On to safer shores...

This is a dramatic number for our times.

It is becoming hard to keep up with the creative outputs inspired by the pandemic, especially in the field of music. Artistes of all genres and styles are, it seems, bursting with ideas (okay, laments). YouTube is full of mint-fresh singles, fusion works, collaborations and #musicathome attempts. Sifting through this welcome excess has become a pleasurable journey by itself. In one such sojourn, I came upon this atmospheric fusion single, ‘Nayya’.

A collaboration between ace percussionist and composer Viveick Rajagopalan and classical singer Sveta Kilpady, the track is a sort of musical representation of the phrase ‘on a wing and a prayer’. Its lyrics speak of finding strength and courage to sail through difficult times.

Though it begins like a salutation, it picks up pace quite immediately and speaks of weathering storms, with faith being the navigator as well as the lode star that guides those marooned to safe harbours. The stunningly minimalist video adds to the wistfulness and poignancy of the song while the brilliant guitaring infuses hope in a melody that borders on the melancholy. If indeed this track was an attempt to reflect the mood of the times, the makers have succeeded extraordinarily.

Play By Ear showcases a potential earworm every week for you, the discerning listener, who is on the hunt for some musical serendipity.