Top Indian Songs of the week 16th July 2023

1. Yeh Awaaz

Performed by Bryden & Parth

Written by Bryden Lewis, Nirmika Singh

Produced by Bryden Lewis

Language: Hindi

Genre: Indie Pop

'Unstoppable', and it is the perfect word for Byrden & Parth. These guys are killing it and I haven't in 4 years of music journalism seen 3 consecutive weeks where songs from the same album/EP have come in the top 2 spots. This is mindblowing stuff and after 'Chameleon World' and 'Rain Chant', we have a Hindi track here that is dominated by the duo in every aspect. 

Bryden Lewis is the lead singer and guitarist, while Parth Chandiramani is blowing us away with his Penny Whistle. The song is composed and produced by Bryden like the other two we featured but the duo get Nirmika Singh for the Hindi lyrics. The Penny Whistle is the primary instrumental driving force and this 6-holed woodwind instrument is like a toy that Parth is totally having fun with. 

Siddhart Kamath's Keys keep taking us back to the 1990s Pop and we have some amazing beats thanks to Liben Toms on drums and Kamal Bon on the innovative percussions. I love the transformation in the notes when the lines "Bulaa rahi bulandiyaan, chalo jo bhi ho, pighal rahi hain dooriyan chalo jo bho ho" emerge. The bass guitars by Osigo Mango add delicate style to the background. Close to the 3rd minute, we get a fantastic interlude with the Penny Whistle, Guitars and drums stealing away all our focus. 

I like the way the percussions and instruments take a back seat with only the lead and backing vocals dominating towards the end. We have Shruti Dhasmana and Bryden performing the backing vocals. The outro is outrageously good with the Parth on the Penny Whistle, Bryden's lung-bursting vocals and the energetic percussions by Kamal. 

@brydenlewis @nirmika @vivekthomasproductions @robin.schmidt.mastering @rahul.narayan.15 @parth_chandiramani @siddhartkamath @osigomango @libentom @kamaldrummer @shrutidhasmana @sharanyavasuki

2. Thee Veyilil

Vocals by  Gowry Lekshmi, 

Lyrics by Vaishakh Sugunan

Music by Christo Xavier

Language: Malayalam

Genre: Light Music/Pop

I listened to the new Malayalam movie album "18+" and this has a composition by Christo Xavier, someone I haven't featured before. The EP is decent with a few likeable moments but this song stood out, not only thanks to the score but also because of the undeniable beauty in Gowry Lekshmi's vocals. 

The instrumental lineup right at the beginning of the song is magnificent with the strumming of the acoustic guitar and then followed by the Violin, Viola and Cello with rising intensities. Leave it to Gowry, to then bamboozle the listener with her intricate vocal sensibilities. Christo does an outstanding job in this score as he gets a very hummable melody and adds unique and relevant sounds suited for the modern-day music aficionado.

The interlude has even a stylish slide guitar that tantalises the listener and brings an element of American Folk music into the fray. The folk style that is so popular in Malayalam music takes over and who better to sing it than Gowry. The numerous percussion sounds are engaging right through the stanza and the folk turns to semi-classical with the beautiful line " thedumne theeram ennume, kaanumne vaanil vaanavil". The strings section is emphatic in the second interlude. I love the fact that the second stanza is completely different from the first, and there is so much happening in the background in the form of the strings, that I cannot resist standing up and giving Christo a standing ovation. Vaisakh Sugunan writes the beautiful words. 

@christo_xavier @thinkmusicmalayalam @falooda_entertainments @vaisakhsugunan @gowrylekshmih

3. Hiraeth

Written, Composed, Arranged & Produced by Loozmathai.

Mixed & Mastered by Vivek Thomas

Vocals- Loozmathai, Risa Patrick

Language: English

Genre: Gospel/Alt-Rock

I was constantly pinging Jeremiah de Rozario as I had just featured one of his recent singles on my website. Many musicians will be more than happy to just share it and stay focussed on the compliments showered on them. Jeremiah was not one of those guys and he proved that he was as much of a great human being, as a rising musician. 

He shared the link to a new song, saying that he would like me to listen to his friend's new single. I was startled by the friendship, but none of the shock and awe even remotely compared to the amazement in my eyes when I hear this brilliant single written, composed, produced, arranged and performed by Loozmathai. His vocals are ravishing, as he treads nice and deep in the falsetto zone. The massive presence of Gospel Organs, played by Julian Young feels ecstatic but nothing throbs with energy and positivity like the lead guitars played by Vishnu Sunil. 

Alloy Francis plays the drums and Rohit Sanjay is the bassist despite the efficacy of these instrumentalists, Loozmathai has a grip that is strong and you can never take away your focus from his voice that is hair-raising good, especially with lines like " that piece that I am holding, retains a dream come true. Baby, you find a way". There is a popular saying in Tamil that goes "Kaththi poi vaal vandhadhu" which translates into "I managed to handle a knife, then came a sword". In a very positive connotation just when I was supremely impressed with Lozmathai's singing, Ris Patrick joins the party and makes a killing. 

"I'd hold you tight like nothing was wrong" is such a tough line to perform vocally but Risa does that with shining colours, getting every note delivered with pitch-perfect accuracy and she explores the depths of her vocal range when she finishes that line. Towards the closing stages, we get this magnificent line "I believe I'll someday find our starry nights" and here the vocalists are singing like there is no tomorrow, so kudos to the effort and execution. The Gospel Organ is in full-blast mode and we have Souparnika Rajagopal, George Paul, Sahil Hassan and Rhea Miriam Varghese in the choir. This will end up being one of the best English indie songs of 2023, with also being one of the best vocal performances of the year. 

The recording engineer is Nandhagopan V and Vivek Thomas is the mix/master engineer. 

@risa.patrick @loozmathai @vivekthomasproductions @vishnu.sunil @rohitsanjay_ @julianyoungsings @alloy_francis @expectczarcasm @rheamiriamvarghese @sahil____h @gxorgxpaul @_sevenstitches_

4. Labon Se Baat 

Song composed by – Shekhar Ravjiani

Lyrics – Priya Saraiya

Singers – Shekhar Ravjiani, Madhubanti Bagchi, Rishabh Sharma

English Lyrics – Rishabh Sharma

Language:

Genre: Semi-classical Pop

The moment Madhubanti Bagchi starts singing, it hits you hard and deep. She possesses a magnificent voice and the Raag Yaman coming from her vocal cords feels refreshing and ethereal. Shekhar Ravjiani has been going great guns composing and producing indie projects and this has to be one of his finest yet. 

If the lead vocals for the Hindi lines penned by Priya Saraiya are sung by Madhubanti, Rishabh Sharma writes the English lyrics and they are sung in dreamy electronic pop style by Shekhar. The incredible sound of the electric guitar and the accompanying Keys make it a joy ride that is not to be missed. Shekhar excels in additional, programming and production, while Rishabh, does all the enticing arrangements. 

The magic potion lies in fusing the classical Hindi lines with the pop lines sung by Shekhar. It happens seamlessly and the heart swells in joy listening to this whole song. It keeps getting better when we get to the stanza and Madhubanti gets multiple layers below our skin and a mild tear gently flows down my cheek, when she serenades. Shekhar trusts himself and mixes the tracks, Abhishek Khandelwal on mastering. I even love how the song fades away into oblivion like how the great pop music of the 90s did. Kshitij Bhatt is the Creative Head at GARUUDAA MUSIIC

@shekharravjiani @priyasaraiyaofficial @bagchi_mb @rish_sharma @dopyuvraj @garuudaamusiic @animesh_sensei

5. Jiya Tui Chara

Singer - Arijit Singh

Composer - Ranajoy Bhattacharjee

Lyricist - Barish

Arranger/Programmers - Ranajoy Bhattacharjee

Language: Bangla

It feels like basking in the sun, after a relentless spell of rain, I am referring to listening to Bangla melody sung by Arijit Singh. The famous composer Ranajoy Bhattacharjee, who I have featured before on multiple occasions, composes this beauty. Raja Chowdhury graces the song with the acoustic, electric guitar and Mandolin. 

Straightaway we get a taste of the Indian classical flavours thanks to Joy Nandi's bustling Tabla. Arijit's emotional aalap forms the interlude and it is never forced as it does in many Bollywood songs. The arrangements of all the stringed instruments and the Tabla is pinpoint and the melody just keeps getting richer. It is in these stanzas that I get a sense of Raag Desh. I love the line "Mornomi amon, manena ekon" which connects the verse with the song's Sthayi. Raja also plays the bass guitars, and all the tracks are mixed and mastered by Debojit Sengupta. Arijit is sensational in the emotional delivery of the lines. 

@ranajoybhattacharjee @arijitsingh @subratabarishwala @zeemusicbangla @parambratachattopadhyay 

6. Kala Kantu Unte

Singer: Sarthak Kalyani, Vaish

Lyrics: Krishna Kanth

Music Composed, Arranged & Programmed by Pawan Ch

Language: Telugu

Genre: Alt-pop

Sarthak Kalyani is making massive strides in the world of South Indian cinema, ever since he started performing for AR Rahman in Tamil. This time he sings for this talented composer Pawan Ch who I have featured before. The tone of the vocals resembles Sid Sriram in almost every note that Sarthak delivers, especially the way the song begins in the high pitch. 

The Solo Violin at a brisk pace in the interlude is just how Sandilya Pisapati smashes it, and Sarthank accompanies with his backing vocals rendering a mild aalaap. Pawan composed, arranged and programmed the song. I love the line " maaye maayeb antha maaye" sung with such an emotional high and the magnificent strings section and guitars in the background. 

The song especially during the title line " kala kantu unte" with the fast tempo, and adequate rhythms feels like a Harris Jayaraj song. Keba Jeremiah plays the guitars and Bravinsan is handling the Synth programming. Prakash Venjat and Pradvay Sivashankar are terrific in their Orchestral Production. The song probably only has a small stanza and maybe we can call it a bridge section, with Vaish lending her female vocals for this one. Lalit Talluri plays the flute and the tracks are mixed by Pradvay and mastered by Suresh Permal.

Sarthak does the additional vocal arrangements and Mani Ratnam is the recording engineer. The outro feels ecstatic with the high-intensity electric guitars. 

@pawanch @vaish_offl @sarthak.kalyani @kebajer @lalittalluri @sureshpermal @pradvay @sandilya_pisapati 

7. Azaad Hai

Performed by Rishi Roy 

Music By - Prashant Shekhar, Rishi Roy

Lyrics By - Rishi Roy

Language: Hindi

Genre: Indie Pop

This Delhi-based singer-songwriter makes a first-time appearance on this website, and it is a fantastic debut. Most of all I love the tone and texture of Rishi Roy's vocals and his writing. "ab tu azaad hai, ho sake to khud ko sambhal lena. Nahi koi jeet haar hai, kabhi kabhi bas haal pooch lena ", and this is surrounded by some fantastic guitar strumming tastes and feels like freedom. 

The song's composition and production are by Rishi and Prashant Shekhar. The composition just keeps getting better as we progress past the opening lines and Rishi makes it all sound even better with his vocals. Rishi's vocal range is out to the test and he comes out with flying colours. The notes are oozing such amazing quality with lines like " ab toh yaadon mein hi jeena hai, lambi raahon mein hi khona hai". 

@rishiroymusic @shekhar_3.141 @mayankflash

8. Khoya Tu Kahaan

Singer: Vishal Dadlani

Composed and Produced By Clinton Cerejo & Bianca Gomes (Shor Police)

Lyrics: Shloke Lal

Language: Hindi

Genre: Alt-Rock

Yes, I remember the time when the UK band "Police" was ruling the world of rock music with its main man Sting at the helm in the 1980s. Now it looks like 2023 in India is being dominated by a duo called "Shor Police". They have had some amazing singles in the indie scene and a couple of movies on the trot. This one is from a new movie called "Blind" and this Alt-Rock number stands out as the pick of the lot.

Vishal Dadlani is a great pick as the vocalist and he gets the energy and delivery just right. The song is supposed to be adrenaline-pumping and we get Gavin Harrison's drums upping the ante on this one. Clinton Cerejo and Bianca Gomes compose and produce this blinder (pun unintended) with Shloke Lal's lyrics. Zain Boxwala has co-produced the song. Another element that is solid in the song is the guitars and Clinton comes on board here and he also does the backing vocals. I love the stylish guitar-drum combo at the end of the lines "Chillakarke pooch khud se", and after this, we get the title line again. 

We get some funky Keys at the end of "cheeke maare, badbadaaye" and kudos to Shor Police for not falling short on innovation and style anywhere in the track. The tracks are mixed and mastered by Clinton Cerejo & Zain Boxwala at The Groove Room, Mumbai 

@shorpolice @clintoncerejo @iambinkybee @vishaldadlani @panoramamusic @shlokelal @zainboxwala 

9. Porch Dick 

Performed by Dossers Urge

Written by David Livingstone Kom

Produced by Dossers Urge

Language: English

Genre: Psychedelic Pop

It is a brotherly act, with David Kom, Gideo Kom and Romeo Kom hailing from Manipur and now settled in Shillong, Meghalaya forming this trio. They released an album called "NBDA" and I loved 2 songs at least in this. 'Porch Dick' is my favourite and this band has created some unbelievable sounds in this album. 

David is the lead vocalist and guitarist, Gideon is the drummer and Romeo is the bassist. The writing is so simple, yet it hits you hard with words like " Wake up shut up, and eat your breakfast, sugar in your caffeine woo". The guitars, bass and drums are magnificent in impact and they are nothing short of world-class. These guys are hugely popular in the live indie scene and I can understand why. The song from being in-your-face, moves into something milder and pleasant just when David sings "I thought you were the one for real". 

The guitars and Keys combine well in the closing stages along with backing vocals. The other track I loved in the album is the Punk Rock-styled title track NBDA (short for Never Back Down Again) which reminded me of the great hits of the American band 'Green Day'. 

@dossersurge_official @nobinaryrecords @kaushikjaibarua @i.am.markiv @joeraymie @mofo_onthelowlow

10. Sachiyaan

Singer - Meghna Mishra

Music Composed & Produced By - Goldie Sohel

Lyrics - Goldie Sohel & Shloke Lal

Additional Music Producer & Sound Design - Manash Borthakur

Language: Punjabi

Genre: Indie Pop

This new EP was released a while back called "Milaap" has 3 fabulous songs and after this one composed by Goldie Sohel, I'll be featuring another one next week. Meghna Mishra is the lead vocalist in all 4 tracks and she collaborates with different composers and creates these amazing singles. Goldie, a musician I respect immensely has done composition and production for this one with additional production and sound design by Manash Borthakur. 

I am listening to Meghna for the very first time, and I must say that she has a fantastic set of vocals and one of her prime strengths has to be her ability to sing in different styles and languages, something that gets exhibited in this EP itself. Ishan Das plays the electric guitars and it is not the only thing that stands out, we have Goldie's keys and rhythm programming along with backing vocals and arrangements that glorify the track. 

The interlude is driven by the electric guitar solo, and in that soulful stanza, we hear the mild Piano. Gagan Sohel assists Goldie musically and the tracks are mixed and mastered by Pankaj Borah, with assistance from Pranjal Borah. The outro is interesting with actual vocal harmonies and some vocal synthesised samples as well. 

@_meghnamishra_ @goldiesohel @manash_borthakur_music @neosoundstudios @ishandas_666 @pankajborahb @shlokelal @gagansohel_ @tmmusic

11. Tu Bataa

Music Composed, Arranged, Recorded & Produced by Hitesh Rikki Madan at ARIA The Studio 

Lyrics by Hitesh Madan & Manish Dhawan

Vocals: Hitesh, Arriv, Advay

Language: Hindi

Genre: Indie Pop

It is a family affair and a father and sons are creating this piece together. I have been following Hitesh Rikki Madan over the last couple of years and a lot of impressive music comes from his repertoire. Of late his sons Arriv Madan and Advay Madan have gotten on board, playing live instruments under Hitesh's tutelage and it is all coming out quite well.

Hitesh has composed, produced, arranged and recorded this lovable single with lyrics penned by Manish Dhawan and Hitesh. We get introduced to the song with some solid electric guitars, bass and drums, and the responsibilities are shared equally with Arriv being the bassist, Advay on drums and Hitesh playing the electric guitars. The biggest asset of this song is the beautiful composition that feels like a treat to hum along. Take the line "palkon ne teri, kiya jo, kiya jo ishaara" which has some wonderful notes and is executed very well by the songs Arriv and Advay on vocals. 

The way the humming elements are brought in along with the guitars just after the title "Tu bataa" is way too cool. The bridge section is nicely written with all the 3 coming together vocally and we have some splendid mixing thanks Anindo Bose, who also masters the tracks at Plug N' Play Studios

@hiteshrikkimadan @arrivmadan @advaymadanofficial @dhawan8282 @plugnplaystudios @anindobose @turnkey_music 

12. Blindfolds

Performed by Dharun

Written by Dharun Bhargav Vyas

Produced by Daidipya Sheth

Language: English

Genre: Synth-Pop

I did feature Dharun many months ago for a single called "misplaced" and I loved it to shreds. It has been a while but Dharun Vyas nails it once again with this new single. The song is produced by Daidipya Sheth and it has all the brilliant tones of 90s pop. I was straight away taken back to "Careless Whispers" by George Michael. 

The drums are played by Jyotirmay Menon and they are ever so mild and barely present. The song's production is very similar to some of the great albums and world of "Alan Parsons Project", and that is nothing but a compliment to this project. Raag Sethi plays the additional guitars and Shankar Iyer intervenes brilliantly with the electric guitar solo right in the middle of things. We hear some amazing vocal harmonies, along with bass and acoustic guitar support. We get a faster tempo, more energetic thumping of the drums and all elements up the ante towards the end. Dharun's ability to keep things dream through his composition and falsetto-styled vocals works pretty well. 

@dharunvyas @daidipyaseth @jyotirmay.menon @protyaych @puranporgi @raagsethi  

13. Pariah 

Performed by Aadya Jaswal

Written by Aadya Jaswal, Barun Sinha

Produced by Barun Sinha, Suraj Sarawagi

Language: English

Genre: Indie Pop

I featured Aadya Jaswal for a beautiful song a few months ago called "Aaisha" and now she is back with another single. She is making a habit of this and I am loving her consistency. The Piano and drums drive the song right from the start, and Aadya per usual, uses his vocal strength to add ornaments to the song. We have seen before that even a fairly predictable set of notes can be made to sound euphoric based on the singer's vocal prowess and innovation. Aadya plays the Piano and Keys. 

The song is written and composed by Aadya, and Barun Sinha who collaborated with her on the previous single as well. Barun and Suraj Sarawagi produce the song as well, and so they get so many amazing elements to fit in, like the Trumpets, Keys and drums. It is Rohit Gupta on the trumpets. The vocal harmonies by Liza Mathew and Aadya and the Jazz-styled scat-singing also work well. The vocal production is by Aadya, Barun and Anant Dayal. 

The bridge section is interesting, and other than the writing I like the style of the drums which come like hitting the pause and play buttons. The drums are played by Adhiraj Mustafi, and the faint Violin we hear in the background is played by Richard Keith, with Aadya on the Melodica and Barun on the electric bass guitar. The mixing is by Barun Sinha and the mastering is by Julian Lowe. 

 @aadyajaswalsings @baroons @surajsarawagi @lizamatheww