Music Reviews

Energetic tunes

The White Stripes was an American alternative rock duo, formed in 1997 in Detroit, Michigan. The group consisted of the songwriter Jack White (vocals, guitar, and keyboards) and drummer Meg White (drums and occasional vocals).

Under The Great White Northern Lights is a live recording of their 10th anniversary concert tour in Canada. The duo has a minimalist approach to music including Meg’s simple drumming style. The album begins with a bagpipe intro, Let’s shake hands followed by a stomper, Black Math.

Jolene is a soulful rendition of Dolly Parton’s ballad Jolene and also one of the high points of the album. It begins with a drumbeat and a few chords and then picks pace with screaming guitar and Jack’s pained screams. In Little Ghost, Jack goes acoustic with a mandolin-laden folk song about falling in love with a ghost.

A fast-paced mandolin on Prickly Thorn, But Sweetly Worn comes across as stimulating and energetic.  The oldie Fell In Love With A Girl is performed with a slower, more blues feel to it.  In 300 M P H Torrential Outpour Blues, Jack drowns out drummer (Meg) with frantic strumming and singing. The bag-pipe last track Seven Nation Army has the audience singing along.

Michael Patrao

Music with no soul

It isn’t as foot-tapping as De Ghumake, the official anthem for the Cricket World Cup, 2011, or as groovy as Waka Waka by Shakira that spoke volumes of the passion fans share for football.

Cricket For Peace, an album that comprises original songs in Hindi, English and Bangla by amateur bands from Bengaluru, Chandigarh, Chennai, Colombo, Dhaka, Kolkata, Mumbai and New Delhi, is an ode to cricket. Created as part of the MoneyGram Cricket For Peace programme, what the album strives to do is promote peace under the banner of the game.

The nine bands, who are a part of the album, were winners of the MoneyGram Cricket For Peace 2011 contest. The thought is noble, but the music —  sans heart and soul. Tracks like Howzzat, We Are the Champions or even a track in Bangla are hummable but far from being memorable.

Khel nahin yeh, jung hai is loud and jarring and does absolutely no justice to the theme of the album. Although, it should be noted that the bands here are amateur, that they are completely out of sync and the lyrics are cliche, cannot be pardoned. When you celebrate cricket, musically, it better be good. This ain’t.  

Anisha Mehta