Stark,dark,edgy

As sound engineer Shantanu Hudlikar gives final touches to the rough sound mixes on the final day of recording 10 tracks for the untitled album,it becomes clear that the band is in a mood to experiment. “The new songs are edgier,darker and harder in nature as compared to the previous album. While we have tried not to dilute the original melody and earthiness of our music,we have made some bold experimentation in terms of sound. We have tried incorporating some western styles along with our trademark Indian classical orchestration in some songs. Apart from that we have also used progressive rock elements,” says Anindo Bose,keyboard player and one of the oldest members of the band. The album is likely to be released in October.

The intelligent use of electronic sound-scaping and synth that renders a seamless texture to elements such as the drums,tabla,sarangi,bass and rhythm guitars,Hindustani classical and English vocals,has been the trademark of the eight-member band. Their first album,Grounded in Space in 2009 had received much critical acclaim for its use of rustic yet groovy sounds.

Vocalist Chayan Andhikari,who pens most of their lyrics,thinks that the new songs are more mature and introspective in nature. “Music is essentially a spiritual expedition for us. We try to reflect this through our lyrics too. We have grown more comfortable writing songs on topics such as the purpose of human life and the creation of universe,” says Chayan.

Gorakh,the main track of the album,is a “big arrangement and a grand sounding” song with contemporary and progressive elements. Based on Raag Gorakh Kalyan,the song has contributions from all the eight members. “The song has some kind of a royal feel to it,” says Ujwal Nagar,whose heavy Hindustani classical vocals give a meditative effect to Advaita’s music. Another track titled Tremor,is characterised by use of new sounds and sonic textures while the acoustic base of Silent Sea gives it an almost devotional effect. More Mandirva is based on the Raag Bheempalas bandish,coupled with Reggae beats while the influence of Carnatic music is palpable in Mofunk.

With Mohit Lal on the tabla,Suhail Yusuf Khan on the sarangi and Ujwal’s Hindustani vocals,the band does not try to shake off the strong Indian Classical undercurrent to their music. “We could be classified as a fusion band but we do not categorise our music into any one genre,” said Bose. However,they admit having faced flak from purists for naming songs after a Raag. The song Durga from the first album,named after Raag Durga,attracted criticism for this reason.

Even as the ‘originality in music’ continues to remain Advaita’s strongest virtues,band members don’t shy away from accepting the influence of gospel music and that of artists like Tavlin Singh,AR Rahman and Pink Floyd. Despite the success of the first album and fan following on social networking sites,finding financial backing is never easy. “We save up from whatever we earn at gigs. The second album is an end product of such savings,” says Bose.