Prog

24/06/2021

I want to talk about the song "City Slums" which was performed by Divine and Raja Kumari.
This song wanted to show the real Mumbai and it paid homage to Raja Kumari's California West Coast upbringing and the Divine's sounds of the gully. Raja Kumari contributes melodic vocals over Divine’s rapping which creates an appealing contrast of rhythms.
Overall this song is a must listen for hip-hop fans.

https://rollingstoneindia.com/raja-kumaris-city-slums-video-ode-mumbai/

The track, which also features Mumbai rapper Divine, blends California West Coast elements and desi vibes to create a new narrative

09/03/2021

Lets talk about the song "1985" which was quite an experimental song for Haken to feature in their album Affinity and their live performance in India by which I came to know about it.

“1985” is the third track and it provides the first climax on the album. The song is characterized by the 80’s style synth pop influenced keyboard effects, tight guitar/bass/drum riffs, catchy chorus, and prog rhythm satisfaction which Haken has proven to be second to none.

Combining the 80s elements with progressive rhythm brought a whole new dimension and freshness to the song and playing it live.

This is the type of song which one would normally expect to carry an album to greatness, this is where this band now takes it to another level.
https://progreport.com/haken-affinity-album-review/

Review of the brand new 4th studio album by Haken.

08/12/2020

I first listened to the band Skrat, during my first year at IIT Madras in the cultural festival Saarang, 2015. Consisting only of 3 members, I was impressed by the completeness of the sound and energy these guys provided on stage. The overall stage presence was too much energetic and it was a fun experience. Their latest full length album, Bison, consists of heavier tracks than the previous ones, which also features their new bassist.

Check this article out to learn more about their album.

https://rollingstoneindia.com/skrat-bison-now-were-going-to-scare-people/

The Chennai rockers are getting heavier and darker on their fourth full-length album ‘Bison,’ due this summer

17/09/2020

Indian progressive bands

Let's talk about Agam and its role in improving the prog rock scene in India.
Agam band is cool and appealing because it links carnatic with progressive rock, which are both
very respected genres in musicians' community.
By fusing genres together, it is promoting the Indian classical music in a modern way.
The band recreates old carnatic pieces and give them a proggy twist and present them with a refreshing
and a new rendition combining elements of carnatic and prog rock.
The vocalist and the guitarist are classically trained in carnatic and sing and play heart melting classical melodies
in their songs

The main reason prog interests appeal to people is because of the technicality, the complex rhythms
and the lyrics which revolve around topics which normal pop songs don't. As a listener, it's super fun to
decode the complex time signatures and syncopation and listen to melody which repeat very often and
there are surprises on every turn. One more instance of Indian instrumentalists getting attention worldwide was
when Rishabh seen made his band Sitar Metal popular by covering insane riffs and arpeggios
of the legendary band Animals As Leaders on his sitar which is a very prodigal thing to do.

So let's hope more such artists evolve in India so that we can make a global mark on the world