STICKY FINGERS - ROLLING STONES

Sticky Fingers – The Rolling  Stones

Presenting to you, my friend, The Rolling Stones. One of the greatest rock bands ever. THE greatest ‘rock band’ because The Beatles were basically pop.  So I don’t know what’s with people, they all seem to prefer Led Zep to The Stones. Well here we have one of Stones’ best albums and hopefully we shall have some converts!

The Rolling Stones Sign

This Stones are basically a two man show: Mick Jagger (vocals; harmonica; occasional rhythm guitar; womanizing; attitude), Keith Richards (Lead and rhythm guitar; crazy drugs; he even snorted his own dad; heart and soul). Of course like all bands of the era their sound needs a bit getting used to, but what a sound it is. They will have you laughing and crying and completely at their mercy soon enough, just give them a chance.

Left to Right : Mick Jagger, Keith Richards

Now on to Sticky Fingers. So the band finally got their own record label and here they were free ‘explore’ their ideas with quite some freedom. Well freedom to the band that brought the dirtiness to mainstream rock is a dangerous thing. It resulted in a celebration of sex, drugs and rock n roll. It’s gorgeous and it’s dirty and its heartfelt (mostly). But consider yourself warned, the album IS called Sticky Fingers after all. I’d be wary of an album with that name.

Album Cover

We start with an awesome, gritty riff in Brown Sugar and lyrics that are best left unmentioned. Then the slightly weird and mishy-mashy Sway comes in and puts us in a trance until the opening acoustic guitar lines of Wild Horses takes us into most heartfelt, heart-wrenching territory. I believe this is some of Jagger’s most honest vocal delivery and it works wonders tugging at you as he promises that wild horses couldn’t drag him away.

Suddenly we are jerked out of the sadness by the crisp guitar riffs of Can’t you hear me knocking which goes hard and Mick Taylor shows off his guitar chops at the end with a Santana like jam which is riffs and solos and extreme rock jamming.

The next major highlight (according to me ) is three songs later at Sister Morphine, sad and eerie with an acoustic guitar humming, a dying man pleading for morphine and the guitar tone, Keith I love the guitar tone on this one! They borrowed all the sadness and chill from their previous album for this one.

And then comes Dead Flowers. A cynical-tragic country rock song about (I think) Keith’s affair with some royalty.

Finally this brings us to Moonlight Mile which works as a perfect album closing ballad.

So many moods this album guides us through, it feels like a long, long time since the first opening bursts of  Brown Sugar brought us in. It left me changed; you’ll definitely get something from it. Go on, hear this one today!

Full album Single Track

Contributed by Aditya Dave

Indian Bands

Well, Grad's Bucket List has been a little low in new music. And yet again it pains me to see how less people in the institute know about the extremely talented Indian Bands. From Death metal to the lovely Blues, presenting you the list of top Ten Indian Bands that are a must hear. SUNO

And yes, if you are low on cash like myself, who can't attend the concerts of LoG, Iced Earth and Kreator, these bands perform often, and aren't too heavy on your pocket :D

1) Demonic Resurrection - Demonic Resurrection is a melodic blackened death metal band from Mumbai, India formed in the year 2000 by some 17 year old teens. It has grown to be one of the most polished bands in India and enjoys a massive fan following all over Its main influences are Cradle Of Filth, Dimmu Borgir and Cannibal Corpse



2) Raghu Dixit Project - Yes, we all saw them in Mood Indigo and remains to be one of the most memorable Pro-Night of all times. Their multilingual compositions are the amalgamations of different ethnic music and styles from across the country which leaves you buoyed!
NOTE - Raghu is a gold medalist in Microbiology and also, a trained dancer. -respect-



3) Soulmate - This Shillong band which came together in 2003 is definitely one of my current favorite. The magnificent duo of Rudy Wallang and the Tipriti Bhangar literally transport you to the picturesque north east with their blues. They are regular with their concerts and performances, so DO catch them. As, Tipriti says, "blues is my soul-mate"



4) Shakti - Shakti was a group which played a novel acoustic fusion music which combined Indian music with elements of jazz; it was perhaps the earliest practitioner of the musical genre world fusion. It is also a pioneer in Carnatic and Hindustani music, You shall experience a pristine calm.

5) Blackstratblues - Blackstratblues is a solo project of Warren Mendonsa, who is a guitarist, composer and record producer. It is powerful and bliss music, almost ethereal and rhythm guitar fans would totally love it!



6) Indus Creed - One of the earliest rock bands on India and definitely reputed all over the world. Indus Creed has produced some impeccable pieces of music. Their recent resurrection after long 15 years is much awaited.



7) A Thermal and a Quarter, TAAQ (to the impatient ones, okay, generally everyone in the institute0 - TAAQ delivers an unforgettable, immersive musical experience. Their music makes you want to have a drink in hand and well.. just sing along. The one below, Grab Me, is a master piece.



8)Something Relevant (STR) - Formed in 2003, in Bombay, this Jam Rock Band is superb. Their music is a regular scene at "Jazz by the bay". A must!

9) Indian Ocean - Again, one of the oldest band in India, they are considered to be the pioneers of fusion rock in India. Some critics describe their music as "Indo-rock fusion with jazz-spiced rhythms that integrates shlokas, sufism, environmentalism, mythology and revolution". WOAH!



10) Prem Joshua (?) - Well, it isn't technically an Indian Band but definitely some great Indian trance-fusion music. Prem Joshua is famous for his experimentation and making remixes of his own songs and infusing traditional Hindustani acoustic instruments with lounge and trance beats. So, all you trance fans (generally very few in the institute) this should be your first on "to-hear" list.



PS - This list is NOT exhaustive and be free to add your favourites. These are some which are a frequent on my playlist.
But more importantly, cheers to Indian Music :)


Contributed by Madalsa Singh

Tom Lehrer

Tom Lehrer is a mathematician/singer/pianist/songwriter/satirist/musical theater expert. He's known mainly for the humorous songs he wrote in the 50s. Here, I'll introduce you to a few of his creations, though I will recommend that you check them all out.

The Elements Song - This is by far the geekiest. Tom Lehrer sings the names of all the elements of the periodic table which were known at that time (practically all the named ones)

Interestingly, Daniel Radcliffe (Harry Potter) is a big fan of Tom Lehrer and has performed this song in the Graham Norton Show. He does a pretty good job at it!

Tom Lehrer has loads of funny and satirical songs. I will link you to a few of them:

The Masochism Tango - A funny song about a couple that seems to be head-deep into BDSM. The lyrics is pretty cool. Check it out!

Here's another humorous take about an Irish lass that probably didn't like her family much:

The Irish Ballad Live Concert (Which has been disabled for embedding)


And, finally, a satire on research in academia:

The Lobachevsky Live Concert (Again which has been disabled for embedding)


Tom Lehrer also came up with a rhyming line ending in the word orange, which doesn't have rhyming words in English:

Eating an orange
While making love
Makes for bizarre enj-
oyment thereof


I would suggest you look up all of Tom Lehrer videos on Youtube. He is an awesome fella.
Tom Lehrer's channel on Youtube. (I think all his sings are on this)


Contibuted by Antariksh Bothale

Buckethead

"Buckethead is one of the most bizarre and enigmatic figures in American underground and experimental music since Parliament-Funkadelic birthed their bevy of cosmic characters in the mid-'70s. An accomplished multi-instrumentalist best known for his virtuosic command of the electric guitar, Buckethead is one of the instrument's most recognizable contemporary innovators, his rapid-fire riffing, near-robotic fretwork, and idiosyncratic lead lines combining elements of Yngwie Malmsteen, Adrian Belew, Slayer's Kerry King, P-Funk's Eddie Hazel, and avant-improv artist John Zorn's Scud-attack sax abuse.

Although he is highly under rated I personally believe dat he is on par with likes of John Petrucci , Steve Vai and Joe Satriani if not better. His first group, the San Francisco-based metal-funk combine the Deli Creeps, were a regional success, but disbanded before they could release anything.

Buckethead's solo career has been more productive In addition to releases including 1998's Colma, Buckethead has also contributed soundtrack material to such films as Last Action Hero and Street Fighter. Buckethead returned in 1999 with Monsters and Robots, after which he joined the short-lived re-formation of Guns N' Roses.

 A steady stream of releases followed into the 21st century ranging from the contemplative Electric Tears to a more electronica/rock hybrid, and collaborations with San Francisco's underground hip-hop scene. In the following decade, he averaged a few releases a year, teaming up with dozens of artists, including Les Claypool, Iggy Pop, and Mike Patton, and in 2008, he collaborated with actor/musician Viggo Mortensen for Pandemonium from American.



A dizzying string of releases would follow before the actor and the enigmatic guitarist worked together again in 2011 on Reunion. The following year, Buckethead released Electric Sea, a follow-up to his 2002 album, Electric Tears.


My personal favorites are Soothsayer, Nottingham Lace , Electric Tears ,Jordan and Whitewash

 

Contributed by Sudeep US

A Boyle-ing sensation

There are early bloomers, and late bloomers. And there's Susan Boyle. When she first walked onstage in Britain's got talent, not many would have thought highly of her. But never judge a book by it's cover. What took place moments later has become a worldwide rage, both in the media as well as on the internet. Before coming on the show, Susan made her earnings by singing at the local church choir and at pubs around her small village. The rise to fame has been sudden and steep. “How famous do you want to become?” they asked her. She replied with an earnest “Ellen Paige”. The crowd breaks into raucous laughter. This ordinary, jobless woman from Scotland thinks she can be an Ellen Paige? Hah. And as I said earlier, moments later, everyone in the crowd could not utter another word for minutes. Attached is a video of her audition. Watch it, and if you already have (a big chance of that), watch it again. If this isn't worth another watch, very few things are. :) A shining example of resilience, and modesty, I look up to Susan as an idol, someone whose humane attributes are capable of rescuing a world from pride and
despair.

 

Naamdaar Tharki, Izzatdaar Bewade

Huyi mehangi bohot hi sharaab ke...thodi thodi piya karo

End semester exams do have their way of bringing back fond old memories and at times, incepting new tastes. This small write-up just about will manage to introduce the immense area of classic Indian ghazals and shayaris to the tormented mind. For instance, this is an epic line

Mashooq ka budhaapa...Lazzat dila rha hai,

Angoor ka maza, ab kishmish me aa rha hai

Jagjeet Singh summarizes the ageing process beautifully. Not to mention the crazy alaap and voice modulation he brings with it.

Pankaj Udhas, another renowned master of ghazal, masterfully portrays the dilemma of a needful man.

Aye ghum-e-zindag, tu hi kar faisala...Ek taraf uska ghar, ek taraf Maikada

As a background music, and sometimes as totally brilliant videos, you can any day go back to theses Indian masterpieces when it comes to having some peace of mind at night time, or a good laugh if you are into mindless mockery.

And since, you people won't do the searching for these songs we give you a playlist to listen to. :)

Oh, there is another class in this genre that deals with jawaani and nasha. Here is an example -

Sab toh milaake peete hain paani sharaab mein

Mai mila ke pee gaya, Jawanii...sharab mein

To end with, let me bring in, arguably, the most popular ghazal-like song of all time -

Tum toh thehre pardesi... * dhidhing dhidhing dhidhing * Tum toh thehre pardesi...saath kya nibayogey! *tana nanana nanana *

This article is a contribution from Harshveer Jain who himself quotes -

Mujhe na kisi ka gham hai, na aur khushi ki zarurat hai

sharaab cheez ho lajawab, but mehengi bahut hai !

Music from the Silk Road

The Silk Road Ensemble is a musical collective and a part of the Silk Road Project. The ensemble is not a fixed group of musicians, but rather a loose collective of as many as 60 musicians, composers, arrangers, visual artists and storytellers from various Eurasian cultures interested in maintaining the authenticity of their own cultural heritage and, at the same time, exchanging ideas across ostensibly dissimilar cultures. Initiated by Yo-Yo Ma, acclaimed virtuoso American cellist in 1998,  the Project promotes collaboration among artists and institutions, promoting multicultural artistic exchange, and studying the ebb and flow of ideas among different cultures along the Silk Road.

Mountains Are Far Away

If the Dewarists was a music show that did justice to the beauty and diversity of Indian music, The Silk Road Ensemble is a collaboration of ancient and medieval cultures connected by the Silk Route, a 4000 mile network of trade routes that gave Europe the zero and Indian armies cannons. And here I describe one of the albums, Silk Road Journeys: Beyond the Horizon.

Imagine a caravan travelling with the freshly cultivated Kesar from the valleys of Kashmir stopping at a caravanserai in Georgia. As the evening draws near, and the traders gather around the fire, chords are struck and the Akhalkalaki dance, endemic to their Georgian town is performed, much to the delight of the weary traders. Imagine the emotions that a trader experiences upon looking down on Constantinople, or the beautiful green valley of Kashmir after months of an arduous journey. Imagine the breathtaking scenery of a Chinese countryside, or the sight of thousands of horses galloping in a remote mountain country in North Asia.

Caravans on the Silk Road

The album uses a variety of instruments and artists, with the cello and/or violin being a base for many of the songs. So the piano plays with the tabla, and kamancha, to create music that touches the soul. Many endemic percussion and string instruments are fused with the cello, and Chinese lutes are used extensively, while vocals are featured on a couple of tracks. I cannot comment more on the instruments used, as the variety of tones and beats is massive.

Kayhan Kalhor playing the Kamancha

"Good" is too small a word for the music in this album. This music does not soothe, it does not make one feel good. This music moves people. It moves some to tears. It makes you want to escape the daily routine of life, and join that caravan of medieval times. It makes you long for the peace and solitude of places you haven't ever seen. It makes you a king in his court, a traveler scaling a mountain pass or a shepherd in his home valley. It transports you to the realm of old times, when barter trade existed, when harams existed and were part of culture, and when Europe was seen as a distant and mystic land, far way, only seen by the long-haired wizened old man who had traveled the Silk Road.

This music makes us Imagine.

I take leave with this track posted below, and I hope it touches your heart as it did mine.

Alcest

Many of you have demanded that we feature bands less famous than Porcupine Tree. So, here goes.

This french musical project combines shoegazing, black metal and post-rock influences. ( Shoegaze, for those who do not know what the term is). That's a heavy introduction (phew), so I will come straight to the point.

It is a solo project of Neige. As a child, Neige dreamt about a far off place - Fairy Land, with 'colours, forms and sounds that do not exist here'. These dreams have inspired Alcest's music.

Here is a video of them, performing at Braga. 

The music alternates between good (even for those who hate the genre), black metal and soft guitar work with ethereal vocals. The best part about it? It is emotional and heartfelt, atmospheric and dreamy - music you can get lost in. Summing it up, sheer beauty.

They have released three very good albums -
Souvenirs d'un autre monde (Memories of Another World)
Ecailles de Lune (Scales of the Moon)
Les Voyages de I'Ame (The Journeys of the Soul)

 Definitely, worth a listen.

PS - Thanks to Abhishek Padmanabhan (Paddy) for this one.

Porcupine Tree

Porcupine Tree are a rock band formed by Steven Wilson in 1987 in Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire, England. They are know to combine elements of rock, ambient, psychedelic rock, krautrock, trance and in their recent albums - heavy metal. Many people hailed them as the modern day Pink Floyd. Although their popularity was at its peak and somehow limited to the nineties, a lot of people cherish their music till date.

Porcupine Tree's members are (from left to right)

• Richard Barbieri (keyboard since 1993)
• Steven Wilson (guitars, vocals, keyboard and various other instruments)
• Gavin Harrison (drums since 2002)
• Colin Edwin (bass guitar since 1993)

A compilation of some of their best songs

What's weird with them ?

Porcupine Tree have always had Uniting Albums - Most of their albums have uniting themes. 'In Absentia' loosely tells the story of a serial killer while 'Signify' is about the ways that people try to feel that their lives matter. Steven Wilson usually goes to the stage barefooted and most of his fans are proud of this. The band especially Steven does not like new technology. They do not like the concept of MP3 Players and feel that this brings down the love people have for true music. Its usual to find Steven commenting on this in his songs or live performances.

        

At the end, I leave you with this. This is Porcupine Tree @ Mood Indigo, IIT Bombay. I personally missed this, but all IITians who were there will surely remember the OAT going wild with Lazarus.