Top Indian Songs of the week 24th September 2023

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Here are the best songs released in India across languages and genres for the week ending 24th September 2023. 

Here is the SPOTIFY Playlist of the Top songs of the week

1. Silent War

Performed by Komorebi

Written by Tarana Marwah

Produced by Tarana Marwah, Gaurav Raina

Language: English

Genre: Alt-Pop

Get hit hard within seconds, with the trembling Violins and Violas, and you have no space and time to breathe. This is what it feels like to drown in a deluge of musical goodness. Tarana Marwah a.k.a. Komorebi and Gaurav Raina produce one of India's finest indie albums in English and this according to me is the pick of the album with blazing instrumental arrangements, heartfelt vocals and intelligent, immersive writing. I have already featured the album on my Instagram's #1minutemusicreviews with a rating of 4.25/5, so please do yourselves a favour and listen to the album "The Fall".

The Cello picks up in intensity and then with the vocal harmonies joining it all feels like a being inside a Christopher Nolan movie with the phenomenal score of Hans Zimmer. Komorebi rises from a pile of soft-sounding lines, and with rejuvenation, she sings " But what can you do when everything tastes like cardboard". The strings section conveys the urgency of the situation with equal effect, but then she resorts to peaceful methods. The sound of a Harp leads us into calmness with the words "This is a silent war". Komorebi's vocals keep shifting from tranquillity to rage to splendour and she uses all her vocal strengths to great effect to bring out these tonal shifts. 

The producers Tarana and Gaurav leave no stone unturned and the chosen instruments like the Piano, Electric guitars, Violins, Violas, Cello, and Harp all do their bit effectively just like the rhythm section. The "Be stronger" chorus truly drives home the message and the outro strings section is mesmerising. Gaurav is the mix/master engineer and we have Shaurya and Renu Verma who have styled up Tarana, with splendid photography by Pritiza Barua. 

@komorebi.music @groovio @mavronquartet @zokovnaice @pritiza7 @morphologygram @renu_verma_makeup_official_

2. Dangal

Music Composed & Produced by: Salim Sulaiman

Lyrics: Cyli Khare, Srushti Tawade

Singers: Cyli Khare, Srushti Tawade

Music Co-Produced: Raj Pandit

Language: Marathi

Genre: Alt Hip-Hop

Bhoomi 2023 is here and that too with a Dangal of a bang. Well begun is half done, but what if something is amazingly begun? This is the definition of ground-breaking music, that fuses styles, generates interest and makes the head-banging permanent. Cyli Khare and Srushti Tawade write the lyrics and they both turn as lead vocalists as well. Srushti is on a high these days with her Debut album also getting released. This song is composed and produced by Salim-Sulaiman with co-production by Raj Pandit. 

The very first few seconds she exhibits amazing energy suited for Hip-Hop and I am sold right away. Cyli's talent is something that I have observed since 'Guilty Minds' on Amazon Prime. Get a load of the live instruments and they will just bamboozle you. Salim's Keyboards & Tuntuna, Raj Pandit and Jarvis Menezes on Keys, and Rushad Mistry on bass guitars sizzle right away. When Cyli sings those awesome folkish lines, we hear the Zen Drum by Sulaiman, electronic drums by Darshan Doshi and Aadishakti Group on the Dhol & Tasha. 

The hint of the horns section comes about ID Rao, Harsh Bhavsar gives that likeable Jazzy touch and then the English and Marathi Hip-Hop gains traction. The stanza is just brilliant lurking in the folk-pop style with heavy Keys, guitars by Nyzel D’lima and the Shehnai by Omkar Dhumal. This song is powerful, inspiring and empowering with every note we hear and that happens collectively thanks to the vocals, arrangements, writing and overall production. Every instrumentalist performed with enough gusto and we have Aftab Khan as the mix/master engineer on the tracks, with Vatsal Chevli as the mix assistant. 

Cyli and Srushti exude so much confidence in their delivery and this is an exemplary performance. In the outro, we get a SHehnai Solo followed by the leads singing and this is where I sensed some Raag Charukeshi. The recording engineers are Aditya Kalway, Muheet Bharti and Raj Pandit at Blue Productions, with Muheet and Aditya also playing the roles of Music Assistants. 

@srushtinahitohkaun @cylikhare @salimsulaimanmusic @merchant_records @rajpandit17 @aadishakti_dhol_tasha _pathak @jarvisintune @darshandoshiofficial @rushad1981 @omkardhumal @idrao_official @harshbhavsarsaxophone @adityakalway @muheetbharti @mixedbyaftab @shivansh.j @nyzeldlima @warnermusicindia 

3. Kaala Kaasiyo Kade

Composed by: Charanraj MR 

Singer: Charanraj M R

Lyrics: Dhananjay Ranjan 

Programmed By: Charanraj MR & Narayan Sharma.

Language: Kannada

Genre: Synth Pop

I hope readers here have seen the movie 'Sapta Sagaradaache Ello in theatres! Please do it before it is too late, for the great story-telling, acting and music. I have already featured 2 songs before and this 3rd song just got released on the audio streaming platforms. Charanraj has composed and sung this dreamy pop single that depends heavily on synths and keys. Charan and his close aide Narayan Sharma have worked on the song's phenomenal programming. 

We get the flowy Keys and mild synths just beneath the vocals of Charan and this makes you wonder, why we don't hear much more from Charan vocally. The piano loads up in intensity and we get an immersive line "Kandu kaanadha, mintha maaya chaaye". Dhananjay Ranjan writes the pensive words. Vamshi stuns us with the percussions, and this is one haunting piece of interlude, something only the genius of Charan and Narayan could have created. Napier Peter Naveen's engrossing bass guitars and the synth-generated sounds transport us to paradise. 

The stanza is melody-rich and we get Sunil Sylvester playing the acoustic and electric guitars in the background. The strings section adds to the song's gravity beautifully and they are entirely conducted, arranged and orchestrated by Rithu Vysakh. All the music supervision is carried out diligently by Venkatesh G Bhat, Aniket Mohanty and Arjun are the recording engineers at Audiokraft Studios Bangalore. The outro is mesmerizing with the Keys, percussions, vocal harmonies and falsetto-rich lead vocals as well. 

I did notice that ending portion where it feels like a radio frequency is being attempted, but it is failing to connect, probably because of the significance of the Radio and Cassette in the movie. Sujith Sreedhar @ 2bq Studios Chennai has mixed and mastered the tracks. 

@charanraj27185 @ssethemovie @narayan_sharma227 @rithuvysakh @napier_naveen @sujithsreedhar @venkateshmusic_ 

4. Janha Aau Se

Vocals: Subhechha Mohanty

Music- Bunny Mohanty

Lyrics - Sumit Panda

Arrangement - Abhishek Panigrahi

Language: Odiya

Genre: Ballad

This was one of the most amazing songs that I heard this week, and it comes from the most unexpected quarters for most. I have featured a few Odiya songs this year and so, I am not flummoxed in any way by its origins. Bunny Mohanty is an artist I have not heard of before, but he stuns me with his composition and production. Subhechha is the vocalist and does she sing with some haunting effect or what? 

The song feels like a ballad rich in instrumental arrangements and Abhishek Panigrahi completely handles all the arrangements in style. The Piano and the strings section with the heavy Cello feels like we have just entered a grand Symphony Orchestra in the middle of a performance. The flute solo comes and goes in between just like the mild Clarinet.

The song is written beautifully to allow for all these magnificent instrumentals to intervene. It has the nature and tonality of an Ajay-Atul composition. The second interlude is jaw-dropping with the Sitar Solo in the lead and then the heavy drums and Keys finish the proceedings. The song feels like one elaborate background score created for a movie. Kudos to the whole team for that. Somesh Satpathy is the mix/master engineer. 

@subhechhamohanty @bunny_mohanty @sumitpandaa @i_abh1shek 

5. Shooter Saiyan

Singers - Ankita Joshi & Rohan Rohan

Music - Rohan Rohan

Lyrics - Rohan Gokhale

Arrangers / Programmers - Arranged and Produced by Rohan Rohan

Language: Hindi

Genre: Classical Rock fusion

This is one fantastic album, and I finished featuring the songs this week with one deadly song rightly named 'Shooter Saiyan'. This to me has traces and influences of Raag Pilu and we have the sensational Rohan Gokhale and Rohan Pradhan composing this beauty. Ankita Joshi hits you hard with her tantalising voice and that aloof attitude with which she delivers the lines. 

Rohan-Rohan induces the grasp of Rock music with this classical-style melody, with the use of electric guitars and drums to great effect. The drums march along creating greater tension and A+ for all the apt arrangements. Prasad Rahane touches a nerve with his solo on the Sitar, and he continues to play the solo in the background. These layers are brought together thanks to Partha Protim Das At Euphony Studio who does the mixing and mastering of the tarcks. 

@rohanpradhan_official @rohangokhaleofficial @akshat_ajay @ankitajoshiofficial 

6. Time

Produced and Presented by Scud (Ritabhari Chakraborty 

and Satarupa Sanyal) 

Composition and Arrangement: SambitC 

Voice: Nikhita Gandhi - Siddhant Sharma 

Lyrics by Ritabhari and Josh Martin 

Language: English

Genre: Pop

I can just fold my hands and thank the composer and producer of the track for finally giving Nikhita Gandhi a song she deserves and making her exhibit her vocal prowess. I believe she has been involved in way too many below-par projects of late. SambitC has composed the melody and we have Josh Martin and Ritabhari writing the lyrics. 

Nikhita hits it out of the park from the word go. The guitars are played by John Paul who decorates a song as good as anyone with his strumming. I love the riffs on the Keys by Samrat Mukherjee, feels like a Cello to me. Aakash Ganguly plays the bass guitars and we have a full-fledged pop song that gets into the system with every note. Siddhant Sharma is the male lead vocalist and he adds an amazing style to the song with his delivery. I love the bridge section and when the lines start "I didn't think I'd put my heart on a betting game". The electric guitars and drums combine beautifully to up the ante

Nikhita excels when she sings her lines "I wish I knew it if You felt the same" with high-pitched vocals and some great vibrato and improvisation too. SambitC does a profound job here with his anrrangements and we get a beautiful segment of Alt-Rock here towards the end. 

@sambitc @nikhitagandhi @chitrangadasatarupa @ritabhari_chakraborty @rachchhchintan @josh_e_martin @siddhant_sharma.music @suvam.moitra @cash_gang_wolly @johnpaul.india @musamkherji 

7. E Achena

Performed by Prithibi

Written by Koushik Chakraborty

Language: Bangla

Genre: Rock

This is the 3rd song I am featuring from this new album by the rock band Prithibi called "JONOHEEN Rajpath (Chapter Four)". Koushik Chakraborty composes, writes and performs the vocals. The start is in the Alt-Rock style with heavy keys, electric guitars and drums. Arunangshu Bagchi & Debangshu Bhattacharjee play electric and acoustic guitars and Deep Ghosh is the bassist. The drums are by Aniruddha Mondal, and this just happens to be my favourite from the album. 

Unlike the other two songs I already featured, this one tends to carry a better melody that also tucks your heart and makes you fall in love. The combined effect of the acoustic, electric and bass guitars is simply phenomenal and it leaves no room for boredom for a listener. The lead vocals accompanying harmonies when he sings the pre-chorus segments are well-written. The solo on the electric guitar is nothing short of belligerent and uplifting. Please do listen to the whole album, if you love rock music in an untarnished form. 

@prithibimusic @keshavdhar 

8. Ab Rukhna Mat

Artist Name – Papon 

Produced By – Papon

Lyrics - Manoj Chaudhry

Language: Hindi

Genre: Rock

Isn't he one of our most gifted vocalists, who can shuffle from a Thumri to Rock in no time? The opening electric guitar riffs feel like a song by the band Dire Straits, maybe like 'Money for Nothin". It is Papon himself on guitars and he also plays the keys. Then once we hear the slide guitar-styled strumming, along with the drums by Tanmay Ray Choudhury, the tone feels more like a country-rock number, particularly Lynyrd Skynyrd's "Sweet Home Alabama". 

Papon excels at this composing this breezy rock number and his delivery is like a walk in the clouds, with his improvised and westernised mild aalaps. The vocal harmonies are well executed and arranged and the intervention of the Organ Piano is a very beautiful additional layer. Himanshu Das is the bassist. The vocal recordings happened at Purple Harmoniks, while Drums and Bass were recorded at Blue Cassette Audio Studio. - Darren Heelis @ Pierce Rooms Studios, London is the mix/master engineer.

@paponmusic @tanmayrc 

9. Tere Layi

Singer/Lyrics/Composer: Nirvair Pannu

Music: Rb Khera

Language: Punjabi

Genre: Pop

Nirvair Pannu is incredibly consistent with his work, and I respect him for his composition, singing and lyrics. This year I already have 2 songs of Nirvair amongst the best songs of Punjabi music in 2023, and one can think of adding this to the list. The guitars are playing constantly and they add a beautiful layer of calmness under the intense vocals of Nirvair. 

Rb Khera has produced the song and so a lot of the programming and arrangement credits must go to him. That faint Violin and bass guitars also add meaningful layers to the song's beauty and the enjoyable energy comes from the rhythms. Nirvair does more than enough with his vocals to impact you and get the message through, which even a non-Punjabi-speaking music lover like me can understand. 

@nivair_pannu @rbkheramusic @thatxsingh @jukedock 

10. Tum Kehte Ho

Singer: Sunidhi Chauhan 

Lyrics: Sunayana Kachroo

Composer: Saleel Kulkarni

Music Production: Saurabh Bhalerao 

Additional Music Production: Sunny MR 

Language: Hindi

Genre: Ballad

A mildly melancholic single, this one has all the elements of a 90s Bollywood track. Saleel Kulkarni is the composer of the melody with lyrics written by Sunayana Kachroo. Sunidhi Chauhan has the impeccable ability to either burst with energy or touch your heart with ingrained sadness, and she does the latter here. 

The lines by Sunayana are so deep and make you ponder about the protagonist's perspective, when Sunidhi sings " Tum kehte ho, kavita likh do, mujhe khoon bahana padta hai". I do sense some Raag Pilu here in the melody. Dilshad Khan plays the mild Sarangi solo, and we have the production by a talented Saurabh Bhalerao. Another mastermind musician Sunny MR handles all the additional production. We can hear the Piano, guitars and strings section in the background. 

The second interlude with the acoustic guitars, bass guitars and Sarangi is beautifully arranged. The Sarangi interlude with the heavy percussions and strings is a very impactful bridge section. Tanay Gajjar is the recording, mixing and mastering engineer. 

@saurabh_bhalerao_ @sunnymr @saleelkulkarniofficial @sunayanakachroo @sunidhichauhan5 @rohitsobti1 @bombay_kalakaar @tmmusic_17 

11. Paaniyo Sa

Vocals: Shruti Dhasmana, Jimmy Francis John

Written by Bryden Lewis, Nirmika Singh

Produced by Bryden Lewis

Language: Hindi

Genre: Indie Pop

In this brilliant album by Bryden & Parth "Chameleon World", this song stands out from around 9 others, for its different style and treatment of the melody. We have Bryden Lewis producing the song, but it is Nirmika Singh and Bryden who collectively engage in the songwriting. The dreamy, serenading vocals belong to Shruti Dhasmana and Jimmy Francis John, both of whom have sung more than a couple of songs on this album. 

I love how the vocalists are singing together in different registers, like the line "baarishein pyaar ki, bheega hoon main". The guitars are accompanied with finesse, but the mild flute by Parth grabs the attention the most. Kamal and Liben are on drums and percussions, Siddharth is on keys and Osigo plays the guitars. The flute solo in the interlude is a moment of absolute tranquillity and to my ears, it felt like Raag Bhageshree. The melody of the interlude is excellently written. 

The song takes an unexpected turn as we get to the lines "Anjaane In paheliyon ko". Shruti deviates into a zone of dominance and her improvisation vocally is well-executed when she sings "kyun is mod pe, ek shor bhi ho", and the Keys are flowing like a perennial river gathering force. The concluding section with "Woh hum hai nahin", aided by vocal harmonies, Pianos, bass, electric guitar solo and heavy drums is a fitting end to the song. 

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