Exulansis – Abhi Ananda (reviewed by Dave Franklin)

There is something slightly Dylan-esque about the opener, The Dream is Still Alive; I know that gets said a lot, even all these years after his most influential years, and to be fair, it only sounds like Dylan had he grown up listening to healthy doses of 90’s college rock and emo ballads, but there is still something in there which warrants the comparison and starts things off with a touch of intrigue.

But the great thing about Abhi Ananda is that he has much more than that one sonic strand to offer, and by track two, Heaven, he is in totally contemporary indie-pop mode, giving us a song built through the perfect blend of muscle and melody.

And from these two first tasters, he wanders between delicate and poised pop and more rock drive songs, between indie cool and accessible alternative sounds. Change of Heart is dense and anthemic; The Birds Song is full of cascading guitar lines and the spaciousness required to emulate the sense of freedom reflected in the title, and Remember Who You Are is a gorgeous piano ballad of the type that a late Beatles Paul McCartney would have been pleased to have written.

There is an argument to be made that modern pop has lost its complexity, that pop pickers and chart buyers have become less discerning in their tastes, and that they are happy with the lowest common denominator of music. And that is why we need artists like Abhi Ananda. Yes, there is much more happening here than pop music, but commercially, Exulanis oozes pop appeal. It is the sort of pop that could be one more catalyst to put pop music back on track and wrestle it out of the hands of those who think that studio gimmicks and guest rappers, dance routines, and flashy videos are enough. That music is low down on a list of boxes to be ticked.

Remember when pop music had something to say, when it shone with authenticity, when it was as cool and credible as indie music when it was as deftly wrought as rock music? Abhi Ananda does.