A stunner of an album. Review on Kandisa

The band, comprises

They are famous for their musical style that combines basic Indian rhythms and classical folk structures with jazz, rock and reggae.They have been together for more then a decade and can easily be regarded as one of the most innovative and exciting band today with their variety and eclectic music.

It is a treat to listen to them and I for one am a great fan of theirs.Infact they performed at our college rock concert and it was quite a blast to have em there.

They blend the Indian music with different other forms and what comes out is sheer magic.Their lyrics are also rustic and their songs have lot of guitar,percussion,drums which makes it a joy to listen to.

Now going straight to their album, Kandisa which is an intricately woven compilation with selected lyrics in Hindi, Kashmiri, Bengali, Aramaic and Bhilali.The biggest asset of the group is their eclectic mix of music as they are willing to experiment and innovate all the time with their lyrics,music and genre of singing.This diversity is to be found aplenty in Kandisa as well.A must buy kind of stuff for any music lover worth his/her salt.

The Tracks:-

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Hille le

This one is a brilliant track which has use of guitar and lot of percussion instruments.The song starts with some kind of chanting which sounds great if listened to on a good music system.What adds to the charm of the song is the Bhojpuri lyrics which has a freshness about it.What with words like

Hille le jhakjhor duniya

.

Someone who doesnt know Bhojpuri might have a little problem in understanding the lyrics but then the music speaks and the latter has a universal language.Wow simply breathtaking stuff folks as it ends with an energetic piece of guitar and vocals.

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kandisa

This one starts with guitar as most of their other songs with the vocals being provided by Asheem one believes.The wonder usage of shlokas along with the percussion gives the song a very vivacious touch.The vocals in this one are simply stunning and gives a very unique folk touch to the whole song.One is amazed at the ease with which they blend jazz with the Indian folk music.It is such fusion which makes the group such a massive hit among their fans.As the song progresses the chorus done by the artists is really stunning to say the least.

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kaun

The opening part with guitar and use of the dhol followed by the background vocals take the listener to a different level all together.The tone in which this one has been sung makes it breathtaking.The sufi touch to this one is easy to make out and along with the use of folk instruments like manjira makes it for a wonderful fusion.The Sufi touch reminds one of Junoon's Sayonee, as the background music seems close to that one.A wonderful track all in all one could say.The lyrics of this one has an environmentalism to it and sounds like pointing to the divinity and asking for clues as to who runs the universe.Check out the lyrics:-

kaun beej bota hai yaaro

kaun kaun kaun rota kaun kaun kaun

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kya maloom

has a more jazz touch to it then probably any of the songs in this album with heavy use of percussion.What strikes one about this track is the vocal in chorus and the pitch at which it is sung.As the song progresses some bit of reggae touch is also discernable which is a throwback to the style of Bob Marley and Bobby Mcfarland.The lyrics of this one is quite a revelation.Check this out:-

rakt ranjit ho dhara ras roop manthan kare

wow sounds like some sort of tantric shloka maybe!

Works out to be a beautiful mix of jazz,reggae set on indian shlokas and drums.

leaving home.

This one has beautiful tabla work by Asheem and Amit with hardly any https://lyrics.All it is some humming done to add to the music something perfected by Enigma, but their style of music is totally different from this one.Leaving home is a great relaxant after a long day as it has a soothing effect to it.It has a certain rawness and pathos about it.This one would appeal to the non Hindi music lovers as all it has is music.

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ma rewa

This song sung in Bhilali pays tribute to the Rewa river in Chattisgarh which is the life line and motherMaa for the local people.This is easily the best track in the album and it is absolutely mind boggling if listened to on a high wattage music system.It is a stunner to say the least.The way the vocals picks up in the middle of the song to give way to the instruments is enthralling.Check out the lyrics

Amar kanth se nikli ho rewa

I have tried to come close to the Bhilali they sing,might have a little mistake to it though,for which I apologise. What follows after this vocal treat is some breathtaking guitar work and wonderful percussion done by the group as they try to do something like Eagles who also have only instruments in the latter part of Hotel California.The percussion instruments like drum with loads of guitar gives it a rock touch.Simply put this one is a ripper!

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'We are more folksy,gritty and powerful 'says group member and tabla player Asheem,well said dude..I fully agree with you.The genre of music that Indian Ocean plays is really stupendous and one has to listen to them to believe what I mean.Their music can be branded soul music .Their genre of music has a very contemporary yet classical touch to it.Check this one out guys and believe me you wont regret it one bit.