Seven Steps by Shri
January 26th, 2009 by Andrea
Click. I open the cd case, with that kind of trepidation that only a child at Christmas eve can feel. It always happens to me when I get a new record, this one makes no exception. I start listening to Barbwire Butterfly, bizarre and amusing title for a track I think, I wonder if the actual track can keep the expectations up spurred by its rather cryptic title… despite a nice bassline and some vaguely arabesque vocals of the singer, in no time at all, I find myself distracted, playing a rather boring solitaire on my pc… I wait patiently for a sign and by the time I get my concentration back, the first track has faded away and with her all my expectations to be blown away by it. Barbwire butterfly is not a bad track but lacks of originality, it does remind me of some mid 90s trip hop track somehow. Smith & Mighty on a large dose of tranquilisers. You get the picture.
I open the cd case and curiously I find a guide to every track of this album…I quote literally, Barbwire Butterfly ” A mad rant with loads of meanings in there…I’m still trying to work them all out! Essentially commenting on how close to madness we are in this ‘civilised’ society..we cannot see the brutality anymore even though we watch it every day…!! Something like that”.
Pulse, the second track, starts in the same vein…nice bassline again, Fola Phillip’s melancholic lyrics are running over it. All in all, I find this track more appealing and I even indulge in some head nodding and foot tapping. Again though, the only thing that stands out for me is the deep tone of this bassline…it’s talking to me and keeps me interested, hooked. I am not too sure it would be enough for anyone else but it’s doing the trick for me. Meanwhile a flute is weeping in the background. The production is accurate, more mature if compared to the first track… Another Shri’s quote is necessary here: “It’s about aspiration. Always aspiring, reaching for something and then – reality hits back”
Here we go, Mad B-Line kicks in…now, whoever knows me a bit could tell you that I’m a bit partial to the sound of bass, subs and whatever produces any kind of low frequency, to put it mildly…I like this track already… The percussions remind me of some African trancey rhythm, no, nothing to do with trance in itself, I am talking about the feeling that this track has on me…I spot even some distorted vocals in the background, courtesy of a vocoder… they amazingly work too. Yes, I like it. It ends too soon though. Shame. That mad b-line has had the effect of shaking me up, I am looking forward to the next track now.
Just for a minute is called, an ambient start…followed by the sound of a deep and warm b-line, The voice of Fola Phillip is sensual and convincing…I quite like this. This album might be a grower after all. The quote on my precious mini guide recites: “It still my view that looking at things from the other person’s point of view, even just for one minute, might actually solve an issue…?…and solve the world’s problems…hmmmm”. Hmmm, I am far too cynical to comment on this. So I’ll leave it to you.
Adrenalin, the fifth track. I’ll start again quoting the author: “It’s like a Spy vs. Spy score…2 spies in a place like Bombay, chasing each other. The chase begins and goes on. There’s no end to it”. I agree, this is exactly what my mind is picturing…strong colours, a maze of little streets that all look the same…a bouncy bass line is keeping entertained again , nice strings too…this track wouldn’t be out of place in a soundtrack actually, David Holmes would like it too, I’m sure. I like it , I like it a lot…
Now it’s the turn of Slow…it does what it says on the tin…a gentle ballad to bring you down on planet earth after the hectic chase of Adrenalin, so to speak…great arrangements, lovely strings that create a nice vibe, still there’s melancholy here…in fact, here’s the author’s quote: ” A ballad about self discovery, about learning really”.
Not even the time to relax and again some lovely tribal percussions are keeping me on my toes, nothing heavy just hypnotic…until the bass drops…yeah, this is already my favourite track. The beat of Strange Army goes on and now the vocals of Shri are echoing gently in the background … this is a good groove that I personally would like to hear and play out soon. Lovely but yet again fades away, far too early. Shame.
Another great bass line starts Ga Ga Re…the rhythm is increasing its pace, bass and percussions are chasing each other, this track and has a hint of drum & bass, which in my personal book it’s a very good thing ( for those interested, check Shri collaboration with UK Apachi). I like the balance reached here by Shri…the track is never overwhelming, it’s original and exotic without being pretentious…yes, it’s a winner.
Seven steps it’s a blend of funk and soul…I’m bouncing along … I perceive a gentle melancholy, which is in fact confirmed by the artist himself…here’s his quote:”…this song is about dealing with life in weekly blocks, waiting for the weekend…to come alive” .I think he’s nailed on the head. Exactly what I personally feel. I’m sure I’m not alone here.
Track 10: Tap. A piano riff, some strings a chorus …an epic start. The main theme is lead by an ocarina.. My mind pictures immediately large horizons in front of me, freedom and peace. It’s a sound coming from a remote and beautiful land.
It’s now the time for the last tune…Onwards. A gentle start but as soon as you think of relaxing, here comes a bass line that shakes you like a leaf. In a good way. I feel anxious, the heart beat is following this groove. I am somehow captured but nicely. The arrangements of this track and the actual harmony are brilliant. Onwards is purposefully kept as the last track to encapsulate all the feelings and emotions of this album, as Shri tell us: “I suppose I’m trying to put everything in a nutshell here, saying ‘Ok life can be dark but we need to move on, just keep moving onwards and forwards’. That’s what I tell myself all the time”.
That what I say to myself all the time too.
This album has loads of great ideas, it’s a bit patchy in places but overall it’s good. Nothing groundbreaking but sometimes you don’t need to be enlightened to appreciate a piece of music, and this LP takes does exactly that.
Andrea.
