Be moody..

Music the mood changer. Oh yea, it changes the mood. I'm sitting in a pensive mood, thinking about life and all the big things that make it. The cosmos and the lack of an effect my life has on it. And I think to myself - let me play some music that can help me write. And I choose something a little upbeat. Okay, maybe not a little. Maybe a lot. Maybe some music you'd play in a club. Or a music festival. And goodbye being pensive, hello pumping my fists in the air.

Oh what a change! That's called a quick turn about. And that's the beauty of it. Music shakes you up. Don't expect to remain in the same frame of mind. Its not possible. Unless you're dead. Or at least dead to music (I personally haven't found anyone of that nature).

Its beautiful. Music can alleviate your mind or depress your brain. Any beat, any sound, any tune, any word can disrupt your mental zone. From a happy disposition you can turn into a love-sick puppy. It's the feel you associate to that music. The upbeat music could have a different effect on you. Everyones relation to music varies. And that's the true joy of it. Music is supposed to entice and excite your senses, in whichever direction it deems fit.

Who moved my cheese? Oh wait I did it myself..

“Man they're playing 5 mins away from my office. Awesome, I'm going for that gig whatever happens. They're launching their new album. It’s going to be amazing. I love their older stuff. It’s time for the gig. Oh man I think they're going on stage. Oh this is going to be great. Hmmm..okaayyy. The sound is nice, not like their previous songs. But nice. Clean. Refined. Let's see the next few songs, maybe they'll get better. Ok what's happening? I came here expecting sounds that would basically give me goosebumps. Basically their earlier material. Geez why are they playing so clean. Where's the sparring between the instruments? Where is the playfulness? Baahh.. Man I'm going home."

This is what went through my head when I went for the album launch of a band called Advaita. They had music that literally gave me goosebumps. Literally. I fell in love with their music. It was peaceful, beautiful, Indian classical with contemporary western influences. I never had such feelings for an Indian band before. And I'm not alone in this. The gig was packed. But boy was it a letdown.

I was expecting them to play with the sounds, letting them flow through a person and disrupting that flow right when it was leaving that person. That was what Advaita was all about. And that is what they were good at. But what they had become was a band whose sounds could melt in the background. They had a clean, refined and uniform sound. They had lost that raw punch that drew so many to their music. They became too perfect. They were led by a new producer who pushed them to become mainstream. Cater to the ears of the mass. What they had become, was a bunch of guys whose music could be mistaken for the ones played at fine dining restaurants. It hurt me to see that.

It really comes down to the question of how a band can retain their original sound. That can happen only if they remain true to themselves. True to the reason they came together. The love of music. The love of that sound they could call their own. It’s hard. It’s tough. It’s a challenge. You need to keep only yourself as a barometer. Retain that raw power that is you. Run after love, nothing else. It'll stop people from going home and hearing your old music they really loved.

Here is a song that I truly loved from their earlier work:

Chill with the funky monkey

"What do you want to do?"

"Nothing man, let's just chill."

"Alright, I got the ideal music for that."

Welcome to the land of Bonobo, the funky monkey. The land of the ideal chill-out music. And yes, it really is the ideal chill-out music. It’s the kind of music, where you're talking to your friend but still moving to the music. The lull in the conversation is when you become aware of the music. And that lull becomes infinite. No words escape your mouth as you absorb in the bassy tones of Bonobo.

Simon Green, better known for his stage name of Bonobo, is a contemporary in this type of sound. Having been in the music scene for the past 12 years, he has released 4 studio albums and various singles. Collaborating with various singers, every song has its own unique feel. While playing live, he is accompanied by full band with him on bass.

The songs are characteristic of heavy baselines, blues - jazz tones, and fluidic movement on percussions. We move, we flow and we become funky monkeys. Welcome to the land of Bonobo.

Cage the music

It starts with a slight tap of your foot. Then a slight bob of the head. Then both in unison. Then the electricity connects your head and your feet, and your body jumps. It’s the kind of music that brings a frenzy upon your body. You cannot hear this music and stay still. The feverish intensity with which the music hits you, makes you want to bounce like a maniac.

Remember the 90's. America’s hearts were opening up to a different sound. Those were the years when the US started spawning garage rock bands. Blokes coming together in their neighbourhood to belt out some tunes which they could play at the local pub, and get laid if they were lucky. That particular sound was dynamic, scruffy, and full of an "I don't give a shit" attitude. It was fresh and something that the youth connected with. Alas it was a sound that slowly disappeared, as is the case with many.

Fast-forward to 2006 and you have a band that captures that vanishing sound. Cage the Elephant hails from Kentucky, USA. A group of 5, led by Matt Shultz, call the US and the UK their home. Known for their high-energy live performances, the rock band has garnered a large fan following in a particularly short period of time.

Vocals that hit extreme highs and lows in each song, guitars that have a grungy taste, and drums that kick the ear-drum in. Mad, chunky and crunchy sounds reminiscent of a decade gone, Cage the Elephant bring back the times of trashing your garage.

Power of Music

I'm listening to Oliver Shanti. Amazing musician. Music of the orient in my ear. A peaceful mind. My player is in my pocket and it plays a track by him. Short and sweet.

But those 2 minutes, stir something within me. Its a feeling. Its just there and will not go away. I had my book and my charcoal pencil with me. I needed to sketch out what I felt. The soft tap of the keys in the song brought out a visual, piece by piece. I kept hitting repeat until I had finished putting on paper, what I had in my mind.

The visual is to your right (not good, but I am not a sketch artist). The visual in my head, was in front of me. It was that of a man playing the piano on a cliff, overlooking the sea. Forlorn, just as he is in his heart. The clouds form the shape of his lover, lost to the heavens. A love lost. Lovers separated. It was what I felt when I heard this track..

... and then I decided to check the name of the song.

'Remembrance in separation.'

Music is powerful. It is not just sounds. It carries with it, thoughts. Music reveals colours of life to us, the dark and the bright. It can stir memories of our past, it can also show us the way ahead. It's about letting the sounds seep in, and that is what truly matters..