Abhishek Dasgupta, was a guitarist in the bands Shor Bazaar and Cirkles from Bombay (yes, Bombay!). Known as ‘The Scientist’ in Shor Bazaar, he is also a composer, song-writer and a music teacher. End of 2011, Abhishek released his solo album ‘EP I’, which has a rather simple album cover, which is straight out of a five year-old’s drawing book. Abhishek has done the guitar-work on this EP (including the bass guitar) & the drumming has been handled by Bhushan Gachake.
The songs on this EP fall under the genre adult contemporary, but they can also be classified under a mixture of alternative & punk rock music. Irrespective of the genre, the EP is gaining popularity because of its harsh ‘parental guided’ lyrics. If you can say ‘B(h)ose D K’, without having to reverse the syllables and then repeating the set to actually make sense, then go listen to the three songs on this EP. The three songs on this EP are absolutely catchy and make you come back to them again. They entertain you and book a place in your memory banks. But yeah, please don’t come back to me cribbing about your kid asking meanings of those ‘^&%@$’ words.
The tracks list on this EP is short and has three singles.
- Balram
- Chor
- Chandramukhi
Balram is the most catchiest of them all with interesting riffs & an equally interesting build-up to the story of the song, a build-up which would make RGV cry. Even though Abhishek is not a great vocalist, he has managed to up the ante on this song with a fun composition which definitely maintains your interest in the song. The guitar solos are great and blend perfectly with the lyrics, specifically with the background drums. In the end, Balram does manage to kick some goon-ass and so does the song. I love the way the song ends, with that screeching amplifier noise. No chinta ke mudde here!
Chor has a more prominent feel of the drums. High on energy and not so catchy lyrics, except the line which goes like ‘Sab ek jaise hai, chor saale!’. An interesting but slightly lowly-rated song on the EP.
Chandramukhi is evidently the slowest of all songs. A completely trippy song with subtle acoustic noises on the guitar. I say noise specifically because I love that noise made by fingers sliding on the strings. You’ll find the ‘Raghupathi Raaghav’ chant unnecessary, but it does hum in the head. Nothing special on the guitar solos here, but a song worthy of appreciation.
Overall, I would say that Abhishek has managed to churn out a decent effort. Even though, the EP won’t impress some, I think it is a great solo effort. Go hit play below and have fun. Don’t forget to leave your comments if you have anything to add/subtract/divide/multiply.
Update: Just yesterday, I came across the video for Balram. Sharing.
