Top Indian Songs of the week 29th October 2023

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Here are the best songs released in India across languages and genres for the week ending 29th October 2023. 

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

1. Meri Jaan

Singers: Asees Kaur, Abdul Rashid Hafiz 

Music: Mithoon, Abdul Rashid Hafiz

Song created, composed and arranged by Mithoon

Lyrics: A. M. Turaz, Abdul Ahad Nazim

Language: Hindi/Kashmiri

Genre: Folk

Bhoomi continues to give us some of India's best original music, and in many ways, it has overtaken "Coke Studio". The song gives off a Raag Shanmukhapriya vibe from the starting itself, with the Kashmiri lines sung by Abdul Rashid Hafiz. The lyrics are penned in Kashmiri by Abdul Ahad Nazim. The moment this intro ends, Asees Kaur begins to strike the listener with her uniquely gifted and enamoured voice. AM Turaz writes the Hindi lyrics and I just love the line " Jo ja rahe ho jana, meri jaan lete jaao na". It is beautiful from a musical, vocal and lyrical perspective. 

Mithoon has been a decent composer in Bangla and Hindi film music, and it is nice to see him excel here in this indie project, with this song he cooks up a fantastic tune as well. The sound of a Duduk is what probably comes and intervenes just before Asees' vocals and we hear all the woodwinds played by Naveen Kumar. The percussions are diverse and beautifully give a Middle Eastern flavour. Bobby Shrivastava, Anugrah, Godswill Mergulhao, Eli Rodrigues, Omkar Salunkhe, Keyur Barve, Jignesh Patel & Kaushal Gohil play the live percussions and the strokes and plucked instruments are played by Tapas Roy and Chintoo Singh Wasir.

The humming by Asees is haunting and she proves with every note performed that she is exceptional and a valuable asset to any composer. The Kashmiri lines have these chorus segments performing together and that sounds divine. The singers are Raj Pandit, Aditya Kalway, Shivansh Jindal, Prateeksha Srivastava and Priyanshi Srivastava on backing vocals. We also have a set of chorus singers like Pragati Joshi, Archana Gore, Deepti Rege, Janardan Dhatrak, Umesh Joshi and Dattatray Mistry. 

Mithoon is the composer and he also arranged and programmed the song with assistance from Anugrah, Godswill Mergulhao, Eli Rodrigues & Kaushal Gohil. Godswill and Bobby Shrivastava have done the music programming. The song's style quotient also emerges from the bass guitars of Akashdeep Gogoi. Raj Pandit arranged and supervised the Kashmiri vocals. The recording engineers Raj, Shahid Vaakhs, and Eli Rodrigues. The mix/master engineer is Eric Pillai with mix assistance from Michael Pillai. 

@aseeskaurmusic @mithoon11 @salimmerchant @salimsulaimanmusic @merchant_records @shivansh.j @mithoon11 @amturazoffical @shahid_vaakhs_official @abrashidhafizz @rajpandit17 @mandolintapas @omkr99 @godswill.i.am @anugrah4music @keyurdrums_official @akashdeep_gogoi_music @kg_music_86 @chintoosinghwasir @_jigneshpatil_ @kg_music_86 

2. Fursat

Performed by Amit Trivedi, Rupali Moghe, Siddharth - Garima

Written by Amit Trivedi, Siddharth - Garima

Language: Hindi

Genre: Semi-classical Electronic Pop

The man has fallen from his peak and that is something I have been saying for the last few years. It is not disrespect but it only shows how much I value his musical abilities of the past. Amit Trivedi must be credited and praised for still trying hard both in film music and indie projects and with this new album called "Songs of Trance 2" he gives a few songs to dance to. My favourite from the album is 'Fursat', composed by Amit and written by Siddharth-Garima. 

The song is fantastically performed by Rupali Moghe and Amit has been collaborating with her as a vocalist for the last couple of years at least. The song is heavy on Keys and Synths and is a programming delight. The rhythms too are very modernised and give off that electronic pop vibe. The vocal harmonies, come and go along with the flute and keys create a very likeable interlude. I did sense some Raag Bhimpalasi and we have a wonderful combination of a great tune, excellent lyrics and masterful vocals. Rupali shows incredible skill in singing with great expression, style and a wide vocal range. 

Amit does well in creating a full-fledged composition, that has some amazing arrangements, interludes, stanzas and the whole-nine yards. The engaging outro is one fine example of Amit's abilities. 

@rupali_music @itsamittrivedi @siddharthgarima @amittrivediazaad

3. Brundavanive

Music Composed & Arranged - Chaitan Bharadwaj 

Singer -Sid Sriram, Chaitan Bharadwaj

Lyrics - Vengi Sudhakar

Language: Telugu

Genre: Pop

Chaitan Bharadwaj is a talented composer who has been featured quite frequently of late, on my website and he continues to enthral the listener with an earworm of a tune and brings in Sid Sriram to do the vocal honours. Arun Chiluveru is a fantastic guitarist and he gets on board with his acoustic guitar and strums a beautiful love song along with Sid's vocals. 

After the intro and pre-chorus, we hit a very attractive chorus segment and Sid is irresistibly good in the baritone vocal register. Chaitan has composed, arranged and programmed the keys and rhythms for this beauty. The gentle electric mandolin by SM Subhani reminds me of the great Mandolin U Sreenivas and it is such a stunning addition to the live instrumental arrangements. The interludes are groovy and stylish with the rhythms, keys and Chaitan's bass. The stanza is brief but in no way is it a complaint! 

This song is very addictive and we have Ravi Shankar's flute also coming and intervening. Vengi Sudhakar is a lyricist. The outro is excellent with both Arun and Chaitan on fire with acoustic and bass guitars. The tracks are mixed and mastered by Shadab Rayeen at New Edge, with mix assistants Pukhraj Sonkar, Ehsan and Anup Gandharla. 

@chaitanbharadwaj @sidsriram @shadabrayeen @music_vengi @saregamasouth @__a7un__ @mandolinsmsubhani

4. Umeed

Performed by Ailaan

Written by Aditya Francis, Ashish Manchanda

Produced by Ashish Manchanda

Genre: Rock

Language: Hindi

This is rock music right down smack at the centre. I am thrilled to hear so much of rock music coming from original rock bands because, unlike a few genres, there is a lot of live instrumental flavour in this genre. This Mumbai-based rock band has frontman Aditya Francis on lead vocals and lead guitars, Emmanuel D'Souza on bass guitars, Karan Koli on drums and Keyboardist Allwyn D'Souza. 

The song works very well because of the underlying melody, and strangely it does take me back to "Boulevard of Broken Dreams" by Greenday. The vocals by Aditya are not only blistering but also inducing moments of trance. He doesn't seem to be just high on decibel levels but very capable as a singer with beautiful ghamakas also in between. There are moments when Aditya's vocal texture feels like that of Shankar Mahadevan. 

I love the line "koi rokh le unke kadam zara, kahin hona voh ek pal mein hi fanaa" with an unexpected change in notes in the second half of the line. We have some uplifting instrumentals from the band, with reverberating drums, electric and bass guitars and Keys. The sound design and production are spotless and I am going to be interested in all their future projects, thanks to the promise they show. 

The bridge section is brilliant with a change in tempo and rhythms brought about by drums and guitars and the lines " pukaare naye zamaane". The guitar interventions are electric and face-melting. The band brings in so much, with a segment towards the end where we have background vocals as an added element. 

@ailaantheband @aesthete_millenial @aditya.francis @emmandmusic @springboardrecords_bclabels 

5. Raah De

Music composition, production & arrangement - Rishi Kumar

Vocals - Rishi Kumar & Vaani Bhasin

Lyrics - Anshul Mathur & Rishi Kumar

Language: Hindi

Genre: Indie Pop

Some songs directly affect you in a very nice way and bring a smile to your face. This is certainly one of them. Rishi Kumar has composed a very lovable melody that sort of reminds me of Raag Hamsadhwani thanks to the cheerfulness it creates. 

Rishi not only writes the melody but also does the arrangements and production and they all fetch an A+ rating. One of our finest instrumentalists, Pratik Shrivastava enters the fray with his stunning Sarod and we fall in love with the song's classical touch as well. Rishi Kumar is the lead vocalist and in the stanza, we get the beautiful tender voice of Vaani Bhasin. My heart blossoms as she sings " dil yeh tere hai, main bhi teri". Rishi and Anshul Mathur pen the words to pile to the greatness of the track. 

Towards the end, when the lead vocalists perform in unison, with the Sarod and Keys in the background, it is a treat. The bridge section is short but outstanding and we get all these amazing elements coming together making this one of the hottest indie songs of the month.

@sadakkavi @rishikumarmusic @vaanibhasin @sarodpratik @gtrbhaskar @emsquarestudios8883 

 6. The Old Monk Waltz

Performed by Delhivision

Written by Aman Suneja, Jaiditya Jha, Priyansh Gupta, Shubhang Munjal

Language: Hindi/English

Genre: Rock n Roll

This newly formed band from Delhi has a good mix of English and Hindi Lyrics and it does sound fun when you hear it. This is only their second single, but they sound pretty seasoned. The sound of the acoustic guitar and Keys with an otherwise rock style is a breath of fresh air. Jaiditya Jha has a very impressionable voice and it becomes a strong highlight very soon. He is the lead vocalist and guitarist. 

Shubang Munjal is the keyboardist, and we soon enough are joined by drummer Aman Suneja and Priyansh Gupta on bass guitars. The lyrics are quite interesting and 'hatke' with lines like " Ready cash, hara stash, getting mashed. bande char, chalo bar, beda paar. Nayi car bandhe cheater hain muh mein heater hain". Jaiditya does well as he hits the higher vocal pitch. One of my favorite lines is "inki duniya mein har raat hai shanivaar" with the last word getting repeated. 

The interlude on the saxophone is quite interesting and unexpected and that is why it sticks to the mind. 

@delhivision_ @show.bang @priyanshgupta1 @jaiditya_jhuh @aman.drums @blacksheep.records

7. Akhir

Composer: Vishal Mishra

Singer: Vishal Mishra 

Lyrics : Kaushal Kishore 

Music Arranged & Produced by: Vishal Mishra 

Additional Music Production - Bixal

Language: Hindi

Genre: Light Music/ Ballad

Finally, after a few songs here and there, I am glad Vishal Mishra is back in prime form. He has composed, arranged, produced and sung this mildly melancholic love song. It all begins with the strokes by Shomu Seal and he also plays the acoustic guitars. The moment Vishal starts singing with his deep and perfect emotional delivery, we are floored. Bixal does the additional music production and the song scores high on the arrangements other than the tune and vocals. 

I love the lines " waqt ne kaisa lamha diya hai, dard ne dil ko sahma diya hai" and here it is the faint guitars and vocals alone, with all other instruments vanishing. Kaushal Kishore has penned the touching, beautiful words. Vishal continues to deeply affect us with his singing and he at the same time exhibits his wide vocal range in the stanza, and even in the outro with his Punjabi lines at the high pitch, the falsetto being a. The music assistants in the project are Kumar Gaurav Singh, Trihangku Lahkar & Bixal. Trihangku is the mix/master and recording engineer. 

@vishalmishraofficial @mekaushalkishore @bixal__purplehaze @trihangkulahkar

8. Gallulona

Singers: Kapil Kapilan, Nutana Mohan

Lyrics: Krishna Kanth

Music: Chaitan Bharadwaj

Language: Telugu

Genre: Light-Music/Pop

Wonder what Chaitan Bharadwaj is having for breakfast! This is his second song in the week and this amazing single is no less than the other track "Brundavanive". The earlier song is shorter, but this one has a full-fledged stanza and feels more complete. Kapil Kapilan who is one of India's in-demand vocalists takes over singing duties here along with Nutana Mohan as the female lead.

The acoustic guitar drives the song right from the start, and then we have a heavy key and synth-driven arrangement. Nutana impresses immensely with her cool attitude and matches Kapil's delivery with every note. The interlude is filled with some humming and the mild flute and what follows is more of pop-styled arrangements and programming. The second interlude gives satisfaction thanks to the electric violin sounds. 

@chaitanbharadwaj @kapilkapilanmusic @nutana_mohan 

9. Hua Main

COMPOSER: PRITAM

LYRICIST: MANOJ MUNTASHIR SHUKLA

SINGERS: RAGHAV CHAITANYA, PRITAM 

MUSIC ARRANGED, PRODUCED AND LIVE GUITARS - AM.AN (FOR JAM8)

Language: Hindi

Genre: Alt-Pop

The fans of Cinema are looking forward to this movie 'Animal'. The teaser and trailer have created enough interest thanks to the portrayal and look of Ranbir. Mainly the director is the one who created "Arjun Reddy" a few years ago. Moving onto the music of the movie we have Pritam composing the songs and this first single does a fabulous job in maintaining the hype. 

The guitars are terrific and strong and we have AM.AN to praise for the arrangements, live guitars and production. The song stands tall on the shoulder of the terrific sound design and the immaculate and passionate vocals of Raghav Chaitanya. The keys and rhythms are programmed to perfection giving the song a larger-than-life appeal. Raghav carries on to impress in the stanza with the high-pitch segments being delivered with great poise. Manoj Muntashir writes the sensational lyrics to add more meat to the song's message. The tracks are mixed and mastered by Eric Pillai with mix assistant Michael Edwin Pillai at Future Sound of Bombay. 

@ipritamofficial @am.an_music @manojmuntashir @raghavchaitanya @jam8studio @tseries.official @sandeepreddy.vanga @ericpillai 

10. Afeem

Vocals, Guitars, Lyrics, Composition: Brijesh Sarin

Language: Hindi

Genre: Alt-Rock

It feels like you have just entered the frame of a Hollywood movie back in 2000's. Well, at least that is how this music sounds with that blazing electric guitar and boisterous drums. Most teen love stories and comedies like "American Pie" have such engaging style of music in their OST. Brijesh Sarin hails from Ahmedabad, and it is hence no surprise that he gets the brilliant Raag Sethi on board as the bassist. 

Brijesh has a very appealing vocal texture and his use of the falsetto is exhilarating. Brijesh wrote the melody and lyrics and sang and played the guitars. He is also the mix/master engineer. The bridge section gets nice background support from the synth and keyboard programming. Pritul Chauhan never loses energy on the drums for a single second and the Trumpets are played by Ketan Kanjaria. Khush Doshi is the Asst. Recording engineer and all the sound engineering work has happened at Oxygen Studios, Ahmedabad. 

@brijeshsarin @pritul_chauhan @tanvi_malhara @raagsethi @kanzariyaketan

11. Ghata Saawan Ki

Singer: Sreetoma Bandyopadhyay

Composition: Mayookh Bhaumik

Lyrics: Sreetoma Bandyopadhyay

Language: Hindi

Genre: Light Music

This feels like a 1990's Bollywood rain dance song, and that gets conveyed brilliantly by the song's tone, lyrics, arrangements and vocals too. Sreetoma seems to be adequately talented as a vocalist as she sings these lines with great flourish and style. The song is written by her and the tune is composed by Mayookh Bhaumik. I have featured Mayookh before and here he plays the Tabla, Ghatam and Harmonium. 

There were times when Sreetoma's voice felt like a beautiful Shreya Ghoshal performance. However, I felt the sound design and mixing could have been slightly better. This is what I felt when I heard the song on my headphones. The interlude is well-composed, with some fantastic ghamakas from Sreetoma. The flute solo by Soumyajyoti Ghosh, along with the swaras is a great combination and it feels like Raag Sarang. 

The stanza is short but the melody continues to smile at us, with Sreetoma sizzling vocally. The song is programmed by Mayookh and Prabhuddha Banerjee, Shubhajit Banerjee is the recording engineer. The tracks are mixed and mastered by Ajit Kumar Prasad at Om Studio, Kolkata. 

@__sreetoma @musicalchamber @mayookhb @banerjee.prabuddha @soumyajyoti_flute 

12. How I Saw The World

Performed by Preemal Serrao

Written by Preemal S Serrao

Produced by Viyan D'Souza

Language: English

Genre: Indie Pop

Preemal reached out to me with her hew new single after submitting it on my website. Like I always do, i listen to new music without any bias or preconceived notions. The song began and I was thrilled at Preemal's vocal output. The gentle pop song made me sway and it was Preemal's sweet voice, the delivery style and the confidence in her tone that brought about awe. She has written, the lyrics and melody and performed the vocals.

The acoustic guitars and bass soon added some rich flavours along with the drums. The way she kept singing the title line, I started seeing the world with hope, and happiness. I felt like I was listening to some of the amazing pop songs of the 1990s like "These Dreams" by the American Rock band called Heart. 

Viyan D'souza gets every element of programming and arrangement perfectly placed and executed. The highlight is the interlude on the Keys towards the end. 

@preemal_serrao @viragoarts @viyandsouza @joylenelobo @melodium.studio @lionel.dmello @russeljrodrigues 

13. Uyaalo Uyyala

Singer: SP Charan

Lyrics: Anantha Sriram

Music: Thaman S

Language: Telugu

Genre: Light Music/Folk

This is a Thaman special, and it is not one of those flamboyant dance numbers, but a melodious love song that resembles Ilaiyaraja's legendary genius. The song is performed by SBP Charan as the lead vocalist and Anantha Sriram as the lyricist. The song is a gentle enjoyable love song, and it bursts onto the stage with a magnificent interlude.

The percussions and the mild flute give the song a folkish flavour, but after the anu pallavi, we have the grand orchestra of the strings section, flooding our ears with the violins, violas and cellos. The second interlude bears an even closer resemblance to Ilaiyaraja in the way he used to weave magic with the strings section. 

 @musicthaman @anantha.sriram @spbcharan

14. Clout

Written & Performed by Dwain Willis

Featured Artist & Performed by Anoushka Sivasankar

Produced by Mayur Koli

Language: English

Genre: Alt Hip-Hop

Mayur Koli was on top of the charts a couple of weeks ago for a fantastic single he co-produced along with Anoushka Sivasankar for a song called " Anomalies". Here he is being featured for a song that was part of an EP called "Anecdote". This new EP is created by Dwain Willis and Mayur Koli with the latter producing the songs. My favorite from the EP is this song which is written and performed by Dwain, Mayur and Anoushka.

There are solid Keyboards and synth programming and the hip-hop we are treated to here is infectiously good. I also love the harmonies with the female vocals in the background giving a Gospel effect while Dwain is killing it with his hip-hop. Anoushka is mind-blowing and I am not surprised by her effective, rousing and glass-shattering vocals. The Piano, bass guitars and rhythm programming all combine so well reminding me of some of Eminem's greatest hits. 

@dwain_willis @mayur_kolii @anoushka_sivasankar