- Artists:
- Nitin Sawhney »
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The rise of Nitin Sawhney is fully deserved. A classically trained musician with great vision, he has a back catalogue and a stack of awards that I suspect allows him the opportunity to access most of the artists he wants to work with (sculptor Antony Gormley contributed drawings for London Undersound’s artwork). This may also explain why there is only one song on the album to not feature a guest. Never one to shy away from politics, Sawhney’s latest, allegorical offering – his eighth – tackles a London post September 11th and the London bombings of 2005.
Previous album, Philtre (one of his finest albums along with Displacing the Priest and the Mercury nominated Beyond Skin) was released in 2005 to great acclaim. It featured Sawhney’s lively, trademark blend of East and West which served to only further his reputation. So, when I read that he had, to all intents and purposes, decided to succumb to a national, possibly irrational culture of fear and create an album focusing on the ‘change’ in London – I was intrigued to hear why and how this fear would manifest itself as sound.
Sadly, I can think of no worse start to an album than 'Days of Fire'. Featuring reggae-soulster, Natty, the track describes how Natty got caught up in events on the day Charles de Menezes was fatally shot in Stockwell. Where to begin? Perhaps the general inaccuracies of the story, or maybe just the plain, abhorrent insensitivity of using a tragic murder and miscarriage of justice to bolster your personal point-of-view. The plainest thing that comes to light is the complete selfishness of Londoners; there is no art in a smug exploitation of art masquerading as moral explanation.
Not wishing to dwell on this beginning, 'October Daze' takes the listener on a dreamy, whimsical ride all the way to the drum n’ bass of 'Bring it Home' – fancifully played in a 6/8 time signature, no less. If you are at all familiar with Sawhney’s recordings, you will know his production values are of the highest order; which tends to lend an almost soulless, made-for-TV feel to the songs. If there ever was a song to exemplify this, it would be the ironically titled 'My Soul' featuring Paul Macca. Preceded by some drivelling nonsense by Sir Mac explaining the theory behind 'My Soul', it is simply an indescribably limp song.
Oddly enough, it is the latter part of the album where Sawhney starts to find form. The falling Teental lyric of 'Daybreak' (featuring the brilliant Faheem Mazhar) is beautifully juxtaposed with staccato violins and breakbeats – this is exactly where Sawhney excels. OK, so he follows this with the “incendiary” Jack Straw quote about his female Muslim constituents wearing and not wearing the veil …but then that’s followed by 'Ek Jaan' (One Life) – a piano ballad with a Hindi vocal. Superb!
'Transmission' claims to be “about the way we are bombarded vacuous radio and TV commentary about stuff that is devoid of any heart or meaning…people are dying in other countries, but we are robbed of all perspective and priority” and 'Last Train to Midnight' (featuring Cream’s bassist’s daughter) is touted as Dubstep; but actually bears more resemblance to the Easy Star All Stars than kode 9.
Final two songs, 'Firmament' and 'Charu Keshi Rain' are both delightful instrumental pieces – cleansing the palate of this assortment of crudely thrown together pieces. But the absolute stinger of this album - is that it’s a lie.
This is not the sound of the London underground (although the album ends with that particular sound); it sounds nothing like London. Not the London I know. London Undersound was made by a Wandsworth-ite so rapt by his own fears and insecurities, that he has completely lost sight of the bigger picture.
My London is big, fearless, and cagey – somewhere not unlike London Zoo.
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Share on Facebooknice review ash
I think the moral of the story is everyone should listen to The Bug's London Zoo
shame
such a shame
Cheers, Jimi.
Conversely, Record Collector loved it...
http://www.recordcollectormag.com/reviews/review-detail/2987
well, well
You like "Philtre"? Interesting, cause that one was for me a similarly frustrating exercise in boredom. Starbucks addicts might be happy hearing this "creamy dreamy latte-sound" floating out of the speakers...
Creamy dreamy latte-sound
Perfect.
It'd be soy, of course because of the lacto-intolerance.
General inaccuracies
Interesting that you say there were "general inaccuracies" in the Natty track. Actually it's quite ironic because Natty was actually THERE at BOTH the incidents referred to. If you had listened carefully and checked your facts you may have discovered that he was referring to a personal experience of both the London Bombing at Tavistock square on 7/7 AND the Jean Charles de Menezes shooting. Still, it appears you'd rather be inaccurate yourself than worry about details like that. Interesting also that the only tracks you like are the ones with obviously Asian content. Perhaps the London you know is one dimensional (In Tooting I believe) but I always thought London and particularly Tooting, where I lived for 10 years, was pretty diverse.
I liked the first song I heard from it
but if Paul McCartney is on it then fuck that.
and fuck
Natty too.
Or....
..... check it for yourself and fuck the rest.....
NelsonM
Believe me - I listened to the Natty track repeatedly. I know he was there at both (it says so in the PR - which you probably wrote) - however, a lot of us were. There has been no mention in the album or PR at the sadness or horror of the loss of life - instead, choosing to use the incidents as a lynchpin to express a point of view. A pov I do not (and we should not) agree with.
Nitin, being Asian, has a lot of Asian content in his songs - pretty much all of them - on all his albums. It's his selling point. If you had read my review fully, you will notice that though I picked up on two of the Asian vocal songs (which are juxtaposed with Western instrumentation), I also enjoyed the two instrumental pieces at the end.
And, as Jimi rightly pointed out, the message here is to listen to 'London Zoo' to hear the real sound of the London Underground.
Which, incidentally, is not the sound of a tube train whizzing dramatically into the night...
Greenstone
No -I didn't write the PR.
If you want to check out how strongly Nitin feels about the Jean Charles de Menezes shooting then check his blog on the BBC electric Proms website www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/electricproms/ which'll put that straight. I think that Natty's track humanizes the subject by expressing it from a personal experience POV and remember he was actually present at BOTH incidents..... that's what makes his story unique. The media unfortunately saturates us with information about horror and sadness and dehumanizes the victims in that process. Natty's story is personal reflection.... music should come from catharsis and not be contrived. Natty's POV is just honest. There are also a lot of other influences in Nitin's music other than purely Asian ones..... He makes a point of it. Cheers.
Post Script
Natty's lyrics are trite and offensive. Case 1: his single, 'Cold Town'
A similar notion to 'Days of Fire'. Alas, but he says:
"Got to dial up my call centres overseas, take what you can from the English man, then you build yourself a palace back in Pakistan"
Stereotypical, ill-informed bilge. Or is he just being honest?
You seem to be ingoring the fact that millions of us were affected by both tragedies. We just don't all dramtically bang on about how it changed London forever, perpetuating fear in the capital.
September 11th may have changed security measures forever. Making people more fearful and dwelling on such atrocities for profit is inappropriate to say the least.
Finally:
"Interesting also that the only tracks you like are the ones with obviously Asian content. Perhaps the London you know is one dimensional (In Tooting I believe)"
Yes, I live in Tooting.
Yes, I am Asian.
Yes Tooting has a large South Asian population.
Were you inferring that I only like the tracks with Asian elements on because of this??
I ignored this slight before, but am curious as to what your involvement is in promoting Nitin's work and how far you will go to justify this entire albums existence.
As the album's not out and you are hammering the point home about Nitin's music being 'all-encompassing' - just what vested interest do you have in this?
bof
No "Falling"? 2/10, eh? Let's call it karmic comeuppance...
Greenstone
Weird - I thought you were reviewing Nitin's album, not Natty's. "Days of Fire" is nothing to do with "Cold Town" and nor is "London Undersound". I asked you what the general inaccuracies were in "Days of Fire" and you've just been evasive. Oh well. I guess there weren't any then.
Yeah, people were effected by the tragedies - So no one can write about it? Or maybe you think "Fight the Power" by Public Enemy or "Fuck the Police" by NWA were out of order too. Maybe the same with "Imagine" from Lennon. Hey, what about "The Clash" or any band that's ever talked about anything serious..... "Rock against Racism" for instance?
Bizarre that you got so defensive about being in Tooting (where I used to live) when you slagged Sawhney off for being a "Wandsworth-ite"... If you read what I said again you'll realise that I'm not slagging off your perspective for living in Tooting because I lived there too..... and I'm not white....It's just strange to me that you have such a culturally limited perspective on music whilst living in such a broadly diverse area.
Also, who said Nitin's music was "all-encompassing"? Where does it say those words? Is that what YOU do for profit? Misquote people?
Finally, what are you? Jeremy Paxman? Woodward and Bernstein rolled into one? Who gives a shit who I am? Maybe I'm Natty or the record company or maybe I'm Boris Johnson or Ken or Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan's ghost or maybe ...... shock horror.... I'm actually Nitin. Who cares? Fact is it's quite a laugh seeing you get so wound up, mate.
I'll leave you to drown in your journalistic fear and insecurity......
Ciao.
Mandela / Nitin
I'm not going to go into detail on any one song - even if 'Days of Fire' wasn't on there, the album'd still get a 2. End of.
Comparing anything this pathetically apolitical with even the worst of the seminal PE is like comparing John Lennon to Shakin' Stevens. So don't do it. Yes, artists can write about anything you want - just don't expect the public to love, or even like it.
People with cuturally wide perspectives, who read Record Collector, will still buy Nitin's albums. I won't - but I still cherish my battered vinyl copy of Displacing the Priest.
I don't misquote anyone - you just don't read what you write - or simply write innaccurately.
Who gives a shit who you are? Me. Why? Because it's important - spin from a record company trying to justify and discredit my opinion is sad and infuriating. So, yes - I care.
I care about an artists work - I care about politics - I care about justice and I care about my readers and how they spend their money. So, yes I get wound up by your messages - because they are blase and biased.
But, at least you're having fun - and coming back to the site.
Merry Christmas.
pps
"Because it's important - spin from a record company trying to justify their opinion while seeking to discredit..."
And I don't make a penny from this site.
It's all voluntary.
Gravestone
Still waiting for you to define the "General inaccuracies" of the Natty track, still waiting for you to indicate where I used the words "all-encompassing" in relation to Nitin's work, still laughing at the notion that you feel that you in some way represent the general public when the reviews from Mojo, Uncut, Q and a host of other Music magazines have been very favourable, still creasing up at the patronising, worthy political speech a la Margaret Thatcher/ Jesus of how you care about all mankind in your omnipotent journalism, guffawing at the notion that you didn't misquote me when it's in black and white over this comment but...... most of all having a little giggle that you take yourself so seriously...... lighten up.... You're depressing me. Everyone moves on. Who said you're not entitled to your opinion just as I am to mine that your review is riddled with misleading supposition.........? Oh and I don't make a penny from this site either.
pps
Oh and I'm not from the record company or PR firm..... I think David Sinclair wrote the PR piece you're referring to.
And yes, I have enjoyed myself. Thanks....
Happy Easter (???)
I'm just a passerby here
and it's absolutely none of my business but presumably you're aware if someone reads through the discussion you come off far worse than Greenstone does?
Someone's given a bad review to album you either really like or, it would appear, were probably involved with. So what? Let it go...
To be honest, having just looked up the lyrics out of curiosity my main issure with "Days of Fire" is it doesn't seem to have much to say or, if it does, doesn't do a great job of saying it. Yes, I understand he was there (it's been pointed out enough times in thread already) but so were loads of other people and I just don't think he offers much of an insight.
Yes, it's a "mad situation" and the guy's "all out of emotion" and he's seen the "city change in so many ways" but that's about as in-depth as the analysis seems to get. Given the lack of details or insight in the song in general the guy might as well not have been there at all.
Ash Akhtar
Or just the opinion of Ash Akhtar.... Wasn't "Falling" on the "Human" album? Did you want him to record it again?
hey passerby
I have to say I don't agree that NelsonM comes off worse. On the contrary, it seems Ash is a bit defensive and is getting his knickers in a twist.
Let's give peace a chance and talk it through over a masala dosa .....in Tooting.
I haven't heard Nitin's new album but as a fan I'm looking forward to hearing it so I can make up my own mind. Its good to see he's still creating thought provoking work.
Peace....
How very coincidental
that you should be making your first ever post on here at this moment in time with exactly the same writing style as NelsonM.
Strange world...
I smell a rat
Are you Ash by any chance?
I just happened to come across this because I was interested in finding out about Nitin Sawhney's new album and this site came up first.
Sounds like someone is a bit paranoid.
It's so much funnier when peopel deny it and make counter accusations.
I'm not Ash. It's pretty easy to check up on that and you'll find that it isn't the case.
It is also very very clear that you're NelsonM and are making yourself look sillier with each post.
However I'd massively appreciate it if you continue to deny it as it's so blatant you're lying that it's actually very funny.
Keep Smiling
So check me out. Easy to do as you say.
ps
Its also funny when people can't spell people.
X
lol
paul wins this round, sorry mate
I live in Tooting and fancy a curry...
...haven't heard the album, so my thoughts are fairly neutral.
Is Natty a C*nt?
Hey Ash.
I respect your opinion on that Natty track, however I feel it to be the one standout track from the whole caffe-latte sounding bulk of it all. When Ojos del Brujo comes in, I just creak. However, I haven't been to London since i was 17 and I live in a quite peaceful part of the world and so on and so forth (Oslo, Norway), and I say I just wonder whether your reservations concerning the natty track has something to do with Natty being a c*nt or not. He clearly sounds like one on his solo tracks, but I think the soca-tinged beat (or whatever) gives some nice verfremdung to his so-sincere delivery.
I just can't buy your premise of "the abhorrent insensitivity of using a tragic murder and miscarriage of justice to bolster your personal point-of-view." Are there any other points of view than personal ones? Who should give one the permission to speak about events such as these? Critics? Aren't critics also bolstering their personal points of view repeatedly? (I am also a critic of course, though of art and theatre)
However, I don't think you're interested in having a discussion of principle here. I just wonder whether Natty is a c*nt or not. If he is, it will be easier for me to understand your aggression towards the track. And then I won't feel like a c*nt for enjoying it.
Sorry for posting this so late, but my local radio station didn't pick up the track until saturday.
I don't care about Natty
I care about the point. And 'Days of Fire' does it a great injustice. Ironically.
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