Thursday 29 November 2012

Sharaf Qaiser Band - Kerb

Here's something I stumbled upon recently. The song is called 'Kerb', and it has been performed/produced by the 'Sharaf Qaiser Band'. Whereas the name of the group might suggest that they make academic and pedantic jazz/fusion, what comes out of yours speakers is somewhat contrary to that notion. If Pakistan were ever to produce its own Audioslave or Soundgarden, this would be it. Is Karachi pushing certain individuals to make music like this by providing the requisite socio-political catalysts?  The parallel with late 80s and early 90s Seattle grunge scene becomes more meaningful, all of a sudden. The tune itself uses all of the canonical Audioslave motifs: sludgy guitars, ample fuzz, noise, distortion/feedback, grungy vocals (albeit in Urdu), dampened 4/4 drums, Tom Morello-esque guitar manipulation. Every now and then, a Zakk Wylde whiff also inundates your eardrums. The song's pretty buffed up, and you'll probably want to hit the replay button. For future references, whenever you listen to the vocalist screaming out 'meray paas yahan kuch bhee naheen', don't forget to imagine a bunch of haggard/grim looking guys driving down a dilapidated road in Korangi on a beat up 95' Mazda. It greatly enhances the listening experience.





Imran Sumbal - Lonesome End

Developments in the peripheries. Here's a tune called 'Lonesome End', and it's by Imran Sumbal, who's from Lahore. The tune starts off with Carpathian keys that might have you believe that you're somewhere in Guitar-Pro's midi-tinged world. However, the guitars quickly come in and assert their dominant role a la Faraz Anwar in his Dusk years. The second part of the tune features a solo over an Opeth-y chord progression. Whereas one can roughly see where Sumbal is coming from musically, he manages to bring in something unique into the composition, thereby making it his own.





Saturday 24 November 2012

Poor Rich Boy - Zardarazir

I probably wouldn't know where to start. Writing about Poor Rich Boy's music is no easy task, and I find myself doing so with utmost discretion. I cannot make any positive statements, lest I fall into the depths of pigeon-holing. I wouldn't want to deconstruct the lyrics and try to relate them to a certain event, feeling or emotion. 'Zardarazir' might, or might not have political connotations attached, but I'd prefer to present it as a divorced entity. If the earlier, Shehzad Noor-centric Poor Rich Boy was more manic, this Umer Khan inspired facade is triumphant in its use of minimal vocal harmony. The production is earthy, and leaves plenty of room for the acoustic instruments to find their respective places. This is poetry, and it is presented in mixed media.




Saturday 17 November 2012

Sound of Madness - Blue

Yet another band from Karachi, ladies and gentlemen. The name of the tune is 'Blue', and they released it in March earlier this year. This is what they have to say about themselves: 'Sound of madness is passion and it's a journey that will take you into a space where there's no moon and sun, but only melodies filled with madness'. A little too complacent, you say? Perhaps not entirely so. 'Blue' is a nice mix of melody and vocal harmony. Moreover, it manages to exude the kind of melancholy-ridden aura that one finds in Anathema's tunes. The pensive air is accentuated with the help of keys, weeping guitar-bends and background ambience. They've also come up with a video for the tune, which has been uploaded on Youtube. The cover art depicts a female gravitating towards a blue balloon in a somewhat surreal semi-urban landscape.





Friday 9 November 2012

Mole - Ducktape

Mole's music might come across as inscrutable, or somewhat alien for the uninitiated. However, once you peer into the vast auditory multiverse that they've managed to forge, things eventually fall into place. Not only that, you realize the audacity required to traverse uncharted sonic terrains. Consider this tune. If you're put off by the quacking bass-wobble at the beginning, give it a chance. It eventually morphs into a synth-fed, siren-wielding beast at around the 1.10 mark. 8-bit chiptune goodness ensues.





Wednesday 7 November 2012

Project JT - Circles

Project JT is a band that's still in it's embryonic stages, and this is the only tune they've released so far. In case you're wondering, the 'JT' stands for 'Johar Town' (The band members used to study together in Lahore Grammar School, Johar Town branch). The tune is slick in terms of production, and comes across as the apotheosis of the commercial hard-rock aesthetic as exemplified by a number of Western bands in the early-mid 00s. Moreover, it seems to have the kind of intuitive balance that renders it suitable for a wide audience or repetitive radio-airplay. The melodies bank on the listener's expectations by providing agreeable motifs. It's almost like poetic justice being divorced from its literary context, and being applied to music. The vocalist for the band, Haris Usmani has cited Alter Bridge as a strong influence, and that manages to come through in the tune.