Indian Ocean to give away songs on new album free from July 25

Indian Ocean, the legendary Indian band, plans to give away all seven songs of its new album, 16/330 Khajoor Road, free of cost in the form of mp3 downloads from its website.

The album is due to be released on July 25, and one song will be given away free every month over the next seven months, a press release from the band said.

Indian Ocean

According to it, listeners will have to just log on to the website and register. They will get an e-mailed code that will allow them to download the song.

The album is named after the band's jam-pad in Delhi’s Karol Bagh, 16/330 Khajoor Road, where the band has rehearsed and composed since 1997, producing Kandisa, Jhini and Black Friday.

The place has an even longer connection with music. Before partition, Pakistani poet Faiz Ahmed Faiz also used to live in the same house.

The new album is a tribute to the almost spiritual energy of the house that has allowed the band to grow unfettered. The album also comprises almost all the last few songs in which the band’s former percussionist and vocalist, Asheem Chakravarty, participated in composing, performing and recording.

Chakravarty passed away on December 25, 2009, but the plan to release the album had been formulated with his full knowledge and consent last summer. It is only now that it becomes a "tribute" of sorts, the release said.

According to the release, the songs are vintage Indian Ocean, with a few surprises thrown in. The classic line-up of the band comprising Susmit Sen, Asheem Chakravarty, Rahul Ram and Amit Kilam has produced songs ranging in mood from the contemplative to the inspirational to the political.

The band is planning to tour all over the country with the album over the next few months, the release added.

NNN