Poetry Ceylon
Ditty floats among diamonds and rust in her debut album, ‘Poetry Ceylon’.
The album is weaved together to form a collective which is lighter than sand and heavier than pebbles.
Perhaps one of the most unique qualities about Joan Baez, more than her voice, was the luring sense of void that her songs would leave behind. Although that can be dismissed as a merely subjective view, it cannot be denied each time she sang a song, her voice acted as the perfect catalyst that compels you to look back to the words. That is precisely what one might find in Aditi Veena, a.k.a Ditty’s debut album, ‘Poetry Ceylon’. Throughout the eight-track long album, Ditty’s sotto voce demands you to listen carefully to all the things this young ecologist has to say.
The first track, ‘Food City’, begins with a few guitar chords casually overlapping the sound of waves which immediately indicate the mystifying overtone that is present throughout the album. The calmness of the solo strumming continues for the next few songs but unlike, ‘Food City’, in these few songs Ditty directly plunges into the panoply of notations which seemingly remain consistent for the rest of the songs in the album. However, with the second track, ‘On an Island’, there seems to be a Baez-ic atmosphere seeping into the album and it is here to stay. Uptill the third track, ‘Eulogy for a Sparrow’, Ditty seems to be preparing the stage with all the necessary props for the climactic act to follow, and it is suggested to remain seated as the singer makes a move from the quieter but more universal storyline to a more personal perspective.
The fourth track ‘Sadness’ begins with a low pitch vibration followed by the lines, “sadness persists because anyone can send a Facebook justification”. This is where Ditty takes the personal and begins to put context to it, context which serves as the antidote to the whole abstractness of the titular concept. This is where Ditty perhaps transcends her own self because she picks up something regular and manages to give it a metaphysical format, something she continues on to the fifth track of the album, ‘Deathcab’. ‘Deathcab’ stands apart from the rest of the tracks because other than Ditty completely indulging into the song from the very beginning, it is perhaps where beats take over the droning effect of the previous tracks. A basic percussion beat assists some simple chords, and the song goes on in an irregular monotony. However, that is immediately broken when we reach the sixth-track of the album, ‘Garden’.
By the sixth-track the album returns to its floating aspect, where the song begins with an acoustic intro and Ditty waits for everything to settle down before she can involve with it. ‘History of Us’, which can easily be predicted to turn into a fan favourite, is nothing less of an ode to a satiated midsummer. Ditty is not as vulnerable in this track as she seems in ‘Food City’ but the sincerity has remained consistent. Finally ‘Under The Sun’, which is a personal favourite, slips in like sand slipping on a beach after the water has washed away its reluctant habits. ‘Poetry Ceylon’ is a collective of songs that will perhaps help you take a little break and ponder upon the many nothings of life which define some of the most significant moments of existence.
Don’t forget to check out Ditty’s new track here.
