Introduction
Suchitra Lata: Trip Along
Artist: Suchitra Lata
Title / Release Page: Suchitra Lata: Trip Along
Release Date: 2015 Jan 8
Genre: Electronic / Indian Classical
License: CC BY-NC-SA
Media: MP3 / OGG / FLAC / OPUS / AAC / ALAC
Pricing: Membership
Label: Magnatune
Rating: ★★★★★★★★
Suchitra Lata is a classical singer / songwriter from Bangalore, India. On this release she mixes influences from western music (mostly Europe), with Indian poetry filtered through electronic settings to produce a lavish and enticing sound that permeates the air like a fine incense perfume. Let’s take a closer look at Suchitra Lata: Trip Along.
Suchitra Lata: Trip Along
The first words that I think of when trying to describe this relaese are evocative and seductive. This is a release that tingles the senses from beginning to end with the promise of passion, and a bit of the mystery of life itself.
Another thing that makes this release, and much of the music from Suchitra, a nice listen is that she works with textures extremely well. We don’t get a lot of dark, heavy or brooding textures on this release. However the layering of them is multi-faceted. For example, on the first track, we start off with a solid yet minimal drum line, and add keyboards, and a bit of light swirls before the vocals enter into the song. But once the vocals do come in there is another layer has some extra vocal processing (older vocoder style) is introduced into the background. These extra vocals supplement the keyboard harmonies, and bring out a whole new texture to the arrangement.
One the next track, there is a keyboard sound that is somewhat bell-like, and somewhat string like at the same time. This particular line is mixed into the song so that it is panned out to the edge of the sound feel, and feels like it is encompassing the song. Normally one of think of a bell like sound being in the upper registers, but in this case Suchitra has chosen to have them in the middle / lower register. This choice adds a body to the song taking it out of a typical pop arrangement, into a more jazzy area that is quite intriguing.
I could go on talking about interesting choices on each of the tracks. But I think that listeners should spend time discovering the hidden delights in these songs. So, I will stop tearing apart the release on a track by track basis.
However, I would point to the track ‘Indian Monsoon’ as being a highlight for me. The mixture of male vocals, electronic beats, and more traditional Indian style instruments is not only catchy, but amazingly effective.
And that’s where we get to with this release: it’s a mostly light, pop, electronic release. However, the range of influences and fusion of styles takes it to a new ground. It’s a unique work that we don’t find very often and something that I am particularly pleased to listen to.
Conclusion
While it could be said that this isn’t an earth-shattering release, it definitely has a place of it’s own. It mixes many of the ideas that we hear in western pop and electronica music with influences from several other cultures. It reaches out to the listener in a way that will capture many listeners ears. The multi-faceted arrangements make this a release that you will want to listen to again and again. Suchitra is an artist with a unique vision and the ability to bring our listening to a new level.
Trip Along by Suchitra Lata
