Bollywood Bloodbath: The B-Music of the Indian Horror Film Industry

A veritable pageantry of aural camp, this wonderfully bizarre collection is culled from several decades' worth of Bollywood's most gruesome horror film soundtracks. As the album's subtitle states, this is "The B-Music of the Indian Horror Film Industry," and throughout its 22 tracks, some of the industry's most notable composers dig deep to add unforeseen levels of creep into their music. The juxtaposition of chirpy disco-pop and trashy Indian funk with invasive horror effects and dirgelike weirdness makes for an entertaining mix. The clattering drum solos of Hemant Bhole's "Sansani Khez Koi Baat" and the dissonant brass fanfares and guttural moans on Laxmikant Pyarelal's "Aa Jaane Jaan" deliver plenty of camp, while "Main Theme from Andhera/Darwaza" by the composing duo of Sonik Omi is a ragged, distorted mess of funky sci-fi horrification that plays like a psychedelic Bollywood Joe Meek production. Bollywood Bloodbath is a marvelous bit of crate-digging from the folks at Finders Keepers Records, who offer another solid compilation to their well-curated stable.