Soundpad Sessions with John Leckie

To be talented, record some songs, have a producer do a decent job is one thing. To be talented, record some songs and have John Leckie produce it is a completely different story. Two years of hard work, scouting for bands across the country and a month of studio sessions has brought out the best in four Indian bands- Advaita, Swarathma, Medusa and Indigo Children. While I’m not a fan of the content some bands had to offer, I can safely say that production work on this compilation is exceptional.

If a song has you grooving within the first 30 seconds of it playing, you KNOW it’s a hit. Medusa’s Hilltop and I Become I are two such tracks. Both are trippy, laid back tracks but what I like most is that, they truly define what the band is all about- intelligent lyrics and great bass-lines. Hilltop seems to draw influence from Fatboy Slim’s Right Here Right Now while I Become I portrays drummer Vinayak’s skill. Rahul doesn’t go over the top with effects or guitar…! Then there’s Indigo Children with two brilliant tracks. Sing To Me is a heavy track whose highlight is Sahil’s drum work paired with Rahul Sainani and vocalist Sanchal’s guitar intro. Irresistible, the garage band-ish song shows you the Alex Turner element in Sanchal’s vocals.

I dig Swarathma’s Jamba’. Not so much for the vocals though. The folksy guitar riff and percussion is fun and totally dance-able. Yeshu Allah Aur Krishna, however, is too much of a bhajan. Now I’m a huge fan of Advaita’s music but Colourful is just plain cheesy. The whole bubble-gum pop fusion doesn’t work and the saarangi work is very ordinary. Just Enough is a tad better than Colourful but post Grounded In Space, these two just don’t click.

Producers are meant to bring out the best in a band so in that sense, the album is great. Technically, it must’ve been a learning experience of a lifetime for every artist. A compilation you must pick up.