The Blend of Culture in ‘Boundless’ Pieced By Nissima

Music has been an integral part of the universe, even before humans existed. The melody of water flowing through a deep valley of mountains, the tranquility emerging out of a thick forest with birds conversing among themselves, even the slightest drop of rain falling on broad green leaves, has the language impossible to comprehend. With time, humans have known to create sounds and melodies that would calm them, and sometimes have camouflaged messages ingrained. What could be better when musicians today take these nascent origins as examples and galvanize the age-old classical with the tonality of the modern? It gives rise to interesting talents like Nissima, approaching listeners with classy blends of all of it.

Madhulika Gupta | BeatCurry Team

The Muse Within Lyricism

Starting with Barkhaa, the trio welcomes the listener, through their ode to the rains and the beginning of life on earth. The composition is full of life and celebrates it through the instruments while showing reverence through the lyrics. Extremely precise and liberating, the vocals by Harshad welcomes you to delve into their magic. Well, it’s almost become an accepted decision in films, soundtracks and songs to incorporate ragas such as Bhimpalas (Dorian) or Bageshri to evoke those emotive feelings. The song uses a few interesting ways of approach and phrases to convey the meaning. Overall, it’s a tight presentation with well timed instrumentation, solos and lead vocals. The song tends to take you on an explorative journey through the vocal storytelling.

Kashmakash was a ghazal-like addition to the album. It not only adds value to the album but also showcases the trio’s classical grip. The words ‘Khud Apne Dil Se Sawaar Lo’ almost had a beautiful turn of melodies throughout. The start of the song could have had ambient tones, specifically more of string patches, marimbas, tanpuras or mellow pianos to create a smooth outlet for the vocals, with minimal rock elements during the song. The Tabla accompaniment went purely well with the voice and on the whole it was a surreal listening experience.

Panaah is a creative composition evoking the pain and anguish from within. The choice of instruments is immaculate, as is the lyrical journey of the song. The sense of loss is penned down beautifully, describing the agony of the heartfelt after a teary separation from a loved one. The emptiness that

Pannah is quickly filled with Nishaan, where composition wise, the song brings a motivating and energetic opening along with powerful basslines and drums. The protagonist seems to realize that separation does not lessen love, yet he tries to overcome this loss.

Jaadoo is the inspiration you need to get up and get going with your life. The muffled voice seems as though it is the voice from within, speaking to us to not be defeated. The instrumental part of the guitar really helps a tired soul to shake off all the negativity and start living a life of his own without regrets.

The song Reham is a treat to the fans for its rock-based texture. The clever blend of the classical vocals with the strums of the base, peps up the mood of the entire piece.

Tu Distaa has the tonality of the announcement of a new beginning in life. This Marathi song is well sung, and the arrangement of the song is praiseworthy. The song gives you the feeling of winning in life, finally after ample difficulties and misery.

Un Adaaon Ki is evidence of life never stopping to surprise us. Even after the stormiest and darkest nights, there comes a ray of newly risen sun, slowly illuminating your world leaving no traces of you ever being forlorn or desolate.

Listen to the artist Nissima on Spotify:

Behind the Artistry

Boundless as the name suggests, Nissima is the most awaited baby of Harshad Sathe, Saket Rao and Amit Gadgil. It would not take long for enthusiasts to notice that by ‘boundless’, Nissima does not only mean a combination of different styles of music but also a ‘whole spectrum of emotional expression’. Comprising 8 songs, each depicts a story leading one to another. The melodies become alluring the moment we understand that these are the narrative of the artists behind them, their life stories. Having had the experience in the music industry for over a decade, their skills with respect to various instruments pay off well in Nissima.

Sharing on his social media, Saket Rao adds, “Was a real joy to work on the production of the album, and Barkhaa in particular because it prompted the beginning of the album’s journey!” Surely it was a joy to hear him do what he does best! Amit Gadgil, most known for his creativeness as a bassist, this multi-instrumentalist has been an influential part of the indie music scene. His diversity is such a delightful elixir to the compositions that the listeners are bound to feel the roller-coaster of emotions, all at the same time. With the experience of over 17 years in the industry, Harshad has spent most of his time with independent musicians, making him understand various facets of the industry. His experimentation and musical knowledge were the finest addition to the team.

The collaborations are top-tier and extremely well thought out. Prannay Sastry is one such contributor, whose involvement is felt with his distinct use of traditional Carnatic notes, adding the extra layer of uniqueness. Being a music producer and songwriter, trained from the Berklee College of Music, his musical sensibilities are inimitable and often come with a mix of post-modern and classical touches. Besides him, a prime contributor to the album was Aditya Athalye, an acknowledged name in the mainstream music industry, with experiences of working with maestros in the likes of Prabhakar Jog, and Lata Mangeshkar. His genius in Tabla lent the maturity and suaveness required to complete this project of eight distinct melodies.

Check out Jaadoo by Nissima on YouTube:

Hey there! Are you a musician looking to get featured on our platform? Want us to cover and review your music? Reach us at hello@beatcurry.com