TAAQ this way...



TAAQ, rather, Thermal and a Quarter are a jazzy, bluesy Bangalore based band that had quite a successful tour of the UK this year. Their music , for the want of a better description, isn't the kind that'll make you headbang, but one that'll make you sway. In 2001, they'd opened for Deep Purple in Bangalore. One of my regrets this year is that I missed the two shows that they played in Delhi, one of which was at the India Habitat Center, and the other at TC.

A three part interview with TAAQ is here: part 1, part 2 and part 2. An audio interview is here at NPR.


Their album, Plan B, was available for download online, but discontinued. The torrent has only one sourse, so your risk.
The ensuing publicity made PLAN B one of the Internet's hottest properties, at least for the first two weeks. Our website was slash-dotted and we overshot our bandwidth by gigabytes.

PLAN B was downloaded and shared copiously -- we have estimated over a million downloads based on our poor arithmetic. The album also won rave reviews.

We are now discontinuing the download of PLAN B on our website. You may still find free copies on the Web. But here's the beef: we will soon re-release PLAN B with extra cheese.
How to get the album:
1. A torrent is still active, but with only one seed. Hurry!
2. Do a google sitesearch for MP3's at the Thermal and a Quarter website. The files are there, but I don't think they'll appreciate you costing them bandwidth.
3. Mail me (nixxin at gmail dot com). I can send the songs across one by one. Tried to upload them to my eSnips folder, but that isn't working out. Other file hosts don't keep files for more than a month.

4. You can buy the album from CDPlay or iTunes to support the band. I will buy a CD, the next time I see it at a gig.

Update: Ankit suggested that I try the Coral Cache (the one I'm using as a site mirror) for the song files.:
The Thermal And A Quarter Open Music License (hereafter mercifully called TOML) is designed to enable rather than restrict your use of our music. We want Plan B to be one big happy epidemic, and your role as vector is vital. We recognise you as ambassadors who will listen, download and enthusiastically share this great music. However, since we have invested considerable time, labour and creative effort into making this album, we wish to guide you on its ethical and responsible use.

According to TOML, you are completely free to:
a. REPRODUCE: Make as many copies as you have friends.
b. DISTRIBUTE: Share the copies enthusiastically with friends, pets, spouses, relatives and enemies. Especially enemies. Plan B has a way of making friends out of them.
c. PERFORM: Play it on the stereo. Play it on the radio. Play it at a rock show. Just play it, yo!
d. NON-COMMERCIAL USE: This music is yours to share and enjoy, not yours to sell. Please don't make money from it in any way. However, you may charge the price of the blank CD on which it is copied.
e. MP3 FORMAT ONLY: Please do not alter the original format of the songs (MP3) into any other audio, video or data format. This includes audio-cassettes, video-cassettes or any other type of media file (including but not restricted to *.DAT, *.wav, *.wma, *.asf, *.ra, etc).
f. ATTRIBUTION: Whenever you perform the songs or pass them onto someone else, please credit Thermal And A Quarter. Also, please do not change file names, or song or album names.
The songs (7/10):
* Bend the World
* Chainese Item
* Paper Puli
* The Steal
* I Live Here
* Dead Inside
* Cynical World
* Galacktiqua
* Motorbykle
* Intermission

(Also, funnily enough, their site has photos of their performance in Delhi under the heading 'Doing Delhi'. And, just to clarify, if you think I'm doing this as PR work - I'm not. I just like their music, and try to do my bit for creating awareness about good Indian bands)

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Another Bangalore based band that I like is Liquid Groove. They've got two vocalists - Abhijit and Lakshmi. Anirban (interview) deservedly won the Best Guitarist award at GIR in 2005.

4 songs are available for download here. I reccomend that you try out Dreams and Step Inside. I have two more songs and can mail those across, but it's been a year and a half. Interestingly, Abhijit sounds better live than he does in the album, and for Lakshmi, it's the other way round.

*

Still waiting for the Them Clones album. Was supposed to be released in June. The EP that I have has old songs, which are available for download here. The new set, which I've heard live, is much much better.

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7 Comments:
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Just downloaded this and it reminded me why I stay off Indian "rock" bands. Half-way interesting music, CRAP vocals and lyrics.

This too shall go the Colorblind way - into my recycle bin...

July 28, 2006 9:19 am  
Blogger Nikhil Pahwa said...

Then it's just a case of difference in taste. Colourblind isn't crap, though the vocals are weak in that case.

I could say that more than half the bands you recommend are crap, but I just accept that as a difference in taste. Each to his own.

July 28, 2006 9:23 am  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

You took that very personally, love. What's up? Sab kuch tick-tock hai?

July 28, 2006 9:29 am  
Blogger Nikhil Pahwa said...

Oh look- word verification code: allfn :S

All fine. :)

(Just that I don't think either colourblind and TAAQ are 'crap')

July 28, 2006 9:34 am  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Your friend, the tipsy crab needs a vacation, sir. How are you liking Plan B? It was an experiment, actually. There's another album coming up sometime soon. And then probably another. You live nearabouts Delhi, don't you? Catch us in concert at IIT.

September 15, 2006 9:50 pm  
Blogger Nikhil Pahwa said...

Hey, Plan B was a good listen, for a couple of times. Just not addictive enough for me. Haven't heard it more than four or five times, which is pretty low, though I did like the music.

Dates for IIT?

September 16, 2006 12:52 am  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

No idea about tickets/passes at IIT, Nikhil. If you miss that, I know we're playing at St. Stephen's the Friday after that. Can you catch that one?

And yep, we always travel with CDs.

September 18, 2006 6:50 am  

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