Bauhaus

Bauhaus was at the heart of the post-punk / goth-rock movement of the late 70's along with Joy Division and The Cure. Lead singer Peter Murphy must have one of the most distinctive voice in rock - a cross between Lou Reed's detached vocal style and the bitterness of Trent Reznor. Another thing that stands out is the delay filled incisive guitar riffs of Daniel Ash. I only have the best-of compilation Crackle and I highly recommend it.

Mp3 : Dark Entries (link will expire in 7 days)
Mp3 : The Sanity Assassin (link will expire in 7 days)
Buy : Crackle.

The Amps

How come nobody thought of naming their band 'The Amps' before 1995 ? Although a very obvious name it sure has a cool ring to it and is instantly memorable. Put together by Kim Deal while The Breeders were on hiatus due to twin sis Kelley Deal's apparent drug addiction, Pacer is a glorified Breeders album but somehow its often skipped by the Breeders and Pixies fans. In a way, its a hidden gem that deserves more ears.

Mp3 : I Am Decided (link will expire in 7 days)

Mp3 : Hoverin' (link will expire in 7 days)

Buy : Pacer ~ The Amps.

Destination Anywhere

The last couple years I've been going back and forth, moving around, figuring out the definition of home. This weekend I'm making what might be the final trip back home and to commemorate that I made the following mix : Destination Anywhere.

1. Destination Anywhere ~ JON BON JOVI.
2. I Was Young When I Left Home ~ BOB DYLAN.
3. Directions ~ JOSH ROUSE.
4. We Never Change ~ COLDPLAY.
5. The Great Beyond ~ R.E.M.
6. Long Gone Day ~ MAD SEASON.
7. Don't Dream Its Over ~ CROWDED HOUSE.
8. Photographs & Memories ~ JIM CROCE.
9. Through My Sails ~ NEIL YOUNG.
10. Innocent When You Dream ~ TOM WAITS.

Blood Mountain ~ Mastodon

Ooh yeah...this one is a monster. Metal giants Mastodon release their third album Blood Mountain on september 12th but as expected the album is already floating around the interweb. If Remission is brash and slightly unpolished then Leviathan is immediately memorable yet intricate and rewarding on further listens. Its too early to judge Blood Mountain but one thing is for sure...no album is gonna rock you any more than this one. It's heavy, complex, unrefined and metal as fuck.

Link : http://www.myspace.com/mastodon

Buy : Blood Mountain

Mp3 : Hand of Stone (link will expire in 7 days)

Hidden Gems : Pink Floyd

Hidden Gems are songs or albums that are overlooked and not given their due for some reason or the other. Every so often I will feature a band under this category whose songs are over-shadowed by their more popular ones. Albums like More, Obscurred By Clouds and Atom Heart Mother have some truly glorious songs that offer glimpses of what was soon to come. Also, Syd Barrett fans are in for a treat.

• Apples & Oranges.
• Candy And A Currant Bun.
• Cymbaline.
• Ibiza Bar.
• Summer '68.
• The Gold It's In The...
• Crumbling Land.

Best of Bappi Lahiri

Who hasn't grooved to Bappi da's "moojik" ? Think of Bappi da and you think of disco and Mithun. The self proclaimed "King of Disco" has over 30 years given us many classic tunes that despite popular belief are not limited only to disco. Yes, most of his songs are "inspired" but which Bollywood music composer isn't guilty of lifting a tune or twelve.
A best of Bappi da can not be complete without including songs from Disco Dancer and the hard to find Surakksha and sadly I had to bump off stuff like 'Pag Ghungroo Bandhe' from Namak Halaal which I plan to include on a best of Amitabh Bachchan at a later date. Meanwhile, hope you enjoy this :

• Ae Oh Aa, Aa Oh Ah Ha ~ Disco Dancer.
• Bambai Se Aaya Mera Dost ~ Aap Ki Khatir.
• Chalte Chalte Mere Yeh Geet ~ Chalte Chalte.
• Dil Tha Akela Akela ~ Surakksha.
• Goro Ki Na Kalo Ki ~ Disco Dancer.
• Gunmaster G9 ~ Surakksha.
• I Am A Disco Dancer ~ Disco Dancer.
• Jahan Char Yaar ~ Sharaabi.
• Jimmy Jimmy Aaja Aaja ~ Disco Dancer.
• Yaad Aa Raha Hai ~ Disco Dancer.
• Yaar Bina Chain Kaha Re ~ Saheb.
• You Are My Chicken Fry ~ Rock Dancer.

80's Mix

I was born in the 80's but didn't experience first hand all the craziness of the decade. Like any other era, the 80's had its share of some great and some not so great moments. But music and art can be a wonderful tool through which we can get a sense of the times. The following mix is by no means a complete representative of those weird times but it gives you one glimpse out of many that made up the years from 1980-1989.

• 99 Luftballons ~ NENA.
• Don't You Want Me, Baby ~ THE HUMAN LEAGUE.
• Obesession ~ ANIMOTION.
• The Metro ~ BERLIN.
• You Spin Me 'Round (Like a Record) ~ DEAD OR ALIVE.
• She Blinded Me With Science ~ THOMAS DOLBY.
• Come on Eileen ~ DEXY'S MIDNIGHT RUNNERS.
• Rock Me Amadeus ~ FALCO.
• Axel F ~ HAROLD FALTERMYER.
• Funkytown ~ PSEUDO ECHO.
• Wordy Rappinghood ~ TOM TOM CLUB.
• Valley Girl ~ FRANK ZAPPA.
• Cars ~ GARY NUMAN.
• Der Kommisar ~ AFTER THE FIRE.
• Need You Tonight Mediate ~ INXS.

Mix Music Sampler

I started a music club called Synergy Music Club (SMC) on a band's forum that I visit last year. The idea is to share unknown or under the radar music so each week a member chooses and then uploads an album on our common email a/c via yousendit and then everyone listens to it and posts their thoughts on that album. I've got introduced to lots of cool artists that way - Architecture in Helsinki, Art Brut, Saul Williams to name a few and I've also turned them on to Clann Zú, Dredg and Poe.
So it was my turn this weekend and this time I decided to do a "mix tape" of sorts...I made a mix of bands I've been grooving to lately...some I've posted about already. Here is the tracklist :

1. Theme from Don ~ KALYANJI, ANANDJI + DJ SHADOW & DAN THE AUTOMATOR.
2. Bang A Drum ~ COLOURBLIND.
3. Mass Strangulation ~ BLOODBATH.
4. Behind the Mask of God ~ DEMONIC RESURRECTION.
5. Lowlife ~ SCANNERS.
6. Aura On An Asylum Wall ~ KAYO DOT.
7. Right Here, Right Now ~ VISHAL, SHEKHAR, ABHISHEK BACHCHAN.
8. Twenty Cell Revolt ~ MENOMENA.
9. Apple Tree ~ DECLAN DE BARRA.
10. Payday Loans ~ THESE ARMS ARE SNAKES.
11. The Brain Is Lost ~ ELLEN ALLIEN.
12. A Visit From Drum ~ LIARS.
13. Scherzo # C ~ ZAAR.
14. Prayers on Fire ~ THE SOUND OF ANIMALS FIGHTING.

Download : Mix Music Sampler (link will expire in 7 days)

Colour Blind

Growing up in the 90's in India when Mtv & Channel [V] - in their early avatars - shaped the musical landscape of teens with a healthy dose of international music (Michael Learns to Rock may be more popular in India and south asia than in their native Denmark) and an equal filling of Bollywood / Indi-pop songs. Sandwiched between the two was the perenially underground Indian rock music. They were no shows or programmed dedicated to the thousands of Indian rock fans scattered all over the country and you were lucky to catch an Indus Creed video at odd hours of the night.

ColourBlind seemed to come out of nowhere and blew away the cynical and generally narrow-minded Indian rock fans with their sound + vision. The production and sound quality surpassed anything being done by other desi rock bands and the video too featuring the sexy Laila Rouass got even non-rockers talking. Watching the video was one of the most defining moment for a lot of rookie rockers of that time and I was one of them.

Mp3 : Blast

Link : http://www.massdeletion.com/music.html

Buy : ColourBlind

Zaar

Do you like jazz ? Do you like progressive rock ? Well, then Zaar is for you. Fans of King Crimson will especially dig the Fripp-esque guitars and the hurdy-gurdy that comes in place of the mellotron. The musicianship is top-notch as you would expect from a band playing this kind of music and the songs including the 20 minute opener Sefir quiver and fluctuate in tempos and time-signatures. One of the better releases of this year and the album cover is quite interesting too.




Mp3 : Zolg (link will expire in 7 days)
Mp3 : Discasambo (link will expire in 7 days)
Mp3 : Scherzo # C (link will expire in 7 days)

Buy : Zaar