Words from Cuddalore. Saxophone from Delhi. Mixed and mastered in Puducherry. ‘Postcard’ is a multi-city effort. The soothingly lyrical Tamil track, released on April 10 on Chennai-based musician Karthik Manickavasakam’s YouTube channel, is in essence a message of reassurance from one friend to another: “The world will swell beyond four walls / My friend, till then, just hold on.”
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In contrast to these lyrics is Amogh Balaji’s ‘Here we go again’, released as the clock struck 12 between April 28 and 29. The electronic number deliberately reflects the same sense of monotony that the title suggests, and yet manages to stay playful. It is the fifth track released by the Chennai singer-songwriter since the lockdown began, and just one among many that the city’s indie musicians have penned down and belted out in the past 38 days.
Says Amogh, still groggy with sleep after his late-night release, “I have been learning and experimenting with EDM music — Lofi, Deep House, Techno — during the lockdown. This one is about the endless repetitions of our daily lives these days… Have you heard any reports of the lockdown being extended again?” Of all the lively, engaging tracks released from his home studio, including ‘Quaroutine’ and ‘Now We Depart’, it is only the latest one that shows some sign of strain.
Not all the songs coming out of Chennai revolve around the current situation, however. Take, for instance, Sarah Black, whose soulful track ‘Suicidal’ has been taking her fans by storm ever since its release on Spotify on April 27.
Despite its title, the song is actually a heartfelt, supportive pick-me-up, with strong and simple lyrics that are given their due by the 18-year-old artiste’s clear, penetrative voice. The voice, which is but a tool serving powerful lyrics in ‘Suicidal’, got to show off its impressive range and be the star in her earlier track ‘Ocean’, which was released on April 11.
While Sarah’s ‘Ocean’ is all praise for a mysterious woman, Nitika Kurian, in her number ‘Blue’, sings of her love for the ocean itself. Released on March 27, the flirty track with hints of jazz and soft rap interlude is Nitika’s second song so far, after ‘Phoenix’ that was released in 2019.
Better together
Karthik, who is waiting out the lockdown at his parents’ house in the town of Panruti in Cuddalore district, says over a phone call, “From composition to recording to release, ‘Postcard’ was a matter of three days. It felt like the need of the hour; so many of my friends were talking of mood swings and being stuck at home. Everyone was sharing memes about it; no one was saying it will be okay. I wanted to tell myself that, which is how this song came about.”
The piano segment in the track is software-simulated, he says, but the saxophone was played live by Aniket Chaturvedi in Delhi, while the mixing was done by Nalinidevi Vittobane at her home studio in Puducherry. The vocals are Karthik’s, in this track as well as in ‘Dinam dinam’, his “Quarantine Single #2” released on April 25. Featuring a subtle interplay of the flute by Aniket and the electric guitar by Mumbai-based Brijesh Joshi, this track has been some years in the making. At least, the thought behind it has. “I penned it down some years ago, but never managed to write a fitting conclusion until now.”
He is not the only one taking advantage of the extra time at hand. City band Oxygen has finally released its fusion track ‘Shakti’, which has been a hit at all of its performances,on its YouTube channel on April 26. Featuring keys by C Girnandh, traditional Indian percussions and konakkol by KS Ramana, bass guitar by Carl Fernandes, drums by Bharath Gopal and flute by Lalit Talluri, all brought together by Bob Phukan at Aura Studios, the number is slow, heady and increasingly complex. Much like the times we live in.