Artist – Srimanta Mitra
Album – Monochrome
Released – 11th June, 2013
Mixed & Mastered by – Srimanta Mitra
Label – Independent
12th grade – one of the most boring and tiring phases of a student’s life. On one hand, there is a pseudo assurance by seniors that this would be the final year of hardship (Trust me kids, that is totally wrong. Don’t fall in the trap.), and then on the other hand, we start to miss the student life as days go by (it gets worse after the final exams). I remember, when I was in 12th grade, I was into writing poetry a lot. Things really got boring during the final exams and I ended up writing a 500 line long poem before my Mathematics exam (I hated the subject. Still do.). Something similar was faced by Srimanta Mitra during his days in 12th grade and it resulted into this 4 song EP – Monochrome.
Dedicating the EP to his parents and his piano teachers, Srimanta has started on the right foot or rather, the right note, on his journey into music. Any kind of solo instrumental is a tough thing to crack, but here he takes it to a totally different level! The very feeling of boredom and the sense of escapism is evident in his Waltz’s, especially Waltz for Madame Distressed. The mood changes in the song can very well depict the general nervous breakdowns we face from time to time. Though, I’ve never been a big fan of Waltz’s personally (maybe because I suck at dancing or just because I’m too dumb to understand the music), the two Waltz’s here – Sonatina Waltz and Waltz for Madame Distressed, deserve utmost respect from the listener. Broken Road is a track he has been working on since he was 13! And you will be surprised at the sound and the ambience created. There is a deep feeling of sadness involved and a grim atmosphere in the song and it somehow tends to stick to your mind and keeps on playing in a loop, unconsciously. A beautiful composition and can certainly change anyone’s mood in the 3:37 seconds of the song!
Though, the EP has no particular connection between the songs (except for them being played on the piano), there is a sense of serenity hidden somewhere. It is like a cool breeze on a hot and humid day; relaxes the mind for that particular time and is desired more. This is a perfect album to listen to during relaxing and detoxing in between long office hours or after a tiring days’ work. Broken Record makes way into my personal playlist of songs, for obvious reasons. A must check if you are a fan of instrumental music.
