Posts Tagged ‘Ali Sethi’

CokeStudio 11 round up + Playlist

Posted: October 28, 2018 by moifightclub in music, Music Recco, Music review
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I have loved Zohaib Kazi’s work for a while now and that is why I was over the moon to hear that he is going to be on the driving seat for season 11. He has anyway been associated till season 6. The buzz started with CokeStudio Explorer that featured 4 songs with varied artists and barring the last song, everything felt nice, solid and quite trippy. After explorer ended, curtain was raised on the season opener song and in came Hum Dekhenge. I loved it then and I love it now. The artist line up was just way too tempting and too good to be true. Anyway, I won’t go on and on episode-wise as you can find it here. Our picks from this season are as under:

Baalkada The way this song started made me soar like an airplane. Naghma & Lucky were fantastic! Jimmy Khan’s presence works like a balm. The gamut of genres that CokeStudio Pakistan has touched should be a case study to those who ‘do music’ in our country as well. We need to just look at the arc of emotions CokeStudio Pakistan has chosen. Arey mujhse pooch lo yaar, I will make an excel sheet for you containing those details and I will lend my time for free to you. At least touch some other genres, Dear Indian music movements!?

Rap hai sara -. The way this song has been done, it has raised the swag factor of CokeStudio in multiples. All the boys ran a riot in the studio. I last smirked at someone’s entry when Bohemia entered the studio in ‘Kandyari dhal Geet’. Young desi has bettered it. If this song was a part of a concert in a big stadium, this song would have EVERYONE take their shirts off and throw them on the stage. Lyari underground is a revealation and I loved their part as well. Confession – I prefer watching this song that hearing it and trust me, I have watched it way too much, super super stuff! (ande waala burger reference here)

Rashamama – Zarsanga makes a dashing entry to the studio and aided with Khumariyaan and a superb Babar ali khanna, she holds your attention and makes you sway with the absolute magical track. Yet another song that widens the arc of the genres which CokeStudio Pakistan explores with every passing season. Zarsanga is plain brilliance on display and her woi allah! calls are a hoot! The song then pauses and what is possibly the best moment in asserting Cokestudio Pakistan’s swag (watch how the camera pans, the music that accompanies the angle from roughly at 3:07 mins to 3:14 mins to know what I mean), Gul Panra gives her interpretation of the song. Her part is more contemporary and filled with modern arrangement which doesn’t feel bad (or wrong) either.

Nami danam – Chand tara orchestra, under the guidance of Omran Shafique gave us this gem. There was too much happening in terms of lighting and not in a good way. Barring that, this song soared. They should have named the song Raqs-e-bismil. I have a positive bias to Chand tara orchestra because of their name and sound. Before this season, I didn’t know about them. It is very very good to see old cokestudio musicians take the lead in inducting new artists. Like Babar has done in last few songs and my heartthrob Omran has done here…What a fantastic, liberating song! Me raqsam Me raqsam…indeed

Jind mahiya – A slow, almost reggae like pace mixed with obvious habibi influence is what catches your attention from the first second in the song. Shuja Haider’s composition is as free flowing as his singing and even though in the BTS video, he insisted it is a chichora song, the song comes across as adorable and way too catchy. This is like ‘rockstar’ without self deprecating tone and peppered with innocence. This is exactly the kind of execution that I was waiting for since the season started. The houseband played up perfectly and there was nothing over the top and surprisingly, the song sounds very well produced. Lest I forget, the dholak play from Babar added just the right amount of nasha. Easily, the first song of the season that I loved without any ‘if’ or ‘but’. Thumbs up!

Ya Qurban – Khumariyaan boys made me go mad. I absolutely loved what they have done here. The song, the dance, the vibe, the happiness that dripped from their soul via their song and instruments…this is vintage CokeStudio Pakistan, this is what we wait for when CokeStudio Pakistan announces a new season. You can make half talented musicians stand and ‘fuse’ their work like there is no tomorrow, but it takes a special khaalis presentation like this to blow your mind away. How about those maddening whistles? Everything, just about everything is top notch here. Not a note wrong, excellently done boys! Fun bit – check out the Game of Thrones opening credits done by the boys here – Game of Thrones Main Theme (Cover) by Khumariyaan

Balaghal ula Be Kamalihi – When she sings, Lord hears. Simple. These are Gulzar’s words but ring in true everytime I see (holding both ears as I say her name) Her Highness Abida Parveen. There is really nothing that comes to mind when I try to analyse this song because this here is not a track, it is devotion finding its way to our souls. A magnificent presentation. Please explore it.

Wah jo kalaam – Penned by Asrar and along with him, Shamu Bai and Vishnu played a riot of colors and beauty in what is one of the best songs in all of 11 years of the studio in Pakistan. I have always had a bit of a problem with Shamu’s pitch but here, Asrar has used that to the track’s advantage. With zero accompaniment from the studio houseband, this beautiful song hits your core being like a bolt of lighting. Talking of Zero accompainment from houseband, I suspect Shamu bai was using her own Harmonium and Vishnu was using his own Dholak. The melodious strum and humming from Asrar in the beginning reminds you of all the good things that music and all of us have lost over the years. There seems to be zero innocence of ‘being’ these days in anything. For a moment, let us all just remind ourselves of this powerhouse called Asrar who has a lot that is yet to be exploited by the popular scene. Don’t you love his ‘wah wah’ in the song? A pucca performer. Do check his ‘Gaddiye’ as well, if you have time. I get a strong feeling that Vishnu will, in the years to come, make more appearances in the studio. What a brilliant command this lad has…especially the way he picked up Hyder hyder part. This is the song that, everytime when it ends, leaves me weeping. Kudos to the producers for letting this song be.

Luddi hai jamaalo – The studio always has an ace up its sleeves when it comes to re-imagining old film songs. I can’t say the same about non film songs and yes I am still sore with the wounds of Hawa Hawa. In Luddi Hai Jamalo the studio has shown how the old songs are to be touched up. The way they have added violins and the opening la la la is exactly what they should have touched up Hawa Hawa. Here, Humaira Arshad and Ali Sethi have done a decent job of sticking to the song yet adding their touch. I absolutely loved the way the sound has been managed, it sounds so fresh yet vintage. The last minute or so where the song really accelerates doesn’t feel out of sync or mood. I didn’t feel anything outstanding about Humaira’s part but I was blown away by Ali Sethi. Can this man do any wrong? I really don’t think so. If I were a ruler with a kingdom, I would have relinquished all to this man just for his ‘Howaan tathon paray Kyon mera dil daray, Chad kay duniya saari, Teray tay kyon waray’ part in the song. I am not kidding.

Aurangzeb – by Mughal-e-funk is quite an interesting track for the simple reason that it explores a genre within a genre. Presenting Aurangzeb‘s reign and conflicts via instrumental is totally a new way to present instrumental tracks. The houseband and especially Babar ali Khanna really came together to touch up Mughal-e-funk‘s exciting presentation in the studio. Excellent Sitar, Superlative Harmonium and a solid backup vocalist sound…what’s not to like? (I know, the lighting..! still…I liked this track)

Ko ko korina – I am from Lucknow and one of the reasons I love CokeStudio Pakistan is that they showcase the music from their region which I may not have come across earlier. Personally speaking, while growing up, I was more intrested in exploring Umar Sharif’s plays and swaying on Hawa Hawa than anything else. So when I saw CokeStudio reimagine what they have posted as ‘infamous’ Ko Ko Korina, I was hearing it for the first time. I know I will lose a lot of friends here but I didn’t find this song bad at all. I in fact liked how the studio, in a rare display of self control, conducted the song with the right amount of mischief and melody. No, I didn’t find Ahad Raza Mir or Momina Mustehsan out of tune. I would still say that Momina was struggling in Antras but largely lovely lovely song. I then went and checked the original song and well, I could still not get myself to dislike this re-imagination. I am just raving mad at the studio for what they did with Hawa Hawa. One might argue, that my grouse with Hawa Hawa‘s re-imagination is because unlike Ko Ko Korina, I have grown up with Hawa Hawa, so I am not as emotionally invested with Ko ko as I am with Hawa Hawa. I will disagree to that train of thought for the simple reason that Ko Ko Korina‘s re-imagination didn’t take any unneccesary turns and the pace and treatment was upbeat (what a lovely guitar – keyboard play by Rufus and Momo by the way!), Whereas the Hawa Hawa reimagination was half hearted, sounded dead on arrival and took that unnecessary tirbal turn which still haunts me at night. So there, that is my take. I liked Ko Ko Korina! Someone please join me and let us petition the studio to re-re-imagine Hawa Hawa?

In addition to the above:

  • Shikwa/Jawab e shikwa – was so good till Natasha baig’s part. To me she has been the find of the season. Still, the usually dependable Fareed Ayaz & Abu Muhammad Qawwal put me off this time and I couldn’t bring myself to repeat the song just because of them and this applies to their self absorbed ‘piya ghar aaya’ as well. Sad.
  • Runaway – would have been much better with just Krewella.
  • I absolutely loved the first 3 mins of dil hai pakistani
  • I disliked the way Main iraada came together. That was cacophony and largely due to excessive artists and over the top audio mixing
  • I liked Dastan-e-moomal rano but couldn’t sit through the whole of it on repeated listening. I like the subtle presentation of the song.
  • Illallah was so good but was let down by poor lyrics and somehow ‘aaja piya tori yaad satave’ sounded like a mifit with the mood of the song. Hear the first 2 odd mins of the song though to see what this song could have been.
  • I disliked the uncertainity about ‘will this be a 3 song or 4 song episode’. Nope don’t play with that. Please.

Some of the best music memories that I have since the last 10 odd years are attributed to CokeStudio Pakistan. Some of the most aggressive views that have popped up in my head have been a result of poor imitation of CokeStudio 11 by other movements in and outside Pakistan, CokeStudio at MTV for one. What happens when the movement you have come to love starts showing signs of becoming a bad parody of itself? That is exactly what happened with the season 11 and it pains me to write this because in my books, even when CokeStudio Pakistan is bad, it is miles ahead of garbage that is masquerading as ‘music movement’ in and around the subcontinent. Make no mistake, it is not just Season 11 that has disappointed. The downward spiral has continued since Rohail has departed and the only exception to that has been the superbly Season 8. Though I would not write off Zohaib and Ali Hamza, I would like a little bit of ‘pause’ in the execution. Everything need not be over the top, extra experimental and please slow down those maddening lights. Lastly, please don’t play around with melody and defile it like you have done with Hawa Hawa this year. Ever.

Love from India

P.S. – Bhaga ke le jaunga Ali Sethi ko main ek din, dekhta reh jayea Pakistan aur dekhta reh jayega India. Yep.

P.S.2. – Please fire whoever has been in charge of audio mixing this season.

Image and video courtesy – CokeStudio.com.pk – You can download all songs for free from here.

Rewind 2017 : Non-film Songs We Discovered This Year + Our Dinchak List

Posted: December 28, 2017 by moifightclub in cinema
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These aren’t songs/albums which were necessarily released this year. These are songs/albums which I came across in 2017. There is no order, there is no ranking. I Just keep begging and turning to people I barely know to suggest me a song, even if it’s in a trailer or a song featured  on a TV show.  Because – me and missy is so very busy busy makin money!

There are also two long-ish albums/sessions embedded in the playlist which I am sure you will like.

And then there is my favourite dinchak list. Oh yes, it starts with  bit of love for selfie star and his team – a good song for running. Then we have some film and non-film songs. I am sorry about a certain song in the playlist but (Gujrati accent) ‘sorry, this had to be done, in all its auto-tune-ness, kasam odi ki. There’s also a song that has a line ‘Meri mummy nu pasand nai tu’ – what fun! We also got tesher on the track. Here we go, or (like I have learnt) – Yalla!

Orange Is The New Black – So there is some show like this but I don’t watch any TV, not on twitter these days, so I don’t know about most shows. One of the colleagues from work suggested a song and I liked it a lot. I like it so much that I forgot it exists. I think you know what I am talking about. Have at it, first song on the playlist. Also, I should start watching TV.

Krishna Das – From the album ‘One Track Heart – The Story Of Krishna Das’. The song is titled ‘Krishna Das Was Crying’ and it is not available on youtube. You can buy this fabulous album here  https://itunes.apple.com/in/album/one-track-heart-story-krishna-das-original-motion-picture/664306217 – The pain, longing and the merging of harmonium, sarangi and electronic guitar would leave you in the state of shunya. I have played this at home on repeat and slept because I wanted to wake up with this song in the background. I have left the song playing at home while I went out because I wanted to come home to the song, you get the picture.

The Tamashbeens – was doing rounds with some lovely Pakistani friends I have made here in Dubai. I love the mild ‘Amit-trivedi-in-his-early-days’ vibe the song has along with excellent wordplay…usmeinn log kyu hain haraaami? Featured here, is Duniya, the song. Also, what a kickass name for a group, isn’t it?

The Manta Ensemble  – Do explore this lovely band that explains itself as “The Manta Sidhu Ensemble is a collaboration between some exquisite musicians, who have come together to play songs written by Manta, a Delhi based singer and songwriter. Versatile musical elements merging in a carefree environment, yet standing vulnerable in all their rawness – the music is for those with a taste for the easy-listening experience”. Apart from making my job easier by giving such a splendid intro, they also make some wonderful music. We have featured ‘Wild Flower’ here. (teach me how to sway when things don’t go my way….tu ru tu tu ru ru..)  

Ali Sethi – Well this one is pretty easy. Like I have always maintained, Ali Sethi should sing all the old classics in his style. The way he re-imagined and presented chann kithan* (delicate and hopeless in all his Sethi-ness), it’s pretty much ensured the playlist to be stuck on this for months. I fail to understand why Sethi has presented this song with absolute zero treble, to put it simply. Can we get a better audio quality of this Dear iTunes/Patari? I will pay in dollars, I am not kidding. A fabulous song!  On a related note, you would always find someone go ‘Oh, I have just started exploring Ali Sethi’, when you do, just hug them.

Fanoos – aaaaaaaae ha! What a brilliant way for a music streaming to create a niche without being ducks about holding you hostage just because you have a device made by them. With ‘Fanoos’, Patari.pk gave Zohaib Kazi a free run to explore and manipulate the sounds he collects. (Correction  – Zohaib confirms his project Fanoos was joined by Patari and not the other way round). We featured Zohaib here when we spoke of his brilliant album ‘Ismail ka urdu sheher’ (which you must explore if not already) and although the track Gulmit anthem remains my favourite, the other songs under Fanoos were brilliant as well. Here’s hoping Patari doesn’t stop. Chumma aapko, Patari waalon. Yes, it isn’t available on youtube legally. Head to Patari.pk immediately and ask yourself  what are you doing if you don’t visit Patari everyday. 

Rabab circles – The track we have featured here is called Makhaam/Nightfall. When they write a kickass description in their songs like ‘plug in your headphones and turn up the volume’, they truly make it worth your while. Listening to this beautiful track, I couldn’t help but picture little kids jumping up and down the stairs, not a care in the world. Here’s looking at you Circles.

A1melodymaster’s – Rashke Qamar – In some ways, the badly recreated track of Baadshaho is to be credited for this discovery. Yet again, something a dear Pakistani colleague shared with me in office. While the original track remains a favorite, if you are not in a qawwali mood, play this one and feel your senses dance.  The name is Khan, Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan.

Parvaaz  – When you are done ogling at the brilliantly shot video, do hear the song Colour White, which is quite good, especially the way the guitar merges with the singing towards the end, and tilts your senses towards the sound. I have been meaning to explore Parvaaz since sometime, thanks to @BhopaliLad, and am glad this year I could do so. Am sure this is a pretty old discovery for most readers of the blog but to those three people who didn’t know earlier – rush to their work, I implore you! 

Bombay Dreams – Confession – I made all my good friends buy this rather expensive cassette back in 2002 when this came out. I still have it. I still have it (said it twice because I have 2 units cassettes of the album).  I still love it, especially Bombay awakens sung by Dalip Tahil. I couldn’t find it on youtube, so allow me to share the song that I used to play in Hyderabad while thinking about Lucknow. Why am I mentioning this now? It is because I am loving this album again now. They have changed lyrics (And A.R. Rahman is absent on the microphone), but they have retained 2 of my favorite parts. One of them is –  The journey home, is never too long…you heart arrives before the train.  

Shruti Naik & Ashar Kazi – This stunning discovery keeps me going on the treadmill for the sheer passion of the duo. Featured here is their cover of Tamacun. There is a bit of Pulp Fiction nostalgia on their channel as well, head to it. I hope we hear more, much more from them! 

Jasleen Kaur Monga – Check her channel and do find her on oklisten.com as well. Such a clean rendition and what a voice! I hope to hear more, much much more from her. It is so comforting to hear someone do classical right, in the present age of cacophony, hashtags, filters and general bullshit. Featured here is her soothing ‘Saawan aaya re sakhi’ 

Rubab Instrumental – Bya ke borem ba mazar featuring Gulab Khel on Rabab and Murad on tabla – This was a pure coincidence. I was asked to follow this channel by one of the many good souls in Youtube comment section. This is so soothing I had to include it here for you to explore, if you haven’t already.

Jeno w noto – 0 to 100, Quickly habibi!, I saw this song do some pretty amazing thing to suit-boot waale log (with prim and proper accents) on dancefloor. This is a riot (available for 15 bucks on iTunes!). Do hear it. If curious, you should read more about the dance form here  (only a matter of time I reckon that someone back home gets ‘inspired’ by this hook)

Abdul Kader – featuring – Rachid Taha, Faudel and (fukin) Khaled! –  If you are 90s kid, you will remember Khaled. Remember we putting our own words in this song and sing along loudest at the ‘Didi’ moment? Now, Faudel is responsible for inspiring a certain Indra Kumar film song but don’t hold it against him please. An algerian teddy bear and I connected a lot because I love this song. The energy, the vibe and the feels it gives you is just magical. Have a listen and put a ‘dekho’ to the song and soak the atmosphere of the concert, the days of no autotunes or prerecorded playback.

Tan Cani – by Alhoverah. So I have been keeping this song with me since two years or so. Yes, I do that, I don’t like sharing music normally. Cut to – A Spanish matador who reminded me of this song (when we were talking about music and I begged for him to tell me a song that he absolutely loves). I took it as a sign and here it is for those who haven’t heard it. There are hajaar versions of the song, I am sharing the one he shared with me, the one that I took as ‘ the sign’.

Other songs which I liked and played are embedded towards the end of the playlist, still let me mention them here –

Lost – Angad Katari

Udaan – Aditya Virmani

Bol ke lab – Harpreet – A version I felt that is better than what Shafqat Amanat Ali could come up on his Coke Studio outing for this season.

Long play

Mahogany Sessions – Confession – I came across this movement earlier this year but I haven’t checked out other sessions because I am stuck on solid ground and this session as a whole. I hope you like it and if you are rolling your eyes because you already knew this then why o why did you not share it with us? 🙂 (Great music, as often as possible…isn’t this a delightful pledge?)

Solo and Indre – This came to me via a good friend. The link contains the entire album, which I must admit, works superbly in morning and afternoons if you are lazing around or driving with no particular destination in mind. I loved it, hope you do too. (From the channel – Senegalese kora player, Solo Cissokho, and Lithuanian kanklės player, Indrė Jurgelevičiūtė, met each other for their first duo recording. This is the first time these two instruments have been recorded together)

Daira’s Vipreet buddhi (The entire album is brilliant! I reviewed it on BBC and you can head to my blog for the link of the same. Google and read the track names for some fun!

Because the post is already too long, I purposely didn’t mention popular movements like Coke Studio Pakistan. You can listen to our picks of 2017 Cokestudio Pakistan here

* Some of us found couldn’t find the correct translation of this on the internet. So we tried to do it ourselves. You can read it here and thank the people directly on social media platforms who made it possible.

And here is the dinchak list. Yep. NSFW – the first song.

To quote Insomniac city again (am sorry!) – ‘I remember how Wendy once told me she loved New York so much she couldn’t bear the thought of it going on without her’ – > I feel the same about all the good music, good books, articles which I will never be able to explore. What I am saying is – Suggest me a song! We always underestimate what we have, so don’t think twice before putting it out. I am sure I haven’t heard *that* song which you are thinking about right now, may be you discovered it/them this year or may be before. Share and have a happy new year!

– Rohit

(P.S. – If you like to stay happy, fit and/or run like wind (With or without flaunting it on twitter, in your office, on your linkedin or on music related blogposts), why haven’t you explored Shivani Bhagwan’s youtube channel yet? No other dance channel comes close. No other happy channel comes close. Beautiful people doing bhangra with beautiful people cheering…what’s not to like)

Coke Studio, Season 10 – Our Top Picks + Video Playlist

Posted: September 26, 2017 by moifightclub in music, Music Recco, Music review
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There was a lot of buzz this year about Coke Studio 10, much before even the first teaser came out, and till then that was my only grouse. I will save my angry rants about the season as a whole here, and leave you with our favourite picks from 28 songs that were aired this season in 7 episodes. Click on the playlist embedded below to play the songs as you read the post.

You can read our Coke Studio Season 8 round up here and  Season 9 roundup here.

Ranjish hi sahi – Ali Sethi should sing all the old classics that we have come to love and live with. Even though this rendition was hurried at some places for ghazal purists, the velvet-ness of Ali’s vocals rubbed on the listener and reminded us of well paced out ghazals where lyrics and not hashtags were celebrated. That Ali Sethi is probably the best contemporary singer from across the border these days isn’t ‘overdoing’ it. It’s just a fact. Jaffer Zaidi is probably the only musician who is keeping Coke Studio Pakistan’s legacy of good music with subtle presentation and production alive post-season 6.

Cha rahi kali ghata – A beautiful song composed by Sahir Ali Bagga that gave us a flavour of old times when a raga based song would be melodiously rattled by a contemporary tune in between and touch our hearts. Hina Nasrullah and Amanat Ali were top class, and the moment that took my  breath away was at 4:04 mins when Amanat got into the skin of ghazal gayaki…what a beautiful beautiful song! Thanks to good people in Youtube comment section, I have come across some real good work by Hina Nasrullah. Do google her.

Faasle – A simple heartbreaking duet that played within its zone and didn’t let too many instruments get in the way of expressing hurt. Kaavish and Quratulain Balouch gave us too many reasons to play this on repeat. Jaffer Zaidi has a voice that is a balm on the senses and when he wished well to his beloved with devastatingly helpless yet beautiful words (penned by him incidentally), it was a delight. Quratulain Balouch, who finally got  a lot of real estate this season to display her brilliance, was equally melancholic and melodious. Easily, the most underrated and under appreciated song of this season. Watch how they ended this song…jaa haha hu main…jaa rahi hu main...c’est magnifique!

Tinak din na – I am penning this post on 22 September and I still cannot understand what did Waqar ehsin  bring to the song. Ali Hamza got the solid anchor role whereas Ali Sethi glided the way only he can. Waqar was more a spanner in the works than anything else. Perhaps Ali Noor would have been a better choice. Watch Waqar lose the sense of tune at  4:11 in the song. Still, the sheer energy of Ali Hamza and Ali Sethi is enough to hear this song on repeat. I have never disliked them but there was absolutely no need for the backup vocals in the song as well. A good song that is good in spite of the back up vocals, pointless detours in the composition in between and Waqar.

Laal Meri pat – A song that took me back to Rohail Hyatt days barely a second in the song. Akbar Ali (with his alaaps to die for) and the voice of God Arieb Azhar introduced the song. Quratulain Balouch’s voice provided the perfect rooting to the song. This is what old Coke Studio Pakistan fanatics would call psychedelic-meets-traditional, a brilliant brilliant song. I love the way Strings structured the song with terrific humnavas. Leaving the predictable, famous hook of the song and creating a new high point is a job that is too difficult and risky when you are tackling a generation defining song. They got it right, alright!

Naina moray –  Years ago, I came across this timeless composition for the first time in the voice of Ustad Bade Ghulam Ali khan sahab. Akbar ali is the discovery of the season for me and unsurprisingly here as well he shapes the entire song around his powerful gayaki. Yes, there is a terrific Zaki with axe in the song as well. I am somehow getting a bit tired of excessive murki filled gayaki of Javed Bashir though. It kills the mood and creates unnecessary intensity in song that don’t need it. Still, a powerful song.

Ghoom taana – Salman ahmed along with kick-ass Irteassh and talented Momina re-created the magic of this song and it sounded pretty good. Unlike the horrible Sayonee this season, Salman got the singer selection right this time round and apart from the ‘rattle and creaking’ production sound that is signature Strings, the song stood tall and made a smashing statement of hope. We could do with hope in these times.

Katay na katay – Ali Hamza gave us this cracker of the song with loads of help from Aima Baig, Rachel Viccaji and Humera arshad. I loved the energy and the melody this fusion oozed. Let’s try and think one Indian song we heard in unplugged, Coke Studio@MTV, blah-blu studios etc that comes close to the experiment of  3 super talented girls bringing the house down like this? Lastly, the tarana by Ali Hamza towards the end…stunning!

Tera naam – There is a saying in Pakistan music circle that loosely goes like – ‘Whatever you think is possible in music, Sajjad ali has already sung it’. With this song, Sajjad quietly re-affirms that position. In Coke Studio itself, barring few songs which I haven’t mentioned here, we have seen Sajjad ali give us a magnificent rang laga, a soulful Tum naraaz ho, a tongue in cheek kir kir kir, an insanely enjoyable suth  gana and all that was remaining was a beautiful love song…and here it is! The tune, the presentation, the sound and those lovely humnavas, everything just perfect.

That’s it for season 10 of Coke Studio Pakistan. If you want to read episode by episode review, you can click the link on the contributor’s name below. Do share with us your favourites.

– Rohit

The Reluctant Fundamentalist – O.S.T. Review

Posted: May 1, 2013 by moifightclub in cinema, Hollywood, music, Music review, reviews
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the-reluctant-fundamentalist-posterThe latest offering by Mira Nair features various artists and the album has as many as 14 tracks.

The album starts with Kangna, a traditional qawaali performed wonderfully by Fareed Ayaz and Abu Muhammad. The accentuated bass towards the end remind us that this is for a Film and not performed for anything else. Although the duo have sung this song for Coke Studio Pakistan as well where the duration was in excess of 10 mins, this one ends in less than 6 minutes, melodious nonetheless.

Bijli aaye ya na aaye features the otherwise serious Meesha Shafi. Severely let down on the lyrics the song survives because of the lovely throw that Meesha demonstrates. Peppy. The lyrics are so bad that they actually redefine the word ‘random’. However, this for sure will be closely walking with the narrative, of which I am sure.

Kaindey ney sung by Zahara Khan is up next. Performed with just a guitar and Sarod by the side for most part, Zahara appears slightly out of sync at times in this average song.

Ali Sethi hums Dil jalaney ki baat kartey ho extremely well and leaves you wanting for more because the track is barely 2 mins long.

Atif Aslam croons Mori araj suno and even though he tries very hard, thanks to the varied versions of this ageless composition that we have come across, this track falls short. But it does sound very theatrical.

Measure of me by Amy Ray is the best song of the album. Slow, melancholic and very high on melody. The arrangement is so simple that you might even ignore it. The backup vocal arrangement is brilliant as well.

A young man has to take a stand performed by Michael Andrews is a track filled with a lot of tension thanks to the eerie arrangement and loads of violins used. Ends quickly echoing the tension in the head.

Jannissary again performed by Michael is a slow piano piece with continuous violins. Somehow reminded me of 1947 The earth, this piece. Nicely done.

Something happened – Bass and a lot of bass instills anticipation in what appears to be an anxious track. A track that is very rich on sounds. Faintly heard someone sharpening knife, someone running through a door and then it all descends to a pause. One of the best instrumental pieces in a long time. Highly recommended.

God bless America A very short track comprising of crowds cheering and a continuous beat that eventually fades out far too quickly.

Love in Urdu by Rizzle kicks is a delicately arranged all instrumental piece peppered with subtle Sarod and guitar. Not as beautiful as love in Urdu would be but a soothing and simple track.

Focus on fundamentals paints a picture of tension, yet again. Aided in just right measure with violins and a dying bass line throughout. Eerie. Tensed. Dark.

Get us both killed has got a very dark tone throughout. The riffs remind you of a particular O.S.T. Which shall not be named here. :) the tempo steadily rises but never peaks and that’s quite eerie.

Too much blood has poured into this river With near absent vocals, this track keeps the dark undertone of the album alive. Aided by flute, the overall grave atmosphere gets a touch of sadness. The almost silent alaap is a touch of class in this track.

With Mira Nair, we are sure that the music will be totally circumstantial and compliment the feel of the film. The Reluctant Fundamentalist is no different. Will I hear it as much as the O.S.T. Of ‘The Namesake’? Well, No. The reason is simple. This O.S.T. stays so closely hugged to the film’s feel that you slip into sadness with some of the tracks of this film.

2 Thumbs up! If you are an O.S.T. Collector, do not miss this at any cost!

– @Rohwit

(Ed note : For more music reviews by Rohwit, you can check his blog here)