Naren's indie round-up/ Jan 2024, Ep 2


BY NARENDRA KUSNUR 

Perfect Strangers/ City Of Heartache 

Label: Self-released 

Rating: *** 1/2

Known for the songs 'On The Wild Side' and 'Stay', Bengaluru band Perfect Strangers has recently released the video of 'City Of Heartache'. Directed by Sanket Chakraborty, it features nightlife shots of Bengaluru streets, a Fiat Premier Padmini and performance clips in the studio.

The seven-member band is tight, with Pranav DM and Ananya Raja sharing the vocals. The words include lines like "How do I make you feel the pain that I've been through, gonna go back in time baby oh".

Keyboardist Joshua Costa and saxophonist Sweethin Hartman are joined by bassist Shalini Mohan and drummer Preran Gulvady, and the highlight is Debjeet Basu's fabulous guitar solo at the end. The sound draws from rock, pop and jazz, making it eclectic.

Aditi/ The Queen

Label: Self-released 

Rating: ***

In her earlier songs 'Never Met You', 'Deleted Your Number' and '18 With You', teenage singer-songwriter Aditi Iyer talked about varied relationships. Her latest single 'The Queen' is about anxiety and means of escapism through dreams.

The words go, "Wish I was the person in my reverie, where I'm the hero and the queen". With her training in opera, Aditi shows flexibility in her range but stays within the pop arena. The gentle piano and smooth arrangements complement the vocals well.

43L.A/ Karm

Label: Self-released 

Rating: *** 1/2

43L.A is an interesting fusion trio comprising Pratik Shrivastava on sarod, Sayar Mitra on bass and SambitC on drums. The use of sarod as the main melody instrument is the obvious highlight.

Their debut piece 'Karm' begins with rapidfire phrases, and slows down the tempo midway before picking up again to make way for a rousing climax.

The playing is filled with virtuosity and at just less than four minutes, the length is ideal. The video captures the musicians in performance with some good close-ups.

Akshay-Ninaad/ Kho Jaau

Label: Self-released 

Rating: ***

Guitarist Akshay Redekar and vocalist Ninad Bhat were part of the group Tapas, which released some wonderful songs like 'Udaan' and 'Aarambh'. They now produce music as a duo, taking the name Akshay-Ninaad.

Their new song 'Kho Jaau' is a pleasant pop-rock ballad  which begins with "Tum ho yahaan, main yahaan, aur befikar hai samaa" and has the main lines "Kho jaau tujh mein, kho jaa tu mujh mein".

Akshay's guitar hook has a catchiness, and Ninad's pleasant voice holds the song together. It's a nice song for a romantic drive.

Jyoti Nooran/ Modern Jugni

Presented by: Soul Music Studio

Rating: ** 

Make sure you keep a kilo of cottonwool before listening to this 'Modern Jugni'. The party number is so loud that if one plays it in Mumbai, even those in Delhi can hear it.

Jyoti Nooran screams this rabble-rouser composed by Arpan Bawa. Eemaan's lyrics are all about 'kaala chashma', 'suit Punjabi' and 'weekend peeye shaam'.

Rajvir Saini's video has a predictable dance setting, though the presence of actress Avika Gor (in still) provides some solace in all that noise.


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