Madly-in-Verse

Friday, 17 April 2020

O is for ... Oil ... On ... Options

O Sanam- Sunoh is one of the most popular tracks that Lucky Ali ever sang - you've met him before, he's an artiste from the 90's a bit ahead of his time, some fans feel... have a listen.

N is for ... North ... n ... Navigate

Today I have Nalaayak for you, a young band formed in 2015 in Chandigarh in the North, with a number called Zindagi -

And then we have the veterans Sonu Nigam and Ila Arun combining popular and folk music from different regions of India in these two tracks from the 90s.

M is for...Materials... Marvellous ... n ... Masterful

Have a listen first to Alisha Chinai's Made in India - a megapopular track from 1995, and then go onto a more recent one from MAP. Enjoy!

And finally, Maatir Rong from Anupam Roy, for its evocative visual and lyrics in this difficult locked down time in Kolkata, where my elderly parents are.

It's been a particularly godawful time between the last posting and this, so it's a relief to get online and get posting for Write...Edit...Publish..., phew! I hope all of you are hunkered down and socially distant, keeping safe and well. These past few weeks have made yet another advantage of WEP further clear to me - it's pandemic proof!

I'm still kind of hungover from the previous posting, where there was an outpouring of fanwork based on Vincent van Gogh's Cafe Terrace at Night. So I let my mind wander in the same directions for this challenge too, but as usual my wordcount control is pathetic. So the 1000 wordstone is embedded within the text, read till there or go beyond as you wish, totally up to you. I would have split it into two, but what with the ongoing A-Z, I know I'd never get around to posting the second part. So, here goes -

The Grasshopper. The Pigeon. The Bulldog.

The usefulness of the pot lies in its emptiness. ~ Lao Tzu, Ancient Chinese philosopher.

L is for...Life ... Liberty ... Land ... n .... Longing ...

First, here’s The Local Train, a Hindi rock band with their popular track Bandey, a Chandigarh based, relatively young group of musicians. That's followed by Lakkhichhara - a Bengali band based in Kolkata, formed at the turn of the millennium, so a bit older than the first guys. And lastly, there's veteran Lucky Ali with Dekha Hai Aise Bhi a long ago hit when the way we listened to music was oh so very different.

K is for...Kollur .... Kakatiya.... n ... Khilji

Starting with Kesariya by Suneeta Rao today - a mid-nineties track which combined Rajasthani folk music with Rap for the first time in the Indipop genre, a chart topper at the time and still a popular dance number in live shows.

From the North to the South - the next track, Kolaveri Di, is a 2011 internet sensation, composed and sung by Dhanush in Tanglish (colloquial Tamil and English), combining ancient Tamil instrumentation and elements of South Indian folk music. It was part of the soundtrack of a Tamil film and went viral upon its release, not just in India but worldwide.

J is for...Just ... Jaw-dropping

Jahan Tu Chala by Jasleen Royal is the first track I have today, followed by Ae Dil Hai Mushkil by Jubin Nautiyal. The last number - Jimmiki Kammal, is a film track in Malayalam from Kerala, which went viral upon release in 2017 and many dance covers mushroomed. Apparently, US anchor and host Jimmy Kimmel listened to it and shared on social media that he liked the song :)

I is for....Images... Idols ... n ... Intricate...

Here’s Inner Sanctum, a thrash metal band form Bangalore, with a track called Ikarus. Followed by Indian Ocean – they were one of the pioneers of fusion rock way back in the 90s, playing live in Dhaka – a track called Bandeh. Enjoy!

H is for... Hills ... Handkerchief... n ... Home...

First off, I have Ho Jayegi Balle Balle from Daler Mehndi – one of the veterans of Bhangra Pop who’s been singing in this foot-tapping robust genre of Punjabi music since the 90s.

Next is a Bengali track – Hariye Jaowar Gaan, from Anupam Roy, you've encountered him before, a prominent name among the contemporary Bengali artistes – have a listen.

Finally, here’s Zakir Hussain, the finest percussionist India has, collaborating with David Holland and others to play jazz fusion.

Handkerchief, Hills and the Home of Snow.

G is for.... Genesis ... n ... Gambles

This is one of the first indie rock bands of India with their first song, Gotta Keep Rolling. They formed waaaay back in the 1970s, when the general public was still hungover from Beatlesmania and the ongoing political upheavals in Calcutta n wider Bengal at that time. Read more about The Great Bears and the genesis of rock here.

And then a fresh new band formed less than a decade ago, here's The Ganesh Talkies with The Great Indian Freak Show.

Ending with Ghawrkuno Ghash from Anupam Roy, a track from a popular Bengali songwriter, composer and singer.

Games and Gambles

F is for ... Fusion ... n ...Famous Finial...

Firstly, here's Fossils with Phire Chaulo, a well known indie band from Calcutta. Followed by Fiddler's Green singing live in San Francisco - a fusion of West African with Bengali folk, Fatou Yo. Enjoy!

E is for ... Enormous ... n ... Exchange ... n ... Events

Enjoy it while it lasts – a good precept! but also the title of this first track I have for you today, from the band Easy Wanderlings. And then listen to the veteran Anjan Dutta with Ekhono Tai, where Dylan’s influence on Indian contemporary music is very clearly audible. Well, enjoy! :)

D is for ... Dynasty ... Dexterous ... n ... Decorations

Today I have two heavy metal bands for you. The first is the death metal band called Demonic Resurrection with The Dwarf (Vamana) - they are the most successful heavy metal band from India. I have to say that I admire the concept of retelling Indian mythology through Western music, though my listening taste doesn't lean in this direction.

The Down Troddence is a band originally from Kerala in South India -

Finally, Dhruv Vishwanath, with a gentler vibe that’s more to my taste. Have a listen -

C is for... Charkha ... Cotton ... n ... Colonialism

First I have this awesomely choreographed number from Coshish, have a listen -

Here’s Conductor, another old but favourite hat, from Chandrabindoo in Bengali

Finally, I give you Childhood by Aditi Ramesh, another young musician based out of Bombay who combines elements of an Indian Classical music tradition called Carnatic with jazz.

B is for.... Buttons ...n... Bijoux ...

It doesn't matter if you follow the lyrics or not, you'll understand the title once you listen. :) Here's Breathless from singer composer Shankar Mahadevan -

And this is a track called Bawra by Naalayak. I suppose I should have given some space to Bollywood here, but I am not so fond of the current filmy music...sorry! Besides which, Indian music or even films do not equal only Bollywood, as the bigwigs of Bombay film industry would lead you to believe. India has 22 official languages in which songs have been sung for centuries...