Naren's indie round-up - Oct 2021, Ep 2


BY NARENDRA KUSNUR 


Salim-Sulaiman ft Sunidhi Chauhan/ Ghar Aao Na

Label: MyN

Rating: ***

As part of the Bhoomi 2021 series, music directors Salim-Sulaiman get in Sunidhi Chauhan on 'Ghar Aao Na'. It's a classical fusion track with pop-rock inflections.

Shraddha Pandit writes the words about a woman waiting for her lover. Pianos and guitars blend with sitar and tabla, with Shakti Hasija's video capturing the live performance.

While Sunidhi's singing is creditable, the sudden western 'heh eh yeah' twist at the end is jarring. It's like an athlete almost reaching the finish line but collapsing 10 metres away.


Mukul Dongre/ Baaje Re Muraliya - Reprise

Label: Self-released

Rating: *** 1/2

Earlier this year, drummer Mukul Dongre released the pop love song 'Dil Jo Chahta Hai', composed by him. Now he gets into the classical fusion space.

'Baaje Re Muraliya - Reprise' features singer Vijay Prakash, flautist Rakesh Chaurasia, guitarist Sanjay Divecha and Germany-based bassist Kai Eckhardt. Kathak exponent Aditi Bhagwat appears in the video.

Rajan Ranade writes this tune on Lord Krishna and his flute. Dongre's tight drumming and the strong melody add to the charm.


Tanzeel Khan/ Yeh Dil

Label: Self-released

Rating: ** 1/2

Content creator Tanzeel Khan gets into singer-songwriter mode on 'Yeh Dil', the first single from his forthcoming album Dastaan. It's another heartbreak song, influenced by hip-hop.

The words have lines like "Raatein lambi lagne lagi hai, neend nahin aati" and "Yeh dil bhara hai dard se". However, the singing needed more variation after a point as some monotony creeps in.

Vaibhav Patil's video goes with the script, with Chahat Tandon playing female lead. Tanzeel's personality comes across perfectly on screen.




Shachi Pathak/ October

Label: Self-released

Rating: ***

Also using the theme of heartbreak, Shachi Pathak sings about how one realises the impact of loss much later. She has an expressive voice which suits the song's mood.

"There's no way I'll be okay but they tell me time will heal, slowly the time will fly and I'll forget your face," she sings, blending sadness with hope. 

The song has been produced by Suyash and co-produced by Saurabh Trivedi, with subtle guitars lines by Sagar Saluja. The instrumentation is just right, and complements Shachi's vocals.


Janapriyan Levine ft Meenal Jain/ Bajre Da Sitta

Label: Self-released 

Rating: ** 1/2

Okay, this is an old Punjabi folk song first popularised by Surinder Kaur and later by Pakistan's Musarrat Nazir. After many other remixes, California-based Janapriyan Levine comes up with the 2021 rendition.

Luckily this isn't just another remake, as Janapriyan plays many instruments like double bass, guitar, jaw harp and keyboards which he showcases in the funky video. Meenal Jain joins on vocals.

The song is about a woman trying to charm her angry lover back. Of course, it's most likely that many listeners will just hum 'Bajre da sitta' without knowing what the song signifies.





Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Gig review/ Deep Purple in Bengaluru

Image
BY NARENDRA KUSNUR  Deep Purple at Bandland  Genre : Rock Details : Bandland rock festival, Embassy International Riding School, Bengaluru, December 17 Organisers : BookMyShow Live  Rating : **** 1/2 We all came out to Bandland, on a Bengaluru riding ground, to shoot videos on a mobile, yeah, capture the classic rock sound. Ian Gillan and the Purples, were at the best place around, space-truckin' on a black night, we danced on dusty ground.. singing, Smoke On The Water, drones in the sky, Smoke On The Water... taan taan taan, taan taan tadaan, taan taan tadaan, taan taan... Three days after British rockers Deep Purple enchanted the crowd at the Bandland rock festival in Bengaluru, the gooseflesh lingers like the whiff of cologne. For many, they have been college heroes, cocktail companions, the kings of melodic power, the epitome of hard rock. Older-generation fans or youngsters, they knew many of these songs by heart. Every word, every instrumental passage, every back-up vocal lin
Read more

Gig review/ Sting @ Lollapalooza

Image
BY NARENDRA KUSNUR   Sting @   Lollapalooza   Genre : Rock/ pop-rock Details : Mahalakshmi Race Course, Mumbai, January 28 Rating : **** You'll forget the sun in its jealous sky, as we walk on fields of gold... The sun had set a long ago, and the walk had been tiring and endless. But everything changed around 8.20 pm when Gordon Sumner aka Sting marched on to the Budweiser stage with a message in a bottle. For the next 85 minutes, every little thing the Englishman in Mumbai did was magic. The green carpet in front of the stage had been converted into fields of gold. The hardcore Sting fans should get those puns, and there were plenty of them who watched his concluding act at the two-day Lollapalooza music festival at the Mahalakshmi Race Course, Mumbai, on Sunday. Some had attended his shows abroad, some were seeing him for the first time, and others had been present at Mumbai's Rang Bhavan in 1980, when he played with his band The Police, or at the Amnesty International festiv
Read more

Gig review/ The Arinjoy Trio, Rudy & The Kool Kats

Image
Pics: Rudy & The Kool Kats (above), Arinjoy Sarkar and (below article) poster for John Blue Ensemble  BY NARENDRA KUSNUR The Arinjoy Trio (June 7)/ Rudy & The Kool Kats (June 8) Venue: The Studio, Nita Mukesh Ambani Cultural Centre, BKC Genre: Blues Rating: **** (both shows) With names like Rudy Wallang and Arinjoy Sarkar on the roster, audiences were certain they would get to hear the best blues from India. While Kolkata-based The Arinjoy Trio performed at the NMACC Studio on June 7, Rudy played with his new Shillong band Rudy & The Kool Kats the following day. Needless to say, both days provided a treat. Unlike the extra-popular Mahindra Blues Festival, sprawled across different sections of Bandra's Mehboob Studio, or the chatter-laced blues gigs one visits at clubs, these were purely sit-down affairs. There was no alcohol - unless one tanked up in advance or smuggled in a hip-flask. Moreover, the shows were bang in the middle of the week, on Wednesday and Thursday. T
Read more