Kastadyne

As far as first impressions go, Mumbai-based Kastadyne’s sophomore album Hover shows promise; it reels you into a pleasant enough listening experience. But progressive listens begin to uncover some of the unflattering details that leave you disappointed. Faint disguises surface ”“ for instance ”˜These are the People’ recalls Creed’s ”˜Wrong Way’ and the build up in the sonic backdrop, especially on the refrain of ”˜Mortal Moonlight of the Untidy Soul’ is reminiscent of Seal’s ”˜Crazy.’ But for those who don’t mind the references, Hover could well be a musical delight.  Wrapped in digital gloss, the record sports some fine production chops and the songs glisten and gleam cocooned in this technical yarn. But the biggest negative on this album is the bad writing ”“ there’s a lack of song-worthy syntax, the words seem to spill over, trying to find a clumsy fit with the music. Clichés and odd metaphors (“Evil woman/keep away from me/the only thing you love is money/I’m just a slice of bread to spread your cheese/evil woman please,”) dent the credibility of this record. Tracks like ”˜Ghosts’ ”“ a breezy hypnotic spell caster ”“ and ”˜Leecher’ offer a glimpse of this duos lyrical virtues making for the cream of this unsure mix.

Key Tracks: ”˜Ghosts,’ ”˜Leecher’