This is none more so evident than in Goldspot’s lead single from Elephant “Ina Mina Dika,” a reworking of a cult classic Bollywood song made famous by two legendary Indian singers, Asha Bhosle and Kishore Kumar. While the track probably will not score any points for originality, it does serenade the ears thanks to a jangly guitar riff and Khosla’s smooth vocals. The video is typically quirky too, as it features a Bollywood dancer showing off her moves at various locales in New Jersey and New York.
“Dancer Payal Kadakia was a real trooper during the filming; she endured hours and hours of filming in unpleasantly cold New York and New Jersey,” Khosla told Arab News.
“And, she was also barefoot through all of it. She danced gracefully in close to freezing conditions, and you can't even tell. [Actor] Aasif Mandvi has been a great supporter of my music and this song and a few others from the album appear in his newest film ‘Today's Special.’ One evening, the video's director Nick Collett, producer Chris Kindred, Aasif and I went out to dinner. We asked Aasif to be a part of the video and he agreed. And he was fantastic in it,” he added.
The enduring quality of “Ina Mina Dika” is something that is replicated throughout Goldspot’s sophomore album. “The Grocery Store,” for example, is an upbeat and simple number that betrays the melancholy in Khosla’s vocals, particularly when he laments that his “last word might not have been so appropriate,” presumably to a loved one.
In contrast, Goldspot ramps up the production for “Emily,” a simply sublime song that goes for a church organ sound that evokes memories of Coldplay’s latest experimental offerings. It features Khosla appearing to reminisce about a childhood sweetheart that he wishes he could marry, even though she belongs to someone else.
Goldspot was formed back in 1998 when after graduating from college, Khosla’s initial plans of going to law school and becoming a public defender changed after his best friend convinced him to move to London and start the band.
“We lived in a tiny apartment, tended bar in evenings and began recording the first Goldspot demos on a TASCAM 4 track tape recorder,” said Khosla. “The UK was the perfect city for us to start the band. It was the home of many of our influences, such as The Beatles, The Cure, The Smiths. Our stay in London was short-lived, however, as our six-month visa expired and we had to leave. After London, I brought the band to Los Angeles.”
He spent a lot of his childhood in the Indian capital, Delhi, where the inspiration behind the band’s name came from.
“I have fond memories of playing cricket, flying kites and goofing around with my cousins. I also remember drinking a lot of Gold Spot; it was my favorite drink. The drink has since been discontinued and I named my band Goldspot to celebrate those times,” he said.
He credits his parents, who moved to the US in the late 1970s, for introducing him to music from classic Indian films — elements of which are present in Goldspot’s songs.
“They brought with them evergreen cassettes and mix tapes, full of classic Indian film songs. I remember growing up listening to Kishore Kumar, Mohammed Rafi, Mukesh, Lata Mangeshkar and Asha Bhosle. Their music is still my biggest influence. I sometimes imagine what it would be like if Kishore Kumar and SD Burman had their own indie-rock band with mostly English lyrics, and I write from that perspective,” he said.
Khosla was born in New Haven, Connecticut before growing up in New Jersey, brief sojourn in India aside.
“I was the seven-year-old kid that sang every Sunday at my parents' temple and have been performing ever since. I had my first band in high school, called ‘The Hip Hop Hindus and the Jumping Jew.’ It was a cover band that might have had a chance at success with a different name!”
He then went on to study history at the University of Pennsylvania and performed in an a cappella group called “Off The Beat” before he founded Goldspot. However, he has never forgotten his Indian roots.
“I've been to India dozens of times. My early childhood memories are filled with the wonderful times I spent with my family, flying kites and playing cricket with my cousins, and the unconditional love from my grandparents, aunts and uncles. My more recent impressions are of a forward-thinking, globalized culture, steady, positive, and rising,” he said.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, it was his motherland that provided the inspiration behind the name of the latest album.
“In an article I read years ago about globalization and the outsourcing of US jobs to India, the writer eloquently summed up India's rise as an economic superpower in this beautifully written line: ‘The elephant dances while the West sleeps,’” he added.
“Given the S.D. Burman and old Bollywood inspired sound of the album and Goldspot's persistent indie and underdog nature, I named the latest album ‘And The Elephant is Dancing.’”
Their debut album, “Tally of the Yes Men,” was initially released independently before the band was signed up by Mercury Records, part of Universal Music. Tally was re-released to critical acclaim, with the UK Sunday Times newspaper naming it one of the best albums of 2007.
“But, keep in mind that before we were ever on a major label, we were 'organically-raised' on years and years of writing and performing in clubs, and that's how we really built our following,” added Khosla.
The critical success of Tally allowed Goldspot to take their music in a different direction, emphasizing the old-school Bollywood elements and becoming even quirkier. The result was “Elephant,” which was released without major label backing, although its success will be ensured thanks to the cult following the band has gained over the years.
“To me, each album is its own honest and independent expression of a place and time in my life, and so there has never been a need for me to 'match' or 'exceed' the performance of a previous album,” said Khosla.
“A successful album to me is one that I am proud of as it survives as an honest and interesting piece of work. With the new album…I've had a very different kind of success. Where ‘Tally’ was introduced to the mainstream via radio and videos, several songs from ‘Elephant’ have appeared in major films and television shows —‘Run Fatboy Run’ and ‘The OC’ among them — in a different kind of exposure.”
When asked whether there was a danger that Goldspot could gain a label for being a terrific band no one has heard of, particularly as critical acclaim has not really translated into commercial success, Khosla replied: “National Public Radio (NPR) once listed a Goldspot album as ‘one of the best albums of the year that you didn't hear.’ I'll always take that as a compliment, and I don't see any danger in it.”
“‘Elephant’ has also received plaudits from NPR and the Los Angeles Times, etc. Also, with ‘Elephant,’ I've found that I can have a successful career as an independent artist,” he added.
Khosla wrapped up by saying that he would love to tour the Middle East and that the band is currently working on a new album. And, in a typically sincere fashion, he signs off with a simple “thank you” to Arab News.