Album Reviews
Self Titled | Avial
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“Politically-aware and ideologically driven” was how Rave, a top Indian music magazines described Malayali rock band Avial in its October 2006 issue. Without really having a clue of what they are saying, I actually fell in love with their musical skills and talents. Glad to know that if I did understand the lyrics, I would like the whole package!
Whoever heard of Indian rock music anyways? Well if you asked that question to my friend Arun from Split-Magazine, he would throw a fit. But if you asked anyone else, you would simply shake your head and most likely say no. Well to be honest, I would have done the same if it wasn’t for my trip to India in winter of 2006. One of the bands that was recommended to me through Arun and a few friends was Avial, a unique blend of eclectic folk rock. That’s how I heard them described, but I much rather describe them as just good old rock or progressive rock.
Now when you hear Avial for the first time, you might wonder what language they are speaking. Even though I’m Indian, I have no clue what they are saying. It’s a language known as Malayalam and is spoken by people from the Kerala region (which btw is one of the most scenic and gorgeous areas of India). As an Obnoxious Listener, I found a way to simply treat the vocals as another musical instrument adding into the orchestra of other sounds instead of mentally registering them as vocals. If you can do that, you can really appreciate the music without ever knowing the lyrics. But since I am a huge lyric person, I did find out their lyrics are positive and non-threatening. Plus, I wanted to ensure their songs were not saying “see you in a birthday suite” or “bottle full of bub momma”!
Avial does a good job exploring a few different sub genre’s of rock + Indian folk. And I really appreciate how they stick close to their roots in terms of musical instruments, vocals, and settings for their music videos. Surprisingly, that has helped them gain a lot of global recognition at the same time. While other Indian rock bands have tried to sound like other rock groups, Avial has found a blend that keeps them unique and authentic.
If you like the clips above, check out a few of their music videos for songs like Nada Nada and
Thakatara. They’ll do a good job of explaining the lyrics/vocals since I can’t do it for you. But if you give me a Hindi or Gujerati song, I’ll drop some knowledge on you for sure!
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