The band name itself is a dead giveaway as to who and what we can expect from Elephant Stone. Yes, this Montreal-based indie rock band’s name is an obvious ode to The Stone Roses, but don’t roll your eyes just yet if you smell another tribute act coming up. The band has influences that do extend beyond what’s apparent. Lead singer and ethnically Indian multi-instrumentalist Rishi Dhir draws from his cultural background and channels it into their debut album.
Think sitar-flavored indie pop.
In The Seven Seas (2009)the band actually tries to merge Eastern influences with Madchester rock, psychedelia, and a little bit of 90s soul. The album
opens with the jangly and upbeat, ‘Bombs Bomb Away.’ Though the Hindi-infused psychedelia doesn’t kick in yet, the opening song is catchy enough, with that classic rock appeal that should make you want to move on to the next track.
The title track, ‘The Seven Seas,’ finally antes up and you have that anticipation of that funkadelic trip you’ve been waiting for. The sitar weaves seamlessly throughout the song and heightens a somewhat simple pop tune. Other sitar-powered songs like ‘A Morning Song’ and ‘Don’t You Know’ are gilded with that experimental feel – sort of like a nod to George Harrison in ‘Blue Jay Way.’ While the sitar serves to garnish the songs, it does not really break any new ground and does not introduce listeners to something innovative. Still, the formula works rather jubilantly and is quite enjoyable.
Perhaps, a full-blown exhibition on Dhir’s sitar is the tiresome instrumental, ‘The Straight Line.’ It seems to go on forever and does not seem to come off as a display of the band’s musicianship. It sounds awkward and untextured and seems to copy off Kula Shaker’s ‘Govinda’ success. Truth be told, the band had more success with ‘Don’t You Know’ in terms of originality and content.
At its core, Elephant Stone’s debut album is successful enough because of its pop merits. Their music certainly grows on you because of its familiarity to very obvious musical influences. However, I couldn’t help feeling a bit disappointed because I was expecting a real fusion between East and West – something like rockefied bollywood music. It won’t be everyone’s cup of tea, but hey, the genre is already teeming with songs that sound alike. The talent is there, but clearly this indie rock band needs more than just chucking in a sitar ditty somewhere in their songs to make them stand out. The promise is there already - the push to a more cohesively fused musical genre may be, who knows, on their sophomore try.
