SHREYA BOSE
INDIE
REVIEWS
Sufayed (Alif):
Listening to Sufayed filled me
with regret. I have spent too
little time knowing my own
country, in particular the
rich linguistic tapestry that
is Kashmiri and Urdu. Alif’s
music is lush, evocative of what
may seem like utterly relatable
agonies. The Kashmir-born
Muhammad Muneem's voice
is capable of various avatars:
a poet, a rapper, a vocalist awash in the ecstasy of his
own art. He allures the listener into dread and joy and
bewilderment with unassuming ease. I doubt that I
possess the understanding of human sentiment that
would justify analysing something as earnest as Malaal
Kya Huwa.
Shartiya weaves melodic strands of ominous dread,
leveraging the power of Muneem's confessional
elocution. Rupiya and Log Kya Kahenge are treatises on
the absurdity of a global population that has replaced
money for joy and social validation for self-worth. I am
positive that my ignorance of Urdu and Kashmiri has
prevented me from adequately appreciating Roumut
Diwanaei and Shoshe Ka Chashma, but their capability
to represent the auspices of human despair is not lost on
me. A single line from Chal Chala Main Aur Tu “meri
khamoshi mera jawaab ban gaya” encapsulates this
band’s power to convert anguish into masterpiece.
Alif is exquisite. It is real, terrifyingly so. Approach it with
apprehension, for it may bring you tears and
aching epiphanies.
Perfect Lies (Abhishek Gopurathinkal):
The thing about Perfect Lies is
that when it gets to the 1 minute
mark, it begins to remind you
of Pink Floyd. No, I am not
establishing an equivalency. I
am just saying that it is obvious
that Abhishek tunes his
instrumental experimentation
in the same direction. The
track is deliciously surprising
in its progression. It carries
an ominous drift, but is entirely conducive to a state
of thoughtful mind. Lovers of the likes of Tame Impala
and Bi Kyo Ran (anyone listen to that anymore?) will
be glad that someone from India is trying to represent
strange, curious alternate states of mind in the confines
of uncanny melody.
26
The
Score Magazine
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