Sound Waves of the Indus

So,grainy footage on Doordarshan and once-in-a-week programme of Bollywood songs gave way to back-to-back videos all day long. Indus Creed revelled in the glory. Now,17 years after their last album Rock’n’Roll Renegade came out,the trailblazers of the rock movement are back with a new eight-track album,titled Evolve (Universal Music,Rs 175).

The new line-up has three old names — with Uday Benegal on vocals,Mahesh Tinaikar on guitar,Zubin Balaporia on keyboard (bassist Mark Selwyn hung his guitar and moved on to real estate),along with two new members — Jai Row Kavi on drums and Rushad Miscry on bass.

The band’s sound has also evolved. Benegal,along with guitarist Jayesh Gandhi,moved to New York’s Tin Pin Alley in 1997 to form a band called The Alms of Shanti,and there,he experimented with music. Once the recession hit that part of the world,both of them moved back to India. “We have been away from each other for quite a while,and all musicians are bringing their own influence to the table,which is great for the band,” says Tinaikar about the album,which has been financed by the band.

The album has been mixed in Tim Palmer’s Austin-based studio and mastered by producer Andy VanDette in New York. Palmer is known to have mixed the albums of bands such as Pearl Jam and U2.

The album opens with Fireflies — a song about loss and separation that Benegal wrote after watching a friend’s documentary. Originally a soft acoustic track with a mandolin playing,the song is now a high-energy rock track. This is followed by Dissolve — an intense tune with a progressive rock element,and No Disgrace — a song that can fit into various genres.

Benegal is also impressed by the refurbished music scene in India. “Things are definitely better as it is easier to disseminate your music. Even the audience has certain expectations about the writing of music. I hope this continues,” says Benegal.