Artist: The Bicycle Days
Album: Calamitunes
Label: The Bicycle Days
Release Date: June 7, 2013
Songs: 9
Noteworthy: Conundrum and Escape
Something like an electronic beat played when I first heard TBD. I hadn’t come across them till a friend mentioned that they were her favourite band and I liked the name. This album just happened to drop into my lap; and am I glad it did. Calamutines by The Bicycle Days.
The band plays what they call alternate music and are based out of Bangalore. They seamlessly works multiple elements into their music and have a strong base and vocals. Some songs are completely instrument focussed while some are carried by the vocals. Karthik, Rahul, Shreyas, Shek and Rama are an interesting blend that seem to create new age music. One that the masses enjoy.
Post their performing at the NH7 Weekender and their Hard Rock gig, I hadn’t heard much about the band. That was till my editor mentioned their new LP. Calamitunes, he said it was called. A funky name for a funky LP. The 9 tracks blend well together and can be played at one go without drawing the alternate out of you. Some while slower than others, keep you hooked with the interesting sound play in the background. You hear conversations, opinions and other elements that pop up as you let the music play, something that made me stop and actually look around.
Coming to the actual tracks. While the album was created to approach music in a different way as well as reinterpret the idea of a ‘song’, the entire set seems to well depict the contemporary world. Most of the tracks have a distinct electro twist to them, especially Vicious and Indignation. They are quite funky. Same goes for Escape, a track that is incredibly original with a great beat. If you want smooth alternative, you could switch to Conundrum and if you are really in a slow groove, Crawl. While most of the songs have originality in their favour, Circles disappoints. It sounds like something heard repeatedly. Another let down is Moulds and Truce. It is just plain depressing. Apart from that, as mentioned before, the LP has great new flavour and a new twist on how music can be experience. As TBD says, “Having said that, make what you want of Calamitunes”.
