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It is amazing what one can do with a personal computer and a little creativity these days. Electriconspiracy demonstrates this with a creative album cover for India By Night that looks hand-made. The entire album is more of an art project than a commercial venture, and the artist here is free with his expressions of angst, trauma, and pain. The styles range from brooding acoustic chords to thrashing, noisy chaos. There is even a snippet of "Just As I Am" played with a toy piano sound, and various segues filled with sound effects.

"Fall From Grace" is one of the better tracks--an acoustic ballad tinged with electric highlights.  It conjures images of scenes from dark Hong Kong movies, the main character walking a lonely night street seeking redemption. It is redemption from the cacophony and dissonance of the two tracks that precede it.

Unfortunately, "Beautiful Inside" was anything but, with so much distortion on the guitar and vocal as to be almost unlistenable.  Here is where the artist shares his torment, and, indeed, we feel tormented along
with him.  It's awful.  But "Joliebel" takes the cake.  It features more annoyingly distorted vocals over moving synth chords that create a grating effect. Thankfully, it only lasts about two minutes.

"Easy on Me Now" is more musical, yet retains the angry, angst-ridden feel prevalent on the project.  With this one and "Fall From Grace," there are two relatively listenable songs on the CD.  The tune breaks into an up-tempo bridge during the guitar solo and manages to catch a little air for a second before segueing into an oncoming train (literally).

The most aptly named track is "Sleeper," which sounds like it was recorded live in a diner with a tape recorder in the back of the room, but it's a short nap at only 52 seconds.  It flows directly into the closer, "Gone," which appropriately describes my copy of this exercise in artistic expression.

India By Night defies categorization and almost defies description other than to say it will connect with a very narrow niche audience.  Although "Fall From Grace", "Easy On Me Now," and "Gone" are quite listenable, there are too many moments that are too far "out there" to appeal to many listeners.

Zik Jackson 5/19/2001

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