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| Krosswindz in performance. A Telegraph picture |
It?s the annual musical treat from the melody-makers, but with a difference this time. Krosswindz, one of the oldest city bands, is readying its new album for a Puja 2006 release. The latest offering sees the band move away from the folk flavour and return to rock roots.
?The music of the new album is world rock. There?s a strong influence of rock but other sounds from around the world as well, like Irish folk and Afro,? says Bikramjit Banerjee, founding member of Krosswindz. There is also a focus on the live element this time around, with a lot of live guitar work, Bikramjit adds.
The nine-track album features the regular line-up of Bikramjit, Chandrani and Ratanjit, along with Nigel Gomez on drums and OC on bass. ?Around 50 per cent of the work is complete. Some guitar solos and few Chandrani final vocals are left,? says Bikramjit. Chandrani has author ed and sung all the songs.
?The songs are in Bengali and deal with a variety of things, including the times in a day when a person feels meaningless and introspective,? she offers. Her personal favourite is Duto Kotha, a song about a somewhat-bewildered person looking for hope and optimism. ?Duto Kotha? is also in contention for the album title. ?There are some folksy tracks like Padmapatar Majhi but the sound is more rock compared to our last album Misiki Misiki,? Chandrani adds.
Like most Krosswindz albums, the recording is being done in Bikramjit and Chandrani?s Tollygunge home studio. ?There are several advantages of working at home. You can move at your own pace, not have to compromise due to lack of time and the comfortable atmosphere allows you to get more done,? feels the duo.
Besides working on the album ? slated to come out just before the Puja ? and playing their weekly set at Someplace Else, the band is touring regularly. ?We had a fantastic time in Bhutan recently, where we played for the royal family,? says Bikramjit. Also on the cards is an album of original English compositions, which will be taken up ?as soon as we complete this one?.