Mukura – Onward And Backward

Mukura – Onward And Backward – EP Review

Oooo!  That’s an awesome opening.  As I pushed play on Mukura’s Onward And Backward EP and “As Long As There Is Time” started up, I felt like the possibilities for where this could go were seemingly endless.  To me personally, it sounded like we were going to head into the kind of highly artistic terrain you’d find on an old Sparklehorse record as the song began, but soon enough, Mukura morphed this song in several different directions to create distinctions that would be entirely identifiable to her own signature sound.  Mind you, that’s one seriously significant range of kaleidoscopic sound that we’re talking about here…you get the sense from listening to “As Long As There Is Time” that Mukura has that uncanny ability to transform like a chameleon…she’s a musical shapeshifter, as it were.  From all that I’ve read about Mukura, aka Ramya Thiyagarajan, so far, she’s been more than happy to experiment in the avant-garde realm in pursuit of making real audible art…and of course that’s something I highly respect.  Not everyone is equipped with the technical abilities to go after their wildest ideas like Mukura seems to be, and even if they were, let’s be real here – most artists choose to go a much safer route.  Above all things perhaps, as I listened to “As Long As There Is Time,” I could hear an artist that is more than willing to challenge convention on just about every level, yet there’s something powerfully endearing about her sound & style that also have you wanting to hear where a song like this will go from the moment that it starts.  As for her voice, clearly Mukura is gifted – she’s got great control, technique, and melody – you’ll hear that all throughout “As Long As There Is Time.”  You’ll even hear a brief moment of Spoken Word in the mix as well – I’m tellin’ ya, Ramya can do it all!  The credits speak for themselves in that regard – she’s composed, produced, written, and arranged the material on the Onward And Backward EP, and I salute her for that.  It’d be next to impossible to communicate exactly what you wanted to do with a song like “As Long As There Is Time” to another artist or musician, and sometimes the best way to ensure that your vision gets realized is to go it alone.  She’s wisely enlisted Aman Moroney to oversee the mixing & mastering, with the exception of “Silence” being mixed by Brent Kolato – but you get the point…what you’re hearing is what it probably sounds like inside Ramya’s head.  What a wonderful place that must be, eh?  To hear the world from this kind of incredible perspective?  Amazing.  There’s a large part of me that thinks this first impression always lands perfectly and makes the impact it should, every time you spin the record all over again.  I might even go as far as to say that there’s a very good chance Mukura starts this EP out with my favorite track in “As Long As There Is Time” – there’s some healthy competition, but the weight of her originality, the commitment she put into every note and tone she sings & plays, and the way she’s so willing to dive headfirst down the rabbit hole to see what else music can offer to our ears…this all hits different, for all the right reasons.

There is so much that I like and appreciate about this record, and a lot of that comes down to her own impeccable attention to detail.  Like…take “Silence” for example…there are parts of this song that I really think work brilliantly, and I’d readily tell you that there are probably just as many that challenged me as a listener as well.  Personally, I like that – challenge is often synonymous with uniqueness when it comes to the art of making music.  I’m not saying that makes being challenged any easier, but hearing an artist that dares to be original and is willing to do things differently will always get my attention.  What I really loved about a song like “Silence” though, is that you can absolutely, 100% hear the extraordinary amount of effort it would take to make something as ambitious as this.  Like for real…you have to wonder how on Earth Mukura is able to come up with such a remarkable concept let alone go after it and produce such stellar results in the overall execution – it’s quite amazing in that regard.  I suppose it’s fair to say that there’s a nearly theatrical element to what Mukura creates…I think it leans more in that direction than say, cinematic I guess…but we’re splitting hairs when it comes to distinctions.  What is really being said in either comparison’s scenario, is that the music isn’t all the much like what you’ve likely got on your playlists right now.  Make some room though y’all – you might very well be surprised by how much you enjoy the Onward And Backward EP.  I look at it this way – usually I’m practically frightened of things I’d describe as theatrical – but for as different as the material on this record really is, it’s so impressively compelling that I was invested & interested in every twist and turn Mukura made within her songs.  “Silence” was probably the track that had me most admiring what she can do on a lyrical level and within the background elements of her music as well.  Think of it this way – with there being so precious little that seems familiar on the surface in terms of hooks & what we tend to typically associate with what we listen to, that Mukura compensated us with noteworthy art in her words and the way that she approaches composition all-around.  I’d never give her the illusion that the masses out there are quite ready for this yet…but I’d definitely say that when an artist is willing to be a pioneer and go their own way, the people will eventually follow…and those that ‘get it,’ will remain loyal fans for life.

Now…keep in mind where she starts a song is definitely not where her material will stay when it comes to the structure & all that…but c’mon…listen to how inviting her title-track is as it begins!  It’s not often that you hear me say this at all, but there really isn’t a whole lot out there that is doing anything like Mukura does.  No artists or bands readily come to my mind as I’m listening to a track like “Onward And Backward,” and that in itself is genuinely impressive.  Sure there’s the occasional snippet of a song here and there that might maybe remind you of something along the way, but largely, we’re talking about an extremely original artist that is confidently blazing her own trail.  Do I want an explanation as to what has stopped her from putting out more music since this EP was released back in January of 2020?  You bet I do.  As far as I can tell, she’s released an additional single in 2021 in the world according to Spotify, but you can also find a modest handful of songs she’s composed since then on her YouTube channel as well.  I’ll put it to you this way…you’ll listen to a song like “Onward And Backward,” and indeed the rest of the material on this EP for that matter, and you’ll realize that Ramya has an extraordinary musical mind that simply works on a different level than so many others do.  So that’s why I’m saying…it’s well past time to get back in the studio and start working on that next record Ramya – do not let such authenticity & originality sit there on the shelf m’lady.  You have the kind of talent that needs to find a way to get out there in the world and the kind of sound that will genuinely help the audio palette of the masses evolve!  It’s funny…I think both “Onward And Backward” and “Silence” have such stellar piano parts that lead us into the song – melodies that are strong enough to build everything around – but if anything, Mukura rarely seems content to stay in the gear we’d expect her to remain within.  Instead, her willingness to innovate & explore with her music becomes the most engaging element of everything that we hear.  I’m just as curious as you as to where she’ll end up from where she starts on any given song, and “Onward And Backward” continues to reveal an artist that is fearlessly unique & undeniably creative.  She’ll give you a chorus…it ain’t gonna be typical, but it’s there.  Like everything she does, there’s just a little more involved – but that should be a major selling feature for those that enjoy depth in what they listen to.  Her vocals also continue to be a standout element of every song she sings as well.

I’m always going to be the guy that’s going to advocate on behalf of something we’ve never heard before – and this record is definitely that.  She finishes the EP off on what might arguably be her most accessible track on “Fear Sings”…I suspect there’s a little more of a tangible structure that listeners are familiar with that they can hang onto here.  It’s still very much Mukura – she’s different, and I’m here for it.  Even in what seems like it might be an easier track for the masses to follow, she displays a whole array of wild & colorful concepts that still very much sound like combinations we’ve never experienced before.  There’s always inherent risk that directly coincides with uniqueness – the sheer fact that everything is so new to our ears usually makes most people resist rather than embrace the unknown – that’s just objective reality as far as I’ve ever seen it in the listening audience out there.  “Fear Sings” brings her that much closer to what we know in music we’ve heard than the majority of this EP has done, and ultimately that’ll pay off.  This would probably have been my choice to put out there as the single based on that assessment, but Mukura is long past having to worry about that now.  With this EP having come out in 2020, it’s definitely time to be looking forward into the future at that next release – right Ramya?  Right???  She’s got such a naturally enchanting and alluring beauty in her voice, and when you hear how smooth it can sound on songs like “Fear Sings,” or how she can summon her confidence at will to transform the entire landscape of the structure & melody…for real – Mukura is MEMORABLE.  As to whether the songs themselves are…I think we can talk about that and have a debate there, because short of “Fear Sings,” they’re not often built around the kind of hooks you usually find.  That being said, I don’t know that it much matters, because you absolutely will remember Mukura as an artist overall.  When you’re looking for a very specific and unique sound/spin on Pop music, you’re going to think about what she does and reach for a record like this in the same way that you would have with other artists that have pushed the boundaries of art, like Bjork.  Different sounds and vibes yes, but similar goals in terms of what I’d imagine they want to accomplish artistically.  When it comes to natural innovators and the avant-garde realm as a whole, it’s a tough place to give notes.  I’ll say this much – I’m not hearing any tremendously detrimental concerns at all.  Maybe an extra word here or there in a few tunes in terms of the fluidity of the metering…maybe?  For the most part, I think this EP has come out sounding exactly like Ramya envisioned it would somehow, which in itself is freakin’ amazing when you consider how radiantly different the music on this EP truly is.  I’m always interested in hearing an artist that is willing to blaze their own trail though…they’re rare in this world we share, but there’s no doubt after listening to Onward And Backward that Mukura is one of’em.  She’s an original through & through, and the world needs a whole lot more of those these days…which means it’s high time to get back into the music studio where you belong Ramya, and get that next album or EP cookin’ up for us all to enjoy as much as we did with Onward And Backward.

Find out more about Mukura from her official website at:  https://ramyahere.com

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