Top Indian Songs of the week 25th Aug 2024

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Here are the best songs released in India across languages and genres for the week ending 25th August 2024

1.  I Wear My Roots Like A Medal

Composed/Written/Performed by Dhee

Produced by: Santhosh Narayanan, Aditya Ravindran, Dhee

Language: English

Genre: Jazz-Kuthu

Mood: Energetic

I, last week, talked about the number 1 song "Oru Oorula Raja" from the movie 'Vaazhai' composed and produced by Santhosh Narayanan, and how he has redefined many new sub-genres or micro-genres of music. Here too Santhosh, Dhee and Aditya Ravindran coin and cook up a new exciting sub-genre I have tried to name it "Jazz-Kuthu", and If I am not wrong Santhosh has worked on a few songs before in this style. Dhee releases her 2nd single from her upcoming album and this puts her among the most sought-after musicians in the indie space. I think with this single we just might have found 2024's topper in the English Indie category in India.

Her first single was so funky and catchy, but this one breaks all barriers and Dhee showcases her outstanding gift not only as a performer but as a writer too. The lyrics are fantastic taking us through her roots that originated in Sri Lanka and one of my favourite moments is when she sings " Jackfruit and Puttu, I can't leave, I stay Put". The prelude is like a perfect setting for the fun and dance to start as the Buddhar Kalaikuzhu demonstrate their mastery of the Indian percussions and all the horns blow us away into madness thanks to Rajamelam Band Set. I love the tempo that makes it sound like a perfect Tamil Kuthu song. Aditya Ravindran and Santhosh join on the backing vocals giving it the further flavours of Sri Lanka. 

The melody written by Dhee is brilliant as she takes us through so many segments, multiple verses and bride sections that have a different melody written for each, now that is a supreme talent. The section that begins with "At my grandma's house" and "3 nought 4 with the Neighbours", sound so different. One man who simply kills it is Naveen Napier on bass guitars as he plays a vital role in adding style and funk to the song. He plays in the background constantly, having his improvisations and tweaks done. All the additional tech is by Karthik Manickavasakam and the additional percussions are by Karthik Vamsi. When you get to the chorus segment Dhee sings it like a dream "I was caught in the middle, spent way too long feeling lost and refused, now I got my foot on the pedal, So I wear my roots like a medal" - sheer brilliance, lyrically, musically and vocally. 

The adrenaline and my body feel a surge when she sings " I was.. I was.. I was", with the accompanying percussion. Look at the verse "Pigtails and long skirts" with the lovely children's chorus in the background, comprising Sukhi, Rhea, Dhanya, Augustus, Ahana, Mithran, Krishaang, Shakti, Tara, Dhvani, Keerthana and Prarthana. The mesmerising effect continues as she goes on to perform "Khaki ain't my colour, Camo ain't a style" with the improvised effect on the last word, showing fervour, and such style in her delivery. The last verse is once again written with varied notes as here Dhee show her vocal range by singing " weighed heavy on me " in baritone. The song is one helluva of ride taking us through different emotions and one can feel her pain in " I didn't know how to make it stop.."

Aditya Ravindran plays the Guitar and the Ukulele and the beautiful, relevant words "My past is written on my body, My future is all in my mind" are performed by Dhee, and here is where Santhosh plays the delightful Harmonica. This is easily the best Indian record I have heard in 2024 and I cannot thank Dhee, Santhosh, Aditya and all the amazing musicians and engineers for putting this masterpiece together. Santhosh is the mixing engineer along with Sriram Ravi and Rupendar, with mastering by Alex Gordon at Abbey Road Studios, London via Bohemia Junction Limited. Don't forget to check out the amazing music video by Amith Krishnan, with some wonderful choreography by Neromie Sriragurajah. 

@musicsanthosh @chillybeef @adityaravindran95 @dhee___ @meenakshi_santhoshnarayanan @rupendar_venkatesh @buddharkalaikuzhu @napier_naveen @abbeyroadstudios @anu_viswa @amrutha_unnikrishnan @nrajah 

2.  Shukra Guzaar

Singers: Gulraj Singh & Aditi Paul

Music Composer & Producer: Gulraj Singh

Lyrics: Manoj Yadav

Language: Hindi

Genre: Light Music

Mood: Romantic

In my opinion, Gulraj Singh is a name one should memorize if you are a music lover. Very soon, you will find him on the best playlists of Indian music across languages. This supremely talented composer/producer surprises me every single time and his knack for writing a delicious and stunning melody. Let us just say that he is Old-school. Tapas Roy shines through with a terrific prelude on the plucked instruments, and we have Rickraj on the Ukulele accompanying throughout.

The lyrics are interesting thanks to Manoj Yadav's wittiness. Gulraj sings the lines with such a cool attitude and I want him to sing more. The female lead vocalist is the wonderful performer Aditi Paul. She already cast some magic earlier in 2024 singing in All India Rank. I love the chord progression in the lines "Shukr Guzaar hai.... Shukr Guzaar hai tera", with the keys and harmonies aiding. There is an ARRahman-esque interlude with some Harmonica and harmonies. The stanza is fresh and just allows the heart to swell, with a lush Piano in the background. 

Thank You Gulraj for your commitment in writing these delectable lines "Tu hi me meri zindagi, oh meri jaan hai tere dum se sai saare kushi", with Gulraj and Aditi singing in unison. Vincent Joseph has assisted Gulraj and the recording engineers are Amey Londhe & Akshay Purandare. Ashish Saksena at Purple Haze Studios is the mix/master engineer. 

@gulraj_singh @aditipaulofficial @manojyadavwrites @zeemusiccompany @mandolintapas @shirins75 @audiomechanic @saugatoroychoudhry @axe_mix @rickrajofficial @amey.music @vincent.joseph.96

3.  Aas

Performed by Zidd

Vocals: Srujan Sahu

Written by Aditya Bhattamishra, Anshul Sathe, Anvesh Mandlik, Pravakar Bhattacharya, Srujan Sahu, Winston Thomas, Yashasvee Iyer

Language: Hindi

Genre: Prog-Rock

Mood: Contemplative 

I am hearing this 7 piece band for the very first time, and thank god I found them. The single released needed no second time hearing as I was quite sure that it deserved to be featured among the nation's best this week. Srujan Sahu is the frontman on vocals and he is also the producer. The prelude welcomes us with flowy guitar riffs from Aditya and soon enough Srujan's voice takes you down and sends you into a state of cryo-sleep, pardon the Sci-fi references, but I was captivated by Srujan's delivery and strength on vocals. Pravakar pens the lyrics.

Anshul Sathe is explosive on drums as he should be in this rock single. To make matters higher into the zone of elegance and style Anvesh Mandlik plays the bass guitar. At the end of the verse, the guitar riffs feel like a piece from "Boulevard of Broken Dreams". Yashasvee plays the guitars as well and the song is elevated by some terrific production and sound design, thanks to efficient keyboard programming and synths by Winston Thomas. The interludes with the electric guitar solo and drums and bass are segments to close your eyes and get transported somewhere else. Other than the mesmerising lead vocals the employment of harmonies works in the song's favor. 

This week is a blessing for rock music aficionados thanks to bands like Antariksh, Zidd and Masala Coffee. The arrangements and execution of live instrumentals are breathtaking in this single like the others and the outro segment is just exemplary treatment. The other members of the band are Pravakar Bhattacharya and Winston Thomas. 

@zidd_music @yashasveeiyer @pravakar.101 @win_stone1024 @abeynoodle @srujan.sahu @aaditya_bhattamishra 

4.  Nagma- X-Axis

Singer, Songwriter - Chhavi Sodhani

Music Producer - Chhavi Sodhani

Language: Hindi

Genre: Semi-classical pop

Mood: Relaxing

I am looking forward to the full EP release by Chhavi Sodhani which is called "X-Axis". Now why would it be called so, I hope it is not a mathematics lesson, but when I hear the framework of the 3 songs, I feel maybe because she is talking about love, pain, escape and positive takeaways in the songs, the X refers to her ex-boyfriend, or maybe is it because we always tend to think along the same plane or direction, and it is best to widen our thoughts and outlook to beyond the X-axis. Okay, enough investigation now!

The song is composed, written, performed and produced by Chhavi, so that is one heck of a show by her, going solo. The tracks are mixed and mastered by Vincent Joseph though. I get to hear multiple sounds in the prelude, thanks to some lo-fi effects, but the song's ultimate beauty lies in the melody. She weaves undeniable magic and the lines "Jab pyaar ka likhoon, Nagma koyi, haan", and I am already enticed by the notes. Things get magnified in effect when the lines "Lamhon ke hain khazaane, rakhe maine sirhaane" especially the second half mesmerising in notation. DO I hear some Raag Bihag? Maybe.

The arrangements kick in, with the keys, and she does a mindblowing ghamaka on "likhoon" just then at 1.06 minutes making me go wild. We get a very bluesy production with the sound of Piano, guitars, bass and cello. The stanza has its own well-written melody and the lead vocals are embellished with some nice harmonies. 

@vincent.joseph.96 @the_lazy_filmmaker @iam.himanchuk

@chhavisodhani

5. Bhagwaan

Song Composed & Produced by Masala Coffee 

Vocals: Abhijith Anilkumar, Razik Mujawar & Varun Sunil 

Lyrics: Santhosh Varma & Razik Mujawar

Language: Hindi/Malayalam

Genre: Rock fusion

Mood: Energetic/Devotional

I am in awe, within seconds as the synths and the solo violin by Amal Sivan descend upon us. Season 2 of Soundchk has been splendid once again with some fantastic music and we have 2 songs from the project this week. Masala Coffee is a fantastic rock fusion band from Kerala and the efforts of Merchant Records to bring some of the amazing rock bands of India to perform scintillating original songs for us is like a never-ending gift. The lead vocals are by Abhijit Anilkumar, Razik Mukjawar and Varun Sunil. 

It begins with the Tamil lyrics praising Lord Krishna and his flute-playing. The ghamakas are fantastic giving it a total Carnatic classical touch. The Banjolele by Amar Sangam starts playing and we start hearing the Hindi lines. The lyrics are penned by Razik and Santhosh Varma. The rock influences start showing up with the approach of the chorus segment. There could be some Karaharapriya Ragam influences in the melody if I am not wrong. Pauly is the bassist, Dayasankar is the drummer and with Surya Bharadwaj's electric guitars, the circuit is complete to deliver the rock flavours. 

The folkish rock fusion creates enough zest to the listener and we are treated to some awe-inspiring live instrumentals like the Violin Solo, Darbuka by Varun and the Esraj by Arshad Khan in the interlude. The stanza in Malayalam is beautifully written with all the heavy rock elements fading away and we get only the percussions, bass and Keys by Pranav KS. Steve Kottor and Alloy Francis handle the additional programming. The engineers are Jerrald, Reniel K Reji, Shiamlal & John at Tag Studios Mumbai, Offbeats Studio Chennai & Black n Bron Studios Calicut. The tracks are mixed by Jayakrishnan Nalinkumar at The Audio Guys, Mumbai, with the assistance of Sarang Gupta, and mastered by Gethin John at Hafod Mastering Wales, UK. 

@masalacoffeeband @varun.sunil @razikmujawar20 @abhijithanilkumar_ @amalsivan_official @suryabharadwaj.music @bassmanpaulie @dayasankarkm @pranavks95 @israjarshadkhan @amarsangam @binoy.bt @themohalife @merchant_records @salimsulaimanmusic 

6.  Naane Krishna Naane Shaam 

Lyrics: Dr V Nagendra Prasad 

Singers: Sanjith Hegde & M M Manasi 

Composed, produced & arranged by: Charanraj M R 

Language: Kannada

Genre: Light Music/Pop

Mood: Happy

I have been waiting for this, a banger from Chararaj, and finally, the wait is worth it. He is one of our finest composers/Producers and me, my fingers are crossed that he will get anointed with the coveted National Award for his ethereal music in 2023. This is a bonanza because the mercurial Sanjith Hegde is performing the lead vocals and the combination of Chararaj-Sanjith is like that newly discovered diamond stone in Botswana, rare and precious. 

Pandit Ballesh begins the prelude on the Shehnai and it immediately reminds me of the Purandar Das' "Bhagyada Lakshmi Baramma". The melody written for the Shehnai is funk and catchy and keeps coming at various instances, Sunil Sylvester and Ritwik Bhattacharya play the guitars and they are turning on the heat. The chorus of female singers viz. Pooja Rao, Meghana Kulkarni Joshi, Chinmayee Chandrashekhar, Prathima Bhat, are adding some more enthusiasm and the build-up to hear Sanjith is getting feverish now. Once Sanjith begins it is like a walk in the park, I love the title line where he sings " Naane Krishna Naane Shyam", followed by lines by the chorus. 

Charanraj continues to weave a melody that is so beautiful and elaborate. The song written for the chorus singers is a testament to Chararaj's abilities because, after every line by Sanjith in the stanza, we also get a line by the chorus, either worded or humming. MM Manasi uses that baritonish tone to perform her lines. We get very able keys and rhythm programming and Charanraj entirely handles the arrangements and production. Venkatesh G Bhat plays the synth bass. V Nagendra Prasad is the lyricist for the song. The recording engineers are Aniket Mohanty and Fenn Philip at Audiokraft Studios & 2bq studios. Aniket is also the mixing/mastering engineer. 

@charanraj27185 @viraat_official @sanjanaa_anand @dinakarthoogudeepa @manasimm @sanjithhegde @saregama_kannada @jayanna.films @venkateshmusic_ @sunil6string @ritwikbhattacharya @jmeghana @poojarao22 @chin_dhee @awwwwwwwwwniket @fatman_covers @audiokraftstudio @2bqstudios

7. Tu Hai

Producer, Arranger: Shalmali Kholgade

Composers: Nikhil D'Souza, Shalmali Kholgade

Lyricist: Shloke Lal

Language: Hindi

Genre: Pop

Mood: Romantic

OK, have a look at the two artists involved, and I would place a strong bet that this single would sound fabulous. It is not because of their popularity, but the body of work that you associate with Shalmali Kholgade and Nikhil D'Souza. They are skilled as composers, gifted as vocalists and when they get their heads together, you get a smashing record like this. Shalmali is terrific when it comes to song production and I can vouch for it thanks to her distinct and fresh sound design. The melody is co-written by Nikhil and Shalmali with the former just recently releasing a new EP. 

Roland Fernandes who is the guitarist in all of Shalmali's acts gets the strumming going right from the intro. The simple finger flicks as the rhythms segment and the vocalists singing in the union, especially the pre-chorus in different vocal registers is something to cherish. Shloke Lal is a smart guy and he gets the perfect romantic mood going with these relevant words. I love the bass guitars by Roland that add great style, and who else can vocally, like SHalmali with his humming in the interlude? 

That Harmonica by Kamyar in the interlude is a stunning intervention, and this is what I was talking about! Well done Sjhalmali on your arrangements and production. The vocal harmonies by both Shalmali and Nikhil in the outro are inspiring and set great ideals for the younger indie musicians to follow and live up to. Creativity is essential to show mastery in any art form. The tracks are mixed and mastered by the master himself Sunny MR at Chordfather Productions. 

@shalmiaow @shlokelal @nikhilmusic @rolandfernandes25 @sunnymr @chordfatherproductions 

8.  Mere Saamne

Vocals: Ronkini Gupta, Santanu Ghatak

Composition & Lyrics: Santanu Ghatak

Language: Hindi

Genre: Light Music

Mood: Romantic

A renowned music journalist Vi[pin recently commented on a post I put out on IG, saying that there are many good musicians in Hindi and one name he took was Santanu Ghatak. I had no debates there because Santanu is extremely talented as a composer, but I too wish he got opportunities in the bigger silver screen. Until then I am delighted to see Santanu release such amazing music, something that we don't hear from 90% of artists, a beautifully constructed melody that brings a smile to the face. 

The acoustic guitar by Irtiza Shafaat is reminiscent of the songs of the 1970s and 80s. The strumming is like tugging your heartstrings and when Ronkin Gupta begins singing, you find the song now becoming irresistible. The beauty in her tone, the texture is unparalleled and Santanu employs it to great effect. Santanu has penned the lyrics and performed the lead vocals along with Ronkini. The interlude is another melody on the guitar and if I am not wrong there are fragments of Raag Maand. Asad Ali Murtaza is responsible for the poignant arrangements and he gets all the elements placed in perfect design. This is music without borders, thanks to these amazing Pakistani musicians Asad and Irtiza. 

I would have never expected the short verses to take off in that chord progression as they sing " ek sookha gulab hai panno mein", and that is the mark of a composer's genius, in generating unpredictablity. 

@santanughatak @guptaronkini @irtiza_shafaat @asadali_murtuza

9. Jee Lunga

Composer, Singer, Writer: Neyhal

Producer, Studio  Personnel, Mixer, Mastering  Engineer: Aditya Shukla

Language: Hindi

Genre: Alt-Rock

Mood: Contemplative

Neyhal is in the best form of his life yet, and I only wish him even more success in the coming years. He has started making some enticing stuff and this soft rock single is one more proof of that. Things get straight into action mode with the lead guitars and drums and Neyhal's unmistakable voice. He, like Rajan Batra of The Yellow Diary" has distinct vocal textures and style and they both work quite well. 

The lead guitars and drums are all part of the wonderful production and sound design by talented young artist Aditya Shukla. The song's pulsating energy emanates from the keys, drums guitars and harmonies, but the soul is also from the beautiful melody and it's vocal execution. There is a very COLDPLAYish tone to this record. The song will turnaround a dull boring day into something you cherish. 

@neyhalll @adityashukla.02 @firstwav

10. Yaara Ve

Sung by Kanishk Seth, Kavita Seth

Music by Kimeraa, Kanishk Seth, Riz Shain

Lyrics by Kanishk Seth, Iman Baksh Nasikh

Language: Hindi

Genre: Folktronic

Mood: Trippy

They come as a family and they touch your heart with the quality and brand of music. This mother-son duo is one of the best there is and here is Kavita Seth and Kanishk Seth giving us a melody with enriched influences of Raag Shivaranjani. The song's melody and music production are by Kimeraa, Kanishk and Riz Shain, with lead vocals by the mother and son. The song has excellent sound design with Rajasthani folk influences in the Sarangi and melody, and modern touches on all the keyboard and rhythm programming.

Sandeep Mishra plays the Sarangi and it generates that pathos and warm folkish tone. Kavita ji haunts you even further with that slow and striking delivery. The additional vocals are by Devashri Manohar, with a brief aalap in the second interval. The lyrics are penned by Kanishk and Iman Baksh Nasikh. The hero is Sandeep with his eloquent solo on the Sarangi in the second interlude. The trippy sound design will keep you hooked for long. We have Ashish Biswas on Tabla, Saahel on Tabla Bols, the tracks are mixed and mastered by Somanshu Agarwal

@sethkavita @rizzyricoo @iamsomanshu @notsaharsh @iamkimeraa @upasanamakati

11. Galtiyan

Written, composed, sung and performed by Prateeksha Srivastava

Music produced by A$AD

Language: Hindi

Genre: Electronic Pop

Mood: Dance

I always look forward to any music releases by this young singer-songwriter Prateeksha Srivastava. She is blessed with a very good voice and enviable abilities. Prateeksha has been composing my wonderful melodies, that tread with a slow tempo and evoke emotions of pathos. I have been a fan of her work, but nothing impresses me more than diversity and multi-genre discography. So well done Prateeksha on composing, and performing this upbeat Pop single. 

A$AD has been working a lot with Prateeksha of late and he has effectively produced this energizing Electronic Pop banger. I love the chorus segment with the stylish humming followed by "Hone de ye galti". I feel like the words are taking to me like the great Tyler Durden of 'Fight Club' saying one must let go, and not try to control everything. The acoustic guitar and harmonies, designed and executed by Priyanshi Srivastava, are intervening at the right junctures, and soon we get pumped up thanks to the rhythms, and all the synth work and lo-fi elements. Kudos to Hanish Taneja for the lovely mixing and mastering. The music video is quite interesting with choreography done by Suneha Chauhan 

@officialprateeksha @asadmusic106 @indiearecords @priyanshi_srivastava27 @mixedbyhanish @sunehachauhan03 @tanyachhabra07 

12. Tasveerein

Music Composed & Produced by Varun Rajput

Lyrics: Varun Rajput

Vocals, Guitars, Keys: Varun Rajput

Language: Hindi

Genre: Rock

Mood: Energetic

Here comes the rock band 'Antariksh' and if you haven't heard them before, wear your seat belts right away! You are in for a wild ride. These guys are champions of Rock and we know what stuff they are made of, in the interlude with Arko Ganguly playing the smashing drums, Tanshuman Das on bass and Shrikant Biswakarma sizzling on lead guitars. The frontman Varun Rajput is the lead vocalist, he also writes the melody and lyrics while playing the guitars and keys. 

You can hear the super talented band members be creative and working with full freedom and I believe each has their parts designed and written by themselves. When Varun sings " Jahan DIil mein arma hain", the lead guitars and drums are performed with no shackles, especially the guitar notes following a trajectory of their own. The vocal harmonies also add a very pleasant coating behind the lead vocals and instrumental arrangements. Ishita Singh and Varun play this role. There is this segment with the spoken word and Varun's lyrics are quite impactful. The tracks are mixed by M Krishna Rao at Lotus Tree Studios, Delhi with Gethin John on mastering. 

@antariksh_official @drarko05 @strings_of_karma @tanshuman @akash.kumar8810 @salimsulaimanmusic @merchant_records @varunrajput_75 @ishita_singh @mkrishnarao @lotustreestudios