Ravi Shavi Catches a Cosmic Signal on Wild Rock Dove

The communal consciousness that permeates everything holds every idea, every emotion, the countless boundless waves of information and sound forever undulating out in all directions, forever expanding in ways intelligible and unintelligible until at the right moment when the right pairing and right receiver are in tune at just the right moment. Every single choice, thought, emotion, sunrise, coincidence leading to this one particular now.

Pop. 

There it is. Landed. Whether fully formed or not is another matter, but just the right approach to just the right series of thoughts is in the channel, working itself out in the only way it was ever meant to come out. To arrive and be experienced. The medium changes, but the quality of the thing is constant. 

For Rafay Rashid, the concept of Wild Rock Dove waited for this moment to come about. An album that uses the rockin’ and ramblin’-Stones-esque swagger of his band-ego Ravi Shavi as a vehicle to channel all those things floating around out there looking for someone to put words, a beat and some chords to. 

The feeling of uplift immediately graces the album Wild Rock Dove. From the opening light percussion and plunky, upstroked chords to the unforced vocals the song Peace of Mind opens up Ravi Shavi’s new album Wild Rock Dove with the undeniable message that everything is going to be fine.

Just roll through it.

With anxious, jittery bar-room garage rock of albums past, Wild Rock Dove comes through with the fresh perspective that comes from the life-long work of living. Rafay Rashid and gang offer up a collection of songs that offers head-bobbing moments of clarity, inspiration and the occasional lamenting that hints at a path traveled. 

The album shines in moments of playful musical interlude, inviting in saxophones, multiple guitars, and gang vocals, allowing the songs to unfold in meditative forays of repeated, staccatoed vocals that grab our attention and sink into the subconscious. Suddenly you're part of the gang singing along before it disappears, allowing layers, percussion, and treble-heavy guitars to play.

Amidst lyrics that unspool with tendencies to explore more serious subject matter, they are kept wound tight in the light 'n' breezy delivery of Ravi Shavi. In the way Jimmy Buffett delivered down-and-out moments wearing a breezy Hawaiian shirt, so too does Ravi Shavi strike me as the kind of music that leads us down introspective topics with a sense of let's be comfortable while we do it; let's at least have a good time. "When will I get my money back" being sung in a duet with a gorgeous saxophone solo? Suddenly, who really cares about that money.

A  head can’t help but bob along. 

If the lyrics spool and unspool at the whimsy of Rafay, the thread is woven into (metaphors forgiven) an ever-changing tapestry that doesn't stay in one place with the company of one instrument for too long. The company is always changing, the players are rotating and, much like the constant ebb and flow of consciousness, it doesn't linger on any one motif too long.

Wild Rock Dove was recorded with Brad Kreiger at Big Nice Studio. It features songwriters Rafay Rashid and Shahjehan Khan–formerly of The Kominas, Nick Politelli on guitar and Chuck Perry on bass. The album was released on Almost Ready Records.

You can grab your copy of Wild Rock Dove (out now!) at the Ravi Shavi Bandcamp page: ravishavi.bandcamp.com. 

The following are track-by-track hot takes from a first (and second!) listen, featuring Rafay Rashid:

Peace of Mind: Retro feel with a bumping-along Van Morrison or Edward Sharpe good-times feel. Plunky, clean, reverb Tele/Strat. Drums chugging along buoyed by laid-back double-tracked vocals complete with the oohs and ahs. This song carries in the way Dire Straits can carry you along on a windows-down, dog-approved summer evening cruise.

“This one started with a go-go beat from Chuck’s Maestro Rhythm King,” Rafay says, “We wrote almost a dozen songs to that beat, this one stuck out, especially with Chuck’s guitar dancing all over over the repetitive bass groove and the big chant and Ben Tucker’s groove on top of the drum machine. Kind of set the precedent for a more optimistic sounding record”. 

Fresh Hell: Great juxtaposition to the first track with the dissonant lead guitar line. Such a great bassline. Anyone who puts brass in their music is a pro and they're not fucking around. Great saxophone interlude solo that doesn't stick around long enough to be taken for granted. Chanted "brand new hell" vocals, nice close.

Soulless: This strikes me as the Ravi Shavi sound. Clash-like with the swelling Beach-boys background vocals that bring the tides in and out. Love the mud-flap, pummeling bass throughout that gets layered over with the high-hat groove at the end. Master of the short, linear song. 

Moneyback: A little Prince crooning here that plays around with the saxophone leading into very tasteful solos. Feels like a hot second floor apartment on a summer day with a slight breeze wafting into the windows. Reminds me of summer afternoons out of school with my wife on Wickenden Street, nothing to do, nowhere to be, letting time go by.

Manhattan Mansion: Nice build on this one. A bit of a woozy feel to it. Bring us into Rafay’s island waltz. 

Wild Rock Dove: Nice, clean picked guitars with the low rumbling tom beat feels like a summer storm rolling in. Hearts beating out of chest and no rest lyrics keep the song rambling along with the slide guitar solos. 

“My own private immigrant song,” Rafay muses, “Brad’s lap steel and Politelli’s lead guitar in the choruses sent this one to another place.”

Anthem Blue Cross: Nice crunchy rocker. Great little guitar solo around the one-minute mark. Unhurried, staccatoed vocals. 

“Finally got an American rock and roll solo here at the end,” says Rafay, “and this one features another classic Politelli guitar hook.”

Misbehave: Nice little bumping, dance pocket groove. Lets the hips shake along with the chanted “want to misbehave” chorus. Has a throwback feel, the “misbehave” has a slight tongue-in-cheek feel to it. What does misbehave mean in the context of aging. Who are we misbehaving in the eyes of. 

“Yeah, it’s kind of an innocent and ironic party song,” notes Rafay, “love the interplay of Shaj, Chuck, and Politelli all weaving in and out of each other at the end.”

New Brown Neighbors: Talking Heads-esque throw-a-megaphone commentary. Love the chorus solo along with the “new brown neighbors” chorus. Low-key menacing bassline keeps things descending into head-bobbing chug. 

“This one and Fresh Hell are both heavily inspired by ESG, Devo, and no-wave, just locked into a repetitive groove and foregrounding the culture,” Rafay says, “A “there goes the neighborhood” song for the islamophobic sect, born out of a running joke with Shaj.”

Halaat: The I chord to the minor II always finds a sweet home with Ravi Shavi. This one is no exception. The bass works overtime on this record and the chanted vocals offer shamanic, chant-like moments where all are invited to be of one mind and thought. Lyrics feel more like mantras at times and it's very easy to sing along. I love how this one leads to that little descending vocal melody that builds and builds as "everybody" comes in to close the record with a very clean crash.

“Shaj and I built this one together,” Rafay explains, “he wrote the infectious line that propels the song and we worked out the lyrics in Urdu.”