Naren's indie round-up/ May 2022, Ep 4



BY NARENDRA KUSNUR

Raman Negi/ Mehroom

Label: Self-released 

Rating: *** 1/2

Having quit the popular indie-rock band The Local Train, vocalist Raman Negi goes solo on 'Mehroom'. Collaborating with him on production is Gaurav Chintamani of Advaita.

Initial reactions hint at a toned down version of The Local Train, retaining the vocal style but missing Paras Thakur's riffs, Ramit Mehra's bass and Sahil Sarin's drums. But the song grows after a couple of listens, with Raman singing high-pitch on, "Awaaz de mujhe o mere aziz, qayamat ki shaam jab dhale".

The word 'mehroom' refers to a deprived person, and Maan Boruah's video has a dark look that goes along with it. While the song has its highs, one looks forward to more to see if Raman can break out of The Local Train shadow.


Aditya A/ Chaand Baaliyan

Label: Sony Music

Rating: ***

This song has been on heavy-duty promotion on Spotify, and one can understand the excitement. Singer-songwriter Aditya A has a pleasant voice and uses simple and minimal instrumentation to convey his expressions. 

There are two versions - a video of two minutes and an extended one over four and a half minutes. The video, directed by Shivam Sharma, features Rajat Dakol, Anchal Sharma, a ukulele and a coffee cup. it's got a simplicity that's admirable. 

The lyrics have lines like "Teri yeh chaand baaliyan, hain honton pe yeh gaaliyan, man ko mauka na diya, main toh tere peeche padh gaya". Obviously, it's aimed at young people in love.


Shaan/ Jee Lenge Hum

Label: Shaan Music

Rating: ***


Of late, there has been an overdose of songs on separation and its aftermath. Now we have one more by Shaan, but as one would expect, he puts in his own individual touch.

The lyrics are routine, however, with Mahimma Bhardwaj writing, "Tere bina jee lenge hum, jee lenge hum". Nitin Samadhiya's video, featuring Shaan and Rehmat Rattan, alternates between lonely beach shots, sad expressions and love-filled flashbacks.

The song's strength is its simplicity. Even though it's the same old story retold, Shaan adds some appeal.


Jugpreet Bajwa/ Sukoon

Label: Sun Le Music

Rating: *** 1/2

Some songs create an immediate impact with their pleasantness, and Jugpreet Bajwa's 'Sukoon' is one of them. Aided by just the right orchestration, with Mrinmoy Sarmah's music, the Indo-Canadian singer sings a tune that lingers on.

Lyricist Jagbir Bajwa begins with, "Tere kareeb aane se mujhe sukoon mil jaaye, mere armaanon ko abhi manzil mil jaaye". The keys and guitars embellish the tune.

Visually impaired since childhood, Jugpreet has been admired in talent shows. This song is an obvious feather in his cap.


trisha/ i'm tired

Label: Self-released 

Rating: ***

It seems to be teen season in indie-land. After the success of 17-year-old Aditi Iyer's 'Deleted Your Number', we have 14-year-old trisha coming up with 'i'm tired' (artiste and track names stylised in lower case).

The lyrics are mature for her age, as trisha sings about monotony and boredom through the lines, "I'm tired, tired of the person that I have become, I'm tired of hoping for the best". Backed by simple piano, cello and violin, the result is praiseworthy.

trisha was born in Dubai, raised in Africa and the US, and now lives in Chennai. Going by the emotion in her song, her heart seems to be in the right place.




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/ L. Shankar

Image
BY NARENDRA KUSNUR Artiste : L Shankar & Group Concert : Aditya Birla Group Masters of Music  Genre : Fusion/ Carnatic  Details : June 16, Jamshed Bhabha Theatre, Mumbai  Rating : ***** The sudden excitement was palpable when violinist L. Shankar announced that he and his group would play many Shakti tunes at Sunday's concert in Mumbai. He had already opened the evening with a dazzling rendition of Carnatic composer Muthuswamy Dikshitar's 'Vathapi Ganapathim', and if one thought he would focus on classical fare, that was not to be. Five of the remaining six pieces belonged to the repertoire of the original Shakti line-up, comprising him, guitarist John McLaughlin, tabla genius Zakir Hussain and ghatam maestro Vikku Vinayakram. Together, they had pioneered the Indo-jazz fusion sound in the 1970s, before going different paths over a decade later. Playing those old Shakti classics had a major issue though, at least for fans. They had originally been written for two mel
Read more