Review: Bloodywood – Pentagram

As I watched Vishal Dadlani prowl the stage at the Eristoff Invasion festival in Gurgaon (a report of their set) earlier this year, I couldn’t help but remember the first time I saw Pentagram. It was Independence Rock 2006, at the dusty Chitrakoot Grounds in Andheri. Pentagram came on stage to a chorus of jeers and played their set to a hostile audience that wouldn’t give them the time of day. If you’re new to the indie scene, it might be hard to understand the hatred and animosity that just a mention of the band could generate back then, even before the infamous microphone-stand throwing incident. Pentagram is one of Indian indie’s biggest bands today, but it hasn’t been an easy ride.

The band’s 1996 debut We Are Not Listening (stream here) was a product of its times, efficient alternative rock that lacked the courage to aspire to greatness. 2002’s Up (stream here) was a bold foray into leftfield, but it was still raw and experimental, held back by the crude production. Their third album It’s Ok, It’s All Good (stream here) should have been the one that saw them live up to their massive potential, but despite a few catchy tunes, it was unimaginative, boring and – the biggest sin of all – safe (as we pointed out in our review of the album), That was 2008 though, and the Pentagram of 2011 is a completely different beast.

While It’s Ok, It’s All Good saw the band trying to take its sound into the mainstream, on Bloodywood, Pentagram happily embraces its indie roots. The title is an allusion to the growing confidence and assertiveness of Indian indie, as artists and musicians all over the country emerge from the shadow of India’s film industry and stake claim to their place under the sun. Or to put it in their words, “Bloodywood means the exact conceptual counterpoint, or even antidote, to the overwhelming mainstream.” Every aspect of the album reflects and highlights this newfound sense of comfort, from the title and artwork to the music itself.

Musically, Bloodywood touches on the same reference points (guitar rock mixed with bass-heavy electronica) as the earlier albums, but what has changed is the way it all comes together. While their earlier stuff could often degenerate into a game of ‘spot the influence’, Bloodywood is greater than the sum of its parts. The foundation of this new sound is a crunchy, meaty guitar tone with a distinct ’90s vibe. Tracks such as ‘No 2 Ways’ and the instant classic ‘Love Drug Climbdown’ are essentially hard-hitting ’90s rock songs, enhanced by Randolph Correia’s carefully chosen electronica samples. The band is also open to exploring new territory, such as the cathartic ‘This Could Get Ugly’, a downtempo fusion of trip-hop vocals and sub-bass electronica complemented by a simple, spaced out guitar lick. The sounds of Bombay seep through on tracks like ‘Tomorrow’s Decided’, ‘Mental Zero’ and ‘In My Head’ where the band borrows melodies and rhythms from Bombay street music and filters them through its own aesthetic vision, creating vibrant rock music that is both local and global in its reach. It is this particular quality that makes their music truly accessible. It’s also why Pentagram is the only band that can get an audience full of elitist indie hipsters and Bandra street kids to dance together, temporarily erasing all boundaries of class and culture, as only the best music can. (If you don’t know what I’m talking about, you missed out on a helluva gig – it was one of our favourite gigs of 2009)

The band’s newfound confidence and self-awareness extends to the lyrics as well. Vishal Dadlani eschews the strident advocacy of earlier albums and looks inwards for inspiration. A lot of the songs deal with intensely personal themes. ‘Human Failings’ is about accepting and understanding your faults, featuring one of the most memorable lines  in Indian indie – “Experience is just a bunch of, bunch of, bunch of mistakes.” A personal favourite is ‘Technology (I Get You)’ which features a simple, almost hypnotizing sample looped over and over, with Dadlani softly crooning the words, “I see the darkness, I see the light, I know your troubles, I think I get you.” On the arena sized rocker ‘Mental Zero’, Vishal rails against the dumbing down of popular culture, but at the same time recognizes the futility of it all with the lines, “I can take you through the process but I can’t make you think.” ‘Paper Toys’ is an ode to both the Bombay monsoon and the powers of regeneration and healing that it can symbolize – “Feels like everything is going to be be washed clean.”

The highlight of the album is ‘Nocturne’, an easy contender for the song of the year. Propelled by a classic stoner rock riff that will have you on your feet within five seconds, the song is Dadlani’s elegy to his insomnia and the melancholic charm of the Bombay night. It’s the sort of song that will make the most condescending hipster pull down his mask of irony, hold up a lighter and sing along.

Of course, even an album like Bloodywood will stumble occasionally. The production is uneven, with tracks like ‘Identify’ and ‘Let Go’ sounding too unpolished and raw. But minor foibles aside, Bloodywood is Pentagram’s crowning achievement. Going forward, the only real problem I can see is how the band will top this on the next album. It’s just that fucking good.

Indiecision: A-