SHREYA BOSE
reviews
Sabar (Shadow and Light):
I shall start off with the absolute obvious. Pavithra Chari and Anindo Bose do good work. Its
hard to find them engaging in amateurish drivel (and I've had a fair bit of that this month).
As their debut album demonstrates, their melodic games are definitively delightful.
With Shadow and Light, there is no cause for disappointment. The album is a playground
for variation - between genres, styles, languages, thematic focus and all else. Chari's
classical training is blatant in the way her voice careens through a plethora of diverse
instrumental arrangements. She is effortlessly at home with every track, epitomizing
flexibility, and most importantly, fun. You can almost see the elation in her eyes as
she croons.
Sabar is purposely experimental, deliciously structured with influences ranging from
jazz to electronica to classic Hindustani classical overtures. You will struggle to pick a
favourite, as the range for comparison does not exist. Despite fundamental similarities,
every song is determined to offer a different side of the emotional spectrum. 'Dhadkan' celebrates the untiring endurance of
hope, 'Kahaani' exemplifies the void that accompanies a serious loss, 'Dilruba' comes in with a mix of bitterness and adoration
towards love - an old story crafted with delectable novelty. 'Patjhad' concocts the most identifiable fusion between electronica
and classical inclinations without being too insistent on the 'fusion' aspect of it all.
It struck me that the songs came out so well because the artists focused on the only thing that gives art any significance
whatsoever - self-expression. The songs are personal chronicles, even if they did not emerge from personal experience. There
is confessional quality that invites the listener into interaction. The listener is given an opportunity to explore their own
reactions to the music and lyrics. Like all good music, the songs ask to be ruminated on. The intention is for the listener to
enjoy the sound, and find what engaging with the sound reveals about their own selves.
18
The
Score Magazine
highonscore.com