Thayir Sadam is curd rice in Tamil. If that invokes visions of bland comfort, stop right there. There is nothing plain about this layered, complex song by the Thayir Sadam Project band, known for its EDM and Carnatic classical fusion tracks. Formed in 2018, the band members are Bindu Subramaniam, Ambi Subramaniam, Mahesh Raghvan and Akshay Anantapadmanabhan, all classical musicians in their own right today. But together, they are chefs — they mix and match, toss up and throw in, put in flavours, spices, ragas and rhythms and stir it all up for some listening magic.
The first time I heard them was when I stumbled upon their ‘fun’ version of the very solemn Raga Chakravakam (with a splendid guest recital by the inimitable duo Ranjani-Gayatri). I was hooked, of course. This time, I found another of their works, ‘At the Door’, an eerily prescient song for our times, but written nearly eight years ago! (All their works are on YouTube).
Shot in a dark wooded region, the song explores concepts of loneliness and listlessness, finding hope and summoning up courage to begin afresh. Sample these lyrics: “I spend my days in denial; a monochrome rainbow...darkness increases and from nowhere, we begin again.”
Especially noteworthy is the violin-mridangam jugalbandi in the middle of the track. Despite its rather gloomy feel, the song ends on a crescendo and one hopes that’s a musical symbol of hope.
Play By Ear showcases a potential earworm every week for you, the discerning listener, who is on the hunt for some musical serendipity.