Soar(ing) over the Kingdoms of the Earth

Well, he’s gone and done it again.

If you’ve been following my rants, you’ve probably come across my rants (for they are rants and not "reviews" as I have trouble taking myself all too seriously to call myself a "reviewer") on Cadence of Your Tears and then The Ascetic Paradox. And if you have come across those rants you’re probably familiar with Sanjeev Niles already - the talented fellow who could have made us open-mouthed lot topple over with one flick of his fingernail after hearing his music for the very first time. If you haven’t read the rants (how dare you mortals ignore the noble and wise words of The Lady!) I suggest you go and read them now for he is an artist quite worth knowing.  

In this era of the Great Plastic Plague, finding something that moves you is practically impossible. Everything has been turned to plastic - people, friendships, relationships, the thing that we gloat and label as love, nothing really moves us anymore and we in turn, have built up an internal resistance, a sort of an outer shell if you may, to protect ourselves from the dry and harsh wastelands that life has now become. And unfortunately, the more delicate forms of art like music and literature too have been thus touched by this great moldering hand of demise and decay. But once in a while comes a song, an exquisite creature on luminous butterfly wings, a sheer melodious genius that literally sweeps you off your feet and sends you hurtling forward through the cosmos into a world of sublime delights.

Kingdoms of the Earth for me was one of those rare ones that left me hazy eyed for a good few minutes after the first listening. And after listening to it a good 15 times or so, (and with the song still playing in the background) I start typing this post. I wanted to share it with the world, to shout out “look here, have a long, lingering listen to this sparkling little gem spreading its wings in your cupped palms like a magical winged creature ready for its first flight!” but had to restrain myself when I was told to hold my horses as then it had not yet been officially released. So hold my horses, I did.

“In another age, in another time,

Our souls be lost,

And then you will be mine……”

The song ends on a philosophical note which had my heart in knots.

Kingdoms of The Earth is a song of longing, a song of pain, but with a sweet lacing of hope that pierces through its quaint romantic heart which bleeds out poetry in whoever that hears it. It starts off softly, with the distant wailing of the violin punctured by weighty piano notes. Sanjeev’s deep baritone gently touches this harmony at first. And then it plunges and soars, plunges and soars taking your heart along with it into the faraway lands soar(ing) over the Kingdoms of the Earth. The deep, resonating drums beat like a heartbeat in the varied background – earthy and necessary, strangely echoing the profound thump of Sanjeev’s voice at the places where it ceases its smooth gliding across the notes, leaving space for thoughts to stream in. It’s an invocation uttered in the deep and cavernous vaults of the earth, it is a beacon of hope, like moonlight filtering through the foliage, it is an imploration that even the most hard-hearted cannot ignore. Simply said, it is capable of moving mountains and oceans with the emotions it summons forth.    

It is layered, it is accentuated at places that leaves your heart in your throat at times, it is hauntingly beautiful, so lusciously resounding that it cedes delicious echoes resonating within your whole being. It is the bitter-sweet pain of all the lost loves in the world rolled together with that undying hope of unrequited love – toothsome, yet sad. It pulls you apart at the same time draws you within yourself and leaves you warm and cozy, a fragile bird nesting within its homely stead. Like Cadence, it has those unmistakable gothic nuances that I have now begun to understand as Sanjeev’s own watermark. And what a wonderful watermark it is!  

Kingdoms of the Earth has an unmistakable medieval feel to it with a touch of Celtic magic and you cannot help but have image reels of mist robed, hazy highlands, high stone castles and medieval knights on valiant steeds running nonstop through your head. This especially speaks to my heart, and not surprisingly so, given my long standing infatuation with the Celts and their healing music as well as my romance with all things lovely and medieval. I mean, who doesn’t like dungeons and dragons and swords and bloody battles!

And the most fascinating thing about the song? That it does not even need lyrics! You see, when it sings of fading candlelight you have already seen the flickering flames in your head. When it sings of breath on neck you almost feel the slight breeze touching your skin in the darkness, even before the actual words had registered in your mind. The music has already set the mood, the tone and the situation and this to me is pure (and very rare) genius - combining meaning with sound, creating the exact mood, catering to the exact words. Simply marvelous. 

      

Needless to say Sanjeev has an exceptional voice - powerful, evocative, earthy and piercing, all at the same time. Therefore at certain places I have felt that the potential of these behemothic lungs has not been applied full charge in this particular song. Personally I would have liked a bit of punch towards the end, for the music to die a natural death and the voice to take charge and create a memorable vocal imprint upon the mind. I would have liked the vocal chords to have opened at full blast and wail out the pain, the anger in one powerful, excruciating stroke. On the other hand I can argue it the other way as well. A song about lost love requires softness, a sort of nostalgia, a yearning for the past. It must need that delicate ending and indeed it ends in a longing note. If that was Sanjeev’s take on the song, he has accomplished it rather marvelously. And further goes on to display the individual’s versatility of voice in giving wings to a rather heavyweight baritone. Therefore in this I remain conflicted.     

   

This song did not come as a surprise. Having proven his prowess with Cadence, I should say that we expected nothing less. And true to his nature, he did not disappoint at the least. And being a part of a larger collection (an album) this song has only made us impatient to hear the rest.

And as for Sanjeev and all this very apparent talent that has just been lying around undetected, undemonstrated, I have just one single sentiment I would like to express. As my partner very spontaneously exclaimed after the first hearing of the song, I shall now echo his exact words. Sanjeev, “WHERE the HELL have you been hiding men?”    

Listen, watch, enjoy. I present you "The Kingdoms of the Earth"