Accelerate
R.E.M.
Virgin India; Rs 395

Over the past few years, bands that wish to stand out from the mainstream glut have been increasingly opting to preserve a “live” feel in their studio albums. A listen to records by Snow Patrol or Kings Of Leon is a pointer to that trend. So what happens when an arty, alternative bunch called R.E.M. decides to record live, especially after a four-year hiatus from the business following 2004’s rather insipid Around The Sun?

Trust Michael Stipe and his men to come up trumps with a “comeback effort”. Accelerate witnesses the return of classic R.E.M., where the band blends organic distorted guitar with sublime acoustic backdrops and fluid mandolin runs (yes, Peter Buck’s indulging in those again!), singing about DJing at the end of the world.

Right from the opening chords of Living Well’s The Best Revenge, R.E.M. sounds completely reinvigorated. Buck’s guitars are set up front and centre; those ethereal bass lines and backing vocals from Mike Mills have returned. Get a feel of Houston: it’s as close to Try Not To Breathe as it can get. And of course, there’s the standout single, Supernatural Superserious. After a long time, Mike Stipe sounds convincing in his politically-charged singing: “And you realise your fantasies are/Dressed up in travesties/Enjoy yourself with no regrets”. Ah, vintage Stipe rants.

Like the best of the band based in Athens, Georgia — read Automatic For The People and New Adventures In Hi-Fi — Accelerate creates a certain space with its sound, which is right here, right now. More importantly, Accelerate sounds like the band is having fun again. Finally, that’s what matters.

ARKA DAS

Pancham ki Asha
Asha Bhosle
Saregama; Rs 250

To mark RD Burman’s 69th birth anniversary, Saregama has released a tribute to one of the most fruitful musical associations in Bollywood — between Burman and Asha Bhosle. The album contains 31 gems harking back mostly to the 70s, RD’s golden decade.

His first released movie may have been Chhote Nawab in 1961, but the album aptly starts with Aaja aaja main hoon pyar tera from Teesri Manzil. This 1966 film was a path-breaker in RD’s career, allowing him to score for heartthrob Shammi Kapoor, who needed some convincing before he agreed to shift from favourite Shankar-Jaikishen.

Many of the milestones are here, including Piya tu ab to aaja, perhaps our best cabaret ever, and Hare Krishna hare Rama, the funky anthem of the age.

The album does well not to restrict the selection to Asha’s solos and includes not just duets but even multi-singer tracks like Dil lo lai gava (Bandhe Haath), also featuring Mahendra Kapoor, Manna Dey and RD himself, or Tere humsafar geet hain tere (Dharam Karam) with Mukesh and Kishore Kumar.

SUDESHNA BANERJEE

Koi aanay wala hai
Strings
Sony-BMG; Rs 175

K oi Aanay Wala Hai, the new album from Pakistani pop duo Strings, opens like any other album of the band — with powerful guitar display. Indeed, the title track has a strong hangover from its earlier records, as if to allow a reference point. That is not to say that the entire album is a repeat act.

Koi Aaney Wala Hai is a collection of romantic songs, the first one to take on the theme front and centre, rather than hinting at it. The lyrics are simple — be it the expression of love in Keh diya or of heartbreak and separation in Titliyaan.

Interestingly, the more dreamy, poetic and emotional the lyrics — as on Jabse tumko — the faster and peppier the music and singing technique. Perhaps consciously so, to save Strings from an overdose of sentimentality.

Heavy instrumentation blends with bursts of almost whispered lyrics on Jab se. In Sonay do, the theme of love gives way to an appreciation of nature. Despite the usual allusions, the simple presentation renders these songs poetic. The heartbreak song is called Titliyaan — something that usually brings to mind joyous colours. Without sacrificing on pace, this track depends on a juxtaposition of happy memories and present sense of loss.

A good blend of soft numbers and peppier tracks, Koi Aanay Wala Hai makes a pleasant listen.

POULOMI BANERJEE