"I consider my albums to be soundtracks
for themselves," Chicago musician Saurab
Bhargava says of the sounds on his
recent self-released album, "Chromatique,"
and that's an apt description for his
cinematic orchestral pop. A classically
trained pianist who's also mastered
guitar and bass and played in a variety
of bands ranging from punk to blues, the
Duke University grad is now devoted to a
uniquely dreamy style that has echoes of
indie-rock outfits such as Slint and
Rachel's, as well as the more
song-oriented ork-pop of the
ever-influential Cardinal.
Recorded at the local Raxtrax studio, produced by Dave Suycott (Stabbing Westward, Verbow) and featuring the contributions of a number of other local musicians on drums, strings and horns, "Chromatique" is as impressive and well-executed a sonic vision as this column has ever received, and it will be fascinating to see if Bhargava can develop a way to present his music live. Meanwhile, you can keep up with his doings and sample his sounds on the www.saurabbhargava.com.