The Raghu Dixit Project

I really think this is the start of something big.

Indian Music has always been of either the classical Hindustani/Carnatic variety (which debuted on this blog recently) or the Bollywood high-pitched wailathon (which never will). Never the twain shall meet, and all that. Sure, there were little whiffs of fresh air every now and then, but nothing that really got you hooked.

Strange, really. With the sheer number of bands around, you’d think a few of them would manage to make Indian folk music a little contemporary and relevant. There’s Indian Ocean, but that’s about it.

Enter Unlikely Hero. Raghu Dixit’s from Bangalore, he wears an anklet and a bright orange dhoti and is a University topper/Gold Medallist in Microbiology. But then he starts to sing, and all is forgiven.

There’s a refreshing folksiness about his music. It’s powerful, colourful and upbeat, and so far, it’s really made my weekend. He sings in English, Hindi and Kannada. (Nobody sings in Kannada. Not even the Diggas.) I really can’t wait to listen to him live; by all accounts, his shows are brilliant.

I actually like this so much, I think I’m going to go out and buy the album.

—

The Raghu Dixit Project – Hey Bhagwan

The Raghu Dixit Project – Mysore Se Aayi

The Raghu Dixit Project Myspace Page

Do Not Fall To Your Knees

I must now tell you about Laura Marling — yesterday’s discovery. She’s just 18: another prodigious talent. The song “Ghosts” is almost frighteningly good. She has that timeless quality with which a singer-songwriter can transcend her era. She channels a soul that is older than her — and it’s a quirky, cold soul.

[Pictures found here via google image search.]

I like the way I happened upon her. Not the Guardian or NME. I was watching the Mystery Jets’ new video, and she has a little bit of singing in it. I was immediately struck by her cool, confident vocals (and her platinum blonde hair).

Here are three excellent songs. Pay attention to the lyrics. The videos are recommended too. And if you download (or listen-and-like), let us know. Comment, people. We need encouragement!

Laura Marling — Ghosts [mp3] [video]

Laura Marling — My Manic and I [mp3] [video]

Laura Marling — New Romantic [mp3] [video]

You like this.

Here is a most excellent song for your listening pleasure. You should like this, otherwise I will think less of you as a human being (and even less of you as a duck). I wish things like this were more popular than they are. After all, it’s pop: Simple. Fun. Bouncy.

The Wombats — Let’s Dance to Joy Division

If you’ve heard Joy Division, you’ll know what the irony is that they sing about in the chorus.

[I know I used to discourage youtube videos in the middle of posts, but whatever.]

This one’s for Neil, Lets hear it for Neil.

So there is this man, a silly man and he has detraction magnets on the run. He’s called Tirthankar ‘Neil’ Chakravarthy. the only friend I have with a middle name in apostrophes. He’s that cool. Although there is Yohan ‘quirky’ John, or Yohan ‘jerky’ John because he moves so much, no wait, that’s just perverse. Then there is Sandeep…never mind, you’ll never guess whose first name is Sandeep.

Yeah, so we call him Thunker, which is apt because he throws his weight around, we also call him cunt because his middle name is actually Neilkanth. But only in moments of utter aggravation, which are frequent.

Anyway, so he is a cross between the asshole who overtakes on the wrong side and a sensitive human being, he loves being sorry for himself and is actually quite a brilliant guy. He asked me to send him some music (its not often you get a mail from a guy teaching economics at cambridge in gawar Haryanvi Hindi) so here I am doing that.

I also apologize for shooting from the lip, but I am just too happy these days and if you get pissed off, I’ll buy you drinks and kiss you on both cheeks and sing Bohemian Rhapsody backwards. I am THAT happy. Going to see Jaysuriya whack the daylights out of Preity Zinta’s power puff girls. Then the Champions league final. Do you know that Russian names ending in -ski, -nov and -ovich all mean “son of” (like Johnson). I love the Hindu Young World.

Ok, so I decided up a compilation for Thunker.

*Loud boos echo through the room*

Loud boos echo through the room,
Enter the bespectacled bride and groom

Regale us with tales of suicidal serenading
Of heart beats and hair braiding

What rot said the groom
Behave yourselves

Loud boos echo through the room.

OK, so now the songs.

Richie Havens is who started the proceedings at Woodstock. When I saw the film, I was blown. A man strumming the guitar in a peculiar way, sweat dripping down his brow, leather sandals tapping the coarse wooden floor and a generation watching him. Thunker was largely responsible for inducting me into the rock and roll hall of blame and we heard many a classic together, loudly arguing about the band’s history and vocalist’s haircut. Chee, I sound like I am writing a nostalgia piece for the ugly yearbook. Yuck. Screw this.

Next is Shakti. Our favourite song was “What need have I for that, what need have I for this, at the feet of the lord, all is bliss, all is bliss”. I bet we never heard it completely, it was 43 minutes long. But what a name, and what a band. John MacLaughlin is a genius for coming up with the idea. Featured here is “Come on Baby, dance with me”, which may not be the name of the song, but that’s how its labelled in the album I have. That is why I like tapes, this computer naming shit is all messed up if you download from the net.

Then there is Kumar Gandharva, and Indian classical music makes its debut on Zonuts (Perakath promptly deletes the blog from all his rolls). He is the ony person I have listened to extensively, and he is a real joy. He is now long gone, and when he sang “Nirgun Bhajan” he had only one lung. But what an album that is. He went to Madhya Pradesh and learnt the folk songs of the Nirgun tribe and then applied his classical touches to them. Most of the folk tunes are bascially adaptations from Kabir’s writings and if you listen closely, there is hidden wisdom in the songs.

So that’s it. The title for the post is from Eddie Vedder saying “This is a Neil Young song, lets hear it for Neil” before playing Fuckin’ Up live. Ah. Pearl Jam. The first band I worshipped, I still do. What guitars, what a voice. Mookie Blaylock, I knew everything about them. Ah. Pearl Jam.

Memories like fingerprints are slowly raising.

Oh yeah, I have to put up Simian Mobile Disco! Thunker loves it. We’re hustlers baby, that’s what our daddies made us. Oh man, they rule.

Oh and I should put up Keb Mo. Am I wrong, falling in love with you. Wheeeeeee. Le Blues. Next to Amber Restaurant CP. Those were the days. These still are the days and they are alive and kicking. I think I am going to go into an apocalyptic fit of joy.

Punk is not dead! Rock lives! Say no to fair trade! Purge print documents!

God bless us all.

Richie Havens – High Flyin’ Bird [mp3]

Shakti – Come on Baby, Dance with me [mp3]

Kumar Gandharva – Kaun Thagva Nagariya [mp3]

Simian Mobile Disco – Hotdog [mp3]

Keb Mo – Am I Wrong [mp3]

Spazzrock!

I’ve seen the term spazzrock around the internets, but the meaning of the term hasn’t really been established. So I’m going to say it means music that a spazz would look cool dancing too. Music that demands spazzy dance steps. Stiff, crisp, angular music.

Foals is the latest example of this sort of thing, and I’m really getting into them. Yet another post-punky UK guitar band. The press says they have elements of math rock, but I wouldn’t know. They’re rhythms are layered, and fairly complex for the world of indie rock, but on the whole, they’re nice and dancy.

I have no idea what Yannis Philippakis is singing about, but the vocals aren’t the main event. They just add texture, and tell you where the choruses are. This music is visceral; intense. I’m posting two songs from their debut album Antidotes, which has really been growing on me. It’s not an immediate grabber, but the insistent rhythms have gradually burrowed into my consciousness. Clickety-click. Plinkety-plink. Listen to Heavy Water all the way through. There’s a change in the tempo, and then it goes into some kind of apocalyptic march.

Foals — Heavy Water

Foals — The French Open

Hugugugug

I’m Popeye the sailor man,

I lives in a caravan,

And when I goes swimming, I kiss all the wimmen,

I’m Popeye the sailor man!

Huguguguhhh…