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Indian Weekly

weekly 22nd oct 2023

Top Indian Songs of the week 22nd October 2023

If you are a musician submit your new music here.Here are the best songs released in India across languages and genres for the week ending 22nd October 2023. Here is the SPOTIFY Playlist of the Top songs of the week1. ImmortalisePerformed by The Flying Fish, Varun UdaykumarWritten by Aaditya Surve, Aaron Braganza, Shishir Sharma, Suyash Kinjal Medh, VarunUdaykumarLanguage: EnglishGenre: Alt-RockI am yet to listen to the EP called 'Waves Shattered', but when I heard this single, the music felt like an Immortal being. The Flying Fish is a 4 piece Mumbai-based band that focuses on instrumental music. This is no wonder that the quality oozing from this single is pristine. The band has Aaditya, Shishir on guitars, Suyash on drums, and Aaron on bass guitars. The vocals belong to Varun Udhayakumar and he brings in all the emotions along with the accompanying instrumentals. The delivery is very much along the rock genre that the song belongs to. Varun gives an immersive experience with his higher vocal registers and a tone that carries an attitude. This is visible in his humming. The electric guitar solo is mild in parts and the backing vocal harmonies elevate the song's texture.The tremendous drums and guitars give a spell-binding touch to the song, but Varun blows away the listener with his vibrato and innovative improvisations in the outro segments. @aaronbraggy @aaditya274 @rainvioletsky @beegradehero @suyashmedh @shishir1689 @theflyingfishindia2. SunohComposers: Ankur Tewari & The IslandersLyrics: Javed Akhtar, Dot.Vocals: TejasLanguage: HindiGenre: Pop/RockWe have all been waiting for "The Archies" and when it gets released later this year, expectations will be running high. Ankur Tewari who has been involved with the creators of 'Made in Heaven', Reema and Zoya, gets a call for this project of theirs as well. Ankur composes this song, but it involves a galaxy of amazing indie musicians viz. Dot. , Tejas, Shivam Mahadevan, Zohran Miranda, Jehangir Jehangir, Nathan Thomas, Aria Nanji, and Rhys Sebastian.The song takes us back to the 1960s and 70s and the resemblance to 'That Thing You Do' by "The Wonders" is there for us to appreciate and cherish. The amazing guitars that accompany from start to finish are by Zohran, with some energetic thumping drums by Jehangir. Tejas is one of the most gifted indie singer-songwriters I have come across and his vocals are the perfect addition to this song. He brings in some tenderness of the young age and a style that is necessary for this style of Pop/Rock.The song's funkiness comes from Nathan's bass guitars, but that Jazzy saxophone by Rhys makes this one delightful ride. Aditi Sehgal a.k.a. Dot. is an amazing artist I featured her fantastic EP last year, and here she has penned the English lyrics, sung the backing vocals and also acted in one of the lead roles. She is accompanied by Shivam and Aria on backing vocals. Jehangir needs immense praise for constantly innovating and playing the drums without inducing a moment of boredom or predictability. The horns section comprising the trumpets and trombones, is conducted by Suresh Lalwani with Raina Andrade as the score assistant. The tracks are mixed by Hersh Desai at Island City Studios and mastered by Adhithya Sivakumar. The recording engineers are Adhithya, and Jehangir, with assistance from Harsh Karmakar. The album is mastered by Ashyar Balsara with additional music supervision by Faustin Missier@ankurtewari @tigerbabyofficial @zohranmiranda @tejas1989 @nate08music @thejjsticks @thearchiesonnetflix @dotandthesyllables @saxontoast @shivammahadevan @ariananji @hersh.desai.9 @adhithya.sivakumar @ashyarbalsara3. PremalekhaPerformed by Damini Bhatla, Krishna TejasviWritten by Damini Bhatla , Siddhant Mishra, Sri Harsha EmaniProduced by Siddhant MishraLanguage: TeluguGenre: Ballad/PopDamini Bhatla is a talented musician and what I love about her work is that she performs in her mother tongue Telugu in most of her indie projects. The South is dominated by movie-based music so when indie musicians perform in their native tongue, it creates an avenue for many youngsters to take inspiration and follow. A music lover like me is also enthralled when I have more variety now in the indie space. This song scores high in the competition about everything else and that is why Damini and Siddhant Mishra need to be complimented on the melody. Siddhant who is a very capable as well as consistent composer/producer, produces this song as well. Sri Harsha Emani writes the beautiful words in Telugu while the lead vocalists are Damini and Krishna Tejasvi. The Keys turn on the melody and then Damini cranks it up a notch with her delivery and mild and moving ghamakas. The pallavi is the highlight of the song with the lines "sagasagaala premalo, thamari vonthu immani" with an unpredictable twist in notes at the end of the second set of lines ending on " vonthu immani". Krishna's voice is dreamy and teeming with love, complimenting Damini's quite well. The entire pallavi is composed by Damini with Siddhant handling the charanam's melody. He has done a commendable job in producing this with the keys and rhythms. The stunning saxophone interlude reminds us of AR Rahman's album called "Duet" which was filled with saxophone interludes. There are some segments in the song where I sense some Raag Maand. The charanam has its moments too with my favourite being "samaram saantham nee valle telisele prema", with Damini and Krishna singing in unison. This could well be the poster love song in Telugu for 2023. Damini once again composes the outro humming. @daminibhatlach @siddhant581 @i_sriharshaemani @krishnatejasvi 4. Jee Ki GathariyaSingers - Rekha BhardwajComposer - Vishal BhardwajLyricist - Vishal BhardwajMusic Producer - Debarpito SahaLanguage: HindiGenre: TumriThe series on Sony Liv called " Charlie Chopra" is a mixed bag and so is the music. This is my favourite song from the album and we have the amazing duo of Vishal Bhardwaj and Rekha Bhardwaj on compsition and vocals. Vishal shows that he still has traces of the genius he once exhibited at will. The music is haunting and it belongs to the Carnatic Raaga Subhapanthuvarali or the Todi thaat in Hindustani classical music. The choice of the Indian classical percussions adds that serene beauty and authenticity to the tone. The saxophone interlude works quite well in transmitting the pathos of the song. The stanzas are short but the overall composition and the brilliant Saxophone interludes by Mysore Harish Pandav along with the mild Piano interventions work wonders. Debarpito Saha deserves all the credit for the production, arrangements and programming. The tracks are mixed by Salman Khan Afridi and mastered by Alok Punjani. @vishalrbhardwaj @rekha_bhardwaj @debarpito @alokpunjani @mysore_harish_pandav 5. Bhool JhaSinger: Arijit Singh Ft. Piyush Shankar

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weekly 15th oct 2023

Top Indian Songs of the week 15th October 2023

If you are a musician submit your new music here.Here are the best songs released in India across languages and genres for the week ending 15th October 2023. Here is the SPOTIFY Playlist of the Top songs of the week'1. UpasanaWritten, Performed: ParamLanguage: KannadaGenre: Hindustani Progressive RockThe band from Mysuru released a new album called 'Upasana' and this had some very fine music, spread across 7 songs. This title song was my favourite and it has been written in Kannada. Vijay Hegde, the frontman is in terrific form as the lead vocalist. This is pure heaven for both rock fans as well as Classical music fans. Vijay possesses an incredibly wide vocal range and he outs it great use right at the start. Shreyas Urs plays the lead guitar like he is about the blow away the fuse, and that is important in maintaining the energy of Vijay. Mayur GS on drums is in a belligerent mood as well and we get an infusion of funk and style through Sanketh Kumar's bass guitars. The interludes involving the drums, guitars and bass are paradise on earth and we enter a world of dreams where God is a guitarist. Vishal Athreya Kalbag is the 4th member of the band who is the percussionist. Just past the 3rd minute the intensity drops, and the guitar and drums become very mild, but Vijay sings with an unabating passion and this segment is where I felt like I heard Raag Darbari. Vijay delivers one of the best vocal performances I have heard in the last couple of months. Dayana is the lyricist@paramtheband @shreyas_urs_music @thebluezguy @gsmayur22 @de_heartist @kevmanohar @mansi_mira @sahana.jar @mansi_mira 2. For YouWritten, Performed: Salt RockLanguage: EnglishGenre: Alt-RockSalt Rock is an Alternative Rock outfit from New Delhi. The musicians took me by surprise as I had never heard their music before. I was thrilled with every passing second and now I am going to be heavily invested when they release anything. Aditi Sharma is the lead vocalist and she performs a banger here, exhibiting style and chutzpah with every syllable and note. Mayank Lawrence is not far behind with his sizzling guitar strumming and it is caffeine for your ears when he is in full flow.Vishrut Shankar Shukla and Sarthak Pradhan aren't far behind adding beauty with the bass guitars and drums respectively. The song just gets incredibly enjoyable when we get to the chorus segment and the lines " Call my name" begin. The song's tone has a Raag Jog resemblance, maybe it is Minor Pentatonic scale then.  The bridge section is all about Aditi's vocal abilities getting highlighted. The segment past the 2.40-minute mark has the interlude on electric guitars, adding inspiration and setting the song apart from many others in the week. @salt__rock @_sarthakpradhan @aditi__sharma @vindalooshaker @mayanklawless 3. ManmaaniPerformed by - AKASAComposed by - AKASALyrics by - AKASALanguage: Hindi/PunjabiVedant Thakur invites me into the maze of music and melody with that beautifully sounding guitar. I felt like he was sitting next to me and wielding that wand. AKASA has been featured by me before and for some sensational music. She goes solo here composing the melody, writing the lyrics and performing the lead vocals. When AKASA starts singing, you believe you are amidst some Grade A performer. The tone of her voice is stunning and she plays around with a few mild vibrato here and there like the line " phir kyun majboori se, lipta h

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weekly 8th oct 2023

Top Indian Songs of the week 8th October 2023

If you are a musician submit your new music here.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 week1. Anomalies Written, produced, and performed by Anoushka Additional Production by Saurabh Lokhande, Mayur Koli,Dropped OutLanguage: EnglishGenre: Indie PopIt 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 JayaramanArranged, produced and performed by AgamSinger: Harish SivaramakrishnanLanguage: TamilGenre: Carnatic-RockHere 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. 

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weekly 1st oct 2023

Top Indian Songs of the week 1st October 2023

If you are a musician submit your new music here.Here are the best songs released in India across languages and genres for the week ending 1st October 2023. Here is the SPOTIFY Playlist of the Top songs of the week1. Kangal Edho Music: Dhibu Ninan ThomasLyrics: YugabharathiSingers: Pradeep Kumar, Karthika VaidyanathanArranged by Kalyani NairLanguage: TamilGenre: Light MusicWhen a batsman comes to the crease, sometimes the very first ball he strikes or defends with the middle of the bat, tells a lot about his/her form and what lies in store for the innings. The opening humming by female vocalists tells that kind of a story here. Behold some brilliance as we listen to the song, as we have one of the most talented and consistent composers in South Cinema if not India itself viz. Dhibu Ninan Thomas. Karthika Vaidyanathan blazes through with a brilliant vocal performance and her sensational vocal control is evident in the ghamaka on the words "edho" and "thaane" in the opening lines. Shruthiraj plays the Ganjira if I am not wrong, and it is pure Heaven when the Piano by Dhibu starts playing.Just when I was surrendering myself to the pristine beauty of the tune, Pradeep Kumar struck me harder with that glorious voice. How brilliant is the line " Oru aayiram vaanavilla un poovizhi kaatuthadi", from lyrical, musical and vocal execution perspectives? We are only 50 seconds into the song and it is more melodious, and classy than most albums released in 2023. Once the Anu Pallavi is done, we get to hear Karthika singing the Pallavi again, but this time Dhibu fires up the Synths. The flute solo by Kamalakar adds to the serenity, but mildly reminds me of AR Rahman's "Radha Kaise na Jale". Behind the Synths and flute, we also hear that faint Clarinet by Nadhan. There are segments here that remind us of Suddha Dhanyasi Ragam, like the interlude and the stanza. When it begins takes us back to the Ilaiyaraja super hit song "Pottu Vacha Malliga Mottu". The second half of the stanza strikes you with its innate beauty, such is the poise with which Dhibu has written the notes, Kudos to Karthika for singing "Ennennavo unkitta sollida thonuthada" like a dream. Kalyani Nair is in charge of the amazing arrangements. Naveen Napier makes the song stylish with his bass guitars and the strings section by Budapest Scoring Orchestra adds vitality, especially in the outro. We have Peter Illenyi conducting the orchestra and Balasubramanian G on Orchestra Co-ordination. Mani Ratnam, Dennis and Avinash Sathish are the recording engineers, Balu Thankachan on mixing and Shadab Rayeen on mastering. @dhibuninanthomas @pradeep_kumar1123 @karthikavaidyanathan @yughabharathi @kalyaninair86 @bala_musician 2. Anthem of Love Mouli Music Composer: Govind VasanthaLyricist: Ananth SriramSinger: Anish KrishnanLanguage: TeluguGenre: Country/RockThis feels like spectacular country rock music as we drive down the Mid-West USA on a Cadillac, surrounded by desert sands. Govind Vasantha composes this stunning piece of music that sounds fresh to the Indian audience at least. Anish Krishnan puts on a show with his vocals, singing with great character. He is the lead vocalist of the band Thaikkudam Bridge. The style and exuberance that Anish brings on vocally are matched with some reverberating slide guitars. We also get an electric guitar solo in the interlude and some transcendental solo on the slide guitar just before the stanza. Anish explores the high pitch with amazing ease and the humming "thara thum tha thara thum thera" is to die for, and it only gets better with the Kids' chorus singing it towards the end. Rajan KS has mixed and mastered the tracks and Govind is also the sound engineer for this.  @anishkrishnan89 @anantha.sriram3. Adiga Adiga Singer: SrinivasLyrics: Chaitanya Prasad

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weekly 24th sep 2023

Top Indian Songs of the week 24th September 2023

If you are a musician submit your new music here.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 week1. Silent War Performed by KomorebiWritten by Tarana MarwahProduced by Tarana Marwah, Gaurav RainaLanguage: EnglishGenre: Alt-PopGet 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 SulaimanLyrics: Cyli Khare, Srushti TawadeSingers: Cyli Khare, Srushti TawadeMusic Co-Produced: Raj PanditLanguage: MarathiGenre: Alt Hip-HopBhoomi 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 RLyrics: Dhananjay Ranjan Programmed By: Charanraj MR & Narayan Sharma.Language: KannadaGenre: Synth PopI 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 MohantyMusic- Bunny MohantyLyrics - Sumit PandaArrangement - Abhishek PanigrahiLanguage: OdiyaGenre: BalladThis 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

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weekly 17th sep 23

Top Indian Songs of the week 17th September2023

If you are a musician submit your new music here.Here are the best songs released in India across languages and genres for the week ending 17th September 2023. 1. Rooh Jaga DoonSinger, Composer & Music Producer: Arijit SinghLyricist: Shloke LalAdditional Lyrics: Arijit SinghLanguage: HindiGenre: Alt-popHe is a brilliant singer, no doubt, but in art forms like music, freshness and innovation carry more weight than past glory. This is why Arijit Singh is an even better composer/producer than he is a singer in the last 3 years or so. I have featured all of his compositions, and that says a lot about his ability as a composer. This is one splendid song that grows on you and when it begins the guitar riff, the drums and the Keys remind me of "Everybody Wants to Rule the World" by UK band Tears for FearsArijit composed, sang and produced this Alt-pop track and sticks to the lower vocal registers for most of the song. Shloke Lal is the lyricist and all the additional programming is by Prithweeraj Sarkar. Music even though is composed and produced by many heads and musicians coming together over brain-storming sessions, credits generally go to one or a couple of people. Arijit leads the way here in creating each instrumentalist with composition as well for their segments and that speaks volumes of the man. Aditya Benia and Prachotosh Bhowmick play and compose the guitars, Souvik Roy plays and composes the drums, and Raj Kumar Dewan is the bassist and the composer for his portions. ZIA who is a brilliant keyboardist and Pianist composes and plays the Keys in the song. Arijit vocals are more casual like a walk in the park, and he gets more charged up when he goes "doondhne pe bi agar, aaoon na mein jo nazar". Sukanto Singha plays the gentle Tabla just then after Arijit returns to the title lines. Sunny MR, take a bow, for the outstanding sound design, and he has also done the mixing and mastering for the song. The interlude is mesmerising with the bass and electric guitars playing and leading the way with the Tabla in the background. After that amazing section, we get an even better bridge section with Arijit singing " ghabrao na, jaao na", and these lines get repeated but the innovation comes about with Arijit just singing the first one of two words and then entering a humming mode. I can only say that this song is cathartic and lets you dance away freely forgetting about all your miseries. In the outro the Keys are dominant and remind me of some of Coldplay's greatest numbers. The recording engineer is Ritvik Shah, with Ashyar Balsara as Chief Studio Engineer and Adhithya Sivakumar, Hersh Desai, and Aria Nanji as assistant audio engineers. @arijitsingh @oriyonmusicbyarijitsingh @raj_kumardewan @appaithefuzzyguy @ziamuzik @shlokelal @sunnymr @sukanto.singha.1 @shah_ritvik @sou_viktree @jesuisnikki8adi @adhithya.sivakumar @hersh.desai.9 @ariananji @ashyarbalsara @prithweerajsarkar2. Toote ChhateVocals: Nihira Joshi -DeshpandeComposition: Nihira Joshi -Deshpande (song melody) and Rhythm Shaw (Coda) Production, Arrangements, Vocal arrangements: Rhythm ShawLyrics: Alok Ranjan SrivastavaGenre: Indie Classical-PopNihira Joshi-Deshpande had a fantastic outing last year with a soulful EP called "Trishna", where I loved 2-3 songs and also featured them. Her ability to intertwine classical Indian Ragas and structures with westernised styles is something Nihira excels at. The song begins with the most delightful combination of acoustic guitars, Keys and drums. Kudos to Rhythm Shaw who has managed to produce this song with great detail and coverage. The keyboard and rhythm programming wouldn't be complete without his role and he also ensures the arrangements are enticing. The bass guitars along with the vocal harmonies are just beautiful additional layers that enhance an already viable and attractive melody. Nihira not only romanticises the song with her vocals but also composes the heartwarming melody. There were segments where I believed a bit of Raag Bhageshree was being portrayed, but when I chatted with Nihira she mentioned that there was no inspiration or intention to work on any particular Raga base. It is more about Alok Ranjan Srivastava's intelligent writing that depicts an image of a couple caught during rain under a single broken umbrella. The emotional ride they go through is penned in words by Alok, but Nihira makes us visualise it beautifully through her tune and vocals. The song's sthayi and antara segments are just so elaborate and beautiful with adequate production enhancements. The interlude is a solo electric guitar exhibition where Rhythms excels and the subsequent sanchari section is slow and allows the message to seep in with minimal rhythms as she sings " sard hawaaon ko aao, raahaton se mila dein". The outro(coda) section with engaging vocal harmonies is composed by Rhythm. The unification of these great ideas would have turned out so complete and successful without Amey Londhe's mixing. He has also mastered the tracks and functioned as a recording engineer. 

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weekly 10th sep 23

Top Indian Songs of the week 10th September2023

If you are a musician submit your new music here.Here are the best songs released in India across languages and genres for the week ending 10th September 2023. 1. Monochrome Performed by Bombay Dub Orchestra, Bulli Bainbridge, NushiousWritten by Bulli Bainbridge, NushiousProduced by Bulli Bainbridge, Andrew T. MackayLanguage: EnglishGenre: JazzI love how Indian Jazz artists are taking control and putting out their best work out there for us to consume and cherish. We have Anusha Subramney a.k.a. nushious, a singer, composer and guitarist with the 2 piece act called 'Second Sight'. She is performing the vocals here in a brilliant chart-topping Jazz single co-written by Bulli Bainbridge and herself. Bombay Dub Orchestra is also a 2 piece project focussing on electronic and orchestral music with Andrew T Mackay and Garry Hughes. They are performing here and enthralling us every step of the way just like nushious. The Double Bass, Trumpets and the mild drums dominate the proceedings, with the Piano joining slowly but steadily. The song is produced by Bulli and Andrew and by multiple notches owing to the arrangements Once she sings the title line, we get added elements like the vocal harmonies and the solo violin in the background. nushious delivers a stupendous vocal performance, that tests many of her abilities, but she knocks every curveball out of the park. It is called Monochrome, but we get to see so many vivid colours getting painted by the vocalist, instrumentalists and producers. Louis Dowdeswell plays the Trumpet, Andrew McGuinness is the drummer, Andrew T Mackay plays the Piano, and Joshua Rodrigues is on the Double Bass. Juie does the artwork. @bullibainbridge @bombayduborchestra @louistpt @folkestone_drum_shop @andrewtmackay @juiekablooey @sherfiffmumbles @abbeyroadstudios @nushious 2. Yearning  Performed by Anubha Kaul, Chirag TodiWritten by Anubha Kaul, Chirag Todi, Sreenath SreenivisanProduced by Raag SethiLanguage: EnglishGenre: JazzIf it was Jazz music you were yearning for well your prayers have been answered. The second consecutive Jazz single is here and we have another set of brilliant musicians on display. Anubha Kaul has been featured more times by me that I have fingers, and that is no cause for surprise. Just stop reading and listen to her voice and the confident delivery. She is one of the very best in the business and Anubha goes a long way in leveraging her gifted vocals. The song is heavy on the guitar elements and this is where Chirag Todi and Raag Sethi kick in. Raag produced the song with Pritul Chauhan on drums and Kandarp Kavishwar on Keys. Sreenath Sreenivasan writes the lyrics. The lead, bass guitars and Keys combine beautifully. The scat-singing by Anubha around the 90-second mark is pure gold and I cannot see any reason why this might end up being among the best vocal performances in 2023.  I am struggling to write here because I would rather close my eyes and enjoy the madness. The solo on the guitar by Chirag is nothing short of a sensation and stuff like this can keep even a bored lifeless soul charged for days. The song also has some terrific writing by Sreenath, which can get lost amidst all the vocal and instrumental supremacy around. Protyay Chakraborty is the mix/master engineer who has quite a task and comes out tops.  @raagsethi @anubhaaaa @sreenath1 @compassboxstudio @pritul_chauhan @kandarp_kavishwar @protyaych3. Taiy Nahi Kiya Abhi Singer: Papon

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week;y 27 aug 2023

Top Indian Songs of the week 27th August 2023

If you are a musician submit your new music here.Here are the best songs released in India across languages and genres for the week ending 27th August 2023. The Spotify Playlist is here1. Sapta Sagradache Ello Music composed & arranged by: Charanraj MRSinger: Kapil KapilanLyrics: Dhananjay RanjanProgrammed by: Charanraj & Narayan SharmaLanguage: KannadaGenre: Synth PopHere comes the juggernaut Charan Raj, and with his consistently good music, we can soon have an anthem among music fans that goes " In Charan we trust". This is the second single of the new Kannada movie Album "Sapta Sagaradaache Ello", and we have one of the finest playback singers in Kapil Kapilan singing this lead. This was a marriage waiting to happen between a phenomenal composer and a breathtaking vocalist, and we have the desired output. The moment the first notes are sung we do hear the influence of Raag Suddha Dhanyasi, and just when you think it is a classical ssounding song, we get the synths and guitars taking us into the world of Synth Pop. Sunil Sylvester plays the guitars and Narayan Sharma plays the synth bass. I love the vocal harmonies and the humming in the background just after the title phrase is uttered. Punya Srinivas destroys our internal peace with this magnificent solo on the Veena. The best part about the notes here and the execution is that the solo is played with a Western style rather than a classical Carnatic style. The stanza too is a joyful ride and Charan excels at fusing both the Pop and semi-classical melody bits into the stanza. The opening segment of the Charanam is high on Pop influences and quickly transforms when he sings "Neeli baana anchalle namannu kaanutha, elle meeri hodantha preeti aagutha". The lines are beautiful musically and lyrically with Dhananhay Rajan writing the words. Lavita Lobo & Devu Mathew join in on the backing vocals. The closing stage is almost transcendental, with the Keys, Synths, rhythms and all the lead and backing vocals coinciding. The recording engineers are Kashyap and Sujith Sreedhar and Deepesh Krishnamoorthy is the supervisor. The tracks are mixed and mastered by Sujith at 2bqStudios Chennai. Venkatesh Bhat is the music supervisor.  @charanraj27185 @2bqstudios @narayan_sharma227 @venkateshmusic_ @aquestercalledkash @sujithsreedhar @punya.srinivas @sunil.sylvester @devumathew @lavita_lobo_ 2. Yeda Mandola Singers - Nakash Aziz & Gulraj SinghMusic - Gulraj SinghLyricist - Kshitij PatwardhanMusic Arranged and Programmed by Gulraj SinghLanguage: MarathiGenre: Light Music/PopA couple of years ago, I remember featuring Gulraj Singh on the occasion of Ganesh Chaturthi where he composed an original called "Mann Aangan" sung by Nikhita Gandhi. This was a belter of a track amidst run-of-the-mill songs on Lord Ganesh. Gulraj has been busy making devotional songs now and then, but this Marathi album 'Unaad' is priceless. If we go back to the early 2000's when AR Rahman was at the top of his game, making amazing music that not only transcended state boundaries within India but also captivated all our hearts, we would probably be hearing music like this. This is one of the best compliments I can shower on Gulraj. He begins this song with some amazing vocal grunts and noises, all beautifully arranged and executed. Nakash Aziz is a wonderful playback singer and he finally has gotten a song that allows him to showcase his abilities. Satyajit Jamsandekar and Sanket Gurav handle all the live rhythm and percussions and that is a highlight of the song. The antara section is beautifully composed with Nakash hitting the high notes. We have many instruments in the interlude and maybe there was a mild Clarinet in the mix as well. We have Shon Pinto on guitars, and the elaborate strings section has Abhijit Mazumdar, Prakash Varma, Chandar Makwana on Violins, Sanju Varma, Raju Padiyar on Violas and Sujan Chetry on the Cello.  The stanza is a very hummable segment and it gets perfectly accompanied by Keys and all this comes under the purview of Gulraj who is in charge of arrangements and programming. This is one wholesome song that could become the perfect dance song in Mumbai and parts of Maharashtra. The outro reminds me of Ilaiyaraja and Gulraj evokes the Maestro with the Violins, Violas and Cello that carry great complexity in the composition, but end up with such finesse. The thumping percussions keep up with the strings section. Kshitij Patwardhan pens the lyrics.The recording engineers are Amey Londhe and Akshay Purandare, with Amey mixing the tracks and Ashish Saksena taking mastering duties. Vincent Joseph is the assistant to Gulraj Singh. 

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weekly 20th aug 2023

Top Indian Songs of the week 20th August 2023

If you are a musician submit your new music here.Here are the best songs released in India across languages and genres for the week ending 20th August 2023. The Spotify Playlist is here1. Nam Tham Composed & Arranged by Kalyani NairLyrics: Pradeep KumarSolo Vocals: Kalyani NairOne-man String Quartet: Rithu VysakhLanguage: TamilGenre: A-capella I cannot feel more elated to write about and feature a woman composer at the very top of my week's list. Kalyani Nair is one of the most talented in India and she is rising steadily with every passing day. The Indian Choral Ensemble (TICE) is the brainchild of Kalyani and Karthik Manickavasakam and this single from her upcoming EP is a testament to the talent that Kalyani can boast of. She composed and arranged the song with lyrics by Pradeep Kumar. The seeds of Nam Tham probably were sown long back in 2009 according to Kalyani. In Carnatic music, we call compositions as Ragam Thanam Pallavi, with all 3 segments adopting different styles. Thanam is like a Raga Aalap but with syllables A, Nam and Tham. This composition is based on this with some Tamil lyrics later in the song written by Pradeep. Kalyani's very first tryst with classical Hindustani music was in Raag Kalavati and hence this composition follows that scale mostly. This is the kind of song that can turn your sour, bitter day into something more meaningful and magnificent. TICE is in full flow and no it is more than 40 members strong. We have the high Sopranos with the performers on First Sopranos are Padmaja Sreenivasan, Samanvitha G. Sasidaran and Sushmita Narasimhan, 2nd Sopranos Nidhi Saraogi, Nalini Vittobane and Mezzo Sopranos having Sriradha Bharath and Avantika K. The way these vocalists combine is pure magic and it all comes from Kalyani's years of experience and love for A-capella music. She has arranged vocal harmonies for some of India's finest composers like Santhosh Narayan, Pradeep Kumar and Sean Roldan. The way we hear so many layers and with so many lags, and just past the 1-minute mark, the whole bunch sings " Nam Tha" and we are transported to paradise. The intensity keeps rising and we have the introduction of the strings, with Rithu Vysakh being the 1-man string quartet. The Altos are comprised of Fathima Henna, Aishwarya Ravichandran and Vidhya Vijay on First Altos, Triya Sushma, Nithyasri A on Second Altos. The Tenors are Pranjal Thakore, Sarthak Kalyani, Manikandan Chembai and finally the Basses are Karthik Manickavasakam, Ragu, Dhiyanathiru T, Arul C Durairaj, Regis Tony SD and S Kingslin Pon Bhabha. Kalyani performs the lead vocals when we reach the halfway mark in Tamizh and I hope we have musicians across the country take inspiration from such magnificent work. This along with the next song at number 2 is proof of why music in the South dominates the rest of the country. B Prasanna is the Stereo Mix/Master engineer, and the recording engineers are Lijesh, Davidson and KS Maniratnam@theindianchoralensemble @kalyaninair86 @rithuvysakh @pradeep_kumar1123 @karthikmanickavasakam @b_prasanna 2. Nesam Maruma Singer : Anjana RajagopalanLyrics: Mohan RajanMusic: Girishh GopalakrishnanRe-adapted, Programmed and Produced by: Anjana RajagopalanLanguage: TamilGenre: Opera Nessun Dorma is a famous Aria performed by many Opera Singers. It was written by Giacomo Puccini, but popularized by Pavarotti after his performance for the 1990 FIFA World Cup in Italy. This team of Girishh, Anjana and Mohan have re-created India's first Opera SIngle. It is a Himalayan task and has only been possible thanks to the ingenious efforts of the team of musicians. Every word which is originally in Italian, has been recreated to sound similar but the words are Tamil. For example, the title "Nesam Maruma" sounds almost the same as "Nessun Dorma". If we get to the arrangement, it is thanks to Anjana Rajagopalan who has entirely re-adapted, programmed and produced this brilliant show. When it comes to this vocal performance, I have no words. People who have come from Chennai, are quite aware of Anjana's abilities as a vocalist, especially in the Opera style, but this is something else. We are probably listening to the best vocal performance of 2023 by any Indian artist. Just Listen, enjoy and don't mind if you get a tear or two rolling down your cheeks. 

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weekly 13th aug 2023

Top Indian Songs of the week 13th August 2023

Here are the best songs released in India across languages and genres for the week ending 13th August 2023. The Spotify Playlist is here1. X marks the spot Performed by Prabhtoj Singh, Sanjeeta BhattacharyaWritten by Prabhtoj Singh, Sanjeeta BhattacharyaProduced by Prabhtoj SinghLanguage: EnglishGenre: Indie PopMark this song, and mark this artist. She is easily one of India's brightest and in this song, she delivers probably 2023's finest vocal performance by an Indian singer. Sanjeeta Bhattacharya is a regular on my website and her ability to use her vocal strengths and compose and write songs is a true gift. This is composed and written by Sanjeeta and producer Prabhtoj Singh.Prabhtoj has done some excellent work in the past and here he produces a blitzkrieg, well that is what the poster of the song looks like too, Sanjeeta and Prabhtoh set the stage on fire. Welcome to the spot, with Keys and the Violin by Madhuri Martinez inviting you. Rythem Bansal gently lays his fingers on the Piano and when combined with Sanjeeta's enthralling voice, it sends a shiver down my spine. Sanjeeta wastes no time, and she gets right down to business, making these outrageous vibratos straightaway. The writing is excellent "Shall I make a speech about my right to speak", and when the lines progress into "I want answers, I want to be sure", Madhuri's solo Violin is taking over with immense power in the background. The arrangements and production by Prabhtoj are nothing short of spectacular, and Sanjeeta dn Prabhtoj sown you what songwriting is all about, with lines like " What good is a story when you've got no one to tell it to". The song moves into a much more aggressive and breathtaking plane with the introduction of drums by Aveleon Vaz and Sanjeeta is singing with her lungs about to explode singing " Babe, why don't you love me no more?". Here come Aman Sagar's guitars and Prabhtoj's bass guitar support. The last 40 seconds are just a celebration of great singing and production. @sanjeeta11 @prabhtojsingh @rythempiano @amansagarr @aveleonvaz @madhurimartinez @andresmayoestudio @ferriswheelstudios  2. Bezubaan Singer: Armaan BedilLyrics: Navi FerozpurComposer/Producer: Goldboy Language:Genre: Folk/ Light MusicI have featured both Armaan Bedil and Goldboy before as artists on my website and here the two combine to create this very enjoyable Punjabi melody. Goldboy composed the tune and produced the music, with Armaan's vocals and Navi Ferozpur's Punjabi lyrics. Kudos to Goldboy for the elaborate production and amazing sound design. We hear the Accordion, strings section and flute, all combining with grandeur. It feels like a song by Ajay-Atul from the album "Sairat". The title line is just brilliant to hear with Armaan's voice and the arrangements by Goldboy. The interlude is rich with a loud and imposing strings section, and Accordion in the lead. The stanza is simple with a hummable melody, but it is the intervening mix of these instruments that make for some wonderful listening. I can also hear the stylish bass guitars. We do not get such productions and arrangements in Punjabi music, and the second interlude is a testament to the effort and execution of Golboy as the producer. @iamarmaanbedil @goldboypro @naviferozpurwala 3. Musafir Singers: Salim Merchant, Karthik Chennoji Rao, Yogeendra HariprasadComposed and produced by Yogeendra HariprasadArranged and performed by Pineapple Express

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