Naren's indie round-up/ March 2022, Ep 3

BY NARENDRA KUSNUR 

Santanu Ghatak ft Anirban Chowdhury/ Kahaani

Label: SharajMusic Originals 

Rating: ****

Described as a "celebration of the enigma that is a woman", 'Kahaani' is an amazing collaboration between composer Santanu Ghatak and singer Anirban Chowdhury. Inspired by raag Basant, it has been marvellously produced by Akshay Menon.

Santanu's lines go, "Ik tu kahaani hai jo neendon mein aati hai, phir baatein banaati hai, hazaar hazaar". Anirban's voice displays just the right amount of depth and expression, and the rhythmic backdrop acts as a perfect foil.

The video consists of a montage of moving still shots of model Kallirroi Tziafeta (in picture) captured by phorographer Chitrangada Saturupa. It lends a good visual feel to this wonderful musical creation.

Dhvani Bhanushali ft Yuvan Shankar Raja/ Candy

Label: Hitz Music

Rating: *** 1/2

On her new track 'Candy', Dhvani Bhanushali sings, "Banke titli, main toh nikli, thodi ziddi, thodi pagli". It's a catchy pop tune composed by Tamil music director Yuvan Shankar Raja, and after a couple of listens, it sticks.

Lyricist Kunaal Vermaa further writes, "Sabke jaise nahin hoon main, jaise bhi hoon sahi hoon main". Get the message? The video, directed by Amith Krishnan, has a pink-brown theme and youthful dances.

This is the first song from former T-Series biggie Vinod Bhanushali's Hitz Music. It's a good start, though one can't but observe that to justify the title, the words "Typical Candy" seem to have been forced at the end.

Ishaan Nigam/ O Raahi

Label: Self-released 

Rating: ***

Last year, singer Ishaan Nigam had teamed up with Brite Roy on the likeable 'O Chaand' and 'Woh Raaz Ho'. He now releases the solo 'O Raahi', singing and composing himself.

At first, the song seems a bit directionless but after a few listens, you realise that the changing themes were deliberate. The transitions are smooth as lyricist Prashant Tiwari talks of hope and peace with the lines, "O raahi mere chal baadal ki or".

Ishaan is backed by singers Sagar Godavariya and Shriya Pareek. The song is like a mini-suite with short sections.

Sartek ft Vipasha Malhotra/ Ajeeb Khoj

Label: Self-released

Rating: ***

Delhi-based DJ and producer Sarthak Sardana aka Sartek is out with 'Ajeeb Khoj', a vibrant electronica track featuring vocalist Vipasha Malhotra.

Having earlier released the tracks 'Dil Ki Doya' and 'Don't Stop', Sartek is again strong on the production front. Vipasha has a pleasant voice, but needs to add that extra 'kha' to sound like 'khoj' instead of 'koj'.

She does a good job on the lyrics front, and the composition has a supple hook that makes it worth a check.

Saurabh Shetye/ Kisko Kahoon Shukriya

Label: Self-released 

Rating: ***

As the title suggests, 'Kisko Kahoon Shukriya' is a song about gratitude. Singer Saurabh Shetye uses a simple acoustic guitar and keyboard as a backdrop to convey the message.

The song was conceived during a walk along the Song river in Dehradun and the video captures that journey. However, after a point, the visuals look repetitive with similar side shots of the singer walking (It took us a few attempts to get the angle we got in the picture above).

Lines like "Sooni si yeh dagar par chala par akela nahin hua" reflect Saurabh's state of mind. Though the subject matter isn't new, it's a sincere attempt.