★★★ Sky Rabbit – Sky Rabbit

The erstwhile Medusa deliver a game-changing album, starting with name change

This here is a classic case of metamorphosis or simply growing up. The erstwhile Medusa, are not screaming “Who’s Your Daddy” anymore as a metal outfit. Neither are they playing with grooveboxes anymore and displaying their eager handiwork while playing Joy Division and Radiohead covers. The nearly decade old band instead have taken to quiet contemplation, changed their music preferences and simply turned down the tempo. Medusa are now Sky Rabbit and their sophomore album, Sky Rabbit is a seamless montage of their best known tracks – reworked, slowed down and delivered with elan. The album opener, “Anti-Coke Ganpati” is a perfect specimen. Vocalist Raxit Tiwari’s vocals are languid instead of agitated, Rahul Nadkarni’s axe skills are delayed in intent making it introspective rather than angsty. Siddharth Shah’s bass is sensual and Harsh Karangle’s drums beat in order not chaos. Laid back and languid, you hear the difference in the ambient and minimalistic sampling of more songs like “Hilltop,” “I Become I”, “Clone” and even “Oil.” Ashish Manchanda produced the album, responsible for its surrealistic tone and departure from noise. An evolution gone right.

Key Tracks: “Anti-Coke Ganpati,” “Hilltop”