SHREYA BOSE
INDIE REVIEWS
Fever Dream ( Dualist Inquiry ): It has been a while since I listened to Sahej Bakshi , but I remember him making good music . His realm is electronica , and while that genre does not appear amidst my personal preferences , I have never come to Dualist Inquiry with any reluctance . The man is obsessed with storytelling , as revealed by the fact that he spends hours scouring the internet for singular words that can convey seven whole minutes of wordless songplay . He is dead serious about ascribing close meaning to sound , and the results are often exceedingly satisfactory .
Fever Dream is a self-aware , playful thing . The song is aptly titled , because the ebb and rise of sound is subdued , half-sunk into its own secret . It is paced like the shallow breaths accompanying a high fever . Faded tones of children ' s voices mingle with lullaby-like tinkles - all of which is framed within a firm and unhurried drum machine . The track moves from hypnagogic to hyper-conscious without employing exaggerated breakdowns to reach climax .
Within the first few seconds , you can see yourself making a story to align with the track . Sure , it might be steampunk slash Freudian circus , but it keeps boredom out of the question . You can dance , too .
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Puppet Life ( Amanda Sodhi ): Amanda Sodhi has a lovely voice . It serves as a saving grace in most of her music . If you don ' t pay much attention , you might miss badly written lyrics or vapid intentions because it all sounds pretty good .
Thankfully , Puppet Life is not maligned with either . Sodhi ' s voice is accompanied by a pertinent theme . Life does not adhere to plans , however well crafted they may be . There is not a single person who is not familiar with the feeling of being thwarted by life in every direction . Sodhi ' s song works because it hones in on the echo-chamber of the human heart . Despair and quiet desperation are intensely relatable .
The track does not have too many surprises , and is good for anyone who wants to feel understood . To know that you are not the only one feeling chewed up and spit out can be immensely comforting . I found the lyrics a tad juvenile ( Puppet Life / God ' s pulling the strings / Try not to plan / Sorrow it brings ), but one can overlook it in favour of the theme . The music is pleasant enough - nothing is jarring , but the instrumentation does not exactly jump out to grab you by the throat .
Abstract Melodies ( Eashwar Subramanian ): Abstract Melodies does not bother with flourish . The album comprises two pieces , fronted by a piano and framed by a range of instrumentation that is fragile but significant .
Subramanian lays out a phonetic vision of harmony and tranquility . As unrealistic as the vision might seem , especially in the current state of global self-loathing , it is a scenery worth the attention . ‘ Stillness ’ inspires silence with its sound . I would not advise that either track be listened to if you are not able to genuinely devote attention . The crinkles of sound are subtle , almost deceptive . They do not scream to be heard ; the onus is on you to appreciate their whispered meaning . Peace is achieved , but these variations stand as metaphors for the million thoughts that must be accepted , reconciled with and vanquished before peace becomes possibility .
Serenity generates a similar sentiment . It is longer , more meditative . It is a good song to come to when the chatter inside your skull must be silenced . On the third listen , the carefully progressing cadence begins to resemble the ease of your breath .
The album is charming . The songs are a reminder to pause and abandon the relentless torment of responding to desire after desire after desire . You are asked to celebrate the incredible notion that there is more than enough to savour in a single breath .