Naren's indie round-up/ April 2024, Ep 2

BY NARENDRA KUSNUR

Tejas/ Museum (EP)

Label: Misfits Inc 

Rating: ****

Besides his albums Make It Happen and Outlast. Tejas is known as the voice of Archie in Zoya Akhtar's Netflix musical The Archies. He now treads a different path on the four-track EP Museum.

The EP is inspired by stories like The Lion King and Hamlet, besides referring to his relationship with his father, who passed away in 2021. Joining Tejas, who sings and plays guitar, are bassist Adil Kurwa, drummer Jehangir Jehangir and sarangi player Vanraj Shastri.

The four tracks are covered in just under 11 minutes, using a mix of western arrangements and Indian back-ups. 'Exspiravit In Machina' is a mood-setter where the sarangi blends with electronic effects and the line 'I Remember', used on loop. The title track has a supple back-up vocal line, Hindustani vocal layers and harmonies, where Tejas sings, "I've been so busy staring at the future of my unknown maybes".

'The Clock' is an absolute treat, as Tejas sings, "It's our job to question, to balance out everything we've lost, the river is restin', can we ever break it from the course". Some smart sarangi brightens the middle part.  The last track 'Read Your Mind' has a strong chorus which melds well with the lead vocals.

All in all, this Museum makes for a quick, but fruitful visit.

gini/ Ansuna

Label: Molfa Music 

Rating: ***

At 18, singer-songwriter gini writes with a certain maturity. Her song 'Ansuna' talks about finding freedom from the mundane through music. The words go, "In dinon main ghoomoon sirphiri, doob jaaoon is taal mein yahin, geet gin loon yeh gumshuda, gaur se suno sab yahaan, jo goonjta".

The song, which uses a muted guitar backdrop, has been co-produced by Dwaipayan Nandi. The lyrics video by Supreet Kaur features gini herself. Interestingly, she wrote the song the day she gave her high school exams. There's an honesty in her approach that's welcome.

Gayatri Asokan/ Harsoo Dikhayi Dete Hai

Label: Self-released 

Rating: *** 1/2

In her new ghazal 'Harsoo Dikhayi Dete Hai', Gayatri Asokan explores the poetry of Jigar Moradabadi. The composition is by Purbayan Chatterjee, with appearances by Sabir Khan on sarangi and Vivek Pandya on tabla. Production is handled by Sangeeth P.P.

It's a simple ghazal with three couplets. After the sarangi intro, the matla or opening sher is, "Harsoo dikhayi dete hain woh jalwagar mujhe, kya kya fareb dekhte hain meri nazar mujhe".

The ghazal has been earlier recorded by Chitra Singh with Jagjit Singh's composition. The arrangement and vocal style in the new release are different.

Sharad-Eishita (SE)/ Dheeme Dheeme

Label: Self-released 

Rating: ***

Sharad-Eishita (SE) comprises a duo whose latest song 'Dheeme Dheeme' is inspired by a trip to the mountains. With an easy-going feel, it captures a journey of togetherness and also has a sense of reflectiveness once the sojourn is over.

Words like, "Dheeme dheeme madham madham kuch pal hai saath mere sang chal wahaan, chalte chalte raahi bas aise pal bunte humsafar, oh, suraj ki kiraney aur chanda bhi hai himself bekhabar" convey the emotion. The tune has a serene nature that makes it likeable.

KhoslaRaghu/ Dooriyan

Label: Self-released 

Rating: ***

Another duo is KhoslaRaghu, consisting of singer-songwriter Rishabh Raghuvanshi and multi-instrumentalist Sanchit Khosla. After singles like 'Barse Mora Naina' and 'Rang Tera', the Delhi musicians are now out with 'Dooriyan'.

The song is in two versions - the extended one having a longer intro and additional verse.Tim Doyle's violin lends a melancholic flavour.

As the title suggests, the song is about two people drifting apart. The opening lines go, "Tu aur main, jaane hum kahaan kho gaye, sang the chaley, donon tanha ho gaye". A total opposite of the Sharad-Eishita song reviewed above.