Cobweb’s seventh, their latest, “Project Namaste” certainly tries to project the band out of all the constriction of mainstream music. However, it tries to keep the force that’s been in the band since their inception.
The album consists of eight songs, of which two – ‘Mercedes Benz’ and ‘Maryo Ni Maryo’ – are rerecording, and one – ‘The Wall’ – is a tribute to Pink Floyd, making altogether five new songs.
The production part of the album has to be noted as it’s been well executed with none of the instruments killing each other off, unusual for a rock album in Nepal.
Further, the clean guitar sounds and the versatile vocals make a great combination. However, at some point in ‘Kehi Shabdale,’ the treble of the cymbals become irksome.
The first time I heard ‘Namaste,’ the catchy and straightforward reggae song of the album was on a Friday night at Reggae Bar, Thamel, before the album was released.
The flare present there that night amidst the dancing foreigners and head-banging locals, has unfortunately not been captured in the album. I’ve always argued that Cobweb have been better live performers than their studio workings, and I have yet another point in the bag.
‘Putali,’ the fourth track of the album, has a different feel. With no drums, but with outstanding vocals and somber lyrics, the song has its own aura of beauty surrounding it.
By the time you hear ‘Eklo Jeevan,’ you recognize that the album has some great songs, but it in itself isn’t a total package. And then come the rerecording.
The first time I saw ‘Mercedes Benz’ and ‘Maryo Ni Maryo’ on the back of the album cover, I couldn’t help but going ‘Not Again!’ And a question arose in my mind, Why are they serving stale cakes to us?
‘Mercedes Benz’ sounds the same, if not worse. The only changes are the cleaner sounds and the lack of keyboards. The latter, in my opinion, doesn’t go along well. ‘Maryo Ni Maryo,’ however, is a whole different ball game. The new recording has a much heavier and more energetic feel to it. Furthermore, the bass line is still clear cut after all these years.
The final song of the album, ‘The Wall,’ is a tribute to Pink Floyd, and is without a doubt a song to be heard live rather than on a record. Being an avid Pink Floyd lover myself, the inclusion of ‘Eye of the Tiger’ at the end of the song proved to be a letdown.
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