SHREYA BOSE
INDIE
REVIEWS
Across The River (Eashwar Subramanian): Subramanian
has a way with sounds. His new album is a musical exercise
in serenity. It is calmness made alive through every note, but
is blooming with variety and wonder. It soothes the listener,
while stimulating them at every turn.
This perfect harmony of contradictions is Subramanian’s
signature. His convergence of sounds end up creating a
happy place, a half hour interlude from everyday cacophony.
Much like his earlier work Polar Drift, the album coaxes
the listener into the present moment. A liturgy of dulcet
rhythms invites the listener to do nothing but listen. Cease
the mind chatter and dive into the shimmering braid of
ambient soundplay.
The album leans into experimental impulses, with Indian
and Western classical components planted in sinuous layers
of lush synth. The Tibetan bell and the Middle Eastern
duduk become perfectly at home with low electronic
hums. There is plenty to explore, and to return to in
multiple replays. Restraint and spontaneity work together
in unexpected harmony to offer quiet respite in a world
suffocated with complication.
Kho Jaun (Vicky & Tejas): When was the last time you
listened to some good, uncomplicated music? If it’s been a
while, then Vicky & Tejas are your boys.
Their album has 5 songs. Each song can be defined in a
single word: charm. The duo are unutterably charming,
almost verging on adorable. They sing about the most
familiar thing in the world: old love. But they do so with
simple, easily lovable lyrics that play around in equally
simple and lovable chords. It’s easy to imagine them as
popular college seniors, strumming guitars and singing
these gentle melodies while being surrounded by adoring
juniors and friends since first year.
The music is disarming. It hits close to home, singing
of things that everyone feels. It’s about losing love,
remembering lost love and beckoning for love to brighten
one’s life. It’s that familiarity that makes the songs worthy
of replay. They ask the listener to do nothing but listen and
perhaps crack a nostalgic smile.
In Kho Jaun, sentiment trumps skill. The music is
well-done, but it’s nothing to write home about. However,
combined with the lyrics, they are ripe for evoking personal
memory. Since almost everyone has a story of having loved
and lost, almost everyone will find their stories echoed on
this album. That is more than enough to get us through these
dismal days.