From the very first few seconds of Ramesh Srivastava (former lead singer of Voxtrot)'s long-awaited follow-up solo album "Eternal Spring," I was hooked. The production is immaculate and so clean! The album itself is permeated with sweet melancholia, but there's a sense of hope lingering around as well. In fact, it's not too far off to imagine this album as the soundtrack for some beautiful queer coming-of-age film. There's also a remarkable evolution in his sound I touched on in my previous post. The opening track "Redemption" has a sort of Arcade Fire-like epicness to it that sets the stage for what is a powerful album reflecting sounds of rock, pop (modern and classic alike), soul, electronica, and a dash of folk in places.
"Like everyone else on Earth, I know you're searching for the hidden face of God," he sings on the track "Revolution." This is something I have enjoyed about Ramesh's work for years - his whip-smart lyricism.
Although this album may slip under some people's radars, I would implore you to give it a listen. Even if the album is thematically centered around themes like sexuality and fame, there's so much universal material to relate to in these impressive 10 tracks. Self-discovery, self-empowerment, self-acceptance, and self-respect are also themes that emerge as you continue to listen to "Eternal Spring." And I'd like to add that Ramesh has the makings of a great pop singer-songwriter, which is evident in his previous work with musicians like Haim as well as his work with Voxtrot. I really loved Voxtrot when I was younger; is that obvious? So many of their songs meant the world to me when I was growing up (I'll drop one in later).
"Acid & Tender" is a bit of an anomalous oddball, but it's a grower. Still, it's the only track I was less than thrilled to hear at first - even if it did end up growing on me!
Overall, I'm excited for Ramesh to be back in the spotlight. He full-heartedly deserves all the attention he receives for "Eternal Spring" - and the hard work he clearly poured into this album. "Eternal Spring" is available to listen to and purchase as of yesterday.
Rating: 7.5/10, B+, 4/5 (whatever rating scale works for you!)
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