When 'In Memory Of' hit the shelves last year, as part of the Kolkata leg of Saregama's Underground Series, it genrated a buzz that stretched from the Hooghly to Haridwar. What was striking was what it was not - it was not derivative, or naive, or amateur - remarkable for a punk band's first single. There were no metal cliches, no lyrics straight out of Philosophy Hons, no accented vocals. Instead, you got -
- a no-nonsense punk riff, which changes into something resembling a Lee Renaldo- Thurston Moore churn
- a lovely, distracted, self-effacing lead vocal
- a sound that lands somewhere between Sonic Youth, The Strokes and The Cure
They have a video out (though one has to admit, it's kinda square). They've been together three years, performed across the country, and, according to last month's Rolling Stone, are now in the studio, recording their debut album. If it's as good as the single (and I have a feeling it will be), I promise to be the first in line.
PS. Props to Crystal Grass and their fascinating single 'Plasticine', also included in the Kolkata Underground compilation
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