Naren's indie round-up/ Dec 2023, Ep 3

BY NARENDRA KUSNUR

Tabeer/ Tabeer

Label: Self-released 

Rating: ****

Tabeer is the newest band on the Hindi-rock circuit. It's been formed by Hanez Patel, Vikram Godse and Vikas Tandon who do different things professionally but share similar tastes in music.

Their debut single is also called 'Tabeer' - in fact, the band was named after the song. The theme is about hope and fulfilment of dreams, with the song ending with the line. "Har pal hastey guzaaroon, thodi khushiyaan, thode khwaab".

All three musicians play the guitar, with Hanez  contributing on keys. A spoken-word stretch and a guitar coda give it an anthemic feel, with Cian Dias' video alternating shots of the trio with a parallel narrative and symbolic imagery.

Aazaman Hoyvoy feat. Simran Duggal/ Tanhaa

Label: Self-released 

Rating; ***

Singer Aazaman Hoyvoy teams up with Simran Duggal on his debut Hindi song 'Tanhaa'. As the title suggests, it's about two lonely people, with Alok Ranjan Srivastava writing, "Hoon tanhaa, ab de rihaaee in faaslon se, hoon tanhaa, ab aa mila de kuchh raahaton se". 

Produced by Aazaman himself, the song has a peppy beat, making good use of back-up voices and rhythm. The video, credited to three people, is a conundrum. On the one hand, it is a different concept. But it uses the same four frames in loop on a red filter, making it seem repetitive. Perhaps better as an audio-only exercise.

Rekha Bhardwaj/ Rootha Yaar

Label: VB Music

Rating: ****

Over the past few months, singer Rekha Bhardwaj has had some wonderful OTT releases like 'Jee Ki Gathariya' and 'Yun Mere Sang' in Charlie Chopra And The Mystery Of Solang Valley, 'Mat Aana' in Khufiya and 'Beparda' in Haddi. Now, she sings the non-film 'Rootha Yaar' for husband Vishal Bhardwaj's label VB Music.

What's interesting is that Rekha has composed the song herself. Munna Dhiman's lyrics make good use of rhyming patterns (qaafiya) with the opening lines, "Rootha yaar manaoon kaise, apni aag jalaoon kaise". The tune builds up gradually and is backed by Mayukh Sarkar's guitars.

There's something haunting about Rekha's rendition, and the chorus by Archana Gore and Pragati Joshi add to the effect. Deepak Rawat's video has some good outdoor shots, and brings out the emotions in a torn relationship.

Shafqat Ali Khan/ Sanwal Mor Muharran

Label: Sufiscore 

Rating: *** 1/2

The son of legendary vocalist Ustad Salamat Ali Khan, Pakistani singer Shafqat Ali Khan represents the Sham Chorasi gharana. He now presents his father's composition 'Sanwal Mor Muharran', written by Sufi poet Khwaja Ghulam Farid.

Set in raag Sindhi Bhairavi, the piece has some controlled singing and a natural flow. Accompanying Shafqat are talented Indian musicians, namely flautist Paras Nath, pianist Santosh Mulekar and ĥandpan artiste Swaranjay Dhumal.

Parasher Baruah's video captures the musicians in studio performance. It's a simple and routine film, like many shot in a studio.

Dev Mehta/ In My Mind

Label: Self-released 

Rating: ****

A welcome development in indie music over the past couple of years is the arrival of new English singer-songwriters. Mumbai-based Dev Mehta seems to show the signs of doing some good work in this space.

After his debut original 'You're Alright' earlier this year, he returns with 'In My Mind'. Backed with melodic guitars, he sings about not expressing one's feelings and regretting later. Lines like, "I should've told you how I feel, but I kept it bottled up inside, in my mind" sum up the song.

Dev's approach to songwriting is simple, and one senses a John Mayer influence in his sound. Shirish Singh's production is subtle. It's a song that grows on you.