Rocking the Carnatic soul

This chartbuster from Agam will never go out of fashion.

If you are the sort who think the best kind of music is often born out of genre mash-ups (like I do), but you cannot find anything stimulating and new to listen to, you head straight back to that old reliable in the fusion category — Carnatic rock.

The classic-contemporary soundscape is now littered with several Carnatic-fusion efforts, but not many have come close to the brilliance of Bengaluru-based progressive rock band Agam.

And really, there’s no better way to enliven a monsoon afternoon than grooving to their charbuster Rangapura Vihara in the ever-fluid Raaga Brindavana Saaranga. (Incidentally, Brindavana Saranga is another favourite of film composers who use it often for mellow songs that introduce the heroine. Remember A R Rahman’s Konchum Mainakkale from the blockbuster movie Kandukondain Kandukondain? That also had its base in the same raaga.)

Coming back to Agam, this 2018 version of Rangapura Vihara, one of Muthuswamy Dikshitar’s most popular compositions, has lead singer Harish in his element, to put it mildly.

The way his deep voice soars over the profusion of guitars and dips to blend with the orchestral arrangement makes him the biggest selling point of this track.

Of course, what is also special about this Carnatic rock number is the background choir that adds a touch of mystic to the romance intrinsic to this raaga. When the track was released, Agam had narrated how it took them 18 months and 16 iterations to arrive at the final rendition, not to mention the 70 artistes involved in its production. One can only say that all of it was so worth it.

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