REVIEWS
Merna features extremely incendiary lyrics, and
what makes it more powerful is that the band
chooses to don the perspective of the oppressor
while they sing or more accurately, chant. There
is a hypnotic lull beneath all the stomping, noise-
driven riffage. Think NIN’s Piggy and Closer, and
you’ll get a sense of what I mean. It's not a stretch
to imagine that the band was trying to make a
statement on mindless propaganda and it's devastating
results with this particular sleight of hand.
Buzzing, half-toned guitars create a fuzzy, eerie
soundscape that provides the perfect context
for the extreme ideas the album presents.
Thematically, they take a page straight out of
NIN’s The Downward Spiral - “the journey of the
album’s central character, through to the ultimate
breakdown and destruction of their soul.”
Merna is a wonderful piece of art, created by three
men who are eager to make listeners very, very
uncomfortable. Apparently, they tested out their new
music with secretly planned live shows included a
festive celebration ( where they turned out to be a big
hit) and a ghost-town in the middle of nowhere with
what the band calls “some very violent promoters.”
Clearly, the band puts their money where their
mouth is. They seem dedicated to flouting
convention and have carved out 8 tracks that
simultaneously food for thought and melodic
appeal. Their penchant for experimentation has
been firmly established with their debut.
Granted, a lot of Nivid sounds like NIN and The
Smashing Pumpkins with Hindi lyrics. But it's
hard not to admire the sources they are drawing
their inspiration from. Industrial rock occupies a
space between the cathartic aggression of heavy
metal and the mellifluous distortion of punk and
grunge. It represents a repressed rage and a hapless
despair that never finds resolution. Nivid brings
this glorious tradition to the Indian consciousness,
and it's quite frightening how well it seems to fit.
Two Macha
(Two Macha):
The mandolin
stands out.
The first thing that
draws you into
the work of this
folk-acoustic duo is
how the mandolin
strings manage
to tease and
dominate at the
same time. Played
by bluegrass
mandolin adept Dolinman AKA Diptanshu
Roy, this European lute is the belle of the ball.
Dolinman is joined by the quirky, curious songwriting
of Suren Vikash. He also lends his voice, which
ranges from honeyed tones to a gravelly high pitch.
Their musicality carries, at its centre, the intention
of social relevance. Yossane Perussu, for example,
is about the green revolution, it's consequences
and the state of agriculture and farmers in India.
They invoke Kabir with Man Masth Hua, and
flutter about the frailties of love in Just You.
In league with a host of collaborators, Two
Macha’s debut album is charming and curious in
equal. Suren sings in many languages, possibly to
reflect the vast repertoire of sounds that inspire
them. Firmly rooted in the history on Indian
sounds, the band turns really good music into
a thought experiment for their listeners.
Born out of a fortuitous meeting at the Ziro Festival
of Music, Two Macha is an excellent addition to
our country’s sonic tapestry. The songs enchant
without end, and offer plenty to wonder upon. With
every gently plucked string, beautiful and important
stories are poured into the listener’s awareness.
The
Score Magazine
highonscore.com
23