Praveen Alva | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
Tulu artist Praveen Alva has already become a mainstay in Indian independent music thanks to his rich storytelling and performances with his band Alva Kuto, but he clearly wants to establish himself even more. On his new four-song EP, neerahAlva has done exactly that, singing four different stories, expressing four different emotions, all connected by “water landscapes”.
Aided in recording, arrangement and mixing by producer-guitarist Varun Murali (from the folk-rock band Swarathma), neerah Comes alive with ‘Kadal Poiye’, balances itself with the spacious ‘Posa Ponnu’ and incorporates the serene rhythm of handpan to open ‘Barsada Rathre’. The EP ends on a glorious note with ‘Kadalanchi Sukha Unduge’, an inspiring testimony to Alva’s folk storytelling, aided by Swarathma’s violinist Sanjeev Nayak.
Praveen Alva’s EP neerah
| Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
This release is Alva’s way of differentiating his band’s sound from his solo work. He says, “Alva Kouto is more pop-rock and with this EP project, I’ve tried to do more genres. I want to keep it that way for now.” neerah And his solo material, Alva says the soundscapes and vocal melodies are presented in such a way that it can appeal to those who don’t understand Tulu but can understand the emotion behind the words. “We outline our imagery in our minds without too much interpretation,” says Alva.
‘Kadal Poiye’ – which means sea and sand (“like the beach,” explains Alva) – is presented as a fun, lighthearted song. ‘Posa Ponnu’ – which means new bride in Tulu – comes from the perspective of a grandmother welcoming the new bride into the family. “It’s a song set on the backwaters. If you listen to the song, it’s more contemplative in nature,” says Alva.
Praveen Alva | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
‘Barsada Rathre’ (A Rainy Night) is the story of an aged migrant who yearns for life in the village, even though he had fled there during a rainy season in his childhood. Jathre (festival). “The last song is ‘Kadalanchi Sukha Unduge’, which means ‘Happiness is across the ocean’. “This song takes place inside the ocean, so there’s a bit about sailing and chanting. It’s about someone who has heard the phrase, that happiness is across the ocean, so he’s in a boat looking for it,” says Alva.
The artist summarized neerah and their current sound as “eclectic folk”. Although linked by the lyrical theme of water, Alva says this was not done intentionally. “These songs were not written chronologically, I just picked from the songs I had. I wanted to make it into a concept EP and I felt I should try to connect them through the concept of water,” he says.
The other reason for having four songs is financial, as Alva had allocated a very small amount as budget for the recording and release of these songs. “It is an investment, be it Varun’s production skills or the studio. Varun’s experience in this project is amazing; he has done a wonderful job,” says the singer-songwriter.
Alva now has Tulu songs in different styles, which he calls a “lifelong exercise”. Part of this is to perform the songs live, but not in a band context. He recently performed these songs as part of a duo set (with Alva accompanied by an acoustic guitarist) for Swarathma. “We are trying to put different spins on the studio versions of these songs when we perform live,” he says.
Praveen Alva | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
