Musical Interlude: March

This month, our talented friend Deepak is sharing two of his favourites for the blog.

Deepak has loved music from as long as he can remember. While in college, he was part of an instrumental fusion band called Srishti. He's had the pleasure of playing with many musicians in Bangalore. He's even composed the tracks for a few online TV commercials.


Bridging the Gap - NaS (feat. Olu Dara)

'This song is so cool!' This was the first thing that popped into my head when I heard this during Creed. I'm sure many would have heard this one before, but it's so hard to find a fusion of hard core blues and hip hop. The lyrics are super neat if you're into hip hop, but I couldn't get enough of the mixing. 

Down the Road - C2C

I'm a sucker for mixing/scratching and the blues. This is such a feel good song and can pump any day of yours. I love the intricacy of the scratching; kind of on the verge of goosebumps when the drops kick in.

Inside Your Hide Away

Hey Sudhir,

I don't understand why you don't love this guy as much as I do. Heard this song of his last week and was sold! Love his voice, love the guitars-- what better indie rock could you find?! More people need to be listening to Australian folk rock.

Maybe you'll like this one of his better than the one I sent you.
Have a good week. We should meet. :)

Hey hey!

So Daya's song has been making it's rounds on the radio but I know you are not the biggest fan of the radio so here you go. She has this very cool Ingrid and Regina vibe which I love. Eagerly looking forward to exploring more of her stuff. Pay attention to the lyrics. It's a big tell as to why I like her.

-S

Kyoto to London

I met Reshmi when she came to intern in the office where I was working in Sri Lanka. So many memories of good times in the tropical country - adventures on bus rides, late nights at the office, Sri Lankan monsoons and many sultry afternoons discussing Bangalore weather. 

That afternoon we spent at the Good Market buying sketchbooks and the many doodles I saw in it henceforth - I am not surprised that she ended up with her own art company. You all must check it out - Curiosity Kills the Cat.

And on top of that, she also has an incredible taste in music (also the inspiration for a lot of her artwork). Listen to her choices for this week.  

-Tanisha


Alone in Kyoto : Air

This is the kind of song that really transports me. It's so mellow and it's a perfect Saturday afternoon thinking in a pensive mood song. The first time I heard it was when I was in Nuwara Eliya in the midst of the mountains, and every time I hear the song, it makes me feel like I am right back there!

London Thunder : The Foals

This song is from their new album, What Went Down. If you listen to The Foals, you'll see that their music has evolved so naturally. 

Stomp and Holler

Apparently that is a genre of music. And apparently "Indie" is way too broad a genre. Stomp and Holler includes Alabama Shakes, The Magnetic Zeros, Iron and Wine and Bon Iver and the likes.

Came across this song this evening in a frantic attempt to find a song to share. Remember the song 'Ho Hey'? It was so long ago and then after a couple more singles, this band went off the radar. Well they are back and it seems like they've been working on a new album. Stomp and Holler-- couldn't find a proper definition of the genre. Maybe it's literally stomping and hollering that make up the song and subsequently making the listener tap their feet and holler along. Quite fun I think :)

- Tanisha

I was playing this song for a friend when she said, "I wish all men sounded like this!" The uniqueness of this sound (both music and vocals) is what draws you to it. It reminds me of the same feeling I get when I listen to Hozier. Must be on the lookout for more like this, except hopefully with some less ominous titles that could serve as a rough start to a week. :P Enjoy though.

-Sudhir

Instead of the Oscars...

Yo Sudhir!

Happy Oscars! ppft. :/ 

Remember the time we loved the Oscars? The time of the year I'd watch ALL the movies nominated, then we'd make lists of our picks and we'd talk about nothing else. Haha, what a fail this year! I barely managed to watch all the trailers for the nominations and today I listened to all the song and score nominations and couldn't find anything I liked. I then went on to listen to nominations and wins from previous years and almost decided to share Harry Connick Jr.'s With a Wink and a Smile from Sleepless in Seattle in 1994. But there is nothing new or uncommon about that song. So, I give up. 

So I moved to Grammy winners. Alabama Shakes won 4 Grammys this year! So much talent they have- Brittney Howard with her incredible vocals. The blues rock sort or reminds me of The Black Keys. I picked an older song of theirs for this week - this was on the soundtrack of Silver Linings Playbook (hey look, some Oscar reference) :P

Sudhir's Pick

Hey hey! So our Oscar things didn't work out as well as we would have hoped. Oscar time for me is usually like Christmas for me however, this year was just super rough all around glad I still get to watch it with you.

So in lieu of an Oscar song, I am sending you a song that reminds me of one of my favourite bands I have seen live. AG Silver did a killer set at Concordia in 2010 and has remained a favourite. Enjoy! I know I do. And so did a lot of Cobbers.

Live is the Way to Go

On stressful days in the office trying to finish off work before the end of the day or on lazy afternoons when we need something to wake us up, music sharing happens. My first week of work, I remember that we listened to Parvaaz and Prateek Kuhad on repeat, but we've gone through many other genres since then.

Today Aditi is sharing a modern twist on bal-musette off the streets of Paris and one of my favourite voices from movie soundtracks! Enjoy. 

Nantes : Beirut

I have been hooked to this song for the past few weeks! If you ignore the french lyrics, it is a guy singing a love song to his beloved across the Nantes. The impromptu performance of the band outside a cafe (did you notice him using the garbage bin?) is beautiful. Can people in Bangalore come out and give lovely performances like this?!

Short People : Randy Newman

How can you put up a list and forget Randy Newman. Such an adorable quirky old man! He knows how to say funny things in a song with a straight innocent face. Listen up and don't take offense. He's just trying to tickle your funny bone and some twisted lyrics to good music.

Musical Interlude: February

I'm Mario, a filmmaker, actor and musician among other things. Coming from a family that loves music, I grew up listening to everything from the Beatles and WHAM to Illayaraja and SP Balasubramanyam. I'll be ever grateful for this, which has moulded my artistic sensibilities and made me appreciate art and music from around the globe.

Lingus : Snarky Puppy

This is a band I discovered just a couple of years ago. It's tough to categorize their music with influences varying from Jazz, to Funk to R&B and what impressed me the most is the level of composition and just how each one playing is a master at his or her chosen instrument. Absolute delight to watch. Don't miss the solo by Cory Henry! And yes, listen to the whole damn album. Its a treat, I guarantee it. 

Horse with No Name : America

This is a throwback to when not every second song was about your boo/bae walking out on you. When bands wrote songs about desert scenes and journeys. The simple melodies and no-nonsense songwriting in this song paints a perfect picture when you listen to the lyrics which is quite apt when you find out the song was inspired by a Dali painting in the band's studio.