Murphy’s Law – Another Vertigo Rush

 

             Murphy’s Law states “Anything that can go wrong will go wrong.”

 

             Is it the chords?? Or the guitar tones?? Barring few bands, everytime I listen to a song by an Indian band, the first reaction is, “Hey..the guitar sounds like that band we heard live last week..in that pub..you know..the one with exorbitant prices..” Its distinctly Indian..which should be a good thing…only that it isn’t….

 

            Offering the album for free download is bold. An album which is better than a collection of “misjudged musical arrangements mistakenly assumed to be experimentation” (read Scribe’s Confect) makes this gesture even more laudable. Another Vertigo Rush sounds like a band who has already made it. The production is at par with any other studio album by a major label. In fact, the intelligent use of production is one of the freshest things in this album.

 

            While listening to the Murphy’s Law, if suddenly you remember the now forgotten “Significant Other” by Limp Bizkit, no one can blame you. Consciously or not, Akhil Sood’s guitar playing and Viraj Mohan’s vocal delivery do sound inspired by Wes Borland and Fred Durst (but with far better lyrics than Durst ever could). But it has become so uncool now to get inspired by Limp Bizkit.

 

            Om is the song which is regarded as their signature sound. The nomination of the song in the Best Rock Song Category at AVIMA 2009 should put all criticisms at rest. Well..as it turns out, there are better songs than Om in the album. Drop, The Vibe and Anger Management are songs which are better composed and fresher sounding than Om. Nikhil Rufus Raj’s bass sounds cannot be overlooked. They sound melodic and heavy. And it’s little doubt that Akshat Nauriyal and his drums are the reasons for their energy.

 

            The two experiments “Connect” and “Disconnect” do sound unlike anything we have heard, but one must remember, experiments which don’t end in fruitful results are called failures.

 

            This album is less of an album, but more of a glimpse of the interesting things which we can expect from Another Vertigo Rush. They do sound different. And keep a close watch on these guys. You might as well get rewarded. Musically.

 

Murphy’s Law by Another Vertigo Rush: 3/5

 

You can download the album here   Myspace

 

Lavender Carnage

Punk is not dead… It reached its most global and innovative form with The Clash, then morphed into hard rock with the Black Flag and Husker Du, helped the Indie kids to play their guitar and was born again in 1991 through Nirvana (in case, you want to scream out “Grunge” …please see David Markey’s The Year Punk Broke).

Then came Greeday….

So where does a band who list themselves under “Punk/Pop Punk/Alternative” fit in this Punk tree with numerous branches? And what new can they offer?

A lot…as Lavender Carnage did in their songs. Punk rock is generally treated as absolute anarchy..or soundtracks of OC. This band from Delhi is bringing more out of it. Without doubt, the song which could be their finest (till date) is “In Love With You”. The chord progressions are cool and pretty unheard of. And Srijan Sen’s voice engages the audience.

The songs like “Longest Road” , “Screaming for life” are songs about you and me. So whoever has written the words, he is an observer.

The Trio Concept of Punk Rock is used to the maximum here…Vaibhav Bakshi’s bass moves with the mood..more than defining the songs, the bass here is used to add layers. Drums are always an integral part of Punk Rock and Akhil Saluja delivers the energy and rhythm. The rhythm section is as strong as one can ask for.

And one cannot miss the “Arena readiness” of the songs. The songs, consiously or not will be good hit in large space with large audience. May be thats why within half an year they have performed at so many venues and winning audiences over.

Though experimentation level is low, we must remember that this is a relatively new band. They have a long way to go…And a good band always inflict surprises!!!

Punk is not dead…as long as adolescence is not dead…as long as raw power is not dead..as long as bands who prefer honest words are not dead… Punk will live and breathe into our lives..

http://www.myspace.com/lavendercarnage

microfiches

well…time for some selfish self-promotion…not really..

this blog is about Indian Rock bands..so thought should put up a link of my band too…cant really comment on our music..its the job for those who are reading this…

the band’s name is microfiches..check out the myspace page..there are a couple of videos too..fingers crossed..

http://www.myspace.com/microficheshome

Adam and the Fish Eyed Poets

 

Blown Away…. How come this guy is not on the cover of any music magazine? May be he doesn’t want it… But Kishore has been doing something which a whole band with the intellectual capital of at least 4 brains couldn’t do…. Added soul to the music and the machines….

The first song I heard was “Darling Nessie”…Now is this same Nessie from the Loch Ness in Scotland? Hope so… makes it more beautiful…But the real gem is “Snakes and Geometry”… scream, hurt, loneliness, unputdownable, beautiful… I am hearing the song again and again…. And again.. 

 

All those sounds and effects… I really wanna know… Is he using original equipments or a software? But either way…. Its stunning…

For a start….he couldn’t have penned more original and promising songs…

 

http://www.myspace.com/adamvicefep

(thanks to Anuj Gupta from Gigpad.com to inform me about this band…owe you)

 

 

superfuzz

The only way I could have started a blog on Indian Rock is by posting an article on Superfuzz…the band which radiates the brightest hope…sonically…

Their music is what “rock and roll” stands for… cool chord progressions, jumping rhythm section, a vocal that resonates passion and most importantly, unlike most bands in our country, the words actually mean something!!!

Sanchal can be as engaging as a frontman should be… as mean as it is needed when live… and as angsty as the songs require…his guitar playing is peppered with riffs which sound good even without the bass and drums..but I am not inferring solos are not his style…in fact far from it…his rendition of White Stripe’s songs will clear any doubt of his guitar prowess…he may not be a guitar god…but certainly more interesting than any present guitar god…

Nikhil is the perfect cure for the danger like Sanchal…bass guitar sounds down to earth anyways…but the way he plays…its more like keeping the music on a leash…

If its Rock n Roll..there got to be drums…here is the place where Aditya comes in…he effortlessly makes his drum sway with the groove…though he may not be a monster behind the drums…he is as good as a drummer of a tight garage/punk band.

But I must admit…their “influences” is quite audible in their music…it is really tough to not think of Nirvana, White Stripes or other garage bands, while you listen to them.(you may try not to think…tell me whether you succeeded..)

And it seems..at least for the moment..they are not much keen into experimenting…so they do have a problem..in making a album full of songs which sounds fresh…n non-repeatative…but many bands have faced that issue ealier..n critically or commercially solved it !! Superfuzz…as an awesome band as they are.. shouldn’t face any problem.

Glad to see a band like Superfuzz in India .. I really envy Delhi…no doubt..they are presently the best band in the country…

http://www.myspace.com/thesuperfuzzmusic