Patio Unplugged: Second Sight benefits from a firm grip on their distinctive sound

The third artist to be feared on Patio Unplugged is probably the most different one yet. Second Sight is essentially an acoustic duo which was formed in 2015 when its members, Anusha Ramasubramoney and Pushkar Srivatsal, met at Swarnabhoomi Academy of Music (SAM). According to the band’s website, Anusha’s interests are soul, jazz, a capella and choral music and Indian classical, whereas Pushkar is inclined towards electronica, blues and progressive rock. It isn’t really a surprise that Second Sight has an eclectic sound. [caption id=“attachment_4204931” align=“alignnone” width=“825”]  Second Sight perform on Patio Unplugged[/caption] Different genres of music have experimented with jazz in recent times to find a new sound. Many artists have incorporated jazz with their style and some have, in the process, stumbled upon gold. Kendrick Lamar fused jazz, rap and lyrical rage and his 2015 masterpiece To Pimp a Butterfly was born. The jazz and soul background s apparent in Second Sight’s first song, ‘La Hermosa Tristeza’.

The song, which translates to ‘beautiful sadness’, features vocals that are primarily in Spanish and is steeped in jazz. From the smooth vocals and sparse guitars, to the prominent bassline and sharp, minimalistic drumming, ‘La Hermosa Tristeza’ instantly appeals to the senses. The song slides into its shape and form naturally and not so much as grabs your attention as it embraces it. Anusha takes the lead vocals in the song and Pushkar provides backup; the former navigates the tonal highs and the latter lends some weight with lows. The song is also very atmospheric and hangs in the air really well. ‘La Hermosa Tristeza’ is easily the most unique song featured on Patio Unplugged till now and probably the best one too. The second song, ‘Little Plastic Raincoat’, is radically different from ‘La Hermosa Tristeza’. For starters, it is sung in English. It is an acoustic duet that starts with a stripped-away sound and slowly builds up to incorporate all instruments. It is more traditional, but the shifting vocal style as Pushkar and Anusha take turns to lead, elevates the song and prevent it from becoming formulaic. Even though ‘Little Plastic Raincoat’ has no jazz elements, it retains the smooth quality of the first song and remains very much a Second Sight song.

Second Sight has an air of complexity and yet their songs have a certain simplicity about them. It is clear that they have nailed down their sound perfectly. Many artists and bands struggle to find an identity, to put a finger on what they really are and how they should sound. Second Sight isn’t one of those. They know what they are doing and are clearly having fun while doing it.