Best Instrumental pieces of June 2022

1. Saraswathi 9.5/10

This is pure genius, and I cannot begin to think about reviewing this piece of gem. It is aptly named "Saraswathi" after the Goddess of Education, Knowledge. I believe if I am a music lover or musician, just listening to this piece will enhance my appreciation, and understanding of music multifold. It is probably the best instrumental piece I have heard since my music reviewing project began back in 2019. I have never given any song a rating of 9.5/10 until now. Maybe an even better compliment I can give is that this number feels like something out of Ilaiyaraja's "How to Name it". This fusion band called 'Oxygen' just completed 20 years and hails from my hometown Chennai. The band was formed by founders Girinandh C and Ramana KS back in 2002 when I just graduated and I sort of feel a sense of shame thinking I have never heard of them before. They are now a 7-piece band with members Grinandh on Keys, Ramana on percussions, Bharath Gopal on drums, Carl Fernandes on bass, Akshay Ganesh on Violin, Vijay Ganesan on lead guitars and Lalit Talluri on flute. This album called 'Metagen' originated as an idea during the lockdowns for this band that takes inspiration from Band Shakti. When they started in 2002 they were known as the youngest fusion band in Asia. The song 'Saraswathi' is also called so because it is a classical composition by Vidwan GN Balasubramaniam set in Ragam Saraswathi. The Tenor Strings comprising Violins, Violas, Cellos and Double Bass are in full flow here and all you have to do is enjoy every second and every note. The number is adapted and composed by Girinandh, and Ramana plays the Mridangam. Lalit on the flute drives the composition forward taking the lead role and followed in close quarters by Akshay on Violin. The guitarist Vijay Ganesan and Bassist Carl Fernandes modernise and create the fusion elements intended along with drummer Bharath. The Tenor Strings probably elevate the song by leaps and bounds and kudos to Francis Rozario who conducted the session along with arrangements by Giri. The Violinists are Mohan Rao, Benver Phagen, Fritz, Nicky Rozario, Shaktivel, Bhagat, Sridhar, Seenu, Rhea Sebastian, Ravi and Rather Kumar. Violas are played by Murali Krishna, Bhaskar Rao, Cyril Fernandez and Emilian Fernandez. Cellos are played by RK Vijendran, Kevin Rozario and Stephen, and Double Bass by David and Rahul Rozario. The number is divinity taking musical form and nothing I write about it can do justice to the Himalayan status of the production. Siddharth Das and Bob Phukan are the recording engineers, and Tapas Nayak does the mixing.

2. State Property Farhan Mistry 8.5/10

I was listening to this mind-numbing work the other day and I could imagine a visual of a Hollywood action flick or maybe even 'Baby Driver' where the getaway driver listens to music on his iPod right through the heist. I wonder why Indian movies, especially Bollywood which is facing a massive talent deficit in music especially, don't feature such original music in their movies and this would be a win-win for the musician as well as the movie-maker. The guitars are played feverishly by Farhaan Mistry who also has composed, performed, produced and mixed the track. It is quite retro and tilting towards disco-rock and it is impossible to not move your head and tap your feet to the sounds that originate here. The harmonies that keep coming in the background work quite well maybe like an Abba or Beatles number. That guitar riff past the 2:40 minute mark sounds like an emergency signal when someone steals a State's Property. In the end, there is one scintillating transformation that I least expected and wait for it with bated breath and expectation. The rhythm guitar and drums were just recorded on a phone. The drums here were played by Lakshay Sharma, and the track was mastered by Sanjay Hundi. Farhaan the prodigy from True School of Music in Mumbai, has also played the bass guitars, Harmonica and Tambourine for the number.

3. Anuvas Sky 8.25/10

This is one man's dream and he fulfils it without any second line of defence. Warren Mendonsa the guitarist/producer and multi-instrumentalist composed this number for his debut album back in 2007 called ' Nights in Shining Karma' This live version of the number 'Anuva's Sky' is just a phenomenal piece that deserves a solid 8.5/10 and needs a feature here. It starts with a scintillating guitar reminding me of "Brothers in Arms" by the band 'Dire Straits'. Warren a.k.a. Blackstratblues plays the lead and bass guitars along with the keyboards and the drum programming in the original track. Here in the live version other than Warren on guitars, it is an assembly of stars, Jai Row Kavi on drums, Tajdar Junaid on guitars, Adi Mistry on bass, and Beven Fonseca on Keys. After an enraged guitar-bass-drums unison at work till the midway point, the energy drops just a bit to have the lead guitars take over and the hi-hat drums in focus. This track is a must on your playlist if you love classic good-old rock. The other splendid sombre number that treads along the path of Blues-Rock called "Too cool for Sunday School" is one fine piece in the album 'L.I/O.V.E." that I recommend.

4. The Heist 8/10

Derek Mathias a.k.a. Derek & the Cats, the Bengaluru-based composer/producer had his self-titled debut album and I had already featured a track called "Soul" a couple of months ago. Now I am going to mention two more of my favourites but mainly "The Heist". It gets a score of 8/10 and deservedly so. Abhay Sharma on the saxophone just sizzles away, adding style and substance. he is accompanied by Aditya Bhagavatula on the dynamic drums and Sagar Saluja who plays a show-stopper solo at the end, which just turns the song into rock-styled gold. One more track you should listen to is "Judas" and it is all Derek's production that glitters along with bass guitars, drums and Saxophones by the usual suspects. The Pianos give solace and in tandem with some solid keyboard programming, they all make one delightful concoction.

5. Bilawal 7.75/10

It is a project with immense vision and purpose as "Wheels of Raga" comprising 5 different Raga-based tracks, with an all-female performance cast, and instrumentalists. This one was my favourite featuring Nastya Saraswati on the Violin and set in Raag Bilawal. This is an equivalent of Ragam Shankarabharanam which reminds us of AR Rahman's "Thoda Thoda Malardhadenna". R Sanjay is the composer for each of these 5 tracks and it is Arrivan. Isai who ideated and conceptualised this project. The solo violinist here is a Russian multi-instrumentalist who also reached the finals of the music reality show 'Dil Hai Hindustani'. The violin is mesmerising but Arrivan's production brings in modern-day elements, some lo-fi and so on. The second half of the track shifts from being a Carnatic/Hindustani classical to a Western Classical with a smooth transition and back again. The track called "Bhatiyar" is a beautiful soulful journey with Megha Rawoot's Sitar aided by Keys. I have featured Megha before in varied projects and here she executes the composition so well, with poise and control. The Raag Bhatiyar evokes songs like "Ezhu swarangalukku ethanai paadal" set in Ragam Purvi Kalyani. Upon some basic analysis, I figured Bhatiyar belongs to Marwa Thaat in Hindustani and this is similar to Ragam Purvi Kalyani, hence the similarity is understandable. The track "Bhimpalas" is a straight giveaway within 2 seconds as Carola Ortiz plays the saxophone and Srilalitha Bhamidipati on vocals giving it a nice Carnatic flavour. But the undertone is very eloquent slow-burn Jazz. Haritha Raj is immensely talented and her Veena performance speaks volumes about her potential. I have featured her in numerous movie projects and it is indeed a pleasure to write about her rendition here called "Kalyan". The guitar riffs and rhythms keep the track engaging along with Keys and Tabla. Anything in the Yaman scale is bound to tantalise the listener. The last track is "Chandrakauns" with similarities to Malkauns or Ragam Hindolam in Carnatic. Debopriya Chatterjee is stunning with her flute solo and it is a track that touches your heart, soul and mind. It is impossible to feel the pathos of hearing the flute and the mild yet majestic use of percussion by the exponent Charu Hariharan. A top 10 finalist at Indian Idol, the reality show, Krishnakali Saha comes up with the vocals.