Coke Studio & Harmony, somewhere it is!

I wanted to write about second episode of this season of Coke Studio but due to some laziness and busyness it got delayed but it doesn’t mean I won’t comment We all love Coke Studio no doubt about it but let’s get critical after couple of listens, though I did promote this initiative like anything.

Firstly, it is pretty nice idea to name the episodes on values like individuality, harmony, equality, spirit and unity but why? There might be some conceptualization for adding certain songs in an episode or naming a particular episode but sadly I don’t see it. It would have been a better idea if they could have explained. Camera angles and shots could have been improved. Still the production value and the sounds we have been blessed with are to be boasted and appreciated.

The second episode has some gems and some goodness. First up is Kinara where song is pretty good but there is no harmony between the Atif and Riaz Khan because the later is utilized not properly. Riaz’s piece was short and Man Kunto Mowla was nothing more than a glimpse. Atif did a medley which was fast paced, good being that he only sing as much as he could, the only few verses of each song, with impressive vocals (yes!). It has a good fusion and a lot of grooves but no harmony. I liked his rock touch to Zahid Ne and its coming took me by surpise, Atif has some uncanny sense for ending things/songs.

Then comes the magical and soulful Jaaney Do. Undoubtedly my favorite from this episode. I can listen this forever, okay not forever but yes anytime. Both Josh’s vocals and backing vocals (Natasha and Saba) take you into beautiful otherworldliness. There is harmony in lyrics, vocals, arrangement, imagery everything. Especially the piece where there are only chords of Piano is cheerfully gloomy, Jafar Zaidi now I am your fan. Rohail’s effort is visible here. Jaaney Do, Mujhe Rehnay Do Yahan!

Then comes Shafqat. For his average performance, it was clever to sandwich it between soulful Jaaney Do and touching Daastan-e-Ishq. Aankhon ke Saagar is better than the original version, I loved the mellow feel to it. Most it is guitars or percussion which stands out usually but here Jafar Zaidi’s piano really shines out (piano and the beats are the only elements of harmony).  But then Shafqat has been the weakest in terms on living upto the fusion promise of Coke Studio. Moreover this song ends really vaguely.

Daastan-e-Ishq has two dard-bharey elements, Ali Zafar’s vocals and Baqir Abbas’s flute.. what a combination. I have never been a fan Ali Zafar just because his songs and uper se his videos have been senseless in the past (I kind of hate Ahsan Rahim too) but the spiritual touch has seriously benefitted Zafar in showcasing the real side of his talent. Composition is not memorable but still soothing and the mix of sufi shayiri here is awesome. It has so much harmony that it has never been memorable because my mind kind of numbs from the very start itself.

The show ends with Saieen Zahoor’s own written and composed Toomba which is a tribute to famous sufi poets and unconditional love for Allah. Javed Iqbal’s violin has really souz-o-guddas. This was the perfect end which really created harmony and compensated the something missing element of the first and third song. Nothing more needs to be said about it. Allah Hu!

Can’t wait to write about Individuality.

 

Heal the World

The month of June didn’t only bring long working hours of closing at banks and other institutions but  a lot of shocks for people as well.

We saw Pakistani citizens getting united after the T20 world cup win and then we saw the world getting united on MJ’s death, as mentioned by a fellow blogger Sid. Pakistan has been going through rough phase especially with the Swat and IDP and world at large hasn’t been that peaceful and justified as well. T20 brought hope for the nation where the public institutions have failed time and again, death of MJ has revived his message of equality and peace throughtout the world. Though I won’t give the whole credit to MJ, more so to his lyricists(who really installed the message in those words) and the power of music but then he also has a considerable contribution to bring the message to the world with a feel that resonated though we can’t comment whether he followed them or not but still he DID something.

We rejoiced and mourned while the events lasted, now when MJ has also received his memorial and has been buried, it is time for the world to THINK. ‘Blame No one,  Expect nothing, Do something!’. We have vested all our energies and hope in powers of politics and corporation. We now need to endorse the power of human endevour, the power of arts, music, culture and support. The message of harmony can only be spread through this medium and not through supporting any kind of war for any purpose at all.

Personalities like MJ doesn’t get born everyday. His personal history is like a case study. More than trying to label them we need to understand, the poor guy didn’t got understood in his childhood which brought so much misery all around with his cases, his debts, his image and what not. There is learning for everyone from children, their parents, teachers, artists, activitists and who not, and every kind of know the reasons or can search about them. BUT DO WE REALLY WANT TO INVEST TIME IN LEARNING is the question!

 

Hail Individuality! I am back to blog!

Coke Studio came, saw and conquered and hope that it will keep conquering. The first episode INDIVIDUALITY has gotten rave reviews. I have listened tracks whole week and thought to blog something about what effect they have left on me. Starting with Aj Latha Nayeeo, this composition is a rave fusion of east meets rock, true to the essence of Coke Studio. Javed Bashir’s vocals give you a rush which is perfectly aligned with the maestro of drumming Gumby.  But it would be important to say that Jawad Bashir has not given full justice to the lyrics (like Atif and Noori have given) because if you ask your beloved in that aggressive tone, s/he would go instantly forget staying for a while.

Then comes Paimona. If you’re Zeb and Haniya fan, you might not like this in a first go simply because the original version was so soulful and mellow. But after hearing coke studio version 3^rd or 4^th time, you feel wow and it is a possibility than you like it more than the original which happened in my case… it simply grows over you. The rubab and matka adds a rustic touch to it and vocals of Zeb Bangash as smooth as silk. I have always found Persian to be a very romantic language, and the fact that Paimona is Omer Khayyam’s Rubayi makes it even more special because of the mystical connection. The Pashto/Darri in original version always sounded kind of ajeeb once you know the words. I am not fan of that language; maybe time will expose me to its beauty as everything has something awe-inspiring.

Jaffar Zaidi’s keyboard is at excellence in Khamaj and Shafqat’s vocals didn’t bring anything new to the table as far as experimentation is concerned but still its a good and soulful listen.

After a performance packed with simplicity, rock star comes on the stage. Atif Aslam did such an awesome job. The arrangement makes you groove whereas Atif’s vocals are nothing less than a genius. He presents you with variety of moods, perfect for that very moment in the ocean of words and the way he gels Khan Saheb’s song is remarkable… a lot of people will be getting jealous but they can’t deny the sheer brilliance of this singer. The song ends as if it is lost in the wind like a fragrance. Natasha D’souza and Saba did an amazing job with backing vocals and it was evident that everyone in the house had fun making this masterpiece.

And the saved the best of the last. Once you listen either Saeein Zahoor (or Abida Parveen), you cannot help but fall in love with their music. Saeein Zahoor and Noori collaborate on Aik Alif which is Bulleh Shah’s kalam. Saeein Zahoor leads the stage with his aura and heritage, after which noori takes things forward and how giftedly! I never expected something of this caliber from noori, Ali Hamza is mesmerizing with his deep vocals and banjo guitar whereas Ali Noor gives rock a real sufi touch and not something superficial like Junoon always did. I don’t want to go into more details because the best doesn’t need to be described, I guess it is the power of the kalam which transcends, ‘hum mann ke dariya main dubey kia naya kia manjdaar, bas karee ho yaar ilmu!’. Rohail Hayat the mastermind behind this project said in an interview, “Can you imagine what this will be like when young Noori fans see them with Saieen Zahoor? Because Noori are cool and they are singing with Saieen, suddenly Saieen will become cool to some who do not know him at all.” This itself speaks of the dearth of promotion and pride that we have built in our nation for our artists.

M. Omair with his team at Creative Chaos and Selina(yeah the same lady who did backup vocals in first season) at The Lotus PR has did an exceptional job with online marketing on facebook page and their site which has given the fans and critique a platform for interaction and for them a chance to rejoice the quality this product has offered. As far as the visuals are concerned, the image quality is unmatched but I have always found Zeeshan Parvez to be overrated in his directorial and dop capacity but here he was able to pull off a decent job, maybe because of the presence of Adnan Malik. He did awesome job with Paimona and Aik Alif. Else was only good in parts and Khamaj was seriously bad as far as visuals are concerned. But then it is good enough for general public. The quality of music is more important actually. I liked Sohail Javed’s work which had aesthetic brilliance without the best of cameras and at the same time the raw live feel to it. Let’s see if it is able to keep up with the expectations for the next episodes, last time the excellence of fusion decreased with each episode though experimentation was still there. Hope for the best!.

 

Sub Keh Do!

Out of necessity, blogged at http://oneimageless.tk for this post.

 

You’re Invited!

30 Artists and 200 Photographs out of which three are my photographic works which will be displayed on the walls.

You can read my posts related to 7th Kara Film Fest at:

Filams

Documentaries

I would write about Firaaq which bagged the best movie award later on this blog.

 

Hail philosophy!

A friend asked why finance and accounting is so boring?

My answer was, because it doesn’t deal with pythagoras’s theories of numbers.

 

Satrangi Re!

It’s like nearly a month that I have not blogged and that is bad.

I went to day screenings of Kara Film Festival today which comprises of shorts, documentaries and indie work. Had a great time. Every time I go there, it reminds me that I had a passion for direction which seems to be sort of distant dream now. Priorities are also in a maze. Then IBA is organizing a documentary competition for students. Should I give it a try? Okay I will come up with a concept and even a script but I don’t have fund for equipment. Even if there is equipment, I don’t have a team who knows how to use it. Making something unpresentable with a lot of hard work is no good either. But having something than nothing isn’t bad either. I am stuck!

One thing that I still want to say, a thing which I also blogged at KMB is, seriously feel that we are really good with stories and characterization but we need to work on screenplay and camera angles/composition big time and sometimes vice versa. Somehow both come seldom in a project. Something which is of Mehreen Jabbar’s calibre.

Chalo dekhte hain zindagi kis mor par le jati hai.

 

It is written.

I need to blog this, I am so thrilled to hear that Rahman won a gloden globe for the possibly awesomest soundtrack

of Slumdog Millionaire. And I can bet the only things which makes it a feel-good movie is firstly the soundtrack followed by crisp editing/screenplay/cinematography and the youngest jamal.

My picks: O saya, Latika’s Theme/Dreams on Fire, Ringa Ringa and Jai Ho. Mausam&Escape and Millionaire are also good. All in all, the whole album is a must listen!

Now fingers crossed for Oscars. This guy deserves it!