Hello, my name is Akhil Sood, and here is a not random but also not very cohesive collection of fifty of the pieces I wrote in 2016.
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Billions of words on Radiohead’s A Moon Shaped Pool, an album that, I think, may be one of those rare life-changing records and will stay with me for a long long long long time: http://lostsyllables.blogspot.in/2016/09/it-was-just-laugh-just-lie-just-laugh.html
Searching for the Great Indian Dream in Jodhpur: https://www.101india.com/travel-food/bharat-mata-ki-jai-tale-many-indias
One week on, how Versova gaon was ravaged by demonetisation: http://www.thehindu.com/features/magazine/How-this-Mumbai-koliwada-is-tiding-over-demonetisation/article16668984.ece?css=print
A weird introduction to
the underground dance music scene of Colombo at a party inside a 100-year-old
building: http://www.bordermovement.com/the-pettah-interchange-2016-a-wild-weird-encounter-with-the-colombo-underground/
The time I went to a
shiterature festival and wrote about all the things I saw: https://www.101india.com/arts-culture/nothing-happens-nobody-comes-nobody-goes-its-awful
The death of the middle
ground and how I felt dirty about stereotyping JNU kids in the aftermath of the
Kanhaiya Kumar thing: http://www.arre.co.in/humour/the-death-of-the-jnu-stereotype/
Trying to understand the
inner workings of SundogProject’s frontman, Rahul Das: http://www.thehindu.com/entertainment/music/An-obstinate-vision-of-music/article16232154.ece
Getting drunk and talking about big-city life with Donn Bhat: https://www.101india.com/music/connected-disconnected-donn-bhat-never-signing-out
Driveway cricket, a game
modern times have left behind: http://www.arre.co.in/culture/cricket-delhi-pokemon-punjab-fifa-street/
A weird, experimental
series of gigs called the Listening Room: https://www.101india.com/music/listening-room-songs-noise-disquiet-bakery
Can you stoners please
stop eating all my food?: http://www.arre.co.in/culture/hey-potheads-leave-the-food-alone/
My attempt at trying to
(and failing completely) to understand all the buzz around Game of Thrones: http://www.arre.co.in/culture/what-happens-when-you-just-dont-get-got/
The thick haze that
finally woke Delhi up (only briefly, in hindsight): http://www.arre.co.in/earth/air-pollution-in-delhi-modi-smog-diwali/
Two very different percussionists
and how they’re not actually all that different: http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/blink/watch/ben-walsh-and-nathulal-solanki-a-tale-of-two-drummers/article9382408.ece
Reviewing Rock On 2, a nothing film that couldn’t
even be offensive properly: http://www.dailyo.in/arts/rock-on-2-film-review-farhan-akhtar-arjun-rampal-shraddha-kapoor-music-bollywood/story/1/14001.html
Trying to capture, in a
few thousand words, the unreasonable rise of hip hop as a movement in India: http://rollingstoneindia.com/rise-of-indian-hip-hop-cover-story/
The transformation of St.
Jude Bakery into this super hip workspace/test kitchen/experimental space/popup/gig
venue/art gallery: http://www.thehindu.com/features/magazine/akhil-sood-on-the-bohemian-st-jude-bakery-in-bandra/article8654988.ece
Palika Bazaar, a remnant
of my childhood lying in tatters (well, technically the opposite), functioning
as just another mall: http://www.thehindu.com/features/magazine/No-longer-underground/article14492632.ece
The mean-spirited attacks
directed the way of Taher Shah by nudge-nudge-wink-wink hipsters trying to fill
the gaping hole in their hearts: http://www.dailyo.in/arts/taher-shah-angel-eye-to-eye-youtube-pop-music-pakistan-yoko-ono/story/1/9987.html
The politics of the Ska
Vengers: http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/mumbai/entertainment/Kicking-up-a-rumpus/article14468910.ece
Barely able to conceal my
excitement after ‘Burn the Witch’ was released, a few days before the ‘Daydreaming’
video and the whole album came out: https://www.101india.com/music/radiohead-equals-mass-hysteria-incredible-hype-around-their-stunning-new-single
A trip to Haji Ali, via
the busiest shopping mall in the
whole world: http://www.thehindu.com/features/magazine/a-walk-across-the-sea-takes-you-through-a-shoppers-scrum-to-a-serene-haji-ali/article8569612.ece
On books, aka nice-smelling
furniture: https://www.thequint.com/life/2016/03/05/the-smell-of-old-books-vs-plain-vanity-what-makes-us-buy-books
How Thomas Pynchon ruined
my life: http://www.thehindu.com/features/magazine/Thomas-Pynchon-changed-my-life.../article14985406.ece
How I went for a hip hop
gig in Bombay and was BLOWN AWAY: https://www.101india.com/music/hip-hop-homeland-live-inherent-unquestionable-coolness-hip-hop
Disco Puppet, a weirdo
musician forever trying out different things: http://www.thehindu.com/entertainment/music/Mood-swings-sound-swings-music-swings/article15613633.ece
The now-depressing
mediocrity of Coldplay, in the immediate aftermath of their ridiculous Holi
music video: https://www.101india.com/funny/coldplay-whichever-way-you-look-it-mediocre-band
Leicester City, my
adopted team for the 2015/16 season, and the greatest underdog story of modern sport:
http://www.dailyo.in/sports/leicester-city-english-premier-league-manchester-united-chelsea-jamie-vardy-arsenal-riyad-mahrez/story/1/9205.html
Virat Kohli may piss me
off but he’s exactly what India needs: http://www.dailyo.in/sports/virat-kohli-asia-cup-team-india-vs-pakistan-t20-cricket-sachin-tendulkar-dravid-dhoni-laxman-ganguly/story/1/9289.html
My accidental
seal-breaking journey on a business class seat in an airplane: http://www.arre.co.in/humour/fat-cat-2-hours-fling-business-class/
Beards, crocs, tight
shirts, excess cologne, pointed shoes: The strange world of men’s fashion: http://www.dailyo.in/lifestyle/indian-mens-fashion-beard-no-shave-masculinity-sexism/story/1/9906.html
Handing out my special
awards for the English Premier League 2015/16 season: https://www.101india.com/sports/101india-english-premier-league-awards
Comedians in a car not
getting coffee: http://www.thehindu.com/entertainment/music/Music-lyrics-and-jokes/article16754282.ece
Thank god we’re done with
the IPL circus: https://www.101india.com/sports/ipl-circus-leaving-town-hopefully
A very cool
collaborative/anthology-style album written at a house in Karachi: http://www.bordermovement.com/karachi-files-celebrating-the-spirit-of-collaboration-cultural-diversity/
Whatever in the world
happened to floaters?: http://www.dailyo.in/lifestyle/fashion-footwear-shoes-floaters-velcro-crocs-hush-puppies/story/1/9461.html
Britney Spears, the
bulletproof popstar: http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/mumbai/entertainment/Daring-you-to-stand-in-her-way/article15420925.ece
What the hell does ‘indie’
mean anyway?: http://www.thehindu.com/entertainment/music/It-smells-like-indie-spirit-or-does-it/article16738454.ece
Remembering the great
Johan Cruyff: https://www.101india.com/people/johan-cruyff-footballs-timeless-maverick-dictating-how-game-watched-india
How Gurgaon will suddenly
become an amazing city now that its name has been changed to, um, Gurugram: http://www.arre.co.in/humour/gurugram-say-hello-to-the-amazing-city/
The farce of weekly
tribute gigs in India, written after I saw a poster for something called a
Tribute to John Mayer (!): https://www.101india.com/music/have-we-earned-right-play-tribute-gigs
How DJs and electronic
musicians suck and real music is made by cocky, arrogant, out of touch
instrumentalists who still believe in a musical heirarchy: https://www.101india.com/music/djs-and-electronic-musicians-are-just-frauds-and-imposters-conning-innocent-listeners-and
What if Lionel Messi had
been the captain of the Indian cricket team?: http://www.arre.co.in/satire/lionel-kumar-messi-haaye-haaye/
Previewing Euro 2016: https://www.101india.com/sports/previewing-euro-2016-tragedy-farce-and-unfettered-joy
Remember John Abraham
talking about football?: http://www.arre.co.in/culture/football-shootball-hai-rabba/
Salman Khan is a modern
day superhero is what he is: http://www.arre.co.in/satire/the-future-is-bhai-salman-khan-acquittal/
Osama Bin Laden’s
execution being, for some reason, live-tweeted five years after his ‘encounter’:
http://www.arre.co.in/pov/the-ublraid-tweets-an-exercise-in-grandstanding-glorification/
Music stores used to be
all cool at one point but let’s not get too carried away please: http://www.dailyo.in/arts/music-stores-planet-m-guns-n-roses-radiohead-90s-kids-millenials-mtv-beatles-britney-spears/story/1/10387.html
Understanding how the
greatness of a song works by looking at a song allegedly written by Led
Zeppelin, called ‘Stairway to Heaven’: http://indianexpress.com/article/lifestyle/art-and-culture/theres-a-songbird-who-steals-2917845/
Review of Mogwai’s
stunning, and also a little uncomfortable, score for the film Atomic: http://www.sundayguardianlive.com/music/4152-music-review-mogwai-s-latest-album-about-hope-and-careful-optimism-face-despair
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