At the beginning of this year, Darshan Doshi Trio released an expansive, live jazz-funk saga that spanned 7 tracks over the course of 34 minutes and featured two guest vocalists. The pure five instrumentals allow DDT’s detailed compositions and soundscaping to take the lead role…
I’ve been listening to Aditi Iyer for a few weeks now, trying to put my finger on how the opera-trained singer’s 2021 EP Dollhouse had evoked a strong sense of nostalgia in me. Other than the beautifully layered compositions, there was something about her lyrical…
"Listen to this," my partner texted me, "It's right up your alley!" The link she sent took me right to Lavanya Ayren's Spotify page. The song that was meant to be "Right up my alley" was a single called You Need To Go, the second…
Back in 2007, a few years before the term ‘clickbait’ came into daily use, I’d been baited by one particular blog piece in The Guardian called ‘Why metal fans are brainier’ by one Ian Winwood, who counts Kerrang!, NME, Mojo, Q and Revolver among publications…
Just five minutes into my conversation with actor-singer-songwriter Alexx ONell, and I know this is going to be a masterclass of sorts... one with a bizarre title. Something along the lines of ‘Why I’m Ecstatic My Album Never Released, and Why It Never Will’. Yes,…
As I listened to Mumbai-based Alt-rock band Last Minute India's latest single Kaagaz Ki Naav, the first thing that popped into my head was Anurag Basu's critically acclaimed film Life In A Metro. In a nutshell, it's music made for montage sequences. Music that takes…
You may remember Rhapsody Out Loud (ROL) from India’s Got Talent a few years ago. If not, here’s a refresher. It’s rare that one sees a glorious mix of talents, instruments, languages and influences. In that sense, ROL’s music spans several genres. 17 to be…
Saaranya's latest single I Purple You is all kinds of sweet. The 19-year-old singer-songwriter from Mumbai calls it an acoustic love song to make you feel loved. That it is, for sure. The song is just two things - simple fingerpicking and a silvery voice to…
A little over two decades ago, I first saw Neuman Pinto perform on stage at the St. Andrews College Auditorium. Many students from Andrews hail from choir-singing backgrounds and it's only natural that they end up forming or joining acappella groups. Though acappella was uncommon…
If you’re part of the indie music scene in India, as a musician or a listener of music, there’s a slim chance you’d have missed the name David Britto. Over the last five-odd years, Britto, the music journalist, has helped us discover new acts, many…