Tides

A collaboration between LA rapper Eligh and Indian sarod player Alam Khan, Tides is the second such album from the duo known as Grand Tapestry. Together with guest artists on violin, santoor (hammered dulcimer) and a few others; they weave a soundscape that aims to reflect the ‘tides of change that the human race, planet and cosmos are presently experiencing.’ Khan is the son of legendary sarod player Ali Akbar Khan, while Eligh is a member of hip-hop supergroup Living Legends.

At 36 minutes, this record feels a bit short. Indeed, a third of it comprises (excellent) instrumental versions of three preceding tracks. Its short duration prevents it from being a true meditation on a changing world, but many of the lyrics contain universally reassuring messages such as the intransigence of love through uncertain times, and sagacious advice to ‘let the mind go with the medicine.’ Most of the other lyrics are more cryptic, but the real strength of this recording lies in a series of beautiful motifs and sublime resonances that, when layered up with sparse beats, help to construct a sense of pensiveness and space.