mayer.] If they have an instrument and know how to play it, then all is well and good, but being in a band these days is more about impressing your peer group than to follow what you fell in love with in the first place, the music. Some bands these days have a Facebook fan page before they have their first rehearsal.

Another point, Mr. Sidhu says is the fact that rock bands in the country do not have an identity. They don’t say anything. They don’t do anything [apart from making shitty music, according to the writer.] This is complete and utter bullshit, especially when you compare Indian bands to the ones abroad. Do all of the bands in US and UK write lyrics about AIDS, the recession, the Taliban and the deterioration of modern culture? Let’s get serious, not everything in this world serves a higher purpose and similarly not every song should be a shining beacon of hope. Basically, why the fuck do we take ourselves so damn seriously? So what if Them Clone’s lyrics are middle school poetry? Zephyretta is a good song anyway! Secondly, bands do often write a social commentary in the form of lyrics. Did you forget “Voice” by Pentagram? That became the [excuse the pun] Voice of the Indian youth against the injustice of quotas? Or again Bandeh by Indian Ocean as Indiecision put it “infused humanity into one very horrific incident.” Or how about bringing up Swarathma? Their song ‘Yeshu Allah Aur Krishna’ is a moving song about corruption? They incorporate poetry written in 1469 and yet Indian Bands do not have an identity? What a load of utter tosh. All of these songs were in the Top25 of the decade according to Indiecision, so it clearly seems someone, somewhere, is doing something right? And let’s be honest as well, Song lyrics from abroad aren’t as great as well. As Indiecision expertly pointed out, hey! Some of the Beatle’s lyrics suck as well! But moving back, not all songs that are worshipped by the faithful have earth shattering lyrics or rhymes. For example, Zero’s song [it’s wrong to call it a song. It should be called an Anthem] PSP 12 tops Indiecision’s list. But does it mean anything? Does it have to? Look back to Hotel California. How difficult is it to rhyme ‘wine’ with 1969? Get real. Not all the people who are multimillionaire’s in music are the best songwriters around. There aren’t many Thom Yorke’s or Alex Turner’s out there. And that’s a good thing. Akon’s song ‘Beautiful’ has lyrics along the lines of “When I see you, I run out of words to say, I wouldn't leave you, 'Cause you're that type of girl to make me stay” and the gem “Can I be your baby father?” and yet it was one of the biggest hits last year. Does anyone need reminding of TikTok by Kesha? Even great bands fall victim to the odd lyrical atrocity. Take Beatle’s ‘While my guitar gently weeps’ for instance. Does “I look at the floor and see it needs sweeping” signify anything? I highly doubt it. Basically, lyrics aren’t the be all and end all of music. They don’t have to be. Sure, great lyrics are fantastic and they do increase the appeal of a song, but to expect every band, every song and every word to have a meaning is frankly, a frivolous thought.

The writer also attacks Indian Ocean’s music style. Apparently, if you make music the way you’ve been making it for 30 years, it’s bad. Infact it’s shocking. I’m sure the writer wouldn’t mind mentioning the fact that we love Indian Ocean because they make the music now, the way they did it then? That we trust them because we know it’ll be something that’ll melt out hearts and dazzle our minds? Why, Oasis, Pink Floyd, Iron Maiden and ACDC made music within the same “framework” for quite some time, and they’ve done more than well, haven’t they?

Mr. Sidhu reserves praise for Indigo Children [they were called that last week, what are they called now?] He says that the fact that Indigo Children songs are loose, has an ever-changing rhythm section and that their “effects panel” is as weird as the accent in which the singer *ahem* sings, is a good thing. While these are brave and certainly praise worthy moves, they aren’t exactly good or great. The fact is they’re doing something already done before abroad, but not in India. Ultimately they’re just the best in a bad bunch.

The writer also states that Indian rock shows do not pull enough audiences. That they lack in numbers. Sure, big bands in the UK can hope to pull anywhere from 15,000 to 40,000 people for a show, it’s still few and far between. The truth is, they have more bands than they count, and if you look at it in a statistical way, their average attendance for a rock show isn’t much better than ours. If we pull 100, they might pull 300. Big difference. Big fucking difference.

Finally Mr. Sidhu finishes off the sham that is the Indian Rock Scene by saying that bands have abandoned publishing CD’s because of high costs. Junkyard Groove’s guitarist laments the fact that they had only 50,000 downloads in a year. This should be a success story, not a cause of dejection. In a country like India, 50,000 downloads is quite a figure, and no doubt many bands, even abroad, would give a testicle or two to be on the receiving end of such an accomplishment. Even the Arctic Monkeys, who came to the fore via MySpace and Facebook didn’t manage 50,000 downloads. Come on! MySpace and Facebook are good things! Bands certainly can’t afford the cost of publicity like Bollywood can for a gig or a CD launch, so why not use Facebook’s event option? Chances are, you hit more people through it than you ever do with a advertising hoarding. And it’s free too!

The writer says that Indian Rock “is still wandering around with its umbilical cord, trying to find some place to plug it in”. Not true. At all. We have more bands than ever now. We have more people listening to the music now. We have more gig venues now. We have better gig venues now! We have rich sponsors now! Hell, we’ve even got better music now, certainly better than Bollywood’s same old musical tales of love, rich daddy’s, poor heroes and song videos in Switzerland.

Ultimately, YOU need to get involved. The listener. The consumer. The fan. The groupie. Whatever category you fall under. Trash a band you don’t like, stalk one you do. Sing along, play air guitar. Because in the end, that’s the weapon we have against ignorant journalists and a country that someday will wake up, to the golden pot that is the Indian Rock Scene.


PS – The article in question is here. http://www.tehelka.com/story_main44.asp?filename=hub170410dont_believe.asp.
Other responses.
i) Indiecision - http://www.indiecision.com/2010/04/27/rock-off/
ii) Thermal And A Quarter - http://www.facebook.com/note.php?note_id=383669496370&id=24633722832&ref=nf

The Egg Hatches...Hello Songbird!

This is a continuation of the previous blog [The MLS], which had to be taken down for a few reasons.

And like I said, It's all about the music. Albums, Singles, Videos, Gigs. Everything.

So the Songbird sings for the first, and definitely not last time!

Thank You, and do visit often.

Read on. Rock on.