Naren's indie round-up,/ June 2024, Ep 1


BY NARENDRA KUSNUR 

Yohan Marshall & Maalavika Manoj/ Just For Once

Label: Self-released 

Rating: *** 1/2

Singers Yohan Marshall and Maalavika Manoj aka Mali team up on 'Just For Once', a pleasant duet about how everything is possible if one tries.

Mali begins the song with the lines, "Just for once, for me, could you believe that you, you could do anything, just for once, for me, could you believe that you, you really care". Yohan takes over after that, and the tempo increases.

Chaitanya Bhaidkar's guitars and the back-up arrangements blend well with the voices. At three minutes, it's a bit short but creates an impact. 

Pataka Boys/ Bappi Lahiri

Label: Azadi Records

Rating: ***

PAV4N and Sonnyjim, UK-based underground rappers, team up with Indian producer Kartik to form Pataka Boys. Their first collab is called 'Bappi Lahiri' - obviously named after the late music director, who if he had heard it, would wonder what the connection is.

Joining them is British Bengali rapper Mongo, and the song gets quite crowded with too much happening. Luckily, Megan Katti comes up with a cutting edge video, with models Sherlyn and Sarika adding some glam.

The track should appeal to followers of desi hip-hop. Despite the chaos, there's something cool in all this.

Saadhya/ self-imposed sadness

Label: Self-released 

Rating: *** 1/2

She's just 16, but there's a certain maturity in the way Mumbai-based Saadhya Madiman approaches her debut song 'self-imposed sadness'. It talks of a young girl's apprehensions and the desire to come out as a winner.

The song uses a descriptive style, starting from a wish of "never being born" to the impact her attitude has on her mother to lines like, "Change your views, change the way you look at life, and know you're lucky to be alive".

The use of the guitar and steady build-up give the song a pop-rock feel. Most important, the words are inspiring, coming from someone so young.

Joel Jossy/ Main Musafir 

Label: Self-released 

Rating: ***

Though we've heard many travel songs in the Indian indie space, what sets producer Joel Jossy's 'Main Musafir' apart is its blend of Carnatic influences and progressive rock. The opening guitar riff, played by Joel himself, instantly sets the mood.

Aditya Rao's vocals drive the main melody. The lyrics, by Sujeet Anahata Thakur, are routine, using oft-written lines like, "Zindagi toh ek safar hai aur main musafir hoon, hai safar hi mera ghar aur main musafir hoon". Some fabulous guitar parts and innovative rhythms are the highlights.

The song also has an English version with lyrics by Marcello Vieira. The words are far more convincing here. Choose your preferred language.

Ishaan Nigam & Advait Sawant/ Gulchharre 

Label: Self-released 

Rating: ***

Singer-songwriter Ishaan Nigam has rendered some melodious tracks like 'O Chaand', 'Yeh Raaste' and 'Gumshuda Main Hoon'. On his latest 'Gulchharre', he teams up with producer Advait Sawant.

It's a peppy track with some interesting lyrics, beginning with, "Khwabon ki kitabon mein jo, raaton ke sawaalon mein jo, mann ka parinda jab pankh failaaya hai; Roothe lamhaton mein jo, behke jazbaaton mein jo, dil ki chakori jab, bedhadak udd jaaye hai".

However, though the starting has a racy, catchy lilt, the song meanders in the antara, before returning to the the main tune. The singalong can be done at the beginning and end.



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