Over the years, iPod has indeed made listening to music so much more special, and in so many ways. This is our tribute to the man of innovations – Steve Jobs, by tracing the reasons that make iPod so distinctive, and in turn the genius in him.

The early iPod advertisements were so apt! All they had was a colour in the background and the silhouette of a person with a white wire hopping in tandem with his moves. Yes, that is precisely the feeling that one goes through when he can carry almost his entire music collection in a small chic looking device. The rest and one’s own self fade in to the oblivion and what matters is only the music that goes on in your bobbing head.

Steve Jobs’ greatest contribution perhaps, in every music listener’s life was through iPod. Whether it was an artist or a normal listener who appreciates music – iPod did bring that difference with the technology and applications that it offered. It is so hard to believe that only ten years ago iPod overwhelmed us and the way we listen to music. It seems like it was always there. The Apple iPod barged in to the scene in October 2001 amidst the clutter of MP3 players and quickly became the most popular portable music player in the market. iPod along with iTunes, the digital music store from Apple, enabled one to legally download more than one million songs from any genre that one could think of. And all of this just a click wheel or a touch screen away.

iPod and iTunes, together brought back with themselves an era where singles were as celebrated as the launch of an entire EP or LP. Music lovers could now buy a single track from a particular album that they liked without purchasing the album in its entirety. iPod comes with its several variations in the forms of Classic, Mini, Nano, Shuffle, and of course Touch; and each upcoming iPod brings with itself upgraded features, more storage memory, newer applications, and slicker versions.

However, for any music lover it is the sound quality that makes a massive difference. “iPod has the best sound quality that any portable music device can ever offer. You can never listen to an iPod at its loudest mode since it’ll blast your ears off – that’s the effect of an iPod’s sound system” says Rohan, bassist of Peter Cat Recording Co. Agrees Karthik Basker, vocalist and guitarist of The Bicycle Days, “It is undoubtedly the best platform to enjoy your music. Not just music, but so much more is available through it now making it truly exceptional.”

iPod is not only a catalyst in changing the way we listen to music, but does a lot more than that. iPod has made it possible to listen to songs, or audio books, record voice notes and videos, play games, transport computer files, click photographs, and also has built in calendars and to-do lists. Statistics point out that within three years of iPod’s launch, iPod owners had purchased 1 billion songs from iTunes stores world over. Kishore Krishna of Adam and the Fish Eyed Poets says, “I own an iPod since I was 15, and transferring and buying songs has never been so easy.”

Elaborating when it comes to the applications that iPod hosts, Sahej Bakshi from Dualist Inquiry makes a point, “It is not just a device that caters to the cravings of music, but a lot of difference is made because of its services like iCloud, and of course iTunes.” MP3s failed in comparison to iPod simply because they were trying to assimilate a lot of features into the player back then, and also led to glitches with its difficulty in syncing with the computer apps. “You face no such issues with an iPod. You just plug it in and iTunes sorts most for you. iPod makes listening to music much more cooler and the entire process of getting music a lot more easy going” says Bakshi.

The iPod has come a long way since its mechanical wheel back in 2001. As Grammy award-winning singer, Mary J. Blige rightly puts, “It’s hard to remember what I did before the iPod. iPod is more than just a music player, it’s an extension of your personality and a great way to take your favourite music with you everywhere you go.” We couldn’t agree more.

-          Priyanka Singh

It’s a Sunday afternoon and front man Ameeth Thomas has just woken up to my call. “No problems dude, I’m just a bit high that’s all” he says as he follows it up with trademark laughter. That’s how he is and has always been. Loves whiskey, hates cover bands, is adored by the Junkyard Groove faithful and is deplored by those who hate his guts.

2011 has been an important year for Junkyard Groove so far but November promises to be the most eventful yet or so they hope. “We have finished recording four songs and there’s four more to go. We might just add another couple of tracks too, but I am not sure about that” says Ameeth as he speaks about their latest chapter. The second album.

Junkyard Groove’s first album 11:11 was extremely well received by those who heard it and propelled them to heights they wanted to always achieve. Songs like ‘It’s Ok’, ‘Imagine’, ‘Folk You’, ‘Feel Like a Knife’ and ‘Hold’ from 11:11 was a coming together of not just the thought process of those within the band but perhaps also of their listeners who devoured these songs.  People only knew they wanted something unheard of, and many an alternative rock band tried to fill in the void. However, in hindsight, only one band has managed to do that successfully in recent history.  At a time when the Independent music scene was crying out for something fresh, JYG had delivered.  “People call us a pop band too, but I couldn’t care less. The album got us 30,000 fans you know! (laughs) For me when you create a song, it has to be catchy. That’s the f*****g idea.’

When you have thirty thousand fans, there’s bound to be a few hassles when people recognize you, as has been elaborated upon here, “It’s satisfying but also extremely weird at times because last night I was at this local nightclub and this guy goes ‘Ameeth Thomas! Ameeth Thomas!’ and I had to ask him to calm down and my friends were laughing their ass off. Other musicians get jealous about it though!” he can’t resist adding that.

“A lot of people around here hate me because I am doing my own thing. I don’t do film music or anything but I make money doing what I do and its going pretty good. Recently, this guy calls me up and asks if I could listen to their tracks and mix it in my studio. Hey now who thought I’d be making money out of my studio too?!” he asks mockingly. He is very proud of everything JYG has achieved and speaks at length about how satisfying it has been to follow the path that he has loved all his life, but there is more than a hint that there is a method to all of his easy going madness. “I am not where I want to be” says Ameeth as he gets serious for the first time. “I’d love to travel a lot more as I play for crowds. Money is important alright but only because without that I can’t buy gear (more laughter)!”

Junkyard Groove started off in the summer of 2005, after Ameeth decided to give his friends Craig Maxworth (on bass) and Siddharth Srinivasan (on guitars) a call after quitting his previous band. Drummer Jerry John came in to complete the quartet.  One of the reasons why they also started to play together was people raving about bands that weren’t good enough.  Their sense of superiority wasn’t misplaced at all though. “My previous band came third in NLS strawberry fields and people were saying ‘oh man f*****g awesome!’ and I was thinking ‘Really?’.  In our first year, we won every competition we participated in. The entire lot” he says, smugly.

The line up as of late October 2011 is Ameeth Thomas, Shanky (Shashank), Sajit Satya and Naveen Thomas (of Galeej Gurus). Yes, that list is minus 75% of what Junkyard Groove used to exist as. From the summer of 2005 to the summer of 2011, there existed a journey which helped them all achieve the highest of highs but it wasn’t without its low points. Junkyard Groove have admitted in many an interview that fights were part and parcel of their continued existence. However, none could have predicted that it would lead to a break up except for the ones who were in the band or close enough to its members. Even those people certainly could not have anticipated the manner in which it was about to happen.

On a warm summer afternoon of April 2011, Ameeth Thomas logged in to his Facebook account as he routinely did and saw this on the band page – “Ladies and Gentlemans…We love the 6 years that u have given us, and we love you all. Although Junkyard Groove is a part of us, and will be a part of us, we have to bid farewell…This is not the end, but the start of something new…stay tuned…Love…Siddharth Srinivasan, Jerry John, Craig Maxworth!!!!”

“I was f*****g pissed off” states Ameeth as he speaks further about the break up. “We had a show to do in Singapore and I was trying to contact them, obviously my calls were being ignored. I had to let go of the show and my parents thought I was losing it. Eventually I had to calm myself down with a few drinks and think about what I could do.” All three members were replaced within 48 hours. “Probably that got under their skin too!” he says.

Despite the extremely acerbic atmosphere during the break up and Ameeth’s determined and swift response to the entire situation, I am tempted to probe further to know what led to it. “I wasn’t too happy when Jerry got back into the band. I didn’t want him back and once he got back there were rifts all the time and he created groups. Beyond a point I began to take things personally. They had threatened to quit the band before and they knew that upset me a lot. We had solved these issues before but then it happened and I could smell shit coming from a mile away, so I got ahead of the game (laughs) and registered the band under my name, the songs under my name and I started doing solo work because I wanted something to keep me going. They even asked my new band mates to not play with me because ‘Ameeth is an asshole’” he says.

The new lineup is settling in just fine according to Ameeth. “Sajit is a killer bass player and he’s a kid but I met him at one of our shows and he goes ‘Dude I can play all your songs’ and he just nailed it. He’s something else with the bass really. Shashank is a tight drummer and he is basically a raw talent and I like that because I can mould him they way I want! Naveen is just Naveen really. I can say that the new lineup is more technically proficient than the old one.” If you’re thinking, no wonder this guy (Ameeth) gets hated all the time, we doubt he cares too much about that, or you.

Right now, JYG’s focus remains very clear. They intend to release the album and tour around the country. They have already released two new tracks called ‘Beautiful Crime’ and ‘Speed of Love.’ Beautiful Crime is a departure from JYG’s previous sound. There is especially a very strong electronic influence in the sound and the song has generally been received very well. Speed of Love is a simple sounding song with Ameeth on the acoustic guitar. This track however has been criticized by a few. “Yeah yeah we did get a bad review on a site from this guy who thought it sounded somewhat like a Jack Johnson or a John Mayer song. Funny because he can’t differentiate between them both” says Ameeth. “Listen I do know it’s a f*****g cheesy track okay? But even while playing it I think ‘I am going to get laid!’ because a lot of them do like the song. And since that review we received more hits on the video too! So thanks.”

People can expect to listen to the old Junkyard as well as the new Junkyard from this second album. Ameeth has been the driving force behind this album as he has done most of the songwriting on it. “Great thing is I am the song writer but these guys are very honest about how they feel about a song. If its shit, they’ll say it’s a shit song or it’s a shit part in a song. I have been experimenting more with the new album, even with the mixing. Beautiful Crime has a completely different mix in the album. I’m excited about this one!” he says.

Junkyard Groove is here to stay, that much we all know now. A good many feared for the band post the breaking up of the original line up. However it has been ensured that six years worth of hard work and music doesn’t fade away into oblivion. The old line up will no doubt be missed not just because of their musical talents but also because of the vibe they exuded whether on stage or off it. The new lineup will have its fair share of challenges trying to match up but having heard Ameeth speak about Junkyard Groove with all that passion leaves one with a feeling that it won’t be too long before Shanky, Naveen and Sajit firmly entrench themselves within the minds of those who follow the band.  So here’s to more drunken JYG gigs and plenty more success. Good luck we say!

-          Vignesh Iyer

Dildaara (Stand By Me) – Ra.One

Ra One Poster

The first time I heard this song, I was devastated. One of my all time favorite numbers was not golden anymore. Pulled out from under the golden shelves of pure blissful romance, this song is now listed under a remix version of a Bollywood movie.

Shafqat Amanat Ali

To do some justice to the song, Shafqat Amanat Ali does a wondrous job with his voice, still thankfully leaving some soul in the song. Why would they want to jostle the golden era, I fail to understand. Vishal-Shekhar do a great job with the Hindi and English parts complimenting each other and it is a very soothing hear no doubt. I only cringe to think, that the original song by Ben E. King will not stay the same to me anymore. RIP, original music. Make way for the ‘inspired’ kinds.

Bollywood has never been too fond of the Censor Board and their edit-wars date way back before the reel of time started to spin. Mansie Shah brings us more on the fuss over the usage of cuss words in Bollywood Music.

No One Killed Jessica

Parallel to the intellectual growth of the audience, Bollywood has too undergone metamorphosis to cater to such change. From fairy tales to ‘real’ cinema, it has been a long drawn battle for the song dance routines against the danger of extinction. However, cinema that mimics real life is not without its own set of roadblocks. The dangers of pseudo-intellectualism, insensitive portrayal of violence and aggression, sexism et. al. are indeed quite real. Another offshoot of such roadblocks is the use of swear words in movies and more specifically, swear words which are set to tune.
There are arguments, both for and against use of swear words. These words are often used to spice up the mundane life, as a vent for frustration, as a tragedy-meter, for its ‘shock’ value and at times, even as punctuation – relevant only when not used. Whatever be the view of those who literally voice their support or of those who think of them as unspeakable, one cannot deny the reality of its prolific use and acceptability in local parlance with absolutely no regional barriers, except for maybe translation related errors.
Movies are rated by the Censor Board and accordingly, one may choose to watch or avoid it. Bollywood songs on the other hand, are omnipresent, much like God. They blare out from taxi walla’s phone, fellow traveller’s lips, Bollywood enthusiast neighbour’s house and if you stir slightly during your surgery, you will know that these songs are played in the operation theatre too. Back in focus, is the debate over the use of swear words in Bollywood music because of a song from Delhi Belly which has grabbed the attention of rock music fans, prudes and the Censor Board alike. In a clever twist of phonetics, the words ‘Bhaag D. K. Bose’ when played in a loop, sound like a rampantly used Hindi swear word. However, by no means, is this the first of its kind in Bollywood. There have been songs from movies like Kaminey, Shakti, Tere Bin Laden, Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na, Khatta Meetha, Yeh Saali Zindagi, Shor in the City and No One Killed Jessica, to name a few, which have used swear words.

Arguments against the use of cuss words in Bollywood music find root in arguments of public morality and decency and against obscenity. If you recall, there was a major uproar in the 1990’s over the use of the word ‘sexy’ in a song starring Karisma Kapoor. The issue is with regards to moral policing of Bollywood on taboo subjects and this includes the use of swear words. As society progresses on the path of tolerance, taboo subjects are discussed more openly and at times, they are weaved into the fabric of society after they have been out in the public domain for long. If there was to be a song floated now with the word ‘sexy’ in it, it would easily be absorbed into the nation’s Bollywood crazed veins, without so much as a protest.

Yeh Saali Zindagi

Shor In The City

Right to freedom of speech and expression is enshrined within our Constitution. Read plainly, this guarantees cinematic liberties that the creatively inclined may take in the making of a film or while composing music for it. ‘Real’ cinema demands that life be portrayed as it is. If for making a film close to ground realities, one is required to make use of swear words, one shall. However, this is not a blanket right as it is subject to public decency and morality and this serves as a cue for the entry of a moral police officer, the ‘Censor Board’ into the apparent crime scene of ‘crossing-the-line-with-creative-liberties’ in the high power drama of Bollywood. Now, if only the questions of public decency and morality could be answered using the Hawk Eye technology like in Cricket. Sadly, this question itself is shrouded in subjectivity. I believe the idea is to stretch the rubber band elasticity of public decency and morality with creative liberties as far as you can, and while you are at it, hope that this rubber band doesn’t throw a histrionic fit before the Censor Board.
Now, arguments for the other side of the coin; use of swear words in Bollywood songs can act as panacea for the modern age evils. For a socially awkward adolescent, this can be used as conversational fodder which may help him procure social acceptance. This may work equally well at the paradoxical flashy yet boring parties where everyone wants to rush through to dinner time. This can contribute towards growth in one’s coolness quotient. It also provides an opportunity for a lewd person to be lewd and not be judged for it. Though in all fairness, music is at times genuinely good, but more often than not, it is the swear word that helps the song dominate the air waves. At the end of the day, ‘real’ cinema also wants to reap huge profits and escalating popularity means the big bucks. The use of swear words in a Bollywood song is a free pass to such escalating popularity.
‘Real’ cinema may want to portray life as it really is, but Bollywood itself is larger than life, at least in India. Though for many of us, Bollywood is and always will remain a source of entertainment where we retain the ability and discretion to discredit as and when required, there is a huge chunk of society over which Bollywood and its domiciles, yield enormous influence. This provides an inkling as to why smoking on screen has been banned and why there is a lot of concern around endorsements by the big wigs, especially when the products are harmful. When a super star sings swear words set to tune, it validates the usage. There is not enough space in this article to comment on whether usage of swear words itself is right or wrong, but there is enough to convey that the image of an eight year old girl singing the infamous Delhi Belly song, with all of her innocence, is not a pretty sight to behold.