Naren's indie round-up/ June 2025, Ep 1


BY NARENDRA KUSNUR

Pooja Gaitonde & Cosmic Yatra/ Sanson Ki Mala

Label: Self-released 

Rating: ****

Powerful-voiced singer Pooja Gaitonde has been active on the ghazal and Sufi circuit for over a decade. She's also been open to experimentation, even collaborating with jazz maestro Louiz Banks and his band on the Sufi-Jazz project.

Pooja now tries her hand at Sufi-rock with her new project Cosmic Yatra, coming out with a new version of the spiritual song 'Sanson Ki Mala', popularised by the legendary Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan.

Sticking to a shorter rendition with two verses, this one has a keyboard intro, tight drums, heavy distortion guitars and a neat guitar solo by Soumil Pandit. The choruses to give it a classical flavour.

The video, directed by Alqama Ansari, has Pooja rocking in a red saree. Way to go. Of course, one wonders why except the drummer, different people appear in the video as musicians. Musically, it's a good variation of a classic.

Mekaal Hasan Band/ Ni Saiyyon Assan 

Label: Self-released 

Rating: *****

Talking of versions of Nusrat songs, there's one crackling and masterful take on the song 'Sweet Pain', from the album Night Song produced by Michael Brook. Yes, the one with the line "Ni saiyyon assan, naina de aankhey lage".

Lahore-based Mekaal Hasan Band, led by the amazing guitarist Mekaal, does a 13-minute version of the song, with vocalist Shehzad Ali Khan and his troupe adding new verses. They call this 'Ni Saiyyon Assan'.

Instrumentally, the highlights are the two lengthy solos by Mekaal, which are absolute gems that take listeners to another zone. They are supported on flute by Mohammed Ahsan Papu, who has a smart solo himself, and drums by Owais Shabbir, though Sameer Ahmed's bass seems downplayed. 

The video shows a live performance by the band. The length never affected the beauty of this version. It just grows. Considering that the original is an iconic song in itself, this fresh version is an absolute stunner.

Avanti Patel/ Muddat Hui Hai Yaar Ko, from EP O Gaanewali Session 1

Label: Self-released 

Rating: ****

To launch their EP O Gaanewali Session 1, the team of the O Gaanewali series has chosen Mirza Ghalib's ghazal 'Muddat Hui Hai Yaar Ko'. Though there have been many renditions of this ghazal, this one is inspired by the great Iqbal Bano's version.

Singer Avanti Patel gives the song her own touch with her pleasant voice and some very fine nuances honed by her classical training. Another highlight is that unlike many recent adaptations, this sticks to the traditional style, with Kamlesh Bhadkamkar handling production and arrangement. Sarangi, guitar, bass, swaramandal and tabla are used deftly.

The Urdu words are explained in the lyrics video. For the trivia-minded, Ghalib's original poem used the line 'Jee dhoodhta hai phir wohi fursat ke raat din' which inspired Gulzar to write the famous song in Mausam. They are not used here, but never mind. This is a fabulous rendition. Conceptualised by Avanti, the O Gaanewali series of shows also features singer Rutuja. One looks forward to the next song.

Agni/ Black Rain

Label: Agni Webbed

Rating: ****

After releasing the songs 'Hey You' and 'Cry Of The Valley' under the name Agni Webbed, rock musician Bharath Swamy releases his latest 'Black Rain' under the name Agni.

The song takes a view if the world in the mind of the sightless. The theme is explored through lyrics like, "Can I be the song inside your head? Can I be the life in the living dead? Can I be the castle in your skies? Can I be the tear inside your eyes?" 

The song blends an Iron Maiden influence with Middle Eastern flavours. A short guitar solo fits in perfectly. And the black n' white video is appropriate.

Vasundhara Vee/ Junk The Blame

Label: Self-released 

Rating: ****

Vasundhara Vee is one of the most prolific singers on the contemporary live jazz scene, with a powerful voice and admirable range. She had released her studio single 'Run' in 2021, and has now put out 'Junk The Blame'.

Written by Vasundhara and co-composed by her and Saurabh Suman, the song talks about social media anxieties, specially among artistes and creative people. The starting vocals are reminiscent of Adele's 'Rolling In The Deep', but Vasundhara has her own touch, taking the song in a different direction later with a rocksier mode. The opening lines are, "What are my dreams doing wading through my nightmares? I'm stuck behind scrolling while the mice get out there, I was the one who my people had their bets on, so how come my embers dying while the others burn on".

Besides the vocals and lyrics, a highlight is Karun Takulia's video, featuring Vasundhara singing and Saurabh as the main character in the narrative. Both song and video are well-produced.






 

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