Rain Check

With Syam N Pai on the guitar,Shabeer P Ali on bass and Arun S Kumar on drums,the members of Kaav began jamming three years ago. While Pai and Ali live in Vypin Island,Kumar is from Fort Kochi and takes a boat to the Islands for their jam sessions everyday. “Vypin Island is more like a village. People can’t believe that a band can come from a village. We were ready with the album last year but there were no studio dates,” says Pai,over the phone from Vypin Island.

The album is strikingly different from the EP,and according to the band members,is more complex and mature with a set concept. “We produced the EP only to get the studio experience and when it was a hit,we realised we needed more songs to score gigs,” he adds.

The eight-track album,which released last week,is an audio translation of the picturesque beauty of Vypin Island. Apart from some effortless guitar riffs and controlled yet wild drum beats,the album also comprises borrowed sounds — of local music of temples,influences of Carnatic music,Kochi folklore,spoken words in Malyalam and the noise of a storm. “This place is so serene — Backwaters in the West and Arabian Sea in the East. We are not even in touch with other local Kochi bands,so the music we make has its soul set in the simplicity of Vypin Islands,” says Pai.

The album traces one’s journey from birth to Nirvana. It begins with a mellow track titled Adi which stands for beginning and goes on to other numbers such as Fears Mysteries,which according to the band,is about religion. While Kaalichan traces the journey of folk tales and fables through a sound with heavy Carnatic music influences,Thee and Sulthan are about maturing as young individuals and facing crisis. “In about two months,we will begin the Kaav tour and travel to Mumbai,Delhi and other cities,” concludes Pai.