Fizzicality in notes
Western indie pop, with a little bit of rock and plenty of Bollywood inspired classics — can’t place it together? You’ll have to try Goldspot! Performing in the country this month is the Los Angeles-based band, Goldspot.
Founded by singer and songwriter Siddhartha Khosla — the band’s debut album, Tally of the Yes Men was recognised as one of the best albums of the year (2007/8) in the UK. The band is currently promoting its second album, And The Elephant is Dancing.
“In The Elephant is Dancing we delved deeper into older Indian sounds of SD Burman, Kishore Kumar, Mohammad Rafi, etc. I wanted to bring in the sounds of my childhood and upbringing. The album is more soulful and lyric driven, compared to my previous works,” says Siddhartha.
The band’s latest single Ina Mina Dika was originally composed by C. Ramachandra and sung by the legendary Kishore Kumar. “The video for the single is directed by Nick Collett. He came up with the idea to juxtapose distinctly Indian imagery in very ‘American’ locations such as a bowling alley, a high school gymnasium and the New York City skyline. It was a lot of fun making the video. We had a blast,” he says.
Of course, Siddhartha is influenced by Bollywood music. “My musical influences are first and foremost moulded by the music that my parents played at home when I was a child — The Indian film music, the classics of the 60s and 70s. I recall listening to Rafi, Kumar, Lata-ji at home. But my musical influences were also a result of my environment growing up in the US, from The Beatles, Beach Boys, to the Pixies,” he says, adding, “To be honest, I am more familiar with Bollywood music of the past, and don’t really keep up with the current Indian film music scene.”
Goldspot has much recently, also composed music for the film, Today’s Special. “One of the film’s producers took a liking to our latest album and asked if I would do the soundtrack for the film. Working with talented actors like Naseeruddin Shah and Aasif Mandvi was the best part. The story incorporates some of the experiences that I faced as a South Asian, growing in the US and therefore, it resonated on a personal level,” Siddhartha explains.
Talking about his last trip to India, he says, “It was absolutely amazing on so many different levels. But what really stood out were the fans. Their response to our music was remarkable. I could not get over it and it inspires me to want to return over and over again.”
Promising more interesting material, he concludes, “We’re working on a full length album and a couple of film soundtracks. I can’t wait for the Indian audiences to hear the new album.”
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