Noori, “Taaron Se Aagay” Official Video and Live CD Released Today!
HOT OFF THE PRESS! Noori just released their official music video for their newest song, “Taaron Se Aagay” a couple of hours ago. The song itself was released on February 12, 2012 to a relatively luke-warm reception by social media standards (~14k YouTube views, ~11k on SoundCloud) but that doesn’t seem to have affected the band at all, as they added heavyweights Faraz Anwar and Zeeshan Parwez to their live lineup and went on to organize their own concert. This alone would’ve been enough to satisfy their legion of fans, but staying true to their new song’s title, they decided to go above and beyond by recording Pakistan’s first live concert cd, releasing Today, May 19! They have already released one other track off the cd, crowd favourite “Kuttay (Te Tho Uttay)” about a month ago. I should’ve posted it back then, but better late than never!
By the material released thus far, it really sounds like Noori outdid themselves this time. Sounds strong, energetic, and as ambitious as ever. Stay tuned to this space for a full album review as soon as I can get my hands on it!
One question remains however: Where did Mohammad Ali Jafri go?
OK, so is EP’s manager M. Night Shyamalan? Cuz I haven’t seen twists like this since The Sixth Sense. Entity Paradigm, the band that at one point had two drummers and three vocalists is now a trio. Fawad Khan and Waqar Khan have left the band just a few days after announcing the release of a video fittingly titled “Ajab Tamasha”. If my memory serves me correctly, I believe this is the second time Waqar has left.
To be honest, they can survive without Waqar as Salman Albert (still in the band) is a very competent drummer. But can they survive Life After Fawad? A lot of people doubted they could even go on without Xulfi, and it’s a fact that they’ve only released one song since that happened. Losing Fawad is pretty much a headshot; I’m not sure why they don’t just retire the band instead of ripping it apart in public. Continue under a different name if you want to continue performing together. Ahmad Ali Butt can’t pull off vocal duties alone on EP songs.
If they’re really serious about continuing under the EP banner, what they need to do is find a kid out there who deserves a shot. Get some young blood into the mix and use that to propel EP’s renaissance. There are plenty of guys out there who can fill in. What Fawad did on Irtiqa will be forever remembered, and this suggestion is not meant to discredit him in any way, but there has got to be someone (besides Ahmad Ali Butt) that can take the reigns. The dynamic between two vocalists is what made EP stand out, and in my eyes is the key to their success.
Heck, they can even take this opportunity and turn it into a TV show or something. Open tryouts for EP’s vocalist job, like INXS did with Rockstar: INXS! It would be a fitting gesture as well since EP was created out of the bands Entity and Paradigm in an attempt to get on the Pepsi Battle of the Bands show all those years ago.
Get some true excitement going, because they’ll need all the momentum they can muster if they want to really come back with a bang after being delivered such a crippling blow.
Kuch Shor Machaa. Awaaz Uthaa.
Entity Paradigm (EP) just released the new teaser poster for their upcoming music video, apparently titled “Ajab Tamasha”! Their last video was pretty decent in my opinion; looking forward to how they take this next step in their journey. I’ve always been a huge fan of the band’s work, and Irtiqa still stands as one of the most complete rock albums Pakistan has ever seen. Stay tuned for more EP news as it unravels…
Source: https://www.facebook.com/eptheband
Bohemia’s “Paisay Da Nasha”.. woh kehtay hain na, ‘big tings’.
Thanks Coke Studio for bringing something fresh each new season. Was really looking forward to this one, and it definitely delivered. First episode featured a great mix of artists and should have something for everyone. To be honest, I don’t listen to Bohemia at all. I may have heard a song or two years ago but definitely not an artist I follow. Here’s hoping that will change for me, and for many others. I’m not really a fan of the few recent rap acts to come out of Pakistan, so rediscovering Bohemia at this point in time feels reassuring. Love his delivery, hard and gritty, and his message as well. My only qualm is the rest of the arrangement. Perhaps one of Rachel or Zoe should have had a more prominent role, and really owned the hook. The music also seems like it could’ve used a bit more grit to match Bohemia. Couldn’t really pick out the bass drum (bass guitar was great though), which is kind of an important element in hip hop. Perhaps they should’ve thrown an electric guitar into the mix and really made it special.
Oh well, everyone’s a critic I suppose. Still happy with what we got :) Thanks Rohail!
Review: Uth Records 2.0, Sara Haider feat. Ali Haider & Imam Hamdani - Tera Saath
First review in quite a long time! Let’s get on with it, shall we? First off, mixed feelings about Ali Haider not being THE Ali Haider. Relieved and let down at the same time, go figure :P Having said that, I don’t mind this Ali Haider at all, held down rhythm guitars pretty well, so good for you :) Anyways, enough about Ali Haider.
Ali Haider.
Ok, it’s out of my system. I loved this latest episode of Uth Records’ sophomore season, which is really turning out to be a true delight to watch and listen to. This episode really appealed to me on a couple of different levels. The instrumental was an absolute joy to listen to, everything came together perfectly in my opinion. The serene horn, the progressive guitaring, the acoustic rhythm. All came together to create the lounge, smooth jazz atmosphere. Hats off to Imam for the wonderful performance on this track, really led the way in my opinion. And that solo at 4:50! Aala, as they say. Apart from skill, I really gained respect for this guy after hearing him speak about himself and Sara, noting that they both have a lot of room for improvement before they can call themselves true musicians (paraphrased off the top of my head). The humility is always nice to see in the newcomers :)
Speaking of improvement! Before I go further, I want to stress that I really am a fan of Sara Haider’s vocals. Having said that, I feel like something was..off? Singing this style of music is incredibly difficult, and I always feel that more is expected of a female vocalist, fair or unfair. Is it “too soft”? Is it lacking “dimension”? Does it go “too high”? Am I a complete idiot? All of these are questions that come to mind. I feel like we have stumbled upon a work in progress, and this being a showcase of youth talent, we should take it as it is and not be dismissive in our criticism. I can’t wait to hear where Sara goes from here, and look forward to watching her rise to stardom :)
All in all, great to see these young artists who are coming from all sorts of eclectic musical backgrounds and bringing something fresh to the fans of Pakistani music. I love the John Mayer-ish guitaring with that delicious tone. Which reminds me, perhaps that solo would’ve gotten a stronger push if they weaved Sara’s vocals around it. I felt she just kind of disappeared in that final climactic minute of the song. Anyways, enough blabbering. Time for some sweet, sweet tunes:
Coming soon to Uth Records, LISTEN NOW!
Well, Uth Records recently announced their third act for Season 2: XXI! Now, I know I have yet to post anything about Jarar and Affaq, hope to get to that soon, but I had to post about XXI ASAP due to the fact that I’m actually already a fan of their work :D The song they will be recording is called “Taare”, which you can check out above. Please note this is more of a demo version, and not the version we will see on Uth Records this weekend. It’s a solid track, fun, energetic, and it’ll be fun to see if and how they change the track with Gumby producing it. Having said that, it’s actually not my favourite song of theirs. I’ll post my favourite XXI song in another post, and try to offer some of my amateur perspective in the form of a structured video review. Yeah, fun :P enjoy Taare for now, and I’ll catch ya on the flipside!
Welp, here’s another instant classic by True Brew Records, same label as Jamal Rahman from my previous post. TBR definitely looks like it’s going to be providing us with some more unique works in the near future, which is absolutely great news for a Pakistani music scene that has started to feel stale to me. There are a bunch of great artists that are not being promoted at the level they deserve to be, and the very least we can do is spread the word within our spheres of influence. Heck, it’s probably the BEST thing we can do at this point.
Oh, and the SONG! DIL JALAY! Been listening to this track for the past month, loving the simple music and simple lyrics. Really keeps it roots-y and honest. And are those actual dreadlocks?? I first heard of Malang Party through a promo by Hamza Jafri’s The Guitar School. There was a gig, and some vids surfaced out of it. I loved the band’s groove on “12 Meel Duur”, dripping with funk. How can you not be drawn towards it? These men wield their instruments with skill, and looks like they’re on the hunt. Looking very forward to more material :)
YouTube their other videos, and join them on Facebook! https://www.facebook.com/malangpartygroup
Alright. Don’t ask me where I’ve been, but I’m back. I tried easing myself in through Twitter a month or so back, but it’s time to just start posting. Just finished touching up the FB page, so please join me there as well if you already haven’t.
So I just came across this 1 year old track, “Naina Moray”, by Jamal Rahman, featuring Haider Rahman and Naeem Mehdi. I have never heard of any of these guys, but I hope to find some more info on them in the coming days and weeks. The track itself, is UNBELIEVABLE. I have no idea how I hadn’t heard it before. Sophisticated funk, clean, fresh, a delicious fusion track all around! Do yourself a favour and hit play, and then share it with your loved ones.
Source: SoundCloud / TrueBrewRecords
Review: Coke Studio Season 4 Episode 2: Sajjad Ali, Kirkir Kirkir
ALRIGHT! Yet ANOTHER disclaimer before you read the following entry. I had started writing this review on two previous occasions, only to have it erased by some computer malfunction. I was so excited to write about my feelings, yet it was hard to rewrite my words after the first erasure. You could imagine my frustrations after the second time I had my writings deleted which, ultimately, led to the delay of all the reviews of the entire episode. SO, I finally decided I had to ignore this one and write about the other songs, to get me back in the groove. Now that I’ve taken a stab at Lala and Kaavish, I am ready again, for the third time, to write about Sajjad Ali’s Coke Studio debut!
Now, I absolutely love Sajjad Ali. Since the day Coke Studio was announced, I have had him at or near the top of my dream team lineup. His songs evoke a strong nostalgia in me, from the Chief Saab to Babia, Mahiwaal, Paaniyon Mein, Teri Yaad, and Kuch Nahin. All these songs hold a special place in my past, and are woven into the fabric of my memories. You could imagine my absolute joy at hearing his voice in the Coke Studio promo, but what the heck was he singing? Didn’t remind me of anything I have ever heard him do, either lyrically or style-wise. I didn’t know how this was gonna turn out, as I hesitantly waited for the song to arrive.
And the moment came. Kirkir Kirkir.. interesting. Solo vocals, followed closely by a galloping beat. A goofy grin breaks out on my face. A HOEDOWN!! YEEEHAWWW!!! What a catchy, footstomping tune, an amazing amazing surprise :D Seriously, if you are physically capable of either tapping your foot, nodding your head, or smiling and you aren’t doing either of them, there’s something wrong with you. Go get yourself checked out by a psychiatrist. Seriously. One thing that really impressed me was the house band’s performance on this track. It highlights their diversity and versatility as they take on a very uncommon meter and rhythm but execute it flawlessly. Real musicianship on display on this track, well done to the whole team! Such a fun song, glad he chose a song like this to break out on Coke Studio. I think the last time they had a song with this much lightheartedness in it was Zeb and Haniya’s “Chup” from season 2.
Although again, I didn’t understand much of it (I really need to learn Punjabi), I loved the way the words flowed and they seemed to be very personal, as he mentions himself in it. It felt like a gift to all his fans who have stuck by his side all these years, and that’s the way i’ll take it :) Looking forward to seeing him perform one of his classics now. Listen below, and swing yer partner round and round!
Review: Coke Studio Season 4 Episode 2: Kaavish, Nindiya Re
On to Kaavish! Now, this band has truly played with my emotions over the years. I went from crazed fan, to frustrated follower, to indifferent individual. With their appearance on Coke Studio Season 4, the frustrations have returned. How long ago did I hear Bachpan, probably in my own bachpan! Years went by without a debut album, as fans had to wait endlessly for a studio release. By the time Gunkali was launched, I have to admit I had lost all interest in what they had to show the world, and I still haven’t heard the album.
There’s the background of my relationship with the band. With an appearance in Coke Studio, I was obligated to listen to what they had to offer, so I put my feelings aside and hit play. My eyes feel heavy as I close them and let the vocal stylings of Jaffer Zaidi hush my frustrations. His deep, sleepy delivery manages to maintain technical prowess, as he takes us on a gliding trip under the midnight moon. Asad Ahmed is given another opportunity to show his bluesy chops. Absolutely loving the tone, it invokes feelings of Clapton and John Mayer, thanks Rohail for adding that bit in! Really hoping Omran gets a solo or two this season :) Rachel and Zoe are spot on as usual, I have to say I am enjoying their backup deliveries more than previous seasons’ ladies. Kudos to Coke Studio for introducing some new blood in the house band :) Oh, and a XYLOPHONE!! I hope they keep that thing on set as well, truly adds a freshness to the songs similar to what the cello’s did for Mizraab’s “Kuch Hai”.
All in all, a very suble, moving track that stays true to Kaavish’s style. Well, at least the Kaavish I knew before I grew impatient with the album wait. Perhaps it’s time to go grab a copy of Gunkali :)
