Evolve

Indus Creed has, to its credit, always had a rather clear idea of what it wants to be.

When Top of The Rock first aired — a momentous occasion for children of the 80s, suddenly exposed to satellite television — it was clearly designed to bridge the gap between Pop and Rock, an exploratory sound for an audience that didn’t exist yet, setting the stage for Pretty Child and, eventually, the duo calling itself Alms for Shanti.

Another thing that didn’t exist is broadband connectivity, which is what made it possible for the band — Uday Benegal, Mahesh Tinaikar and Zubin Balaporia, with newbies Rushad Mistry and Jai Row Kavi — to bring on board Tim Palmer as producer. It’s a coup of sorts, and a huge deal considering Palmer’s CV boasts albums like Pearl Jam’s Ten and U2’s All That You Can’t Leave Behind.

And so, Evolve works, to a certain extent. Catchy opener Fireflies kicks off with a bang and the old act of riff-verse-chorus-verse plays out very effectively, and relentlessly, from that point on. Dissolve stretches out long enough to let all members jam a little, and promises to be memorable when played live. Another highlight just before the midway point is No Disgrace, thanks mainly to some inspired guitar playing. Benegal shows why he’s a better songwriter than most on Come Around, an oddly sentimental track. The rest may simply require repeat listening to grow on one.

If there’s one major shortcoming, it’s how Indus Creed now takes to the genre as professionals out to do a job. The band still has a clear idea of what it wants to be; the sad thing is it appears to want to be a generic Rock band, not a great Indian one.

— Evolve, Indus Creed, Universal, Rs 175. Available at leading music stores.

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