GIR X
"Aren't you a little old for this?" asked my friend as I picked up the RSJ issue with the GIR 10 CD. I thought for a while and replied, "No!” It’s hard to come up with a clever comeback every time you're asked this question.
I picked up the issue coz I wanted to check out the GIR bands. This year's CD featured 12 bands mainly from Delhi and Mumbai with a bunch from all over the place. What struck me immediately was the maturity of the compositions and the quality of arrangements and production. If you compare it with the quality of the first GIR record, the improvement was very evident.
The CD opens with The Superfuzz from Delhi with a laid back funkish groove that set the mood for the other songs that followed. The style varies from there to nu metal to death and what have you. The mix of styles showcases the wide variety of talent in our country just waiting to be unleashed. Thanks to ventures like GIR, the reach of these bands have extended well beyond college shows. The song that really caught my attention was Delhi based Acrid Semblance's Genesis. A power-packed, aggressive metal track that has a very melodious foundation and is arranged maturely without falling into the lets-shred-away-to-glory trap which young bands are prone to. Kolkata's Cassini's Division is probably the most mature track of the lot with a very relaxed groovy track titled Only For A While. The CD also contains a track by Demonic Resurrection from Mumbai. One of the most talked about band in recent times with their brand of 'Demonic' metal. Their composition has the best production quality with layers of melody set upon a brutal death metal riffing and atmospheric keyboards. The vox sometimes lose the centerstage though. The song, Apocalyptic Dawn also features guest appearances by stalwarts like Warren of Zero and Pervez of Shiva. DR has come a long way since the out-and-out halla of their first album. The CD ends with Magdalene from Aizwal. Their composition was the weakest of the dozen. Now, don't get me wrong here, they do display great prowess over their instruments but their songwriting and arrangement need to be tightened a bit to match up to the others in the CD.
In a nutshell, if you've ever wondered what’s up with the Indian rock scene, just check out this compilation and see for yourself that its alive and kicking really hard.
posted by The Soulforged @ 12:35
3 Comments:
I have always wondered about the selection procedures behind the GIR shows/compilations. Is it the recording quality? Honestly, I haven't heard too many GIR compilations to comment on this aspect, but I do know that most bands are exploring ways and means to get a recording done. More often than not, this usually is a home recording of sorts. I daresay not too many bands go all out to get a good demo done in a professional recording studio. This can be their ticket for getting out a demo with the quality of recordings being really fantastic, but people probably do not see this as a necessity because of A. the financial constraints involved and B. Lack of a drive in the country to get out that sort of a quality recording.
But somehow, the genre and the geographic spread of the different bands featured is quite predictable every time to me. The collection features a majority of the outfits from the metal bandwagon, sprinkled with one band with the funk sound and with luck, a band playing classic/blues rock (not counting a new spin-off band comprising of at least one member of Zero). Invariably, there is ONE band from Calcutta and one band from the east. As for the Delhi Bands, I think they are probably well aware of their life cycle cycle. A band goes through the first five years competing in the college shows, performing in the pub scene and sending out demos to the GIR competition. They normally get selected to be in the GIR competition round the four or five year mark. After five years, if they have managed to get around to be headlining acts with a coupla albums to boast, they would be elevated to the status of a main band.
Somehow, at the end of every such pondering session of the selection process, I go back to assume the safest bet - The you-scratch-my-back-all-year-long-and-I-will-feature-you-in-my-compilation norm :P
Not sure about the selection process but I guess the demo recording would have a big role to play there. There was a time when amateur bands did not even think of recording a demo as an option. Their reputation was built on live shows and how tightly they cover the big bands, orignal comps were a big no-no. But now the bands proudly play their self comps and the crowd accepts it encouragingly...well...most of the times.
The cash crunch is an eternal malady but things are looking up here too. During my college days owning a guitar was a big deal...forget about branded imported stuff. We used to borrow stuff from the more fortunate ones for our shows. Heck, we have even picked up guitars from jagaran orchestras @ Rs.150 per night!
But owning a Fender strat and having access to a real sound studio does not a great band make, talent, drive and moolah...you need the right mix. Bands today have a bit of them all and being a musician is fast becoming a financially viable profession.
We're getting there...I sure think so...
We are getting there alright....But the one malady that has been plaguing the bands since the dawn of the rock age here in India is the lack of a push forward in that process that ensues the recording and packaging - I am talking about the distribution game. So everything is accessible now - the fruityloops, the home recording kit and heck, even a professional recording/mixing artiste working on your demo...Then, what's the step ahead? Get a coupla webzines to profile you...Get an advetorial out on a local newspaper...Perform a few gigs and put up a stall screaming out your name on t-shirts....then what? Apart from a coupla Skinny Alley and Pentagram albums, I don't see any indian acts occupying shelf space...And these guys probably have a recording cum distribution contract going in their favor...
I guess the reason why most folks do not go the extra mile for recording an album is the all imperative question - What do you do once you invest money/effort/time in getting an album together? Forget about worrying about the returns associated...are there enough avenues for them to readily pursue distribution? I have heard of recordings done in independent studios and distribution alone by giants like Sony...Do we have enough opportunities like that here?
On a positive note - the newsletter at a CCD here reported that Kryptos, the bangalore metal act have bagged a recording contract with a label based out of the U.S. That's heartening to know...Hope they do get around to making their music available to millions around the world..
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