Not being able to fit things into genres is something that rarely happens. Even more so when it comes to music because we live in times when being new and old is what makes it easier. Acquired Senses, the HFT band’s debut album, is the perfect antithesis of what the world of non-Hindi and non-filmy Indian music has become.
This year has been a good one for Indian bands and along with Advaita’s first outing (Ground in Space), Acquired Senses is one of the most listened to albums of the year. The seven tracks on this very welcome and appropriately titled album showcase the HFT band’s definitive sound.
The HFT band with its two mainstays in the form of Arjun Sen and Lew Hilt has long been in demand in India for a long time. Anyone interested in the jazz and blues music scene in the country will surely have been impressed by Sen’s guitar prowess.
And when you have Lew Hilt, one of India’s earliest rock musicians, you know you are hearing something special. The band is known to be highly original and their compositions transcend genres, making it extremely difficult to identify these guys.
Track-by-track analysis of the album ‘Acquired Senses’
Evenly placed, the album begins with Heaven Earth, a soft jazz track that is highlighted by Hilt’s excellent bass. Shifting gears immediately, Small Story infuses fusion elements with strains of tanpura in the background.
This album is nothing short of a journey and each subsequent track discards the limits to travel in different directions.
It is with Circles that you finally realize the genius of the band HFT. A fantastic composition Circles shows the mainstay of HFT: unlike bands that compete for perfect harmony with each other, one can see the disparity between bass and soloist which, in fact, is exactly what makes them coexist.
With the help of composed percussion by Sam Shullai, this eight-minute track is what it’s all about. Like its name, Idlis on a Camel is experimental enough to venture into strange spaces.
Led by Shullai’s drums and Hilt’s heavy bass, Sen is in his element with Yet A Surprise, the track that ties this album together. This fine classic “blues” track is very contagious and peaks on this album.
What separates the HFT band from the contemporaries is that they are a very polished act and yet they maintain the rawness one seeks.
This is not a band in a rush to prove a point and thank goodness for that. No Room to Move recreates the upbeat vibe of the first track and with the final tack (I Rest My Case) the trio just rolls it all up in a great way.
If you’ve heard someone mention lately that the Indian music scene is changing, this is most likely what they meant.
‘Acquired Senses’ Album Rating: 4/5