Garnet Eye ( Calico ):
Calico is a band that I believe can make us fall in love with them . Their debut single is unceasingly delightful . Vocalist Ivan Imkong sounds like he would fit right into lantern-lit festivals on starlist beaches , the kind of place you go to with the intention of meeting poetic strangers sipping drinks whose names you have never heard of . His voice is half-mystique , half-tease . The instrumental arrangement is unutterably smooth ; the musical equivalent of a glass of Glenmorangie ( aged 15 years ). Not a breath out of synchronicity , each note and syllable know their place and do their part to form a slick , roll-off-your-tongue sensibility . You are immediately drawn in , and I can promise you , if this song started playing just as you were about to leave , you ’ d stay and say “ One more song ”.
Words like “ We turned ourselves to rust / Saw flowers turn to dust ” leave you plenty to wonder about . I won ’ t try telling you what they are singing about , because I believe that the listener should be spinning their own stories . The band ’ s admission of what they have in mind mid-composition is open-ended , they also insist on keeping the open vulnerable to wide interpretation .
Garnet Eye combines the vague romplike quality of a less mature Portishead with generous doses of luxurious R & B and funk . It exudes exceptional pleasantness , and you would be well influenced to do some swaying yourself .
Storm the Studio ( Arshaq Malik ):
I ’ ve always felt that concept albums or EPs are challenging for artists and reviewers alike . The artist might have exceptionally clear narratives in mind , and they might communicate it just fine . But given the predilections of individual listeners , it is possible for the story to be modified , disrupted or entirely disregarded . And while the diversity of interpretation is what gives humanity any colour , the idea that the stories carved into Rush ’ s 2112 or Bon Iver ’ s For Emma , Forever Ago might not be reaching us in their pristine originality is depressing .
I ’ m not sure what Arshaq Malik ’ s Storm the Studio attempts to speak of . It meanders with an ominous rhythm . Guttural tones mingle with an electronically bound march beat of sorts . The image of dystopia is clear , but you aren ’ t sure how it pans out . Are we talking street fights over a scrap of dry bread , or shadowed overlords keeping citizens drowsy and emotionally decrepit by dosing their beer with Haldol ? Either way , the track builds significant anticipation for the upcoming four song EP ‘ Andromeda 2050 ’ that it is part of . Apparently , it carries tales of good vs evil : rage , disdain and devastation are clear markers , if the single is anything to go by .
Storm the Studio deliciously embraces a gritty aftertone and turns in into neotribal half beats awash in cymbals and futuristic dread . Think the oppression of Dhalgren , but with streets lit up like Blade Runner .
Stand Still ( Saltwater ) :
Clichés ring true more often than not . Musicians seeking stability in their sound when life sees fit to throw turbulence is a tiresome , common trope . But we are left with little to complain about if the resultant sound is good . In this case , it is sheer , soft , unimposing beauty .
Keyboardist Vyoma Shah and vocalist Medha Sahi met while teaching at Mumbai ’ s True School of Music . They realised that their musical tastes aligned , and turned their love of Norah Jones , John Mayer and Esperanza Spalding into collaborative composition . Their debut single reminds you of the joys of balmy winds and whispering leaves . Medha celebrates the desire to be still as the playful pleasantries of Vyoma ’ s keyboard materialise the theme in sound . The lightest percussive touch is sufficient to establish their disdain for the “ rush ” and the metaphorical “ earthquake ”.
“ I ’ ve been running for a long time / Trying to leave the truth behind ”. The lyrics are overtly straightforward without reliance on aimless poetics . It serves the purpose well , as the song is structured to peek into exhausted souls and offer them a gospel of endurance .
As they say “ Don ’ t move , don ’ t / Don ’ t break , Don ’ t break .”
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