Goodbye, for now.

Greetings, universe!

Few things in this world are more enjoyable to me than writing about music and attempting to share a part of this beautiful world with those who care to explore it. But to put it simply, life comes in the way and what is life, if not a series of tough choices?

It is with a heavy heart that I have decided to pause this blog series. As heavy as the heaviest metal song there ever was. Maybe heavier. Anyway, I digress.

Not that I ever wrote with a regular cadence, there was always a certain expectation I placed on myself to put content out in this format. After some reflection, there has come a point in my writing journey (and personal journey) where I stop being hard on myself (there's a That's What She Said joke in there somewhere) and free up some mental space to concentrate on other challenging pursuits that deserve my best self.

Creativity is like a dam. Dam son, when did I get so deep? As deep as the water in the dam, maybe I'll see Adele rolling in there. I digress, yet again. Let me retry.

Creativity is like a dam. One can only control its flow so much. And rather than let it leak in a million places, I think it might be better to have a steady, targeted flow that does the farmlands some good. I will continue writing long form articles on Medium.com and creating cover videos for my YouTube channel. In addition, I have a couple of exciting projects in the works.

Ultimately, I guess I am happy and excited for what's to come. Some farms have been left dry for too long.

-Sagar

YouTube // Bombay2Bay

Medium // https://medium.com/@SgrGrnn

Twitter // @SgrGrnn

One Touch And I Ignite!

Track: Ignite

Artist: Alan Walker, K-391 feat. Julie Bergan & Seungri
Album: Single

Year: 2018

Genre: Electronic Dance Music



For the longest time, "Faded" was the only Alan Walker song I knew. The beautiful piano intro made it stand apart from the run of the mill electronic music, lending it a human touch in a universe of machine generated beeps and booms.

I was subsequently introduced to "Darkside" and "The Spectre". At this point, I was ready to brand Alan Walker as an artist with a musical sensibility that is rarely seen with the button-pushing, bass-drop-is-God, random-screeches-are-music-too strata of DJs. Yep, there are far too many of those.

So, I ended up at Alan's concert, and the opening act was exactly the kind of DJ I just described. Unimpressed, I was questioning myself whether this was the best use of my evening. Those doubts were soon laid to rest the moment this song came on.

Everything about "Ignite" screamed "playlist" to me. I was hooked. The lyrics were well thought out, providing a sense of comfort and hope to all of us that wonder, "Is this as good as it gets?". The human imagination is an extremely powerful tool that has the ability to catapult us to a place where our dreams and reality converge. Nothing is impossible, nothing is out of reach.

So, indulge in everything that sparks joy within your being and watch it take you to amazing places!

There's a reason we're discussing Slipknot in 2019.

Track: Spit It Out

Artist: Slipknot
Album: Slipknot (self-titled)

Year: 1999

Genre: Nu Metal

Energy. Chaos. Catharsis.

If someone asked me to summarize a Slipknot concert in three words, except no one did, I'd choose these. And that is just from videos available online. I expect I will have no words left once I experience it myself. Come on 2019, prove me right!

Now, this song isn't their best one by any stretch of imagination. The only reason I chose it to showcase Slipknot was this powerful moment around 7:06 where the crowd kneels and jumps up in unison. 

The song came out in 1999. This video is in 2009. We are in 2019 now, and Slipknot have a new song out (All Out Life). Though a crucial part of their act, if you keep the masks and antics aside, you'll find music (no, it's not noise and yes, I don't care what you think) that appeals across generations and lyrics that real people living real lives relate with. None of the fluff and bling of pop and rap.

A genre-defining band, there is absolutely no limit to what they can create. With Joey Jordison acting as a puppet-master from his throne, his beats command every note, every riff and every word that the band "spits out" (Hehe, see what I did there?). Corey raps like a God, and has the crowd on his little finger. Not many things in this world can get so many people together to a single location with a single purpose. Just makes you pause and realize how powerful music can be.

The Formula1 Theme

Track: Formula1 Theme

Composer: Brian Tyler

Year: 2018

Genre: Classical / Orchestral

We are midway through the winter break in the world of Formula1 (F1) and I can't wait for the lights to go out at the Australian GP on March 17, 2019. Looking back at an action packed season, if there is one thing that gave me goosebumps each time, it was the F1 theme song composed by Brian Tyler.

What a boon Liberty Media has been to F1 ! The sport has never been as engaging as it is today and a major chunk of the credit goes to them. From regular video uploads on multiple platforms, spanning highlights packages, radio messages and history refreshers, F1 has finally become a modern sport capable of generating new fans and appeasing the loyalists.

Brian Tyler is a Hollywood veteran, composing music for some of our favorite movies and franchises. And he has delivered an impeccable soundtrack that captures the adrenaline and frenetic pace of F1. That soundtrack has been my de facto alarm clock every race weekend last year, with races in Europe starting at 5AM/6AM. Because, immediately following it were Crofty and Brundle introducing the circuit and the starting grid. Minutes to lights out!

Fans of orchestral music will appreciate the massive sound in this track, played by the London Philharmonia in the video. The racing fans will appreciate the engine sounds interspersed and blended in.

Good job, Brian!

Dancing On Broken Glass

Track: Dancing On Broken Glass

Artist: Poets Of The Fall
Album: Ultraviolet

Year: 2018

Genre: Indie Rock

A friend introduced me to my first PotF songs at a bitter-sweet time in my life. Having never heard or seen anything about them, my initial word association skills always linked the band name to Pirates of the Caribbean. Hey, did I say it was a weird time as well? No? Okay.

Just like fall (or autumn as most of us call it) caresses the heat and brightness of summer away, and kisses you with cool breezes and drops of rain, the songs from this band ushered in a new era in my life. They left me fresh and energized, happy and optimistic.

Though I wasn't a big fan of their last album, Clearview, I am relieved to see Ultraviolet as a sure-shot return of the Poets into my playlists. They say the songs on this album are inspired by the facts and events in this world that aren't necessarily publicized and that remain hidden. That it, until you look at the world with an Ultraviolet light to reveal all the secrets- good and bad, happy and sad, beautiful and ugly. What a concept!

Kick back, and enjoy this song with a video that tugs at your heart. If you like this, you might be interested to listen to Love Will Come To You (Jealous Gods, 2014) that is set in the same cinematic universe as this song.

Fall is back, and with it, back are its poets.

10,000 days in the fire is long enough; you're going home.

Track: Wings For Marie (Pt 1) & 10,000 Days (Wings Pt 2)

Artist: Tool
Album: 10,000 Days

Year: 2006

Genre: Progressive Rock

A rollercoaster of emotions. A musical piece in the uppermost echelon of epicness. I do not have words that can do this journey any justice.

If a music video lasts 17:26, and still garners almost 2 million views on YouTube, I do not need to convince you of anything. I'll let some handpicked comments on the video do the talking.

"The line '10,000 days in the fire is long enough. You're going home' will always bring chills to my bones and a tear to my eye. "

"This is why it takes a decade to make a new album.  Masterpieces aren't easy to make"

"No song destroys me quite the way this one does" 

 "I actually cried sitting next to my sleeping mother, happy to still have one, and you know, big men also do tend to cry."

"I sent this to my 68 year old mom who just lost her mother at 93. She's never heard Tool. She sent me an email saying, 'I cried so hard. For a boy to love his mother like that is why we are all here'. I cried a bit too and told her that even though I can't express myself the way he can she should know that no mom has ever been loved more than her."

"10:54 is when I start crying whenever I sing aloud this song, up until the vocals end.

God damnit. My mother is not even dead."

These are not songs that are radio-friendly. These are not songs you would sing in a car with your friends. But these are the songs we need to make sense of our life on this Earth, and make sense of everything we endure. We need these songs to retain our sanity and keep us going.

Maynard grapples with emotions ranging from guilt and denial to anger and acceptance, to wishing his mother well for the roads untraveled. But it seems like we are a passenger on this journey too.

Tonight Is For Our Ghosts!

Track: Ghosts

Artist: Mike Shinoda
Album: Post Traumatic

Year: 2018

Genre: Hip Hop

Sometimes you just need a fun song in your life. Maybe after a long Friday at work, or maybe to wake you up smiling on a Monday. Maybe when you're a little sad, maybe when you are having fun with your friends.

That's where 'Ghosts' comes in. It is impossible to not bob your head to the beat, or even begin to dance, I daresay. It has a vocal progression that is as old as music itself, and a bridge pattern that has been raided, exploited & plundered in Pop music. There is not a lot of new information for our brains to process in terms of instrumentation or lyrics, which makes it one of the best songs to be just a soundtrack to your life.

And the video makes it better! It features Boris & Miss Oatmeal, sock puppets controlled by Mike and his wife Anna. The animation is created entirely by Mike. What a genius! If it wasn't enough to compose 16 new songs and perform all the instruments on them.

Kick off the 2018 summer in style by adding this track to your commute & pool party playlists, and thank me later. Stay hydrated!

Hold on, hold on! We're barely alive

Track: Torn In Two

Artist: Breaking Benjamin
Album: Ember

Year: 2018

Genre: Hard Rock




Well, let's not pretend. Ember was every inch the quintessential Breaking Benjamin record. We've all heard those progressions, vocal tricks and heavy riffs before. But hey, I guess if that's what the diehards want, who am I to complain?

Though nothing revolutionary, this album has several massive sounding anthems like Red Cold River, Feed The Wolf & Blood, and the ballad, Dark Of You. But I really recommend the track that should be auto-playing on this page now, if everything is working the way it should. Hah!

It has the signature BB sound, but it has a distinctive flavor of its own- the vocal harmonies, the rare two-part guitar riff that breaks up the monotony and the heavy as s#!t outro with the double bass pounding. Good times!

And as they keep telling us fans through social media, let's show the world that Rock is not dead.

Escalate The Sense

Track: Inis Mona

Artist: Eluveitie
Album: Slania

Year: 2008

Genre: Folk Metal



Stumbling through my college years with tastes and interests that the flock of sheep couldn't relate to, I was surprised to come across a hidden coven of metalheads in (this is where it gets surprising) the music room. We would end up talking about, listening to, and in some cases covering a few of our favorite songs. What a beautiful feeling it is to belong, yet not to the majority.

Anywho, one of these guys introduced me to this cracker of a song. Filled with references to Celtic land and pagan elements (no, this is not Satan or the Devil. Pagan simply relates to the natural elements like the Sun, wind & land).

'Inis Mona' starts off with a bang and never lets up! The song has the punch of hard rock and the intricacies of western classical with several wind and stringed instruments colliding to create harmony and beauty. This opened me up to other Scandinavian and European acts over the years.

The video always reminds me of scenes from Game Of Thrones. This is a straight to playlist song, and it stays there!

There doesn't seem to be time for me to be polite

Track: Sucker For The Chemistry

Artist: Ghostfeeder
Album: World Fameless

Year: 2016

Genre: Electro/SynthRock



On a typical San Francisco evening (read cool and cloudy, haha), three friends meet at a nondescript club in SoMa for an evening of alternative and electronic rock. We enter the first level of this club, which is an unpretentious pizza & wings place. As we order and settle down at a table, I look at the walls stuffed and crammed with flyers and posters of electronic acts that have performed at this venue in the past.

I gain quite a bit of respect for DNA Lounge. It seems to be a faithful and scrappy supporter of underground, electronic music. As we begin devouring our first slices, a strong bass and drum rhythm resonates from the ceiling, walls and the exposed pipes in this industrially styled place. "These are probably the opening acts", we figure. "Still some time for Julien-K to come on".

The beat just gets stronger. It gets better. I really want to check the artist out. I finish stuffing my face and urge my companions to do the same. We rush upstairs, and are greeted with a dark, half empty room. At one end, there are a couple of guys on a self-fashioned stage making amazing electronic music, coupled with guitars. I instantly think these guys will one day be bigger, they will command a far larger audience than this.

They were Ghostfeeder, and the song they had just started was Sucker For The Chemistry. I don't know, maybe it was the chemistry between the different musical elements that sucked me in. The resilient beat impeccably supports the vocals and the electronic elements as we flow into a standard verse, pre-chorus and chorus structure. This song just works. It's just exciting to listen to and gets you pumped up. It was a great start to what would become a memorable evening.

Check these guys out and show them some love. Follow them on Spotify, Facebook, YouTube & Twitter !

Oh Maynard, you crazy genius!

Track: Judith

Artist: A Perfect Circle
Album: Mer De Noms

Year: 2000

Genre: Alternative Rock



Wow, this hiatus was a long one! (Not as long as Tool's or A Perfect Circle's, haha! Burn? Nope, probably not. Our loss. Crie).

I am so glad I decided to attend the Aftershock 2017 festival in Sacramento, California. A bunch of new bands to explore, and a pleasant reintroduction to some old acquaintances. And if there was one smashing reintroduction, it has to be the one with A Perfect Circle.

I daresay they upstaged the headliners, who were none other than Nine Inch Nails. The lighting was on point, the instrument mix was perfect, and what do I say about Maynard James Keenan?! His unique style and unsettling vocals were the highlight.

So, with the sole intention of writing about this experience and this band, I had my pick of any of their hits for this blog post. 'Passive' is an old favorite and the lyrics from 'The Noose' are breathtaking, but 'Judith' is what I'll write about today. It is probably their most popular song.

You may be a cool person, but you can never be tie-your-hair-into-a-bun-between-verses cool. Paz, on bass, completely rocks that part to perfection, to be ready just in time to start playing again. Check that out at around 1:56 in the video.

As Billy nonchalantly picks up the guitar slide to play a memorable lick, and Freese continues to murder the drums, Maynard takes a sip of water and sings about his mother's relentless faith in God even after being paralyzed, eventually for 10,000 days before passing away. I've got to give props to David Fincher, the director of this video. Yup, the same guy who directed Fight Club. It just exudes class.

Can you feel their haunting presence?

Track: Holy Mountains

Artist: System Of A Down
Album: Hypnotize

Year: 2005

Genre: Alternative Metal



When I restarted the blog in this format, I promised myself that I won't adhere to any schedules. No weekly posts, no obligations. I shall write about a song if it captures my imagination, plays on loop in my head and if I can't help but hum it throughout the day.

These exact things happened yesterday, and here I am with 'Holy Mountains' by System Of A Down (SOAD).

This is one of the few tracks that speaks directly about the Armenian Genocide, an abomination that happened in 1915 and which is to date not recognized as a genocide by the Turkey, or the United Nations. SOAD, made up of 4 friends of Armenian-American descent, have always been open about their desire to create awareness about this event (which is said to have "inspired" Adolf Hitler).

To start off, I love the intro which is reminiscent of 'Aerials'. If I close my eyes and listen to the arpeggio, I feel like I am atop a mountain with a spiritual and mystical air around it. This gives way to a killer riff that made me headbang like a madman. The verse continues the sonic rollercoaster, as trance-like notes nudge the silence.

The pain in the history of their people can be felt when Serj launches into cries of "Liar! Killer! Demon!" and "Muderer! Sodomizer!" as the lyrics point to the Turk/Ottoman perpetrators behind this holocaust. The bridge and conclusion feel like a victory for the fleeing Armenians who made it to Mt. Ararat, which they consider holy, and towards River Aras, which marks the present day border between Turkey and Armenia.

This song is a masterpiece and a tribute to the hundreds of thousands of Armenians who were massacred.

You just want Attention, you don't want my heart.

Track: Attention

Artist: Charlie Puth
Album: Attention (Single)

Year: 2017

Genre: Pop



Hola, amigos! Summer is here, and I hope you all have a good one. You can definitely take it up a notch by adding the songs from this blog to your playlist. In fact, let me make things easier and do the hard work for you. Follow my Spotify playlist, and have the updates managed by me:



I first came across this song during my camping trip in Yellowstone National Park. Satellite radio is a savior in areas with no cellular network to stream music, and so I tuned into SiriusXM's Hits1 channel for their weekend countdown.

'Attention' immediately caught my attention and left me stunned by the time it ended. The vocals are totally on point. Any praise is too little for Charlie's voice. It's SO gooood! The bass and percussion are perfect, making this a tremendously catchy song.

The lyrics are incisive, and almost surely sounds inspired from personal experience. I simply love the line:

"I know that dress is karma, perfume regret"

This song is Charlie's masterclass in an ex-girlfriend begging for attention to satisfy her own insecurities. He gets into her mind, sings out her thoughts, and switches back to his conflicted and unapologetic thoughts. This track also inspired me to spend some more time composing, rather than covering existing songs. I feel I have a lot inside me to create something beautiful, impactful and memorable.

Keep watching this space for more recommendations this summer! During this beautiful season, go on a memorable adventure, recharge your creative juices, ask out that boy/girl that you like for the longest time, write that short story/poem that your pen (or keyboard, jeez!) is itching to begin on. Do something that scares you, and let it shape who you are.

Adios! (Yes, yes, yes I am learning Spanish. And no, it is not because I want to understand what Despacito means.)

On the outside you're ablaze and alive, but you're Dead Inside!

Track: Dead Inside

Artist: Muse
Album: Drones

Year: 2015

Genre: Electronic Rock




"I'm back."

Okay, gotta admit, Arnie does it much better than me, probably always will. But yeah, I'm back with a new recommendation. A track that will probably receive much wider acceptance that some of the stuff I usually listen to. This is a perfect marriage between synth/electronic elements on a foundation of rock.

The way I look at songs, each one has a distinct personality. Sometimes it is the resultant of the personalities of its creators, sometimes it is something totally different. Sometimes the instruments or the vocals can display arrogance, pain, anger, conflict while sometimes it is as opaque as the Trump administration.

This is how I characterize Dead Inside - uber-sophisticated, urban, industrial, persistent and repressed. The drums are persistent, the vocals exhibit pain, while the synth-guitar expresses moments of lapse into the eccentric.

I always like it when this track pops up on my playlist, as Matt Bellamy's unique voice smooths all the wrinkles from the previous songs and brings me into the world of over-produced music from my usual fare of unfiltered rock.

The lyrics are pretty interesting. How often have you seen a person live, what you think, is the fucking perfect life? Someone who visits amazing places, eats exotic food, hangs out with beautiful people, has the funniest stories. They do look ablaze with life and happy on the outside, but do you really know their internal struggle? Maybe all that glitters is not gold, and all that flitters is not a butterfly. Maybe they are Dead Inside.

Bartender, can you pour some love?

Track: Bartender

Artist: James Blunt
Album: Afterlove

Year: 2017

Genre: Pop



The only guy who told you that you were beautiful, apart from your mother- yeah he's back. And how! 'Afterlove' is a stellar album with as many as 6 catchy tracks. I had an exceptionally hard time deciding which song to showcase here on my blog. Because you know, with great power comes responsibility. Just kidding. But yeah, a sincere thanks to the 30-40 friends that do read every blog post of mine. You keep me writing. Leave a comment about the song sometimes, I'd love to have a chat about it.

'California' came really close to be featured in this space, 'Over' fought tooth and nail, 'Heartbeat' made me do a double take- but enough is enough. 'Bartender' is what I'll talk about today. This song starts off with acoustic guitar and vocals eerily reminiscent of Ed Sheeranesque music. Funny they are signed to the same record label (Hint Hint!). It's heartening to see that James Blunt has adapted to the 2017 music scene in his own unique way to stay relevant.


I hope this song makes you go back and listen to the entire album. On a surprisingly chilly night in the dawn of Spring, you are under the sheets in your bed. You are not sleepy, you have a million thoughts racing in that head of yours. You remember playing the radio at night when you were a kid. The radio used to shut off automatically after an hour, but by that time you would be peacefully asleep. This is the album that will give you the same feels. Them feels *shudders*.

There's nothing significantly different about the lyrics of this song than the thousands that came before it in this genre, but it is the way Blunt renders them in his hooks is what has me hooked. In The End, it doesn't even matter what you think, I am proud of that pun. Coming back to the point, it's about forgetting the past over drinks and being happily ever after. Dancing, and going back to his or her place after last call. I absolutely love how Blunt sings the hook-

"Bartender, can you pour some love?"

It makes me think about how fun this song would be while driving on the Pacific Coast highway, as the sun makes the ocean golden during your winding drive in a convertible. A drone with an HD camera follows you and as you drive into the distance, pans up to capture the sunset in all it's glory.

Blackbird, fly away! May you never be broken again.

Track: Blackbird

Artist: Alter Bridge
Album: Blackbird

Year: 2007

Genre: Hard Rock




Alter Bridge was a late bloomer in my playlists and musical journey. It deserved more than being an untouched folder in my library. There would be the one-off occasion when I would shuffle this folder in the background while browsing cat GIFs, scrolling endlessly on Facebook and partaking in other stupid activities I was well known for indulging in. Cat GIFs are the absolute best.

It's been five years since those days, and I am delighted to say that this hard-hitting rock band from Florida has finally claimed its rightful place in my daily life and received the respect that it deserves.

Blackbird is one of those songs, when they once enter my playlists, threaten never to leave. It is a musical masterpiece from everyone in the band. Tremonti starts this track off with an unmistakable introduction which has become THAT moment in an AB concert when every member of the audience is gripped by emotion. Myles joins in with a vocal performance that mirrors the feeling of every listener's core link to anything that is filled with despair, hope and freedom in the world.

Every power chord switch before Myles' iconic lyrics twists and releases, wrenches and lets go of your gut in a way that only music can do:

"Let the wind carry you home

Blackbird, fly away!

May you never be broken again"

I always imagine an epic back story to this epilogue of a song. A grand story about a metaphorical blackbird, with big dreams and big plans, and a heart as courageous as a lion's. How this blackbird is deceived and captured and subjected to the most abject of conditions by yet another abstract and evil entity (or not! I haven't made up my mind yet. Maybe I'll write a couple of short stories on this topic and let you decide!).

This song continues to tug at one's heartstrings as it creeps into a memorable crescendo which leaves you very, very satisfied with the last few minutes of your life. The two back to back solos by Tremonti and Myles were voted the best in 2011, defeating behemoths like Slash, van Halen, Jimmy Page, Hendrix, Petrucci, Steve Vai and David Gilmour by a wide margin.

This song leaves you happier, leaves you a little better prepared to take life on. I know I have been rambling in this post, but you need something to read while this 8 minute long gem approaches it's conclusion, right?

I have always had fun at Alter Bridge concerts, and I look forward to listening to more of their music- old and unreleased alike. If you are feeling adventurous and feel like expanding your musical spectrum from the usual Chainsmokers and Coldplay way of life, I highly suggest you check these guys out on The Last Hero tour in a city near you. I am sure you have better things to do than be a witness to the confession of a mattress thief from Boulder.

Pray to your God, Stick to your guns

Track: Stick To Your Guns

Artist: Sick Puppies
Album: Fury

Year: 2016

Genre: Post-Grunge/Alternative



This song hit me like a f@#king brick wall, the kind Trump keeps on saying he will build. And it helps that it is my most favorite type of song - relentless, heavy guitars, bass and drums + melodic vocals with a chorus that packs a punch. I know I will be exploring this Australian band a lot in the coming days. Though they have a new singer now, but I am pretty sure some of their old work must be sweet too.

Let me take a moment here to compliment Emma Anzai. She is an absolute monster on bass and her backing vocals are on point. She kills it, man, kills it. Watching such talent live, or on Youtube always sparks so much inspiration inside of me. Check her out, owning the bass line on THIS VIDEO, and tell me you're not impressed.

I love it when this song comes up during my morning commute. It's a blast of energy and motivation to go and make it 'my best day ever'. Tried to do an Apple reference there, don't know if it worked. Well, now you know.

Anyway, this song is about persevering for what you want to be in life, and cutting out the negativity inside you and thrown at you by others, telling you that you can't do it. I absolutely love the line that starts this song off:

"It's a waste of time to try and please everyone around."

Hoping this song does for you what it does for me. Go out and shine. 24x7. Like Zlatan. Not really. More like the midnight sun on the summer solstice.

I feel it coming, I feel it coming, babe.

Track: I Feel It Coming

Artist: The Weeknd feat. Daft Punk
Album: Starboy

Year: 2016

Genre: Pop/Electronic/Disco



If Starboy, the track, was more Weeknd and less Daft Punk, 'I Feel It Coming' is an out and out Daft Punk song featuring The Weeknd. It is reminiscent of the Get Lucky vibe from Daft Punk's revolutionary, smash hit, and one of my all time favorite albums 'Random Access Memories'.

I had been mulling over making this post about this song or not, trying to make my mind up about this song. The only reason I ever heard Starboy, the album, was because Daft Punk was featured on it not once, but twice. Wow, for a world parched for more Daft Punk, this was like manna from heaven.

When I first heard this track, I wasn't impressed. Bah, another stagnant track acting as a filler. But as I heard it again, and again, it grew on me like moss on a stationary stone. And the stimulus that sealed the deal was the music video that released a couple of days ago. The robots in their flowing, black capes! Drooooooooool, me likey!

The Weeknd is probably one of the best vocalists around right now. You need only see some live videos to be amazed at his vocal control. Here's wishing him a great career, and being validated by Daft Punk is a massive, massive thing. Starboy will be for him, what Hybrid Theory was for Linkin Park, or Appetite For Destruction was for Guns N Roses.

Daft Punk famously disappear for years altogether after dropping new music only to return Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger. I am personally excited for their imminent 2017 announcements. The ALIVE 1997 and ALIVE 2007 tours were revolutionary in the world of electronic music. Oh, the respect I gained for Daft Punk after listening to the story behind their Pyramid and LED stage at Coachella 2006. Though the signs don't look good, I can't help but think Daft Punk have something up their sleeve. And if it is Coachella 2017 after all, no doubt about the fact that I'll be there to witness something special.

So, for their imminent return all I can say for now is: "I feel it comin', I feel it comin', babe!".

We'll never be Royals

Track: Royals

Artist: Otep (Originally by Lorde)
Album: Generation Doom ()

Year: 2016 (2013)

Genre: Heavy Metal (Pop)



You know that new song that you just heard somewhere and fell in love with? You added it to your playlist, fantasizing about it coming up when you least expect it (and most want it) in your car, in the gym or just walking on your way to work. THIS IS THAT SONG.

I just want to say 'Splendid job!' to the machine learning guys down in Spotify for their Discover Weekly playlists. It has thrown up many amazing tracks over the weeks, including this gem. This song is my current earworm and a cover of Lorde's Grammy winning song of the same name.

The bass guitar clearly rules on this track, setting a foundation so strong that you never feel like you're sinking into an abyss of thin music. The vocal line is fresh with a hip hop/rap influence in the verse which seamlessly transitions into a cold blooded scream for the chorus, and it just fits. Takes the song to another level altogether.

There's no fancy solo or face-melting shredding on this song, but there is a very simple octave based bridge riff that I whole-heartedly enjoy, because it just seems like the right thing at the right time. I know I am gushing, but I also am absolutely in awe with the album art as well. It reeks of power, mystique and general badassness.

This song is about dignity in humility and simplicity. It calls out the common displays of ostentatious behavior by many in the music industry (think Baadshah or Honey Singh, my fellow Indians). Bling, cars, women- haven't we all seen that being paraded around recently? Lorde/Otep says that she is extremely comfortable in her skin, doesn't care about the things that are meant to impress and that she'd rather showcase her power through her music and show them their place, rule the industry.

Seduced by fame, a Moth Into the Flame

Track: Moth Into Flame

Artist: Metallica
Album: Hardwired... To Self-Destruct

Year: 2016

Genre: Heavy Metal



Date: 29th July, 2017
Location: Rose Bowl- Pasadena,CA

Setting:
Avenged Sevenfold has just finished a killer set and extracted as much energy as they could from almost a hundred thousand fans. But the public has been smart. They have rationed their energy judiciously, for they know who is coming up next on stage.

METALLICA.
The once demi-gods of the Thrash Metal scene.

Darkness. Silence. Murmurs.
Flash of light, and this song begins.

I am getting goosebumps as I write this, because if everything goes according to plan, I will be one of those 100K screaming fans along with Shreyas Gaonkar (why you haven't followed him yet!?). You can betchyo ass I'll be ready to sing along with James Hetfield (Ooh Ooh Yeah) on this track-

James: "Same rise and fall, who cares at all? Seduced by fame-"

Me: "A moth into the flame!"

This song talks about how we get trapped into a downward spiral of narcissism, self-importance and shallow materialism once we have enough reason to believe we have made it in this world. This could be because of what fair weather friends whisper in your ears, what you see in the media (Fake news!) or simply your own dastardly ego.

I love the title of this track. It is perfect. Just as a dumb moth, bound by his primal urges, flies towards a bright, inviting flame only to be burnt to death, we must remember to not be stupid and to always stay humble by keeping our feet firmly planted on the ground.