Indira: Fourteen Fifty-four

Indira is a group of Yale alumni (Class of 2000) who play music. If you accept them on this very basic level, you might find their new CD, Fourteen fifty-four, rather enjoyable. If you're looking for anything deeper, this probably isn't the band for you.

Wallowing in that murky area between rock, pop, and jazz known as "jam rock," Indira's music is remarkably reminiscent of Phish. This is most apparent in the striking similarity singer Rich Lathrop's, ES '00, vocals bear to those of Trey Anastasio. Their lyrics can be at times simple ("We were walking along it was a Saturday night/There was a look in her eyes that didn't feel quite right") and at others bizarre ("Comes Taffy dancing through the ferns to see that surry spring again"), much like Phish. And the band makes a point of incorporating heavy doses of instrumental solos in each of their songs, presumably allowing these to flesh themselves out in performance.

Unlike Phish, though, Indira doesn't have the musical chops to make its jamming interesting. Lathrop's saxophone work ends up sounding more Kenny G than Clarence Clemons, and the guitar solos are workmanlike at best. Indira doesn't really take many chances, either. Most of the album finds the band playing in one tempo, never exploring many styles or speeds. Nor is there evidence of much passion behind the songs.

For all of these shortcomings, though, Fourteen fifty-four marks Indira as a well-matched group of musicians with a good sense of ensemble. The songs are tightly structured, and the vibe on the album is pleasant. The record has the feel like you get when listening in on a bunch of friends playing together in a room. Much of the credit for this goes to the production on the album, by Vic Steffens and bandmember Peter Smith, CC '00: it's of a surprisingly high quality for an independent album, and it nicely highlights the band's interplay.

Indira deserves a lot of credit for putting a part of the nearly invisible Yale rock scene on record; it's just that the music isn't really individual or exciting enough to draw much attention. Perhaps with a little time and experience, the band will gain the confidence which will allow it to experiment and take some chances with its music. Hear it for yourself: sound samples are available online at www.cdbaby.com/indira. —Dan Feder

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