ramayan
Swagatalakshmi Dasgupta
Bhavna; (Double pack) Rs 85

Admitted that Swagatalakshmi Dasgupta needs no introduction to Rabindrasangeet lovers, they would still have loved it if her innovative mix--match of the epic Ramayana with the songs of Rabindranath Tagore had come with brief explanations in the cassette or on the inlay, as also the concept behind the idea.

That would have been great value addition and not just for those already initiated to this art form, but also to the uninitiated who may miss out on the beauty of the experiment.

A compilation of 40 songs, which again could have been listed in the inlay, tell the story of the epic, touching upon almost every important aspect of the epic, from Sita’s desire for the golden deer with Tora je ja bolish bhai aamar sonaar horin chai to Hanuman’s return with the magic sanjeevani with Joyo hok, joyo joyo joyo hok.

Rabindranath’s love for the epic is evident from his compositions like Kalmrigaya, Chitrangada and Karna Kunti Sambad. The concept is well set out and advanced by the narrative, which doesn’t lose its grip over the two volumes.

Deepali Singh

Fagun
Little Sons Of God
Cosmik Harmony; Rs 75

Another Bangla band, this with a jazzy name (LSOG) Little Sons Of God. Their effort is commendable as newcomers. The album includes eight songs, with the song, Ananya, characteristically using a couple of lines in English. Mon churi, as they acknowledge, is inspired by a popular Carlos Santana piece, and is one of the peppier numbers. In the title song, which is otherwise a slow-paced number, the -- or Ye-ye-ye jars. Bhikharini ma is one of the better compositions, and Kon shawon sounds familiar.

notun joubaner doot
Chandana Sengupta
Gathani; Rs 35

It’s a sorry attempt to pep up Rabindranath Tagore’s songs. Aami chini go chini tomare or Purano she diner kotha are songs having Western influence, so when you hear an additional beat here or a strum there it’s passable to an extent. But when songs like Bhalobashi bhalobashi or Alo amar alo is jazzed up the songs lose their identity completely. Chandana Sengupta does a fair job with the songs she sings, but it’ll take much more than just time, for listeners to really open up to experiments like this with Rabindrasangeet.

Madhuparna Das

phirey dekh...
Shraboni Mazumdar
Genesis Records; Rs 40

Shraboni Mazumdar makes a commendable effort with a mixed bag of eight modern Bengali songs. The compilation tries to bring back the golden age of melody in Adhunik Banglagaan when the likes of Salil Choudhury created magic with melody. The whole range of songs from the patriotic Abar amai diyo ma janmo to the more emotional Jai modhumaash choley jai or the effervescent Aaaye aayerey aayerey chhutey aaye has been reasonably well executed, centred around melodious vocal base. Some of the songs veer towards a raag pradhan flavour. But once the soothing effect of the voice sets in, the album tends to become a bit monotonous in the composition and music arrangement.

Sohini Mookherjea

headbangers ball VolUME 2
Various
Sony/BMG; Rs 150

With two hours of rapid-fire headbanging by the new school kids, including a solitary mainstream entry by Megadeth, Headbangers Ball Volume 2 reflects the state of affairs at the metal ruins. It’s not so intriguing to find the real masters of metal absent, and the nu-metal onslaught hardly makes us raise our fists and yell. So there’s hardly a reason good enough for us to crank this one and pretend that the metal torch is being ably carried forward by an angry bunch of posers.

Slipknot, Korn, Cradle of Filth, Soulfly, Machine Head are some of the prominent names featured here, and which you may also find filling up the leading metal mag pages to the utter disgust of old school followers. Gone are the epic guitar leads, the soul and of course the hair. What’s hitting our faces now is the hard-edged metal recoil that is obviously created by the youth and for the youth. No place for the Scorpions, the Maidens or the Priests within their raging, wandering catalogue. You don’t even know when these bands were born and whether they actually went on to record a full length album. There are some thrilling moments on this 40 song two-volume set as well, but they are few and far between. Hardly the kind of stuff that you would like to see as part of your heavy metal treasure.

Sunny C. Dua