Art is about expressing oneself. And to do so with a flair for the creative and a knack for musicality elevates any work to even grander standards. The album New Monuments perfectly encapsulates the distinct and masterful skill of being able to convey one’s beliefs and emotions into a work of art that is nothing short of epic.
Created by Amirtha Kidambi and her protest group, Elder Ones, New Monuments is an excellent masterclass in communicating one’s feelings into a passionate, raw, and emotionally charged collection of pieces. It is filled to the brim not only with sublime musical flavours but also with powerful messages of protest that can be immediately associated with the activist efforts of Amirtha and her musical group.
Highly involved in the mass protests that spread across New York City and America as a whole back in 2020 as an aftermath of the wrongful murder of George Floyd, Amirtha’s efforts to fight back against injustice and to push for changes and reformations in society runs deep within her and how she creates music with her band, Elder Ones.
Amirtha’s powerful advocacy has carried over to her band’s approach to composing the four tracks on the album. Besides calling for dismantling systematic racism, which is ingrained in society’s roots, she also uses New Monuments (along with the rest of her published work) to call out several injustices and issues that have been running rampant globally.
Created in Figure 8 Studious, with Eva Lewitts (bass), Matt Nelson (sax), Lester St. Louis (cello), and Jason Nazary (drums), Amirtha blasts through each track in the album with effortless grace as the power of her dominating vocals echoes through with raw passion and emotion. The main highlight of this album is the concluding track, “The Great Lie”. Immediately setting the uneasy mood with somber saxophone tracks with Amirtha’s melancholy vocals making a powerful introduction with a resounding exposition, The Great Lie is a perfect ending song to an album. The Great Lie carries listeners to the resounding conclusion, marked by jazzy chaos and improvisational mayhem that leaves a lasting impact—only for all of it to end in an abrupt pause that will certainly have listeners dropping their jaws in awe.
Similarly, the first track in the album, “Third Space”, also leaves a lasting impression that is definitely “repeat-worthy”. From the get-go, listeners are introduced to a bizarre electronic melody that is hard not to pay attention to.
Absolutely dripping in reverb and echoing melodies that introduce New Monuments in the most grandiose way possible, Third Space is actually a demonstrative response to the mass shooting in an Atlanta spa back in 2021.
True to her advocacy of freedom for all, Amirtha Kidambi masterfully commands the creative direction of Elder Ones by expertly balancing a structured approach while leaving room for the band members’ improvisational chops. The result is an album that definitely belongs among her finest work as a musician and as a passionate activist.
