Tides of Times

Since their formation in Kolkata in 2006, Gharana have waged a guerilla campaign to bring their Indo-rock fusion to a wider audience. Originally composed of music teachers and sound engineers, leader and guitarist Susnata Har has diligently guided the band from its semi-professional roots to international tours and album releases. The opening title-track reflects Gharana's underground spirit. The production is unvarnished, the grooves can be raw and loose. It is as if a Hindustani group gate-crashed a grunge-band's garage jam. This ‘Indo-grunge’ is an intriguing fusion and one wishes Gharana had gone deeper in this direction instead of submitting to the prog influence in evidence on ‘Bagmati’.

The record makes for an uneven hour's listening, but there are bright spots. The bol (rhythmic vocalisation) breakdown on ‘Ray of Hope’ leads into a lively duet between Argha Dey's tabla and Suman Chakraborty's cajón. Debjani Acharya's vocals and Ayan Mukherjee bansuri (flute) double a spacey melody on ‘Flights of Fantasy’. This is a glimpse beyond the subcontinental masters we typically hear from to the eclectic underbelly of India's music scene.