This is the actual review of the band. I wrote it shortly after my last post but I wanted to write an intro to it because I know the review is far less detailed and quite harsh. Prithibi - if fortunately or unfortunately, any of you are reading this blog and do not agree with me or my views .... curse my blog, curse me and move on. If you do think there is some sort of creative criticism that you can use from this, please do so.
Truly speaking, while I would only give them 3 stars out of 10 ( a new method to have a comparative feel to these reviews) , both their guitarists are exceptional. Their background vocals are brilliant and their vocalist does often reach the right keys and tones to remind you of shades of Axel Rose or Dickinson. Their keyboards need to tighten up, their bassist needs more confidence, their lyricist needs more books to read and their drummer has a long way to go. LONG LONG WAY. Here is the complete review. If you can read Bengali , this is the link for their lyrics (http://www.prithibimusic.com/lyrics.htm) and you can find the songs in youtube if you type the names along with Prithibi.
First Song - Asukh (Disease) - The song starts with a good piano intro leading to the guitar arpeggio . The vocals are actually good when it starts and the background harmony is also pretty good. The song has a good atmospheric feeling but somehow the scale change in the vocals midway of the stranza sounds a little dischordant. And just when i was thinking it would be okay to call it to be well inspired by 80's rock they introduce sonic boom probably by means of a synth and that really does not fit in. The song ends low key and I dont think I will remember the song.
Barudh (Gun powder) - Good intro. Has a tinge of Iron Maiden in the beginning, but the slow piano interlude removes that. The lyrics are okay but not the best. A minute into the song, I am disappointed that a song aptly named barudh can have such meek vocals. The background vocals once again are really good. The chorus of the song reminds me of both Guns and Roses and White Lion, so full marks to Prithibi for getting the 80s hard rock influence. If only they could get it consistently right, for once again they use a wierd synthesiser sound which kind of makes the song less serious. This maynot be a creative limitation but also lack of good sound effects. Lets hope it is that. The song has another stranza which is only different from the first in its ending guitar lead which I have to agree is very good. But nonetheless, this 7 minute song could easily, EASILY have been a 3.5 minute song.
Biplob Dirghajibi Hok (Long Live Revolution) - Finally some solid beats starting the song. Sounds straight out of an GnR album. The song has good lyrics. Probably one of the best in the album. The lyrics are simple but not crass. By now the lead guitarist has impressed me a lot and if this band has gained any popularity it is for the guitarist(s). The bassist is yet to make a mark. This one song has a good piano interlude but till now the keyboardist has rather disappointed me and well the vocalist really needs to hear more of hard rock to really know what throwing your voice really is.
Brishti (Rain) - Bad intro. But the song picks up with the guitar groove - standard NWOBHM groove and they ruin it with an abrupt ending, but I guess thats their creativity. The overall feel of the song once again is pretty much the same. I am sorry if this sounds repetitive, but thats what this album feels like . A repeated attempt to introduce bengali band music lovers to NWOBHM music with soft vocals, some excellent lyrics, some half hearted serious writing and an over all khichudi of attempts. Brishti as a song does not remind me of rainfall in any way as does Riders in the Storm (Doors) or for that matter even Rainmaker (Iron Maiden). The song starts of powerful but falls flat on its face by the end. I am not surprised.
Kritodas (Slave) -lyrically referring only to the concept of slavery in medieval ages, this song fails to connect with me in the slightest manner. The music especially the guitaring is spot on. Who is this guy ? i am not sure which one of the two, Bubun or Samarpan plays the leads in these songs, but great work guys. But the song, if I may is rather insensitive. It tells a slave about the problems of his life. That too in a rather insensitive manner. The song boasts of in your face lyrics probably surprising some few Bengali Middle class youths who havent read enough fiction, literature or even sci-fi or comics all of which handle the issue of slavery in a rather delicate manner.
Manabi (Daughter of a Man) - Prithibi band members - whoever your lyricist is , he is definitely trying to hard to make a difference to the society and its a good concept but it wont help unless your lyrics makes some sort of coherent meaning. Of all the songs this song does have some sort of direction in terms of lyrics and yet it falls short. It refers to the city, probably Kolkata, as a girl and pleads it to revive itself. No extra comments about the rest of the song.
Nisshidho Parowana (Forbidden Notice) - My favorite song of the album if I HAVE to choose one. Good music. Decent lyrics. Good overall feel. Hear it guys.
O amar - (Oh Mine or She is Mine) (!!!!!!!) - this one is straight out of a MILES album. i can pause the song right now, and without remember the few times I have heard this song before I can say, the song has weak vocals, repetitive lines, background distorted guitar chords, one solid good guitar lead, a hap hazard keyboard interlude, rather simple drumming and together a boring song. This is bengali rock at its romantic worst. Why do these guys write these songs? and sing them and then make us listen to them. Listen to this song to know what NOT to do if you have a good guitarist in your band and you claim to be inspired by Ugly Kid Joe. This song should really be named Oh My God. Its a 8 minute long torture and could have saved these guys a lot of money for not recording this one. Only one thing comes to my mind in their defense. Maybe their record label asked them to put in one romantic , soft song and they had to make this one in a hurry. Other than that, I accuse Prithibi of completely annihilating 8 minutes of my life into a nothingness that I cant ever get back. Multiply that to the few times I have heard this album only to write this review and it might even be a sizeable amount of time to asphyxiate me to death. Any lawyer friends interested to fight a case ??
Pagol (Madman) - Intro that a guitarist would not be proud of. These guys have expressed their love for Cactus and Fossils. But come on guys. You cant just mix them up together and make a song out of it. I realise that I have one more song left after this and it gives me a feeling of relief. While I realise that this is the best time to write a few lines about the drummer, the song has reached midway. The lyrics even though walking almost in the borderline of being crass actually makes sense. Although the writing invariably stinks of trying to hard to be cool and abstract it does reach that level where it could be considered as avant-garde and different. A niche this band tried to hard to reach but according to me never really succeeded. The song outro disappoints me but I guess once again I am not surprised.
Satidaha ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sati_(practice) ) - I really feel bad for the guitarists. The vocalist has constantly let him down with his pitch never reaching the pitch that would do these lyrics or at least the song names justice. The bassist either by choice or by accident has volume turned low in most of the songs. I can hear him but I am not sure if these songs would be very different without a bass guitar. The lyricist (whoever it is) has good intentions of making a social statement. But treating issues such as these which are not relevant anymore only appeals to pseudointels of a certain genre - ineducated antels. And finally the drummer. I am not sure if he understands what sort of a group he is part of, but some one needs to tell him how big a role he plays in the composition of a song and not just playing behind the guitar leads and vocal solos. I dont remember a single double bass roll. I dont think he can give a continuous 2 bar drum roll. Almost all the songs are simple 8/8 with an ocassional crash. Hell, I dont even think he uses a drum kit too often because his gear includes a Roland SPD-11 and a "personalized drum kit". No mention of specific toms, snares or cymbals. I am not sure if he really owns one, because he certainly doesnt play one as one would. Satidaha as a song probably can only be compared to the fire that burns under the already burnt wood with flames that you cannot see. You need a whiff of fresh air to rekindle the flame quite similar to the band and its musical sound in general.
Thats all for now. I really dont have the energy to write another one because this was tiring. I will now listen to some real 80s Rock to convince myself that I dont hate the decade.
19th January, 2011
Go to the Bengali Rock Search Index
Truly speaking, while I would only give them 3 stars out of 10 ( a new method to have a comparative feel to these reviews) , both their guitarists are exceptional. Their background vocals are brilliant and their vocalist does often reach the right keys and tones to remind you of shades of Axel Rose or Dickinson. Their keyboards need to tighten up, their bassist needs more confidence, their lyricist needs more books to read and their drummer has a long way to go. LONG LONG WAY. Here is the complete review. If you can read Bengali , this is the link for their lyrics (http://www.prithibimusic.com/lyrics.htm) and you can find the songs in youtube if you type the names along with Prithibi.
First Song - Asukh (Disease) - The song starts with a good piano intro leading to the guitar arpeggio . The vocals are actually good when it starts and the background harmony is also pretty good. The song has a good atmospheric feeling but somehow the scale change in the vocals midway of the stranza sounds a little dischordant. And just when i was thinking it would be okay to call it to be well inspired by 80's rock they introduce sonic boom probably by means of a synth and that really does not fit in. The song ends low key and I dont think I will remember the song.
Barudh (Gun powder) - Good intro. Has a tinge of Iron Maiden in the beginning, but the slow piano interlude removes that. The lyrics are okay but not the best. A minute into the song, I am disappointed that a song aptly named barudh can have such meek vocals. The background vocals once again are really good. The chorus of the song reminds me of both Guns and Roses and White Lion, so full marks to Prithibi for getting the 80s hard rock influence. If only they could get it consistently right, for once again they use a wierd synthesiser sound which kind of makes the song less serious. This maynot be a creative limitation but also lack of good sound effects. Lets hope it is that. The song has another stranza which is only different from the first in its ending guitar lead which I have to agree is very good. But nonetheless, this 7 minute song could easily, EASILY have been a 3.5 minute song.
Biplob Dirghajibi Hok (Long Live Revolution) - Finally some solid beats starting the song. Sounds straight out of an GnR album. The song has good lyrics. Probably one of the best in the album. The lyrics are simple but not crass. By now the lead guitarist has impressed me a lot and if this band has gained any popularity it is for the guitarist(s). The bassist is yet to make a mark. This one song has a good piano interlude but till now the keyboardist has rather disappointed me and well the vocalist really needs to hear more of hard rock to really know what throwing your voice really is.
Brishti (Rain) - Bad intro. But the song picks up with the guitar groove - standard NWOBHM groove and they ruin it with an abrupt ending, but I guess thats their creativity. The overall feel of the song once again is pretty much the same. I am sorry if this sounds repetitive, but thats what this album feels like . A repeated attempt to introduce bengali band music lovers to NWOBHM music with soft vocals, some excellent lyrics, some half hearted serious writing and an over all khichudi of attempts. Brishti as a song does not remind me of rainfall in any way as does Riders in the Storm (Doors) or for that matter even Rainmaker (Iron Maiden). The song starts of powerful but falls flat on its face by the end. I am not surprised.
Kritodas (Slave) -lyrically referring only to the concept of slavery in medieval ages, this song fails to connect with me in the slightest manner. The music especially the guitaring is spot on. Who is this guy ? i am not sure which one of the two, Bubun or Samarpan plays the leads in these songs, but great work guys. But the song, if I may is rather insensitive. It tells a slave about the problems of his life. That too in a rather insensitive manner. The song boasts of in your face lyrics probably surprising some few Bengali Middle class youths who havent read enough fiction, literature or even sci-fi or comics all of which handle the issue of slavery in a rather delicate manner.
Manabi (Daughter of a Man) - Prithibi band members - whoever your lyricist is , he is definitely trying to hard to make a difference to the society and its a good concept but it wont help unless your lyrics makes some sort of coherent meaning. Of all the songs this song does have some sort of direction in terms of lyrics and yet it falls short. It refers to the city, probably Kolkata, as a girl and pleads it to revive itself. No extra comments about the rest of the song.
Nisshidho Parowana (Forbidden Notice) - My favorite song of the album if I HAVE to choose one. Good music. Decent lyrics. Good overall feel. Hear it guys.
O amar - (Oh Mine or She is Mine) (!!!!!!!) - this one is straight out of a MILES album. i can pause the song right now, and without remember the few times I have heard this song before I can say, the song has weak vocals, repetitive lines, background distorted guitar chords, one solid good guitar lead, a hap hazard keyboard interlude, rather simple drumming and together a boring song. This is bengali rock at its romantic worst. Why do these guys write these songs? and sing them and then make us listen to them. Listen to this song to know what NOT to do if you have a good guitarist in your band and you claim to be inspired by Ugly Kid Joe. This song should really be named Oh My God. Its a 8 minute long torture and could have saved these guys a lot of money for not recording this one. Only one thing comes to my mind in their defense. Maybe their record label asked them to put in one romantic , soft song and they had to make this one in a hurry. Other than that, I accuse Prithibi of completely annihilating 8 minutes of my life into a nothingness that I cant ever get back. Multiply that to the few times I have heard this album only to write this review and it might even be a sizeable amount of time to asphyxiate me to death. Any lawyer friends interested to fight a case ??
Pagol (Madman) - Intro that a guitarist would not be proud of. These guys have expressed their love for Cactus and Fossils. But come on guys. You cant just mix them up together and make a song out of it. I realise that I have one more song left after this and it gives me a feeling of relief. While I realise that this is the best time to write a few lines about the drummer, the song has reached midway. The lyrics even though walking almost in the borderline of being crass actually makes sense. Although the writing invariably stinks of trying to hard to be cool and abstract it does reach that level where it could be considered as avant-garde and different. A niche this band tried to hard to reach but according to me never really succeeded. The song outro disappoints me but I guess once again I am not surprised.
Satidaha ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sati_(practice) ) - I really feel bad for the guitarists. The vocalist has constantly let him down with his pitch never reaching the pitch that would do these lyrics or at least the song names justice. The bassist either by choice or by accident has volume turned low in most of the songs. I can hear him but I am not sure if these songs would be very different without a bass guitar. The lyricist (whoever it is) has good intentions of making a social statement. But treating issues such as these which are not relevant anymore only appeals to pseudointels of a certain genre - ineducated antels. And finally the drummer. I am not sure if he understands what sort of a group he is part of, but some one needs to tell him how big a role he plays in the composition of a song and not just playing behind the guitar leads and vocal solos. I dont remember a single double bass roll. I dont think he can give a continuous 2 bar drum roll. Almost all the songs are simple 8/8 with an ocassional crash. Hell, I dont even think he uses a drum kit too often because his gear includes a Roland SPD-11 and a "personalized drum kit". No mention of specific toms, snares or cymbals. I am not sure if he really owns one, because he certainly doesnt play one as one would. Satidaha as a song probably can only be compared to the fire that burns under the already burnt wood with flames that you cannot see. You need a whiff of fresh air to rekindle the flame quite similar to the band and its musical sound in general.
Thats all for now. I really dont have the energy to write another one because this was tiring. I will now listen to some real 80s Rock to convince myself that I dont hate the decade.
19th January, 2011
Go to the Bengali Rock Search Index
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