Sunday, May 24, 2015

Sustain

At various points in life, there are good people, beliefs, music and other things which get you through troubled waters. These become the foci around which you pin yourself, so that when time (and escape velocity) are attained, you can let go and continue on a path tangential to the curve :P Here I attempt to chronicle some songs which reflected the times of yours truly at different phases.

Sometimes they nourished seeds on barren lands, sometimes they got boats across choppy waters, sometimes they became the tree in an oasis for the eagle to rest and regroup, sometimes they lent credence to a fledgling thought and sometimes they pumped sound into my ears, so that all other thoughts could just stay boxed in. Most of all, they sustained.


If - Bread

Album   : Manna
Year      : 1971
Line-up : David Gates - vocals, guitar, bass, keyboards, James Griffin - vocals, guitar, keyboards, Robb Royer - guitar, bass, keyboards, Mike Botts - drums

Bread was a soft-rock band from the U.S. This song is the melting pot of melancholy, all hues of blue, yearning, longing, remembrance, and everything else that connects these things. The lyrics are very poetic and romantic, although with a dark edge to them .The darkness is complimented by the hauntingly beautiful voice of David Gates, and I am left trying to figure out what I feel when to this timeless song. The words transport you to another place and time. The reverb adds the extra dreamy effect to this soothing song. There are some sights, sounds and experiences which move you to bits when you go through them. This is one such.

Thank you - Led Zeppelin

Album    : Led Zeppelin 2
Year       : 1969
Lineup    : John Bonham – drums, John Paul Jones – bass guitar, Jimmy Page – electric and acoustic guitars, backing vocals, Robert Plant – lead vocals, harmonica.


One of the sweetest songs by Led Zeppelin. I used to go on a cornucopia of listening to this over and over again. I recall a day when I had listened to this for more than fifty times, back to back!! A simple and soulful intro leads us to the calming vocals of Robert Plant. The lyrics are truly beautiful and very poetic. It reminds us of the golden age of true music with feelings and deep lyrics which made so much sense! The mellow notes of the piano creates a truly magical atmosphere when listening to this song :)

Son Of Alerik - Deep Purple

Album  : Perfect Strangers
Year     : 1984
Line-up : Ritchie Blackmore – guitar, Jon Lord – organ, keyboards, Ian Paice – drums, Ian Gillan – vocals, Roger Glover – bass.

I do not recall when I heard this song first, it must have been at around the same time when I discovered the deepest hues of purple. Mention Deep Purple, and they are known for smoke on the water. They do have many more amazing songs, this one being one of them. An instrumental, it lends meaning to my thought - the solo of a song is that part which cannot be expressed in words. Some of the purest things cannot be uttered. They may only be expressed through music. This song stirs the deepest corners of your heart and brings some indescribable feelings to the surface! Do not miss Jon Lord's magic at 01:15. Flawless sorcery, as he takes us through light years of an intense trip in a few seconds :)  At one time, I had this song on loop for days and days together, such was its pull. I've tried to understand why this song is called so, all I've come to know is that Alerik was a Visgoth king. Classic rock at its best!

“I think nostalgia is great, as long as you don’t start earning too much money off of it”
- Glover ,1985

Nostalgia 1 - Thaikkudam Bridge

Album   : - - (single)
Year      : 2013
Line-up : Siddarth Menon - vocals, Govind Menon - vocals, violin, Vipin Lal - vocals, Christin Jose - vocals, Mithun Raj - lead guitar, Anish - drums, Vian Fernandez - bass guitar, Ruthin Thej - keyboard

Thaikkudam Bridge is a band from Kerala. Consisting of musicians from throughout the country, they sing in Malayalam. Nostalgia 1 is a collection of old Malayalam songs, covered by this band. The production quality here is excellent, and we see them performing live on a show called Music Mojo, on Kappa TV. The song begins slow, with the soulful vocals of Siddarth , Govind , Vipin  and Christin before launching into an explosive crescendo with the violin and lead guitar. Vian and Ruthin are a treat to watch as they launch into synchronized headbanging, and you can't help but join them! The hand off from violin to lead guitars is the high point of this beautiful arrangement! It simply doesn't matter if you don't understand a word of Malayalam. This song is really tight!!

The pursuit of vikings - Amon Amarth

Album   : Fate of Norns (Norns are female beings who rule the destiny of Gods and men)
Year      : 2004
Line-up : Johan Hegg – vocals, Olavi Mikkonen – Lead Guitar, Johan Söderberg – Rhythm guitar, Ted Lundström – bass guitar, Fredrik Andersson – drums

Amon Amarth is a melodic death metal band from Sweden. I had listened to the opening of one of their songs at a function at work. I had no clue what song that was, until I stumbled on it on youtube - and I was hooked!! This song really makes you want to grow a big beard, long hair, raise a deep, guttural war cry and head bang really heavily. Their synchronized windmill headbanging in this song is crazy!! I'm not really a fan of really heavy music, but this band and song are something special. You can feel the relentless, overpowering lava thunder down the slopes, engulfing everything in its wake and incinerating everything. The drumming is simply unforgiving and just obliterates everything else. You'll be left gasping for air at the end of the song!! If nothing gets you going, just listen to this song, and you'll be screaming for more!!

*I do not own any of these images. All pictures courtesy their respective owners*

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