Listen: “Fish Rock” By Thaikkudam Bridge

In June this year, Kochi film music composer Govind Menon got together a bunch of friends ”“ a dozen of them to be accurate ”“ to set up Thaikkudam Bridge, a multi-genre band that was capable of tackling Michael Jackson and AR Rahman with equal ease. Says Menon over a phone interview, his Malayalam accent coming through strong and clear: “This band was formed so we could perform on the show Music Mojo on Kappa TV and we’ve done many gigs in Kerala since.” Mithun Raju, one of the first guitarists to be part of the alt rock band Motherjane, now part of the 13-member Thaikkudam Bridge, adds, “We’ve been doing a lot of covers of songs by Tamil composers such as Illayaraja and Rahman, but we’re now working on our original tracks.” One original that caught our attention and has snagged over 80,000 views since it was posted on YouTube in late August this year is a track named “Fish Rock,” which conveys Menon’s love for fish. Jokes Menon, “I’ve put on so much weight that my family has banned me from eating fish.” The song instantly recalls Avial, one of the most famous bands from Menon’s state.  On “Fish Rock,” Menon’s powerful vocals perfectly complement the distorted riffs and fuzzy synth line that open the track. Wait for the fat, bass solo at 2.40 minutes by Vian Fernandez, who also has a short rap part, which is the only English bit in the Malayalam track that we’ve been playing on repeat for a while now.

Watch “Fish Rock” here: