Euphony (Heat Sink): Euphony is a long song. Ostensibly
fleshed into four pieces, it stretches a singular sentiment
into genre-based variations while staying true to a
fluttery, almost amused meditation on personal chaos.
The EP starts on strong footing, with Time Lapse showcasing
serious experimental intent. Familiar jazz arrangements
morph into turbulent time signatures; quicksilver riffs
both intrigue and confuse the listener. The instrumental
arrangement smells of barely concealed turbulence, held
in place with Meera Desai’s diaphanous voice bends
and winks to reveal a dark, disconcerted mind.
Easily the most ambitious piece in the EP, the first song sets
high expectations which mellow out in subsequent offerings.
Impulse is intensely personal - a saga of loss and confusion.
Emboldened by a melodic arrangement built on subtle, skillful
acrobatics of technique, Desai channels a jazz club siren
from the 50s, singing her grief in luminous dulcet despair.
I’m Lost is a bit of a strange child, paring back the
ambitious arpeggios in favour of a steady rock ballad
that harkens crowd-pleasers from the year 2000. Led
vocally by Protyay Chakraborty, it is a solid slab of good
soundcraft, but is a definitive departure from the more
cerebrally and sentimentally engaging aesthetics.
The fact that Protyay’s vocal potential was wasted on I’m
Lost is clarified in Dark Light, where he demonstrates
impressive vocal diversity. The instrumentation returns to
its earlier aspirations, especially in the form of a poignant-
yet-playful guitar solo. Thematically, the album’s world-
building dives into anguish as the vocalist dwells on the
harrowing nature of happiness (or rather, the pursuit of it).
Synapses at Work 2 (LAYER Music Project): To convey
an idea without words can either be astonishingly
effortless or difficult to the point of obscurity. One isn’t
sure which polarity LAYER Music Project’s work exists
in, mainly because the philosophical intentions posited
by the artist are barely detectable in the sound itself.
As a collection of prog-synth pieces, the album is fairly
fit for dance-ridden nights. There ain’t much need
for technical analysis; it's catchy and you gyrate to it.
However, the artist claims that the album is borne out
of his intellectual acquaintance with Socrates, Kant,
Plato and their ilk. In fact, the concept, as described by
the artist reads like a narcotic-charged mindspatter:
“The philosophic stop overs. We saw a big tree and found
Socrates speaking with himself. His words seemed floating in
the air. We saw a river and saw Plato weaving tapestries out of
these words. We saw a garden and saw Aristotle lying on the
grass leisurely denying our presence. Then we saw a building
which looked like a school helmed by a principal named Kant.”
The music, however, does little to indicate such inspiration.
Which platonic idea does Time and Space play with? Is the
artist attempting a Socratic dialogue/debate with The Stoic
Calm? One has no way to tell, since nothing but familiar
house beats appear in the album. Chants of “Jaya Jaya
Shankara” in State of Shankara sound abrupt, imposing
but out of place. No underlying truth is made apparent.
The artist apparently attempts a communion with the
listener’s mind and curiosity with his subject matter,
but if there is an idea to be explored, it is hard to detect.
One is not intrigued, only superficially amused.
Distinctively, the album uses sprightly major chords to
depict (or disguise?) agony. What begins with personal
loss and lamentation transforms into a semi-stoic
realisation on enduring existence. On the other hand, the
instruments giggle and croon like they belong in a jazz
club serving joyful artists in the Roaring Twenties.
Undoubtedly, Euphony is a celebration of thinking
minds. The effort and innovation is apparent, and
upholds Heat Sink as worthy of long-term attention.
While they might have slipped into safer lines midway
through their narrative, founder Chirag Todi and
compatriots have given you something to mull over.
The
Score Magazine
highonscore.com
23