Castle 2025
Fifth Element
Carcassonne ensemble turn uninhibited in their desire to dance the day away.
Marrying her sitar to his guitar proved to be a joyous experience for Joyeeta Sanyal and Bernard Margarit, so the duo didn’t waste time on resting on laurels which 2004’s "Shankari" won them, and now follow that concise, yet deep, offering with this mini-album where the same components get grilled on more pronounced discotheque grooves. If previously it felt like a byproduct of the couple’s eagerness to serve up a curry-flavored mélange of world music, rock ‘n’ roll and electronica, here the foot-stomping and finger-popping allure is taken to the fore. It’s not about proving the possibility of such stylistic blend anymore; it’s about having unreserved fun, and pulling all the friends under the glitterball to soak up the sun in good company.
So though “Jumping Frog” makes a leap from the pair’s previous disc onto this one, there’s a fresh light shining on the track now, rapidly removing its ruminative start in favor of in-your-face beats which boldly drive the tune’s emotionality to delirium before letting Jee and Bee’s licks mingle and do the jive talkin’ BEE GEES would approve of, especially after cosmic ivories join the strings. Still, when vocals float into focus to introduce the percussive abyss of “Ganesha Mantra” – whose mesmeric melody is shot through with sharp riffs and smoothed over with the principal instruments’ unison only to go off on tangents in quite an adventurous, intrepid manner – the listener’s drenched in a wholly different imagery that the electrically charged “SPZ Market” renders simultaneously serious and exciting. However, “Song For Mom” intensifies the feelings of “Shankari” by adding panoramic elements to the mix and bringing together everything Margarit and Sanyal are capable of, creatively, while the title track of “Fifth Element” concentrates on toning down esoteric buzz and infusing the sonic space with meditative vibes and enchanting vignettes.
It’s a charming work, but once time comes for a longplay, a wider perspective will be required.
***2/3
