Top Indian Songs of the week 13th October 2024

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Here are the best songs released in India across languages and genres for the week ending 13th October 2024

1. Hoke Majboor

Producer: Akshay & IP

Composer: Akshay & IP

Lyricist: IP Singh

Language: Hindi

Genre: Tumri Fusion

Mood: relaxing

I have been a huge fan of Akshay & IP and they are a class apart in this sea of mediocrity. I will be listening to the full album of "Taaza Khabar Season 2", but for now I am in love with this song and a lion's share of that compliment goes to the lead vocalist of the band 'Agnee' Mohan Kannan. The song feels like one dreamy Tumri and we have Akshay & IP on composition and music production, with IP Singh writing the heartfelt words. 

The Tabla and Harmonium with rhythms and keys give us a fusion to behold. The melody reigns supreme and it is also supported by some excellent arrangements, take the Sitar solo in the interlude for example. When Mohan sings "laut aanek ka bahan tha" we feel that this is an excuse to keep coming back to the song, such is the power of great singing, a melodious composition and impactful lyrics. The duo of Akshay & IP excels in their production. How often do we see two varying interludes in Bollywood or any other music these days? The outro is more sumptuous music offered with a Sitar solo. I wish it never ended. There probably is some Raag Bihag in the melody

@akshayandip @safirock @akshayraheja @mohankannanofficial @bhuvan.bam22 @rohitonweb 

2. Tenu Sang Rakhna

Music Composer - Achint Thakkar

Singers - Arijit Singh, Anumita Nadesan & Achint Thakkar

Lyrics - Varun Grover

Music Producer - Achint

Additional Production - Shalom Benjamin

Language: Hindi

Genre: Alt-Pop

Mood: Energetic 

Yes, I am impressed with some of the songs by Achint Thakkar in 'Jigra'. I had qualms when the teaser was released a couple of weeks ago and the song playing was ' Phoolon ka Taaron ka'. I thought maybe this too will be an album filled with remixes. But this single and the title track are good records overall. Achint who has worked with Vasan Bala over the years, composes the tune and produces the song with additional production by Shalom Benjamin. 

We are taken into the world of this single with some exquisite guitars and bass played by Achint. I am sold right there as the vocal harmonies step in, in the intro. Anumita Nadesan who has become quite famous in the indie space is the female lead vocalist, and she gives off a 'Jasleen Royal '-esque vibe and tone here. Arijit comes in with a beautiful line written 'raasta ye jaane le chala hai kahan, raasta na maane yu jahan main vahan'. The Piano in the background hits the right notes but things are maintained with some calmness. Achint also joins as an additional vocalist.

I love how Anumita performs the line "le chala, hai kahan", with a lag behind Arijit. The accompanying, lead guitars and rhythm guitars are arranged and executed wonderfully. The song enters into a zone where vocalists combine and there is a rush of blood with the line "hun mud aave,  pinjre da panchi hun udeya ve oh" and this part is mesmerising. Kudos to Varun Grover for these excellent lyrics and Parth Pandya who is the music supervisor. The lead vocalists along with backing vocal harmonies, guitars and bass is a fitting end to the song. 

The kids singing in the chorus are Riti Ganesh, Gaurangi Suresh Veerkar, Dhruva Dipesh Parmar and Rudra Nitendra Rathi. The Choir co-ordinator is Sreerupa G. The recording engineers are Abhishek Khandelwal and Dileep Nair at YRF Studios, with Abhishek also the mix/master engineer.

@achintstagram @arijitsingh @vidushak @anumita.nadesan @parthmpandya @nightsongrecords @shalombenjamin @abhimixkardo

3. Kaliyaan

Music Production: Lost Stories

Vocals: Bawari Basanti

Composition: Lost Stories, Bawari Basanti

Language: Hindi

Genre: Folktronic

Mood: Energetic

This is a dream combination with 'Lost Stories' and Bawari Basanti, as their music styles go hand in hand. Lost Stories have been a revelation in folktronic music and Bawari has been a primary force in giving traditional musical styles a boost through her own creative offerings. The melody here is composed by both in collaboration and the music production duties rightly fall in the hands of Prayag Mehta and Rishab Joshi( Lost Stories)

This could be a melody steeped in Raag Desh or maybe Malhar. The acoustic guitar and Keys amp up the sound when we get to the pre-chorus segment as Bawari sings " dil se dil mil jaayein". The interlude is where 'Lost Stories' gains traction with their idiosyncratic programming on keys, rhythms and overall production. I love how the Thavil is brought into the scheme of things just before the beautiful verse begins. 

Bawari enunciates the nicely written melody with her voice, delivery and the swaras. The use of the guitars, Tabla and Keys punctuated at the perfect instances makes this one amazing record. The refrain "dil se dil mil jaayein" wins the heart all over again. Watch-out for that bridge section and outro which has some zany alt hip-hop style end EDM influences too. The tracks are mixed and mastered by Prayag and Rishab. 

@loststories @prayagmehta @rishabjoshi @bawaribasanti 

4. Daavaanal

Written and composed by Antara Ansuna

Music Production: Harsh Karmakar

Language: Hindi

Genre: Semi-classical fusion

Mood: Relaxing

Antara Ansuna, that's her name, but if you feel her music is 'ansuna' (unheard), then you are the one to blame. I have featured her singles a couple of times and I find this young talented artist's work quite compelling and pure. This single has traces of Raag Malhar according to me and it is the beautiful melody, accompanying arrangements and fine vocals that give us something to cherish. Antara composed the melody, penned the lyrics, and performed the lead vocals. 

Rohan Prasanna mollifies the heart with his soothing Sarod intervention and the mild Tabla by Mrunmay Chavan keeps the tempo and energy going with no harshness or hurry. I love the harmonies in the background with the female vocals coming in when Antara sings "sukoon-e-baarish dhoond raha tha". Kudos to Harsh Karmakar who excels in getting the arrangements perfectly blended. Harsh is the music producer. The faint guitars and bass enhance the song's gentle and relaxing mood. The interlude allows Rohan Prasanna to sizzle with the flowy Sarod, and just before the stanza, Mrunmay dazzles on the Tabla with a brisk play. 

Antara leaves a mark with her ethereal voice and the combination of Antara and Harsh is golden, they set an example of how a good composition along with some terrific production, are both needed to create a fine piece of art. The closing line of the stanza "teri hatheli pe main jhoom raha tha" has a very interesting and creative twist of notes especially on the phrase "hatheli pe" and the accompanying Tabla is a sign of high creativity in this team. The tracks are mixed by Ankit Rai and mastered by Sarang Gupta, the recording engineers are Yash Joshi and Suraj Borekar at The Audio Guys Institute.

@mrunmaychavan @firstwav @harshkarmakar @taginstitute @antara.ansuna @rohanprasanna @bansuri_vaadak @_surajborekar_ @rishi_mukherje_e @yash_2410.s @zyferlive

5. Kannil

Music Director: Ashwin Aryan

Singer: Vidyadharan Master

Lyrics: Ajeesh Dasan

Backing Vocals: Ashwin Aryan, Harikiran Menon

Music Producers: Ashwin Aryan, Harikiran Menon, Sabarish Menon

Language: Malayalam

Genre: Folk-pop/Alt-Pop

Mood: Dance

Kudos brother Ashwin Aryan! Here he is getting featured for the second consecutive week on my website with a fantastic song. This Alt-Pop single has me moving and grooving on my desk as I type the review. The vocals add such an amazing rawness and likability, thanks to Vidyadharan Master, and he is here giving off the vibes of Antony Dasan who has become the first choice for many Malayalam songs. The team of Ashwin Harikiran Menon and Sabarish Menon are amping up the synths and keys and giving a reason to cherish good music. The pallavi may have some influences of Karaharapriya Ragam. 

The trio have done the music production with Harikiran and Sabarish playing the vital roles of associate music directors to Ashwin. Ajeesh Dasan pens the lyrics. The vocal harmonies (Harikiran and Ashwin on backing vocals) are another stunning element in the song's arrangements and they intervene at various instances. The interlude sounds like a Veena and it probably is programmed, giving vibes of Abhogi Ragam. The electric and acoustic guitars are played beautifully by Sabarish Menon. The song is pure bliss and it scores heavily in all departments like melody, vocals and production. The recording engineers are Jisto George and Sundar with mixing and mastering done by Shatarchi Hundet

@vidyadharanmasterofficial @ashwinayan @anusree_luv @ajeesh_dasan_ @shatarchi @sabarishsyn29 @superpolite 

6. Vastanu Vastanule

Music Composed, Programmed & Arranged - Chaitan Bharadwaj

Singer - Kapil Kapilan

Lyrics - Vengi

Language: Telugu

Genre: Light music/Pop

Mood: Romantic

Chaitan Bharadwaj has been quite consistent with his work over the last couple of years and it shows with songs like these. This is a beautiful song with a stirring melody, and when Kapil Kapilan comes on board as the male lead vocalist, you better hold your horses and wait for a jolly ride. Ravi Shankar's flute keeps playing along with the keys and the strings section all thanks to Chaitan's excellent programming and arrangements. The lyrics are written by Vengi. 

Kapil simply brings the roof down with his poignant delivery in the song's anupallavi. Arun Chiluveru plays the excellent acoustic guitars right through and we have some fascinating harmonies arranged making it a wholesome hearing experience. The interlude offers so much joy with a melody written for the flute solo to shine and Ravi just nails it. The presence of harmonies, bass and keys is felt every turn and chord progression. RushMusic is the music production company and the recording is at RushStudios. The mixing and mastering engineer is Vinay Kumar at Melody Digital

@chaitanbharadwaj @kapilkapilanmusic @raviflute @arun.chiluveru 

7. Makes Sense 

Composer: Dhruv Dhingra, Anant Mital, Anurag Hazarika, Rijul Singh

Band: Dhruv Dhingra, Edo, Rijul Singh, Tommaso, Anant Mital

Language: English

Genre: Rock

Mood: Trippy

Nowhere Station gives us this enjoyable rock single that takes us somewhere nice thanks to the vocals of frontman Rijul Singh. He has this lackadaisical and cool presence when he sings the lines and it would be a half-baked cake without the super band accompanying on live instrumentals. Anurag Hazarika waves some electric guitar magic during all the solo moments and he really grabs your attention. 

Anant Mittal is the constant source of adrenaline by getting your feet tapping thanks to his drums and the style quotient gets the nod and blessing of Dhruv Dhingra on bass. Dhruv is also the keyboardist in the band. The interlude gets you into a trippy zone with that solo on lead guitars and Anurag shows that he is here to transport you to anywhere magical like a fantasy land. I loved the rhythm programming that gave a touch of Djembe in the background. 

It all makes sense for sure when music like this comes along and moves you. More is on offer with the guitar and drums performing with freedom and zest. Anant is the epitome of creativity as he plays the drums with purpose and he gives us a full range of what the drum apparatus can produce sonically. The tracks are recorded by Kshitij Bhatt and mixed/mastered by Abhishek Sekhri. The lyrics are penned by Rijul. The captivating artwork is by Tulika Shrivastava. 

@nowherestation @ourordinarythings @rijulsing @groove.d.in.ra @anantmittal @dam.n.sam

8. Kaise

Performed by Last Minute India

Songwriter: Subodh Gupta

Vocals: Kuldeep Pattnaik

Music Producer: Swarup Chattopaadhyaay

Language: Hindi

Genre: Pop

Mood: Pathos

This band called "Last Minute India" has a very unique name for sure, but you can never have any qualms about the music they create and produce. This is one melodious tune that could very well give an itch to many Bollywood composers. Subodh Gupta pens the lyrics and writes the wonderful tune. Kuldeep Pattnaik takes you on a journey deeper into the song with her vocals. "Haule Haule Dheer Dheere" he sings and we slowly fall in love with the song. There could be some influences of Raag Tilak Kamod here in the melody.

Austin Furtado plays the lead guitars and he is also the arranger, while Subodh is the bassist. Swarup Chattopaadhyaay is the producer and he gets in every element spot on with the keyboard and rhythm programming. Kuldeep impresses in the higher notes when he sings " koi baatein adhuri", adding some subtle and beautiful ghamakas. I could feel lighter when he performed the semi-classical styled vibrato "phir kyun yeh naaraazi". Enjoy this beautiful track and don't wait until the last minute India, listen right now! The mixing and mastering are done by Sarvesh Korde with recording at Somesh Studios.

@last.minute.india @austin.furtado.3 @kuldeep_pattanaik @subodh725 @swarupchattopadhyay @rukshanan_tabassum @diyagupta29 

9. Mushkil Hai

Music - Sachin - Jigar

Singer - Vishal Mishra, Hansika Pareek, Sachin - Jigar

Lyrics - Som

Language: Hindi

Genre: Pop

Mood: Romantic

This pop single is catchy and it also is a testament to the fact that Sachin-Jigar does give us some enjoyable melodies from time to time. I am thrilled to see Hansika Pareek on the lead female vocals here, as she is one outstanding artist who is making a name for herself in the Hindi indie space. Vishal Mishra performs the male vocals with ease as always. Som writes these romantic words and when Vishal sings " khushboo hawa mein" and gives a nice subtle aalap, we are taken into a space where we can experience that fresh air. 

The acoustic guitars, keys and rhythms are adequate and they enhance the pop texture of the song. The melody in this subsequent line is excellently written with notations that I didn't expect. "teri khusbu hawa mein teri fikar subah mein", so kudos to Sachin-Jigar. The song gets uplifts the spirit with the chorus singers performing the line " tere ran tere rang". Hansika makes you go weak in your knees when she performs the verse "ho nazao ke raste dil me kise ke , aakar apna sheher basana", with the texture of a girl consumed by love. 

This ability to emote and express lines aptly is the mark of a good playback singer. I do hear traces of Raag Maand in the melody. The outro has this melody which oozes more quality with Vishal singing his heart out " tere alawa aur kise se dil lag pana mushkil hai". Eric Pillai is the mixing and mastering engineer at Future Sound of Bombay with Michael Edwin Pillai assisting. 

@sachinjigar @soulfulsachin @jigarsaraiya @vishalmishraofficial @hansikaapareek 

10. Zeher

Singer, Composer, Lyricist: Hanita Bhambri

Music Production: Sagar Dhote

Music Arrangement: Sagar Dhote, Hanita Bhambri

Programming: Sagar Dhote, Ehsaas Dudhwala, Dilip Suthar at Delta Sounds

Language: Hindi

Genre: Pop

Mood:

Hanita Bhambri sings this in her unique tone with the verse that says that some words are best left unspoken. I cannot do that because this song deserves the appreciation and credit it is due. Within seconds I am dragged into the song at my own will thanks to some absorbing keys, synths and rhythm programming. Sagar Dhote, Ehsaas Dudhwala and Dilip Suthar handle the programming while it is Sagar and Hanita together who perfect the arrangements. 

The synth-pop feeling slowly slips in and we have a catchy choral arrangement as well with Hanita and another fabulous singer Zeba Tommy playing the role of backing vocalist. Hanita shows all her skill when she modulates and alternates her tone. Listen to her in the verse when she sings " buri yaadon ko bhool jaana hi behtar hai", when she performs this once with helplessness and then again with anger. The song's outstanding vocal arrangements make this one of the best in the country this week, and maybe this month too. Sagar needs an ovation for his music production. 

The electric guitar intervention in the background is by Satyam Gupta. The tracks are recorded by Samir Dharap and the mix engineer is Ajinkya Dhapare, with Reniel K Reji as Dolby Atmos Mix Engineer and Hanish Taneja as Stem Mastering Engineer. 

@hanitabhambri @musicmansagar @mixedbyhanish @eshviv @ajinkyadhapare @shreyaaahh @zeba.tommy @samirdharap9 @prod.bydilip @ehsaas.aiff @renielkreji 

11. Bandh Aankhein

Singer: Sarthak Kalyani

Producer: Siddharth Chopra

Composer: Sarthak Kalyani, Siddharth Chopra 

Writer: Sahiba Sheheryar

Language: Hindi

Genre: Semi-classical fusion

Mood: Relaxing

Muhafiz the band is back with another spectacular Semi-classical fusion. I have missed them, and during this small hiatus, Sartahk has been performing in many languages in the movie space. The melody is composed by Siddharth and Sarthank and when we hear Sarthak's voice I did close my eyes just as sings "bandh aankhein". I couldn't have paid a bigger compliment as a reaction to this beauty. 

The rhythm programming makes its way and we get a fusion of modern soundscape and a classical Tumri-styled melody. Sahiba writes the lyrics giving the song all its purpose and meaning and the exquisite arrangements and production is the work of Siddharth. Pay attention to the uber-cool and funky bass guitars in the background as we get into the verse. With the spoken poetry, there is some Sitar, electronic pop and Lo-fi influences too in the interlude. 

@muhafizmusic @sarthak.kalyani @siddharthchopra3 @neeraj173 

12. Dil Lagaana

Music by - Muheet Bharti

Singer - Muheet Bharti

Lyrics - Saveri Verma

Language: Punjabi

Genre: Pop

Mood: Romantic

His raw talent for composition, and production and the years of guidance from stalwarts like Salim Merchant & Sulaiman Merchant puts Muheet Bharti among the best in the country. He has composed the melody and performed the lead vocals and where he scores heavily is the song's production. The keyboard and rhythm programming are top-notch and they keep adding much of life to the song even in moments where the melody doesn't gain an upper hand. 

The lyrics are penned by Saveri Verma in Punjabi and Muheet ensures he adds some style and poise when he delivers the lines as the lead vocalist. The synths and keys are generous along with lead guitars and bass making this alternative pop single work. Muheet brings in his A game in the stanza in writing the melody of the verse and his aalap-induced vocal execution, like the line "jod rahe hain naam se tere". He manages to get those sexy falsettos in his delivery as well. The outro has some very stylish guitars and bass and we have the legendary Kohinoor Mukherjee on mixing and mastering duties. The sound engineer is Sachin Nair. 

@muheet_bharti @thesaveriverma @itskohinoormukherjee @beatsanofficial