A wonderful act named Avra Banerjee, contributing to the tapestry of particularly South Asian and Indian rhythms, carnatic scales and melodies, is now returning to the platform of Music Review World with his newest release, titled ‘Swar Lahari‘.
His previous release, titled ‘Chasing The Unknown’, was covered by this platform here and we were graced by a wonderful fusion of colliding techniques that represented the multifaceted scale of classical Indian music with other connecting musical nodes that fit the compositions itself, from other genres like blues and jazz to simply overlaps with other ‘World’ musical traditions. His release utterly blew me away, as it truly was a culmination of technical proficiency, a high level of musical variability and each composition presented itself as an M.C. Escher painting- meant to be dissected, enjoyed, and understood, with various pieces coming out to you at different points of time. If you need some context to understand the skill and modus operandi of Avra Banerjee’s compositions, I recommend that you click here to read the previous review.
To back up his expertise with his credentials, Avra Banerjee has amassed over 15 years in Indian classical music training, doubling as a composer and a sarod player. He has also collaborated with musicians across continents, such as those from the USA, Europe, India and Australia. He has also released over 35 singles and has been recognised with numerous prestigious nominations and awards, including the InterContinental Music Awards, Global Music Awards and the OneEarth Award Festival Award, just to name a few.
He is also the founder of two World music bands, one in India named ‘Ragamorphism’ and another one called ‘SwaraSynthesis’ in Australia. Within these bands, he performs, composes and arranges music. He also never limits himself to one genre- stretching his expertise to Fusion, Rock & Pop, Ghazals and Sufi music. To add on to his multivariate ability, he has also composed in several languages, such as Hindi, Urdu, English and Bengali.
With his current release, ‘Swar Lahari’ translated to ‘Wave of Melody’, he aims to showcase a harmonious blend of classical Indian music with contemporary influences, featuring collaborations with renowned artists like Ambi Subramaniam, Shashank Subramanyam, Murad Aii, Suchismita Das, Praashekh Borkar, Pratik Shrivastava, Zuheb Ahmed Khan, Apratim Majumdar, Bachospati Chakraborty, Mainak N Chowdhury, Tamal Kanti Halder, Amitav Islam, Sivakumar, Gurpreet Singh and Bhaswar Dasgupta. The album intends to offer listeners a rich tapestry of sounds that reflect the depth and versatility of Indian musical traditions.
Listening to this album will truly make you feel as if you’re transported into a different world enriched by the wonderful and intricate world of various ragas intersecting with the other components of these songs. It is intense, and it gave me goosebumps at some point of listening to it- you can truly feel the modes and the voicings ‘speak out’ as the notes glide through the pieces. The first track, ‘Harmony of Rhapsody’, presents itself as a call-and-response piece with the violin and the flute unfolding over what’s described as a rare ‘8.5 rhythm’, incorporating improvisations in 9/4 and 8/4 time cycles. The raga it also uses is Puriya Dhanashree to Basant Bahar.
‘Love’s Lullaby’ is one of my personal favourites from the entire album, as even though it is stated that it was intended to be gentle and soul-soothing based on the sarod melody derived from the Raga Mishra Piloo, the notes within this particular raga was deeply emotional and moving to me. It really drew me into the track, making me forget almost everything else in the background, with this feeling being elevated thanks to the synthesized ambient and atmospheric touch the whole composition bears. It was intended to create a peaceful sonic retreat that lingers long after the music fades, and that is so true. My brain is truly yearning to hear the song again.
‘Classically Perth’, truly blew my mind as it was entirely whole but also heart-stopping. The peaks and the lows of the Raaga Madhumanti emanating within the composition just captivated me. It begins with a ghazal, and then transitions into a exhilarating sarod instrumental set. It builds up to a captivating duet between the two tabla players apparent in the song, emerging in a rich, unified finale where all elements converge in harmony.
Then, ‘Harmonious Flow’, roots itself in the interplay of the Ragas Yaman and Marwa, ‘communicating’ with each other as it exchanges through itself and each instrument alternating between it. The time signature within this song is extremely compelling and fascinating, as it bears a 15/4 time cycle. It is honestly a very pleasant intellectual exercise to listen to this composition itself.
In a chain of vigorous compositions, ‘Triraga Conference’, is as self-explanatory as its title. It combines three ragas: Charukeshi, Chandrakauns and Malkauns. This track bears a 7/4 time signature with shifting accented rhythmic patterns, with the melodic part compensated by the sarod itself. It is a very dynamic and rich track that builds itself up in a very abstracted ‘race’ manner, delighting the ears of anyone who listens to it.
‘Mor Pankh’ closes the album with the wonderfully soulful and graceful vocal thumri that radiates love and devotion. It opens with an expressive melodic arc, celebrating deep emotional surrender, intending to leave a lasting impression with its elegance and heartfelt delivery. The syncopation of the percussion within this song reminds me of a lot of classical Indian devotional songs, accented with the pure and direct voice of the vocalist Suchismita. There are piano trills within this composition as well, giving it a sparkly flair beyond the otherwise gold timbre of the instruments. It is entirely encompassing in its feel.
This album has the ability to suck you in completely, allowing its feeling and complexity to bleed through your neurons. I can tell that each composition was very devotionally made, with no room left for error, in its little intricacies, such as the unique change of time signatures and even the trills and atmospheric instrumentation meant to make the songs feel whole. As a musician itself this album will push your boundaries of music and its modes, especially if you’re not used to Indian classical music. One thing that I’ve always loved about Indian classical music is its sheer encompassing feel and technical coverage, as many of your ‘other’ unique scales have their own raga equivalents- and more. It is a way of life, but it is also a way of expressing beauty and emotion without compromising authenticity. Another thing that I truly have to praise about the album is the collaborative effort between Avra Banerjee and the countless other musicians that lent their expertise to make all of these tracks wonderfully distinct, their efforts should never be ignored. This release is truly an inspirational work of art.
Score/Outstanding: Avra Banerjee once again returns with his wonderful expertise in Indian classical and carnatic fusion World music with his release titled ‘Swar Lahari’. It does not bear any flaw in any track, taking you through a journey within each of its tracks. They have the capability to not only be emotionally encompassing but also technically superior and fascinating, leading me to conclude that this is one of the highest echelons of art.
[We rank singles, EPs, and albums on a scale of Poor, Mediocre, Good, Excellent, and Outstanding]
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