Album Review: Something Relevant ”“ We Could Be Dreaming

Something Relevant Photo: Vikas Munipalle

[easyreview cat1title=”We Could Be Dreaming” cat1rating=”3″]

Parting ways with a vocalist always affects the quality of a band’s music, but when you have six people on board, it’s fair to say Mumbai-based alternative jam band Something Relevant get by just fine on their sophomore album We Could Be Dreaming. While ex-vocalist Aazin Printer is readying his crowdfunded solo effort, Something Relevant’s new album is quite different from their first album in terms of tone, style and composition.

The band, formed in 2003, now has bassist Stuart DaCosta and guitarist Tanmay Bhattacherjee sharing vocal duties and moving the band into a more experimental zone. For instance, DaCosta takes his rap act offstage and into the studio on the dubstep-influenced “Be Real, Know Thyself.”  

Musically and thematically, the mood changes from the carnival, pop rock tone on their 2009 album Feels Good To Be Live to a more varied palette of love [“Heartbreak Interlude” and “Just Another Heart Break”], politics [“Matter Of State”] and eco-activism [“Digging For Water”]. Some of the older STR vibe pops up on tracks such as the jazz/blues jam “Move Yourself,” album opener “Liar Liar” and the laid-back psychedelic album closer “I Can Swim.” 

Luis Chico on keyboards and backing vocalist and percussionist Aalok Padhye do more than just accompany on songs like the short Afrobeat-influenced “More” and piano-rock love song “Groovy Sense Of Timing.” Padhye adds to vocals and the band’s newfound electronica leanings are courtesy Chico. Drummer Jehangir Jehangir and saxophonist Ryan Sadri prove themselves invaluable on this album as well, with Sadri leading the way on “Turn The Wheel” and Jehangir blasting away to make every song seem somehow constructed but also improvised, which is the real mark of a jam band.

Key tracks ”“ “I Can Swim,” “Be Real, Know Thyself,” “Digging For Water.”

Buy We Could Be Dreaming on OK Listen here.