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

BY NARENDRA KUSNUR

Hariharan with Various Artistes/ Badhai Ho

Label: Sufiscore 

Rating: *** 1/2

This is one of those 'multi-artiste' songs themed around Diwali. Conceptualised and composed by singer Hariharan, it uses Vivek Sinha's lines, "Badhai ho, khushiyan manaane ka din hai, zameen pe sitare ke aane ka din hai" to convey a celebratory message.

Hariharan is joined by singers Papon, Priyanka Barve, Madhubanti Bagchi, Hansika Pareek and Chandreyee, with Gaurav Vaswani producing the song. Sitar player Purbayan Chatterjee, violinist Deepak Pandit, flautist Paras Nath and percussionist Prashant Sonagra add to the teamwork.

Though the main line sticks to you and the singing is consistently fabulous, the song is a bit long at nearly nine minutes, stretching towards the end. Arggha Banerjee's video, Rohit Sonagra's choreography and the classical dance troupe add value.

Nihira Joshi-Deshpande/ Trishna Antarman Ki 

Label: Self-released 

Rating: ****

Singer Nihira Joshi-Deshpande's forthcoming EP Trishna is themed around Radha's love and longing for Lord Krishna. The first single 'Trishna Antarman Ki' uses various stages of rain as a motif to describe her feelings.

Starting with a serene voice and piano, the track traverses different journeys. Nihira has a very pleasant timbre, and is ably assisted by two Cuban musicians residing in Spain - Carlos Cana Escriba on flute, vibraphone and assorted percussion, and Hernan Milla Gonsalez on keyboards. The flute parts are simply outstanding, and the changes in tempo are smooth.

Apoorva Kulkarni's lyrics talk of longing, with lines like, "Raah takat hoon Shyam ki, bansuri ki dhun ke aawan ki". Now, one looks forward to the rest of the EP.

Darshan Rawal/ Tum Mere

Label: Indie Music Label 

Rating: ***

Singer Darshan Rawal has had hits like 'Tera Zikr' and 'Hawa Banke', the latter inspired by Pakistani singer Hadiqa Kyani's 'Boohey Baariyan'. His latest song 'Tum Mere' is one of those typical love songs with lines like "Tum mere galey laga do, main saarey dard bhula doonga".

Lyrics are credited to Gurpreet Saini and Gautam G Sharma, with Lijo George on production duty. Violins, guitars and keys are prominent, and the English back-up vocals add variety.

The song and Dhruval Patel's video have their individual moments, and the main hook is catchy. But overall, things seem to go here and there. Darshan could have cut down on the filmi adaa, and gone in for more natural expressions.

Claver Menezes & Ashwini Torvi feat. Prasad Salian & The F Band/ Awakening

Label: Self-released 

Rating: ****

In a unique blend of Carnatic music and metal, 'Awakening' starts off with Ashwini Torvi reciting lines from the Venkatesa Subrabhatam. Quickly, Prasad Salian's vocals and Claver Menezes' guitar lines take over.

The song opens the Claver and Ashwini EP The Word, dedicated to the late Prasad, who passed away in May 2021. While the Carnatic chants retain the tune of the original, the English words go, "Put him out of misery and ride him to death blow; Don't turn your back on me mother, bestow your light in his soul".

Joining the musicians is Claver's F Band, comprising singer Yousuf Tareen, guitarist Micu Patel, bassist Janus Sayal and drummer Aniket Waghmode. The video by Sunil Cherian adds to the wild energy.

Antariksh feat. Marty Friedman/ Quest - Reprise

Label: Self-released 

Rating: *** 1/2

Fronted by vocalist, guitarist and songwriter Varun Rajput, Delhi band Antariksh released the Hindi track 'Quest' last year. A highlight was the guest appearance by former Megadeth guitarist Marty Friedman.

Antariksh has now put out an English reprise, with lines like, "There is really nothing that we truly own, it is but an illusion; you think that you run the world, isn't that just a delusion?"

The song falls in the progressive metal space, and a sitar solo by Dhruv Bedi lends a twist. The vocals are expressive, bringing out the emotion of the song.