Album Review: Dark Circle Factory – Positive

Drummer Lindsay D’Mello. Photo: Aparna Dauria

[easyreview cat1title = Positive cat1rating = 3.5 cat1detail = ” “]

‘Positive’ album art

Remember The Petri Dish Project? The 2010 album brought together guitarists Ashutosh Phatak and Dhruv Ghanekar for some seriously psychedelic, jazz-influenced rock. On drums was Lindsay D’Mello, who has now come up with his own collaboration-packed project called Dark Circle Factory. The project includes similar collaborators such as Monica Dogra (from electro pop band Shaa’ir + Func), Suman Sridhar (from jazz duo Sridhar/Thayil) and singer Ashima Aiyer. D’Mello throws a few more heads into the cauldron, including Vishwesh Krishnamoorthy (from hardcore band Scribe), Lima Yanger (D’Mello’s bandmate in mellow rock band Bliss Logic and now vocalist of alt rock band Duncun Rufus) and Bob Omulo (from hip hop act Bombay Bassment).

Do all the guests shine? Yes. Does D’Mello come across the frontman of the project? Well, he has two discs to prove that to listeners. Dark Circle Factory’s two-disc album Positive is filled with rap rock ”“ “Love Life/Hate Life” with Omulo’s forceful rhymes and “A Day In The Life Of” featuring Krishnamoorthy getting his rap on, but making sure there’s a growl or two, sounding like a cross between electronica groups The Prodigy and The Crystal Method.

D’Mello slips into funk and jazz mode on tracks such as “Travel” and “Jive,” but what the drummer aims for on the album is electro-fusion. D’Mello adds beats and samples on vocals from Monica Dogra (who brings her Shaa’ir peacenik lyrics to “Blocked Ears”), Shefali Alvares (on the mellow “Fly”) and Suman Sridhar, who delivers some brilliant verses on “Thoroughly Bred.”

This review appeared in the February 2014 issue of ROLLING STONE India. 

Stream Positive CD 2 by DCF