Sanjoy Narayan

Helsinki

Columnist at Mint

Writer at Freelance

Journalist. Columnist. Former editor-in-chief, Hindustan Times; former editor, Business Today.

Featured in: Favicon

livemint.com (+1) Favicon

hindustantimes.com Favicon

outlookindia.com Favicon

lokmarg.com Favicon

indiatimes.com Favicon

flipboard.com Favicon

htsyndication.com Favicon

economictimes.indiatimes.com

Articles

HT Syndication: Bungle in the Nordic jungle

1 week ago | htsyndication.com | Sanjoy Narayan

India, April 13 -- A few days ago, in the crisp Nordic air of springtime Helsinki, Ian Anderson, the 77-year-old pied piper of prog rock, took the stage with his band, Jethro Tull. He walked on on a weeknight, dressed like an old codger, beaming like a benign grandad. Was he too old to rock and roll? In an instant, all that changed.
Bungle in the Nordic jungle: Sanjoy Narayan goes live, with Jethro Tull

1 week ago | hindustantimes.com | Sanjoy Narayan

The Helsinki gig was part of Tull’s ongoing Seven Decades tour, the name reflecting the band’s remarkable longevity and career span. It celebrates their extensive discography, from the seminal 1968 album This Was right up to their latest, last month’s Curious Ruminant. The setlist in Helsinki was a time machine. It kicked off with Beggar’s Farm from This Was, and ambled through decades with the ease of a band that refuses to be fossilised.
Grizzly midlife reflections: Sanjoy Narayan writes on the band Animal Collective

1 month ago | hindustantimes.com | Sanjoy Narayan

In January 2009, Animal Collective released Merriweather Post Pavilion, a kaleidoscopic burst of psychedelic pop that felt like a cultural detonation. Named after a Maryland venue steeped in hometown nostalgia for two of the band’s four members, Avey Tare (given name: David Portner) and Geologist (Brian Weitz), the album crystallised years of experimentation into something transcendent.
HT Syndication: Grizzly midlife reflections: Sanjoy Narayan writes on the band Animal Collective

1 month ago | htsyndication.com | Sanjoy Narayan

India, March 22 -- In January 2009, Animal Collective released Merriweather Post Pavilion, a kaleidoscopic burst of psychedelic pop that felt like a cultural detonation. Named after a Maryland venue steeped in hometown nostalgia for two of the band's four members, Avey Tare (given name: David Portner) and Geologist (Brian Weitz), the album crystallised years of experimentation into something transcendent.
How to beat the algo-rhythm: Sanjoy Narayan writes on keeping the beat

1 month ago | hindustantimes.com | Sanjoy Narayan

Among my current fistful of earworms are songs from an early-1980s band named So-Do, whose music is a fabulous stew of post-punk, funk and dub music; a stew that emanated from reggae in the 1960s and ’70s. The Japanese band’s unpredictably syncopated rhythms, singer and songwriter Hideshi Akuta’s vocal style (he sings mainly in Japanese but with a smattering of English), and the overall catchiness of the music are infectious. So-Do wasn’t an algorithmic recommendation.
HT Syndication: How to beat the algo-rhythm: Sanjoy Narayan writes on keeping the beat

1 month ago | htsyndication.com | Sanjoy Narayan

India, March 15 -- Among my current fistful of earworms are songs from an early-1980s band named So-Do, whose music is a fabulous stew of post-punk, funk and dub music; a stew that emanated from reggae in the 1960s and '70s. The Japanese band's unpredictably syncopated rhythms, singer and songwriter Hideshi Akuta's vocal style (he sings mainly in Japanese but with a smattering of English), and the overall catchiness of the music are infectious. So-Do wasn't an algorithmic recommendation.
Funk dial: Sanjoy Narayan on the return of the ’70s band Cymande

2 months ago | hindustantimes.com | Sanjoy Narayan

“Songs of mystery / Take your breath away / That’s how it feels to hear Coltranе play / He’ll lift you up high / Like the sunny day / That’s how it feels to hеar Coltrane play” When I heard those lines a couple of weeks ago, in a song called Coltrane by the band Cymande, it so perfectly described how I felt when I first heard the music of that jazz genius ages ago that it was almost eerie.
Early rock formations: Sanjoy Narayan picks his favourite music podcasts

Jan 18, 2025 | hindustantimes.com | Sanjoy Narayan

The song Eight Miles High, released as a single by The Byrds in 1966, is considered one of the earliest examples of psychedelic rock. Heavily influenced by what the band members were listening to then — Indian classical sitarist Ravi Shankar and jazz saxophonist John Coltrane — it is also cited as one of earliest raga-rock compositions. The history behind the song is fascinating and it involves a number of disparate events and phenomena.
Long-playing records: 5 albums that got Sanjoy Narayan started on his musical journey

Dec 6, 2024 | hindustantimes.com | Sanjoy Narayan

The coming year, 2025, marks a personal milestone: 50 years since I first got hooked to popular music, and then became a hopelessly incurable addict. I clearly remember how it started. It was mid-December, 1975. We had just finished our Class 10 final exams and were hanging out at a friend’s den in a city that was still known as Calcutta. He was the only one of us who had his own room, secluded from the rest of the house (an added luxury), on a mezzanine floor above his father’s garage.
Long-playing records: 5 albums that got Sanjoy Narayan started on his musical journey

Dec 6, 2024 | flipboard.com | Sanjoy Narayan

2 hours agoNicole Kidman and Meryl Streep refuse to work with Martin Scorsese for the exact same reasonThe list of praise for the work of Martin Scorsese is endless, with critics and film lovers around the world heralding him as one of the greatest …1 hour agoNew PlayStation Plus Free Download Is One of 2024’s Best GamesSome PlayStation Plus subscribers can now download and check out one of 2024’s best games for free. The free PS Plus game in question came out back …