Elephant Stone: Studio Albums

 

Elephant Stone is a Canadian indie rock band. Fronted by Rishi Dhir, the band's style incorporates aspects of traditional Indian music including the sitar, tabla, and dilruba with Western psychedelic rock.

Elephant Stone was formed in 2009 by singer, bassist, songwriter, and sitar player, Rishi Dhir, who has played with Beck, The Brian Jonestown Massacre, The Black Angels, and The Horrors. In 2016 Elephant Stone (which also includes Miles Dupire on drums and backup vocals and Gabriel Lambert on guitar and backup vocals) released their fourth album, Ship of Fools, an album that blends rock with traditional Hindustani music and reminds many of the Beatles' more psychedelic musical experiments.
                              

Rishi Dhir's first music school was his family. Born and raised in Brossard, Quebec, by Indian immigrant parents, his childhood was full of Indian music. His mother was a fine singer, and when the

grownups gathered they always ended up singing old Bollywood favorites. It was Dhir’s older brother who brought rock into his life when he was about eight. Inspired to play along, he starting learning piano and later took up guitar. It wasn’t until 1997—at a cousin's wedding in India—that Dhir began to fully embrace Indian music and his cultural roots.
                        

"I started exploring that stuff, wearing it on my sleeve, and kind of owning my heritage," he

remembers. "As a first generation Indo-Canadian, I was trying to see where I fit in this culture that's very much divided between white and black, music-wise." In Montreal, Dhir found further guidance from sitar master Uwe Neumann, with whom he’s been studying the instrument for the last 15 years.
                             

It wasn't long before he noticed the influence of Indian music on the history of rock, especially psychedelic rock, in the music of The Who, The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Cream, and so on.

Why does he think there's been such a strong Indian undercurrent in Western rock? "I guess it would be drugs," Dhir laughs. "If you smoke some weed or something, your mind definitely wants to hear something hypnotic that can carry emotions. Drugs did play a role in the Western discovery of music, because with that you kind of question existence. With the Beatles this is what brought them to The Maharishi. They were trying to destroy the ego."
                                     

Serendipity has traveled with Dhir on his musical journey. "We met the Black Angels in Austin, Texas,"

he explains," back before they were a band, and we became friends with them." This led to the Angels getting Dhir to record a song with them, which they then named after him. Before long he was a full-fledged band member.
                         

If you smoke some weed or something, your mind definitely wants to hear something hypnotic that can carry emotions.
                           

When Dhir went to Australia with the Black Angels they were set to perform at the Harvest Festival in Sydney. Incidentally so was Beck, and when Dhir heard him play "Loser" without a sitar he knew it just

wasn't right. He went to his band's soundman and said, “One week from today, I'm going to be on stage with Beck.” After some maneuvering he met Beck, whose response was simply, “I’ll see you on stage.” (watch Dhir play sitar with Beck on "Loser" in Sydney in 2012 here.) Beck was so happy with the performance that he asked Dhir to join him in Brisbane as well. Later when Beck came to Montreal, where Dhir now lives, Dhir played with him again at Osheaga.
                        

Elephant Stone, the psych-pop band led by Rishi Dhir and composed of his longtime bandmates Miles Dupire (drums), Robbie MacArthur (guitar) and Jason Kent (keyboard/guitar) continues to rock the

global music scene. Elephant Stone is taking on a new challenge with the release of their first all-French EP, Le voyage de M. Lonely dans la lune, due out on February 18. Rishi Dhir was born in Montreal and has always maintained a strong bond with his French-speaking friends and fans. Dhir was inspired by the repeated pandemic lockdowns to create his character Mr. Lonely, a hermit who is happy in his lonely world. He worked alongside Felix Dyotte to compose the EP and recorded it with his long-time musicians.
                            

After the release of the single "La fusée du chagrin" on January 12, Elephant Stone returns with "M.

Lonely", the second single from their upcoming EP. These two raucous, synthetic, sci-fi-inspired singles take our protagonist Mr. Lonely to the moon in order to self-isolate. On July 4, 2009 The Seven Seas was released on Irish label Indiecater Records. On February 12, 2013, their self-titled second album was released on Reverberation Appreciation Society. The band's third full-length album, The Three Poisons, was released in 2014.
                        

In 2015, Burger Records released a cassette featuring a remixed version of The Three Poisons titled

ES3PRMX. The cassette features collaborations with Anton Newcombe of The Brian Jonestown Massacre, Fabien Leseure, Tom Furse of The Horrors, Al Lover, Alex Maas of The Black Angels, Peter Holmstrom of The Dandy Warhols and JM Lapham of The Earlies. In 2016 Elephant Stone released their fourth album, Ship of Fools. In 2017 they released an EP, Live at the Verge, and set out on a tour of Europe. Elephant Stone released their fifth album, Hollow on February 14, 2020.

CURRENT BAND MEMBERS 

 
                    

Rishi Dhir – lead vocals, bass, sitar
Miles Dupire-Gagnon – drums, backing vocals
Robbie MacArthur - guitar, backing vocals
Jason Kent - keys, guitar, backing vocals

PAST BAND MEMBERS

   

Bobby Fraser - keys
Jean-Gabriel Lambert – guitar, backing vocals
Chris McCarron – guitar
Mike O'Brien – guitar
Jules Pampena – drums
Greg Paquette – guitar
Robb Surridge - drums
Richard White – guitar
Chris Wise - drums
Stephen "The Venk" Venkatarangam - keys, sitar, bass

ALBUMS

 
           

The Seven Seas (2009)
Elephant Stone (2013)
The Three Poisons (2014)
Ship of Fools (2016)
Hollow (2020)

ELEPHANT STONE - THE SEVEN SEAS 2009

                                      

Elephant Stone do something that no one else does, they have a quality that’s nearly impossible to

define, and a presentation that’s timeless. Sure ... it would be easy to point to Rishi Dhir’s sitar as a defining element, an aspect that’s interwoven throughout the songs, but it’s more than that, it’s the interlacing of layered acoustic and jangling Rickenbacker guitars, along with well constructed lyrics and great harmonies that are so alluring, warm, and sensuous.
Elephant Stone come at psychedelic music jut a bit off center, never swooping in to grab hold of you ...

rather gently entwining the listener with a trippy modern day stoner bliss that’s exactly what you want to hear at any given moment. Surprisingly the songs seem longer than they actually are, and without the use of sonic wanderings, or extended solos, you may quickly be remind of The Rolling Stones’ “Their Satanic Majesties Request,” where the fab five treated us to one of the finest bits of garage/pop psych music to ever grace my turntable.

Elephant Stone – The Seven Seas
Label: 360 Degree Music Ltd – 360dgmCDS0019
Format: CD, Album, Gatefold, Card Sleeve
Country: UK
Released: 2009
Genre: Rock, Pop
Style: Indie Rock,Psychedelic

TRACKS

                             

01. Bombs Bomb Away    3:30
02. How Long    4:06
03. I Am Blind      4:13
04. The Seven Seas    3:03
05. The Straight Line    7:09
06. Blood From A Stone    3:49
07. O, Heartbreaker    3:56
08. A Morning Song    3:54
09. Don't You Know    7:31
    

BOMBS AND BOMB AWAY  LYRICS  

  

    

Born to a world of sorrow and pain
Born to a time of so much disdain
For those who find joy in the eyes of a child
And beauty in light, and calmness of mind

(Chorus)
So, bombs bomb away
And kill another man
No thought of the cost
Rebuilding the land

So, bombs bomb away
And kill some mother’s son
Make sure to send a note
Of how we had won

So, bombs bomb away
Bombs bomb away
Blow them to dust
Bombs bomb away
Why do you think you must?

Imagine a time of purity and peace
Of body and mind, of land and sea
But history has told of no such tale:
“The gods did war with the demons in the air”

Repeat Chorus

A religion of man, if only we could see
A life of hope and eternity
No more war, no pain, no grief
Transcending this shell, ascending to peace

Repeat Chorus

MP3 @ 320 Size: 100 MB
Flac  Size: 282 MB

ELEPHANT STONE - ELEPHANT STONE 2013
(You can find it here, in a previous post)

 

                                        

ELEPHANT STONE - THE THREE POISONS 2014

                                        

This is an album of philosophy not religion, though the title Three Poisons was inspired from the

Buddhist notion that ignorance, attachment, and aversion are the primary causes that keep us trapped in a continual loop of unhappiness … an aspect that I am sure most psychiatrists would agree with, strongly suggesting that the album is about freedom and expansion; whether chemically induced, or realized through study.
But let me not forget the musical landscape … it’s first rate and very satisfying, an adventure that continues Elephant Stone’s saga with Dylanesque songs of protest and redemption that merge with

blissful Pink Floyd, where they weave a common thread that holds everything together in a most underestimated and casual manner. And all of this causes me to long dearly for those heady nights, where all was fresh, and the world was ours for the saving. Ah … but that would mean I’ve succumb to poison number two, attachment. So let me just say that I was glad to have come of age during the 60’s, and I’m very glad to be here now with Elephant Stone riding in my back pocket.

Elephant Stone – The Three Poisons
Label: V2 – VVNL26152
Format:    CD, Album
Country: Benelux
Released: 2014
Genre: Rock
Style: Psychedelic Rock, Indie Rock

TRACKS

                           

01. Motherless Child (Love's Not For War)    3:33
02. Knock You From Yr Mountain    4:20
03. All Is Burning    3:47
04. Worlds Don't Begin And End With You    4:26
05. Wayward Son    3:53
06. Intermediate State    0:38
07. Child Of Nature (Om Namah Shivaya)    2:36
08. Living For Something    2:54
09. Three Poisons    3:55
10. Echo & The Machine    4:28
11. Between The Lines    5:47

Backing Vocals – Stephen Venkatarangam
Drums, Percussion, Backing Vocals – Miles Dupire-Gagnon
Guitar, Keyboards, Backing Vocals – Gabriel Lambert Mastered By – Sonic Boom
Mixed By – Jace Lasek
Producer – Elephant Stone, Peter Edwards
Written-By, Vocals, Bass, Sitar, Keyboards – Rishi Dhir
Drums, Percussion, Backing Vocals – Miles Dupire-Gagnon
Guitar, Keyboards, Backing Vocals – Gabriel LambertVocals, Bass, Sitar, Keyboards – Rishi Dhir
Written-By – Rishi Dhir

MP3 @ 320 Size: 98 MB
Flac  Size: 274 MB

ELEPHANT STONE - SHIP OF FOOLS 2016

                           

In contrast, and more in keeping with their past, ringing guitars, sitar, and hand drums take center stage on "Silence Can Say So Much." All of these palettes come together on "Andromeda," a trippy mix of

guitars, keys, and audio recordings from NASA (the song was inspired by Hubble photographs of the Andromeda galaxy released while Dhir was writing the album). Elsewhere, the more laid-back "Photograph" has a classic Lennon-mixed-with-McCartney melody, as well as self-doubting lyrics indicative of the uncertainty and occasional conflict found elsewhere on the record. Ship of Fools is a little brasher and darker than the band's past albums, but hangs on to a warm, kaleidoscopic core.

Elephant Stone – Ship Of Fools
Label:Burger Records – BRGR1060
Format:    CD, Album
Country: Canada
Released: 2016
Genre: Rock
Style: Psychedelic Rock

TRACKS

                                 

01. Manipulator    3:25
02. Where I'm Going    3:54
03. Cast The First Stone    3:46
04. Photograph    2:54
05. See The Light    3:36
06. Run, Sister, Run    3:56
07. Love Is Like A Spinning Wheel    5:53
08. Andromeda    3:35
09. The Devil's Shelter  (Vocals – Alex Maas)   4:44
10. Silence Can Say So Much    3:05
11. Au Gallis    5:40
    

MANIPULATOR LYRICS 

   
       

  

Why would I know you if I never had to
Your kind of being doesn’t understand
I can’t tell what you’re doing
You know you’re nothing but a middleman

Your words are empty like the mind that spews them
Why don’t you try to think for yourself
All the devils that sit on your shoulder
Are but the devils in your head

Manipulator
Wow oh wow oh come on
Nothing but a killer
Wow oh wow come on

How many lives have you taken for granted
How many people have your armies maimed
All the voices you try to silence
Are but the voices in your head

When did your hunger outweigh your reason
What does your mama think of you now
You were once her little baby
But now you’re running with the killing crowd

    

Manipulator
Wow oh wow oh come on
Nothing but a killer
Wow oh wow come on

Why would I know you if I never had to
Your kind of being doesn’t understand
I can’t tell what you’re doing
You know you’re nothing but a middleman

                

Your words are empty like the mind that spews them
Why don’t you try to think for yourself
All the devils you try to silence
Are but the devils in your head

Manipulator
Wow oh wow oh come on
Nothing but a killer
Wow oh wow come on

Only MP3 @ 320 Size: 109 MB
My EAC Program refuses to convert it in Flac.

ELEPHANT STONE - HOLLOW 2020

                            

Each song on the record following the above story-line, ‘We Cry For Harmonia’ picks up after a court and jury decides who is allowed to board the Harmonia ship to life on New Earth, only to find that there is no life and the skies are just as polluted as the planet they’d left behind. Preceding single ‘Keep The

Light Alive’ saw helpless children and clueless adults in search of love and reassurance as to what to do next and ‘We Cry For Harmonia’, out today, sees them come close to an answer. ‘The adults that arrived on the Harmonia ship have no life skills. On old Earth, they lived a life of privilege, never having to fend for themselves. In their desperation, they turn to Harmonia as a false idol, asking for guidance on how to survive in this harsh, inhospitable planet. A theocracy is born. They tell themselves it’s all just a dream.”

Elephant Stone – Hollow
Label: Elephants On Parade Records – EOP018, Fuzz Club Records – FC125
Format:    CD, Album
Country: Canada
Released: 2020
Genre: Rock
Style: Psychedelic Rock

TRACKS

                         

01. Hollow World   4:03
02. Darker Time, Darker Space   1:01
03. The Court And Jury   1:07
04. Land Of Dead    1:49
05. Keep The Light Alive   1:46
06. We Cry For Harmonia  (Lyrics By – John Mark Lapham, Rishi Dhir/Music By – Rishi Dhir)    4:18
07. Harmonia   5:11
08. I See You   5:28
09. The Clampdown   3:42
10. Fox On The Run   4:40
11. House On Fire   3:53
12. A Way Home   3:14

DARKER TIME, DARKER SPACE LYRICS

 
          

Everything that we’ve seen
Is not lost, I still feel
Complications do arise
Day to day, we survived
A Darker time, a darker space
What did you see?
Are we too late?

MP3 @ 320 Size: 99 MB
Flac  Size: 263 MB