Top Indian Songs of the week 8th October 2023

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Here are the best songs released in India across languages and genres for the week ending 8th October 2023. 

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

1. Anomalies

Written, produced, and performed by Anoushka 

Additional Production by Saurabh Lokhande, Mayur Koli,

Dropped Out

Language: English

Genre: Indie Pop

It has been a long time coming for Anoushka Sivashankar, as I featured her 2 years ago for a brilliant song called "Song of the Seas". I am so glad to see her back and this time it is a chart topper with a banger of a track. I love the fact that Anoushka goes solo in this project, writing the lyrics, composing the melody, producing it and performing the lead vocals. Every step of the way she adds to the glory of the song. 

The attitude is one of chutzpah, and that is what she sends as a message through her delivery. Observe the mild grunt at the end of the line" Forget about the implications, See I'll leave it up to fate, I Notice your disposition", like how the King of Pop MJ would. The song has a tone that resembles his "Smooth Criminal" in a few ways according to me. I love the vocal harmonies and the way they are executed and arranged. How many songwriters can pride themselves on such excellent writing? The words are not simplistic for the sake of rhyming, and the writing has a train of thought. 

The notes leading up to the title line are nothing short of spectacular. Isn't it brilliant when the harmonies sing "I" in one instance and then finish the word "undermine" by just singing the part "mine", with Anoushka singing "Under"? This way the metering is perfect rhyming is perfect and lead and backing vocalists get assigned portions as well. Kudos for the thought. 

The composition, lyrics, and singing are all created with amazing sync and Anoushka deserves every bit of credit. It shouldn't be forgotten here that some more amazing musicians have worked on additional productions like Saurabh Lokhande, Mayur Koli and Dropped Out. Shivam Kale plays the guitars, and I believe he is responsible for the simmering bass guitars as well. 

The trumpets that we hear in the interludes are savvy thanks to the programming and arrangements. As the song progresses, Anoushka just gets from good to great vocally and it is a treat to a music lover like me. Abhishek Ghatak is solid as the mixing and mastering engineer and Aria Nanji is the recording engineer. 

@anoushka_sivasankar @theghatak @ariananji @studioislandcity @shivam_kale @musicalsaurabh @mayur_kolii @ireallydroppedout @itsjaigupta 

2. Seventh Ocean

Originally written and composed by Shri. Lalgudi G Jayaraman

Arranged, produced and performed by Agam

Singer: Harish Sivaramakrishnan

Language: Tamil

Genre: Carnatic-Rock

Here come the OG, a magnificent classical rock band that brought great metamorphosis not only in Kerala, its state of origin but also across India for their brand of music. Agam is here with a recreated song taken from the repertoire of the legendary Carnatic Violinist Shri. Lalgudi Jayaraman has also composed music. Harish Sivaramakrishnan is in terrific form as the lead vocalist, performing the Konnakol and if I am not wrong, it is set in Raag Sindhubhairavi. 

Agam resurrects this beautiful piece as the band programs, arranges and performs this aided by some scintillating live instrumentals. T Praveen Kumar's electric guitars and Yadhunandan Natarajan's drums elevate the song's energy and take it to the Rock genre that we cherish from Agam. Harish's aalaps are hari-raising good and we have Aditya Kasyap on backing vocals. 

Aditya also is the bassist and he is accompanied by Swamy Seetharaman on Keys and Jagadish Natarajan on rhythm guitars. The song also has some gruelling percussions played by Sivakumar Nagarajan. The interludes with lead, rhythm and bass guitars and Keys are breathtaking. Towards the end, we hear the Tamil lyrics written by Lalgudi Jayaraman in praise of Lord Murugan. 

@agamtheband @salimsulaimanmusic @wonderwall_media @praveen213 @aditya_kasyap @hsrkofficial @drummachari @drummershiva @rainyharp @jagadis @merchant_records @shivansh.j @warnermusicindia 

3. Rose Tinted Glasses 

Written and Sung by Prabhtoj Singh

Produced by Prabhtoj Singh and Aman Sagar

Language: English

Genre: Blues Pop

Prabhtoj Singh is one of the finest composers/producers in the land today and this single too creates an aura of positivity just like when we wear metaphorical Rose-Tinted Glasses. Prabhtoh has written, composed the tune and performed the vocals with incredible prizes. It feels like I have just been transported to the life and times of Stevie Wonder. Rhthem Bansal is ecstatically playing the Pianos with those funky bass guitars by Sonic Shori and guitars by Aman Sagar. 

The production is par excellence thanks to Aman and Prabhtoj and they get all the instrumental arrangements aesthetically done. We can hear the brass section by Chie Nishikori in the interludes with Trumpets, Trombones and the Flugelhorn. The vocal harmonies are constantly adding a layer of beauty as well. Things get steamy and high with the Saxophone solo by Abhay Sharma and Aveleon Giles Vaz on drums. Abhay is determined to stimulate our senses and he does that with incredible efficacy. The tracks are mixed by Aman and mastered by Andres Mayo. The outro with the sax domination felt like "One More Night" by Phil Collins. 

@sax.abhay @prabhtojsingh @lotustreesstudios @amansagarr @aveleonvaz @sonicshori @rythempiano @agneya_s @chie.nishikori 

4. Jaane Kya Hoga Mera

Performed by Jaasmaan

Written by Jaasmaan R

Produced by Jaasmaan

Language: Hindi

Genre: Light Music/Pop

This song came as a total surprise in a movie album called "Scratch Singer". Jaasmaan Rathore has composed, written, produced and performed this very lovable song. It straightaway reminded me of the song "Aa Gale lagg Jaa". The bass guitars by Andre Vasconcellos, Saxophone by Sundar, and Clarinet by Samuel stand out in the heap of notes, the vocals and other instrumental arrangements. During many moments I did sense a resemblance to Sonu Nigam's voice, Jaasmaan serenades with a very emotionally apt and adept delivery. 

We get a nice interlude with a female humming, flute solo and trumpets, and Jaasman does a fabulous job in arranging, programming and producing this song. It is Sundar Vishwanathan playing the Alto and Soprano Saxophone, he also plays the mild flute. The second interlude with the heavy strings section and percussions was elaborate with many Middle Eastern flavours emerging. The vocals are alleviating and Jaasman deserves credit for his delivery as well. The Clarinet is by Samuel Da Silva, with Trumpets being played by David Malcolm. Arioso Quintet the team behind the brilliant scores of the Malayalam movie "2018" is playing the strings section. 

It is not often that we see a Hindi song from a movie in these lists. This is one brilliantly produced song that is rich in quality and sets an example to a dwindling Bollywood music industry. Jaasmaan reminds us that quality always trumps quantity. Sonalika and Marta Garrett are the backing vocalists. Jaasmaan also joins Sonalika, Prabhal Bhushan and Reshma Seegobin.

This song is part of a short film that came about as a project with its genesis being Jaasmaan's years of tribulations and struggles to get recognition and opportunity in this world focussed on Profile Singers who are famous on social media with a humungus list of followers. This is Jaasmaan's statement that he deserves to be more than a Scratch Singer. 

@jaasmaanrathore @sundarvmusic @andrevasconcellobx @david.malcolm__ @_sonalika21_ @martagarre77 @ariosoquintet @reshmaseegobin @prabalbhushan @keshavdhar 

5. Mann Kasturi

Singer & Composer: Yash Chauhan

Lyricist: Avinash Chouhan

Produced by Milton Daniel, Harshit Chauhan

Language: Hindi

Genre: Indie Pop

Yash Chauhan is this talented singer/composer who has been on my favourites list right from 2019 when I began this journey of music journalism. Here too he has composed and sung this gentle melody that feels like witnessing the strides of a beautiful deer in the grasslands. Milton Daniel's flowy acoustic guitars tuck our hearts, and with the combination of Yash's vocals and a beautiful antara segment, I am already swaying in a meditative state. I love the line " Tu tehra jidhar bhi woh tera nagar" with a beautiful use of vibrato on the word "jidhar". 

Milton and Harshit Chauhan are the producers and so they are responsible for the delectable arrangements and programming elements in the song. The interlude is very brief and we straight away head to the stanza. The melody continues to be heartwarming and Avinash Chouhan writes these beautiful lines. Rahul R Kamath is the mixing and mastering engineer and the recording engineers are Sameer Dharap at Studio 504 and Pranjal Bora at Neo Studio.

@yash_chauhan711 @writer_avinash @miltondaniel @studio5o4 @samirdharap9 @rk7987 @harshitchauhanofficial @dhrutesh__14

6. Omanaththingal

Composed, Arranged & Sung by Kalyani Nair

Keys & Music co-production: M S Yeshwanth

Language: Malayalam

Genre: Lullaby/Symphony Orchestra

I felt like dropping all my work and goals for now and wanted to just doze off with a light heart and a smile on my face. They say that music can heal you, and if not a song like this, then what can? Kalyani Nair is making our boring lives better through her music and after a two-track EP a couple of months ago, she is back with one more. This is a 4-track EP called "Ula" and I am looking forward to the remaining songs. Kalyani has composed, arranged and performed the lead vocals. 

Chris Jason plays a pivotal role on acoustic guitars strumming his way into our hearts and he also plays the electric bass in the song. Slowly we can hear The Indian Choral Ensemble singing in the background. Kalyani Nair has sort of revolutionized this idea of harmonies bringing in her 40-strong group of fantastic singers who can perform at various vocal registers. MS Yeshwanth is on the Keys and he has also co-produced this song along with Kalyani. 

We have Aparna Harikumar, Sushmita Narasimhan, Samanvitha G Sasidaran, Alisha T Mathew, Vani Nandini, and Fathima Henna on Sopranos. Geethu Nirmala, Nayansee Sharma, Nidhi Saraogi, Deepika Karthik Kumar, Sivaranjini Chandramouli and Yazhini as the Altos performers, Pranjal Thakore, Manoj Krishna, Sudharsan Hemaram, Manikandan Chembai, Shridhar Ramesh and Akhil Chandrasekhar as Tenor singers, finally Karthik Manickavasakam, Neeraj M Selva, Shyam Krishna, Regis Tony SD, Cyril Simon and Prashanth Mohanasundaram on Bass. 

The bridge section gets intriguing after the interludes. But the highlight is when all the singers start performing with a pause in all live instruments. Kalyani is nothing short of sizzling on lead vocals with some phenomenal ghamakas. David Joseph plays the mild drums, and all the strings section is thanks to Budapest Scoring Orchestra. Biju James, Lijesh and Hariharan. 

@kalyaninair86 @karthikmanickavasakam @theindianchoralensemble @christhejason @davidthejoseph @yeshwanth6 @wynk.studio @budapestscoring @biju_james72 @studiounorecords 

7. Ghar Mera

Vocals: Nakul Chugh

Music composition/Production by - Nakul Chugh

Lyrics - Shreya Jain

Language: Hindi

Genre: Indie Pop

Nakul Chugh makes it twice in 2 weeks, getting featured here in their weekly chart of India's best songs. Last week it was Shreya Jain singing and composing a song produced by Nakul, and here we have Nakul composing, producing and performing with Shreya Jain writing the lyrics. It takes a while for the song to captivate and grab your attention because, for the first 50 seconds, it did sound run-of-the-mill. 

It hits you hard with an amazingly written segment by Nakul that begins "Tu hi to hai, ghar mera, tu jaahan main bhi wahin". I was especially stunned by the second half of the line and how the notes transformed towards the phrase" main bhi wahin" in the most unexpected fashion. It is not the singing and composition alone, if you pay attention we hear that mild saxophone beginning to strike a blow. Then we get the interlude with the indomitable presence of Abhay Sharma who just literally blows your mind away with the savvy sax. His creative modulations add to the song's innate likability. 

The arrangements, keys and rhythm programming along with vocal harmonies score pretty well. Maadhavan Bhattacharjee is the mix/master engineer. 

@nakulchughh @shreyajainmusic @sax.abhay @bongoland.music 

8. Mango Milkshake

Lyrics, Composition: Meera Desai

Production, Arrangement: Raag Sethi

Language: English

Genre: Blues

The usual suspects are here and are found guilty of making some fantastic original music. Meera Desai has written, composed and sung this original Blues song. The sucking of the Mango Milkshake with a straw, makes me rise from my slumber and now I am all ears. It begins like an A-Capella project with some great accompanying vocalists in Protyay Chakraborty, Tshering Bhutia and Shivang Kapadia.

Meera and Raag Sethi play the guitars, with Raag on bass. Her vocals are beaming and the way she sings " Its mango season, a season of love", with the vibrato on the last word is as tasty as the milkshake itself. Meera is involved in some vocal percussion along with Raag who has produced and done the fine arrangements of the song. Harmish Joshi can be heard on the Saxophone and Flute solo interventions. Shivang Kapadia is the drummer and Raag plays all additional percussions. Meera plays the Tambourine as well. Raag and Nirmal are the recording engineers, and we have Protyay on mixing and Raag on mastering duties. 

@deepikasethmusic @meerasmelodies

9. Don’t Let Me Fall

Performed by Abji George

Written by Abji George

Language: English

Genre: Synth-Pop

I have featured Abji George before, and I am happy he brings a smile to my face once again. This song starts off with the strumming of guitars that, made me think of "More than Words" by the band 'Extreme'. Without wasting time, Abji begins his vocals and from a classical pop, the song shifts into a synth-pop style. We are taken through a journey into the late 90s and early 2000s with the Keys, guitars and vocal delivery filled with falsettos. 

Anji has composed, written, produced and sung this spectacularly giving us all the goodness of Pop music that I grew up listening to. A synth-laden interlude is dreamy and we go on to cherish more from Abji in the pre-chorus segment. I just love the words "Don't let me fall in love with you again". 

@abjigeorge 

10. Bejewel 

Performed by Signal W

Written by Anukool Raman, Devasheesh Sharma, Joe Panicker, Nihar Apte

Language: English

Genre: Alt-Rock

I am thankful that over the last few weeks, I have come across some albums released by artists and bands and they all have had at least two very enjoyable songs. Signal W is a 4 piece act from Goa. The music belongs to the Alt-Rock genre and takes us too close to the styles of Coldplay. I particularly feel like there is a resemblance to "Politik", especially the heavy electric guitar riffs and drums. 

The band members are bassist Nihar, Devasheesh on electric guitars, frontman Anukool on vocals and drummer Joe. The programming and arrangements are scintillating, to say the least, and they keep us hooked for the entire duration of the song. The Keys, electric guitars and bass combine amazingly to give the listener an electrifying experience. I love the writing with lines like " The more I keep looking, the less I seem to understand", especially with Anukool's passionate vocals. 

 Miti Adhikari is the mix/master engineer. The other song that felt slow and seductive was "Drug" which was all about the vocals, Keys and mild drums. 

@signalwmusic @roadtripper199 @aptebhau @k.o.k.o.inc @joe_panicker @devsmusicattic 

11. Rone Do

Singer/Composer - Ami Mishra

Co-Composer - Rakshit Wesley

Lyrics - Kunaal Vermaa

Music Arrangements and Production- Manash Borthakur

Additional Production - Vaibhav Pani

Language: Hindi

Genre: Alt-Rock

A guitar-heavy song approaches and wouldn't you know it when you see heavy-weight names like Vaibhav Pani and Krishna Pradhan on guitars? Ai Mishra is the singer and composer and he enjoys performing the Alt-Rock song which has tinal similarities to a SHankar-Ehsaan-Loy melody. Rakshit Wesley is the co-composer, with some very nice words penned by Kunaal Vermaa. I love the moment when Ami sings " Jo tum na keh sake, lo hum ne keh diya". 

We have Himangshu Borah on bass guitars with Ashay Sharma assisting on drums. The drums get an enraged presence as the tempo rises when Ami sings " Bahut sun liya, ab kehne do". kind of implying that the protagonist is losing patience. The production is worthy of credit and that is where Manash Borthakur comes in handy thanks to his arrangements and production. 

Vaibhav does the additional production. Mallika Soni is on backing vocals and we have Pankaj Borah as the mixing and mastering engineer. The outro on electric guitars is memorable. 

@amimishra14 @kunaalvermaa @manashborthakur @vaibhavpani 

12. Lehrein

Singer & Composer: Shay

Lyrics: Kaushal Kishore

Music Producer: Gaurav Vaswani

Language: Hindi

Genre: Indie pop

Shay is an artist I am featuring for the first time, but the music producer Gaurav Vaswani has been kind of a regular. He has been a part of many amazing projects involving Pratibha Singh and Deepak Pandit. This particular single is composed and performed by Shay with lyrics by Kaushal Kishore. There are fragments of electronic and synth-pop thanks to the programming and arrangements by Gaurav.

My favourite line is the title line, which is sung beautifully by Shay and the background sound design takes it up a few notches a swell. The interlude is savvy with guitars and Keys and then the tune itself grows on you with a catchy stanza. Maybe it is meant to be like waves (Lehrein) that keep coming and touching you. The tracks are mixed and mastered by Sethuraman. 

@gauravvaswaniofficial @shayyysings @mekaushalkishore @tseries.official 

13. Naya

Vocals: Kamakshi Khanna 

Produced by Dropped Out

Co-written and co-composed by Sameer Rahat, Kamakshi Khanna

Language: Hindi

Genre: Indie Pop

Kamakshi Khanna is like the OG in the indie space in India and her constant dedication to composing or performing good original music is an inspiration for many including a journalist like me. so this is nothing new or Naya to me. This song stands out for its valiant writing that feeds a positive message, of self-dependence. We hear Ryan Sadri's horns in the background and Apurv Isaac on guitars enamoring the song in every way richly possible. 

Rishi Thakker (Dropped Out) and Sameer Rahat composed and produced this funky Blues/Pop song, and the arrangements are blemishless with the vocal harmonies, guitars and horns section interventions. The producers ensure that the rhythm programming is up to the task. The outro with the saxophone and multiple layers of Horns is enticing to hear. The tracks are mixed and mastered by Jason D'Souza, with Mukul on the Dolby mastering.

@ireallydroppedout @sameerrahat @lala_music @rynosax @jasonmixesaudio @mixbymukul @ferriswheelstudios @kamakshikhannamusic @representmgmt @natashamahtani

14. Kaahe Mora

Singer: Pratiksha Vashishtha 

Music Composed & Lyrics Written by: Neha Karode

Music Produced by: Brince Bora

Language: Hindi Traditional

Genre: Semi-classical Pop

Neha Karode has been making great strides as a musician and she has not only composed and performed in the indie space, she has also had some terrific stints in Bollywood as a playback singer, especially in the last 2 years. Here we have a single composed and written by Neha and she gets a confident young Pratiksha Vashishtha as the lead vocalist. She has a beautiful voice and the way she utilises her potential to deliver this semi-classical pop number is excellent. 

Brince Bora is the producer and so he gets an A+ for some skilful arrangements and programming. There are a multitude of Ragas that can be heard in the mix of the notes. The interlude with the chorus and the keyboards is an interesting segment and then we return to more classical portions of the song in the stanza. The aalap closer to the end of the song is well executed by Pratiksha. The recording engineer is Mrinal Kanti Das with Rupjit Das as the mix/master engineer. 

 @pratiksha_singer_official @nehakarode_music @shivansh.j @salimsulaimanmusic @merchant_records 

15. Lost in You

Vocal, Lyrics, Composition: Niyati Handa

Music Producer: Vaibhav Pani 

Backing Vocals: Pranshu Jha

Language: Hindi

Genre: Electronic Pop

Niyati has been around for a while, and I have always listened to her vocals with a certain fervour. Finally, after many singles I am featuring this one, thanks to a catchy tune and some solid production.

Niyati has written the lyrics, composed the tune and performed the lead vocals so, a huge applause for her solo act. Vaibhav the brilliant producer/composer/guitarist has played guitars as well and produced this to my liking. The lines" hui hui main pagal" are accompanied by some vocal harmonies as well and the song carries some very good keyboard and rhythm programming. Niyati keeps teasing the listener with her vocals, and she uses falsetto and vibratos effectively without overdoing it. It feels like the song could be part of a Bollywood movie for sure. The tracks are mixed and mastered by Abhishek Ghatak and Pranshu Jha is the backing vocalist. 

@niyatihandamusic @vaibhavpani @pranshumusic 

@theghatak