Naren's indie round-up/ May 2023, Ep 3

BY NARENDRA KUSNUR 

The Bodhisattva Trio feat The Mimika Orchestra/ Ghosts Of Mars

Label: Intek Music

Rating: ****

The hugely experimental and avant garde Kolkata jazz-fusion band The Bodhisattva Trio teams up with the Mimika Orchestra of Croatia on the album Frontier. While the entire album is available on streaming platforms, the track 'Ghosts Of Mars' can be heard on YouTube as an audio recording.

The concept album is like a conversation between three astronauts, represented by the Trio, and forces of outer space, comprising the Croatian orchestra, conducted by Mak Murtic. Guitarist Bodhisattva Ghosh, keyboardist Shonai and drummer Premjit Dutta are joined by flute, saxophones, tuba, trumpet and trombone.

'Ghosts Of Mars' has a smooth flute part, intricate horn arrangements and plenty of guitar improvisation. It's the fourth of the 11th track in the concept album, and one of the more energetic pieces, though it does get overcrowded at some points.

Space Hydra/ Of Planet

Label: Self-released

Rating: ****

Also in the cosmic space, there is the group Space Hydra, which blends electronic sounds with alternative rock influences. Their new release 'Of Planet' is inspired by astronomer Carl Sagan's philosophy and also uses broken samples of his voice.

The group is led by composer-producer Krishnajit Bhattacharya, who plays bass and synths. Guitarist Apoorv Chandra and drummer Shubham Bhardwaj complete the line-up.

The video, created by Cottonbro Studios, features a (completely clad) blonde girl, and uses a red rose as a motif. The visuals match the song's technically savvy start and the brilliant burst of guitars at the end.

Ananya & Nivedita/ O Maaeri

Label: Artium Originals

Rating: *** 1/2

Singer Ananya and her 11-year-old daughter Nivedita team up on 'O Maaeri', a song specially released for Mother's Day. They also appear in the video, directed by Vidyottama Kunder.

The song has a simple melody, with the girl singing 'O Maaeri' and the mother responding, 'Gudiya Meri'. The composition is by Sanchit Choudhary, and lyricist Manoj K. Nath writes, "Main hissa hoon tera, tu saari duniya meri, o maaeri".

Both the song and the video reflect the mother-daughter bond well. The tune lingers on in one's mind.

Reeshabh Purohit feat. Shadaj Godkhindi/ Waari Waari 

Label: Self-released 

Rating: *** 1/2

In 'Waari Waari', the first single from his forthcoming album Hasrat, singer-composer Reeshabh Purohit uses a semi-classical influence and the metaphor of a lovelorn Gopi singing for Lord Krishna.

Shadaj Godkhindi's bansuri solo is one of the highlights, along with Reeshabh's mellifluous voice. An ambient backdrop brings in a contemporary flavour. Lyricist Nisha Satpute writes, "Waari waari Mohan main jogan tihaare".

Nisha also directs the video, starring Hiya Gore and Raman Dalvi. It shows a woman adorning herself to attract the man she loves, even though it's a one-sided relationship. Simple and effective 

Rishi Singh/ Farebi

Label: Warner/ Indie Music Label

Rating: ** 1/2

Rishi Singh sings about being let down by a lover in 'Farebi'. Pankaj Dixit's lyrics emphasise on the line "Besahara kar gaya".

Though the words and Manish S. Sharmaa's composition are noteworthy, Rishi looks like he's trying too hard to get the right expression. The song thus seems to ramble on, and even gets louder than necessary.

Also, instead of showing the singer in a studio, the video could have had a narrative with two models. It may have looked like something from an Emraan Hashmi film, but that might have been more appealing visually.