Naren's indie round-up/ Nov 2022 Ep 2

BY NARENDRA KUSNUR 

Vibha Saraf/ Habbakhatoon 2

Label: Self-released 

Rating: ****

Three years ago, Kashmiri singer Vibha Saraf had released 'Habbakhatoon', based on a traditional folk tune. Habbakhatoon is a legendary poet who was known as the Nightingale Of Kashmir.

Now, Vibha has released the sequel, in which she adds Hindi lines to traditional Kashmiri folk lyrics. Like in the earlier song, her melodious voice lends a sense of serenity. Harsh Davda's production makes the song soothing, using keyboards and natural sounds.

Anmol Kachroo's video blends shots of Kashmiri locales with the artiste's close-ups. It's a fabulous presentation, with a tune that lingers.

Sumeet Tappoo/ Main Toh Tere Paas Mein

Label: Artist Aloud

Rating: *** 1/2

Sant Kabir's bhajan 'Moko Kahaan Dhoonde Re Bande, Main To Tere Paas Mein' has been recorded earlier by Bhupinder, Deepa Nair Rasiya and Sonam Kalra's Sufi Gospel Project, among others. Here's another praiseworthy rendition.

Singer Sumeet Tappoo and music director Bhavdeep Jaipurwale combine on this beautifully. Dilshad Khan's sarangi and Sanjay Jaipurwale's guitar blend well with the percussion and choruses.

The video has been shot by Omkar Amita Madhav Joshi in the studio. It maintains a good balance between the vocalist, instruments, ambience and recording technology used.

Sanjay Maroo/ Kal Ka Bharosa?

Label: Self-released 

Rating: *** 1/2

Sanjay Maroo has been in the music field from the 1980s. After playing drums for Les Boys, Rock Machine and fusion outfit Divya, he forayed into Indipop with albums like Fountain Of Love In English and Tu Hi Tu in Hindi.

He's now released the single 'Kal Ka Bharosa?', inspired by the lessons he learnt from life. Written by Maroo himself, it has the lines, "Manzilen hain abhi, dar ke jeena nahin, dil se iraada kiya, kal ka bharosa hai kya?"

The video, directed by Aakib Siďdique, has shots.of Maroo singing and playing the drums. It's a pleasant tune backed by good writing.

Aditya Kambhampati The Classroom Project/ Fati Parchi

Label: Self-released 

Rating: *** 1/2

Mumbai-based singer-songwriter Aditya Kambhampati has recorded his EP The Classroom Project, which looks back at one's younger days from a grown-up person's perspective.

He's releasing the four songs in a phased manner, and the first one 'Fati Parchi' talks about the hopes and uncertainties one has in the late teens and early 20s.

The song has an alternative rock sound with funk flavours. Lines like "Yeh zindagi yede sapnon ka khel hai, yeh zindagi na paas na fail hai" are very relatable, like the rest of the song.

The Sacred Geometry/ Paper

Label: No Binary Records

Rating: ***

The Sacred Geometry is an electronic duo comprising two producers who are also architects. PRNV (Pranav Jadhav) and The Psy Owl (Siddhartha Ghosh) blend ambient and psychedelic sounds with elements of folktronica, house, hip-hop and other styles.

Their latest track 'Paper' is a heady melange of soundscapes, a grunge radio vibe and vocal chops, with lines like "A million different flavours to sample what we're made of" probably explaining their thoughts.

The lyrics question the nature of existence and mankind while dealing with daily issues. If you're into experimental music, this is worth a check. The psychedelic video is too routine, though.