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“Jaane kaisa hai tu” is a peppy number very typical of Shaan, very Indipop and raasta sort of song. The album is so average, I cannot imagine it’s from the same Pritam who did the stunning Life in a Metro. Of course it would be convenient to blame the failure of the album on Siddharth-Suhas. Pritam does only the opening track and then winds up the tail end of it, with the last track.

The grunting and groaning “I am a bad boy” is so off putting with lousy lyrics matched with equally pathetic singing. The essential Punjaabi gaana comes in the form of “Meri akhiyaan” from Richa Sharma. Again nothing impressive — neither banking on a complete folk form, neither rising above the average neo-twist. “Teri aankhon ki narmi” has the irritating “Shana na na na” refrain which is so arcane and done to death and has Siddharth-Suhas themselves crooning it. The guitar work is great, though, and therefore completely wasted on an inconsequential track like this. Lyrics for both this and “I am a bad boy” by Kumaar are dismal. “Lagdaa na lagdaa”, even with Kay Kay’s voice and some good string work trying to rescue it, doesn’t make any impact.

Sonu Nigam is brought in to croon the soft rock ballad “Jaane kyun tanha ho gaye”.Ironically, the one good track is apparently a take off on Gautam Chatterjee’s Bengali song “Ghare Pheraar Gaan”. It sort of makes up for the sins of the rest of the songs.

No new ideas or music here. Music remains an illusion in itself.

BHUMIKA K.

Avial, which recently released its aponymous debut album is a rock band from Kerala, which has been around for years, consistently writing music and playing gigs; and somewhat famous in the dark alleys and the brave new world of Youtube (incidentally, their debut video was excellent and considered among the best in the Indian rock scene). Taking the joke about the Nair tea shop on the moon, a little ahead of its time and context, here’s a rock act that has its roots in God’s own country, trying to carve a niche for itself in the largely English and Hindi dominated Indian rock scene.

For an alternative or folk rock band — running the risk of being sidelined due to the language barrier — they’ve been very bold and experimental, yet extremely professional with their work. The music varies from catchy, melodious to haunting and every song has a distinct sound and quality to it. The lyrics are poetic and doused in hues which range from deep political activism to existentialism with a dash of metal. With folk songs such as “Chekele” and “Arikuruka” and rock numbers such as “Nada Nada”; the band lives up to its name of “Avial” — a dish which is a mixture of ingredients.

They’ve got some energy and also pull some unique and neat set of chords. If you thought the music would settle at warming the cockles of the Mallu heart and stop at some meaningful metaphors, you’re far from the truth. These boys are deeply rooted in their culture, or have at least made a very sincere attempt at trying to bring the flavour of the land into some very activist tracks. Reflective of the educated politically conscientious Malayalee, the lyrics as well as the music is refined and multi-layered.

While the lyrics of “Nada nada” — their first claim to fame — seems like gibberish, all the other songs in this album make sense: from the farmer’s song “Chekele” to the romantic rather than introspective “Njan Aara” (Who am I ?). “Karukara”, in its lyrical and musical inspirations, weaves together the beauty of nature in the cultural context of Kerala, with support from a very traditional set of supporting female vocals. “Aadu Paambe” may not convey much but has a somewhat haunting quality to it.

The inherent musicality of the Malayalam language and the combination of guitar and synth results in a sound quite unique. The band avoids grand solos and seems to have worked as a tight unit to produce its music. It is something of a unique sound and genre that Avial breaches with its music. The quality of production and composition is excellent.

Rubbishing notions about not being able to adapt the local tongue to what is still considered an alien form of music, Avial questions that tendency in rock and metal fans which makes them worship bands such as Rammstein that sings in German, even while rejecting indigenous music if sung in the native tongue. So, here’s a band that sticks to its guns and does a classy job while at it; purely unapologetic.

DEEPA KURUP

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