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weekly 7th jan 2024

Top Tamil Songs of December 2023

Here are the best Tamil songs released for the month of December 2023. If you are a musician submit your new music here.1. Lovendra Cassandra Composed, Arranged and produced by Marshall Robinson Singers: Sathyaprakash, Shilvi Sharon Lyrics: Marshall Robinson Additional Lyrics: Kavyanayagi, Shilvi Sharon Voice Over: Alexander Babu Language: TamilGenre: Indie PopMood: HappyI was wondering, why does this voice-over sound so familiar? It had to be the supremely talented Alexander Babu who is one of our finest stand-ups. He has this perfect imitation of the Tamil Brahminical dialect and Marshall Robinson wisely uses this as the intro for a song that is also written with that same dialect in mind, I had a ROFL moment with the whole "lovendra cassandra, en veetla venandra". Marshall goes on to compose, write, produce and arrange this song and it is one clever project overall. Elvis Gabriel is the guitarist giving it a reggae style, and I can relate to ARRahman's "Mustafa Mustafa" from its style and tempo. The melody has some shades of Reethigowla Ragam, me and that is why this semi-classical pop fusion style is so heartwarming and fun. The song is so ebullient thanks to the rhythm programming and singing style which is so casual. The second stanza has the Mridangam by Sumesh Narayanan incorporated to give it an even closer touch to Classical Carnatic music. Kudos to Abin Pushpakaran at Blu Academy for mixing all the tracks and giving us this enjoyable product. Shilvi Sharon breezes through with her English lines. The additional lyrics are written by Kavyanayagi and Shilvi. @marshallrobinson.music @meenakshigovindhrajan @lovendracassandra @dsathyaprakash @shilvi_sharon062. Velagaadha Music Composed & Arranged by Sean RoldanSinger : Kapil KapilanLyricist: Mohan RajanFemale Voice : Aparna Harikumar Music Producer: Ashwin Raja  Language: TamilGenre: Filmi PopMood: RomanticSean Roldan's glorious 2023 continues with this fantastic song coming in December. This is from a new movie that will release in 2024 and the first single has already made a massive impact among fans. The combination of actor Manikandan and Sean Roldan could work out very well here too in the movie "Lover" just like it was flawless for the movie album " Good Night". Kapil Kapilan is taking the world of South Cinema by storm as he sings playback for all languages. Sean Roldans weaves a simple but soulful melody and Kapil is the vehicle to land the song at its rightful destination. The slight Lo-fi and electronic pop influences are not something that Sean attempts often, but he gets it fused with a hummable melody making it a great listen. Mohan Rajan is the lyricist, telling the subject "velagadha enna vitttu valagadha". I like this word 'velagadha' so much more than the stronger word we often hear ' pogadhe'. The song is composed and arranged by Sean with Ashwin Raja producing it. The feeble but beautiful voice of the female belongs to Aparna Harikumar. The stanza is just rich and it makes the heart just grow fonder. Towards the end, Kapil just goes on to improvise, and in a way, it works just like how Arijit has been doing over the years. Ashwin George John is the recording engineer, Rupendar Venkatesh is the mixing and mastering engineer and the music management is by Silver Tree. @kapilkapilanmusic @rseanroldan @mohanrajan_lyrici @nikhila_sankar @rupendar_venkatesh @rupendar_venkatesh @ashwin_george_john @ashwin.raaja @aparnaharikumarh @silvertreeoffl 3. Yaarum Kaanadha 

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weekly 31st dec 23

Top Indian Songs of the week 31st December 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 31st December 2023. 1. Sun Khwaab Re Performed by Jaasmaan, Jince Mathew, MagishaWritten by Jaasmaan RProduced by Jince MathewLanguage: HindiGenre: Light MusicJaasmaan Rathore's music acts like a time capsule, whereby it transports us to an earlier decade when Bollywood music was good. This is the second song from his new album " Scratch Singer" that I am featuring and the common factor between both the songs is that the underlying melody is rich, hummable and heartwarming. Jaasmaan has written and sung it and the resemblance to Sonu Nigam's texture and tone is uncanny and unmistakable. Jince Mathew handles most of the song's outstanding arrangements and production and that is what elevates a good composition into a higher orbital. The song hardly gets past the sthayi and antara segments and we already get a load of strings, the flute, Piano, guitars and much more. The melody reminds me "Meri Mehbooba" from the album 'Pardes'. After a delightful guitar-flute Jugalbandhi in the interlude, we are bombarded with creative and splendid instrumental interventions in the stanza. The flute and the Piano continue to titillate us in the stanza but the Violin solo interventions stand out like during the line " ajnabee raah par, ik thikaana mil gaya". Sruthi Balamurali plays both the Violin and Flute, while it is Sumesh Parameswar on guitars. Jince Mathew, take a bow for these mindblowing arrangements. The second interlude has a touching electric guitar interlude almost sounding like a Mohan Veena, and then the flute, violin and strings section follow. Magisha joins the party late but she does make an impact nevertheless on vocals. The bassist is Andre' Vasconcellos, and Jaasmaan handles the bass and vocal arrangements. Keshav Dhar is the mix and master engineer. @jaasmaanrathore @mathewjince @magishamusic @parameswarsumesh @tnbsruthi @andrevasconcellosbx @keshavdhar @megharainaa 2. Jaabili Jaana Music director : Kalyan NayakSingers: Vijay Yesudas, Sitara Krishnakumar  Lyrics: M.V.S Bharadwaj Arrangements: Jonathan Joseph Language: TeluguGenre: Light MusicEven before we get to Vihay Yesudas' vocals, the flute and the bass guitars lay the foundation for what's about to come and cradle us away into oblivion and tranquillity. Nikhil Ram plays the flute, and we have Sumesh Parameswar on all the guitars. Vijay has been featured after a noticeable hiatus on this website and I am happy that we have his voice back to serenading us. Kalyan Nayak is the composer of the tune and he is the music director, but a big shoutout to the arrangements by Jonathan Joseph. We hear multiple layers of live instruments like the flutes, guitars and strings section coming and getting juxtaposed in the interlude. Cochin Strings is responsible for this and we have Laksmikanth and Kalyan Nayak on all the additional arrangements. The stanza continues and it gets richer in the melody quotient. if Vijay's voice wasn't enough to hallucinate us, we got another Diva in Sithara Krishnakumar to hit the final nail in the coffin and leave us for dead. Vijay creates a wave of serenity but Sithara induces a sense of longing and pathos through her vocals. The tracks are mixed by Vivek Thomas, with Aditya G assisting, and Dnal Whelan is the mastering engineer. @kalyannayak_official @nilave_cheli @shreyasi.sen @thevijayyesudas @sitharakrishnakumar @vivekthomasproductions @nikhilramtp @parameswarsumesh@musicproducer.jo @cochinstrings  3. Disinformation Performed by NOK NOKWritten by Amar Pandey, Nikhil Vasudevan, Sumant Balakrishnan

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weekly revised 24th dec 23

Top Indian Songs of the week 24th December 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 December 2023. 1. Mehsoos Lyrics: Yogendra SaniyawalaComposition: Yogendra Saniywala, Swati Minaxi, Biju Nambiar, Gaurav Kapadia, Manuel Lagullón OlivaresVocals: Swati MinaxiLanguage: HindiGenre: Folk/Experimental FusionA folk band also making contemporary and some kind of experimental fusion emerges from Surat and I like many ardent fans of music have started taking them seriously. I had featured them a year or so ago for a song called "Haiya Ho" and another one by the name "Khuda Na Mere". This one however tops them all. Swati Minaxi, the lead vocalist sizzles right from the get-go with that steamy voice. The acoustic guitars keep strumming all along creating the effect of a natural stream of water especially with the keyboards as well. Biju Nambiar is paying the Keys and Yogendra Saniyawala is on the guitars. The song's title talks about 'Mehsoos' and that is what you get when you listen to the song, a wholesome experience that uplifts the spirit. The production is out of this world with the Keys, drums by Gaurav Kapadia and the fantastic accompanying vocals. The varying percussions give the folk flavor and none of this would be so emphatic and moving without Swati's mind-bending delivery. Manuel Lagullón Olivares plays the simmering Double Bass. This single is written by Yogendra and composed by Swati, Manuel, Biju, Yogendra and Gaurav. Vijay Benegal is the mixing engineer at The Audio Guys Institute, Mumbai and the mastering is by Jeremy Hagry at Dune Audio Productions LTD, UK@thetapiproject @gauravpf @bijunambiar97 @indianuance @yogendrasaniyawala @swati_minaxi @payo_maracas @jimbhaai2. Bhoolo BhatkoSinger/Performed By/Cast: BassickLyricist: BassickMusic Producer/Composer/Produced By: Anurag SaikiaCo-Composer: Keshav Tyohar, Oblong SioniLanguage: HindiGenre: Alt-Hip HopI was blown away by a few tracks in the latest season of MTV Hustle. There will be two tracks featured this week and they had some scintillating Alt-Hip Hop, fusing rap and Indian folk elements. This one is performed and written by Shlok Varma a.k.a. Bassick and the composition, and production is by one of India's finest, Anurag Saikia. We are taken to rural Bundelkhand thanks to the arrangements and overall programming. Keshav Tyohar also has worked on this project's production.The keys and rhythms are extremely engaging and never sound mundane for even a second. Anurag ups the ante on synths and with Bassick's intelligent writing, and thunderous rapping. Hanish Taneja has mixed and mastered the tracks at Studio Alika. @bassick._ @mtvhustle @kaanphodmusic @keshavtyohar @anuraag_psychaea @mixedbyhanish3. Jazbaat Song Composed, Produced, Arranged by: A. R. RahmanSingers: Jubin Nautiyal & Shilpa RaoLyrics by: Shellee Language: HindiGenre: Filmi PopAR Rahman is a giant and sometimes even a legend like him can see some decline especially when he has been around for 4 decades. In 2023 ARR has come up with some good songs here and there rather than wholesome albums. 'Pippa' on Amazon Prime has some good

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weekly 17th dec 2023

Top Indian Songs of the week 17th December 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 10th December 2023. 1. You aint coming Back Written and composed by AnoushkaOrchestral Production: Sparsh VermaLanguage: EnglishGenre: Indie Pop/Orchestral Just a few weeks ago Anoushka delivered a splendid single 'Anomalies' and I was mighty impressed. This time she has taken things up a few notches and gave us probably one of the best vocal performances of 2023 by an Indian artist. I called her up and congratulated Anoushka on this chart-topping single, the kind of song that will and should put India Indie music on a global scale. Sparsh Verma plays the Piano and things start mildly with just her stunning voice pulling us like a string. There are moments when I am reminded of Mariah Carey at her peak delivering a world-beating performance like her famous "Hero". There is tremendous skill and confidence and her execution is flawless whatever the vocal register. Sparsh backs up with his effective production especially the orchestral elements like the rousing strings and horns in the background. Anoushka takes a masterclass here on effective vibrato and some young students of music must try and emulate this performance for vocal practice. Like she says " It is such a shame " that such artists don't get the popular reach of some others who have abysmally low musical talent. I urge readers here to kindly listen to this single and bestow all your love on this outstanding musician. Anoushka has written the lyrics and melody for this. Harsh Kamarkar is the recording engineer are Island City Studios, Mumbai @anoushka_sivasankar @sparshvermamusic_ @theghatak @spitbawl @soppyfriends2. Usire Composed, Produced & Arranged by: Charanraj M R Singer: Sanjith HegdeLyrics: Dhananjay RanjanMusic Programmed by: Charanraj M R & Gautham Hebbar Language: KannadaGenre: Synth Pop It is an unstoppable year for Charan Raj and his team because according to my database of 2023 music, he might well be the best composer of the year for creating two mammoth albums 'Sapta Sagaradaache Ello Side A' and 'Sapta Sagaradaache Ello Side B'. This is the 3rd song in the sequel to be featured and one of my favourite playback singers Sanjith Hegde gives a ravishing performance in this song. Dhananjay Ranjan's lyrics are very effective in conveying the mind of the protagonist. The Keys, Synths and rhythms are very 90s synth-pop styled and there is so much to cherish in this. The programming is handled by Charan and Gautham Hebbar with the overall arrangements and production by the former. I am taken into a zone of trance when Sanjith sings "Kelu Kelu Usire" and the synths just pile onto the lovable pain of music. The interlude comes up and I promise you, this would be the best piece you would have heard coming out of India this year. The strings section is heavenly thanks to the arrangements by Narayan Sharma and the execution by Budapest Philharmonic Orchestra & Cochin Strings. The stanza is all about the immense skill and performance of Sanjith and how he successfully hypnotises us with his voice. Sunil Sylvester plays the guitars and the combined effect of the electric guitar solo in the outro with the sound of the train and the synths and rhythms leaves us gasping for breath. Venkatesh G Bhat is the music supervisor, Aniket Mohanty and Kashyap Rammohan are the recording engineers at 2bq Studios. Sujith Sreedhar as always is the man on mixing and mastering for Charan Raj. @charanraj27185 @narayan_sharma227 @venkateshmusic_ @sanjithhegde @gauthamhebbar @sunil.sylvester @sujithsreedhar  3. Darav Darav Song composed, arranged, produced & mixed by AV PrafullachandraSingers - Jayesh Khare & Master Avan Lyrics - Vaibhav Deshmukh Language: MarathiGenre: Filmi PopThere are two things I want to say here at the outset. First of all, I am thrilled to be featuring Jayesh Khare, the young boy, as the lead vocalist here for the second time this year in my weekly charts. Jayesh has profound talent and I cannot wait to track his career in the music field, as someday he is going to be a star performer. I hope the great minds around him handle this talented kid with care and advise him well. 

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weekly 10th dec 2023

Top Indian Songs of the week 10th December 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 10th December 2023. 1. Snehaardramaay Performed by Satish Raghunathan, Shahabaz AmanWritten by B.K. Harinarayanan, Satish RaghunathanLanguage: MalayalamGenre: Orchestral MelodyI wish such songs got more recognition instead of the dreary, uninventive dance and party songs that keep getting released. Satish Raghunathan, take a bow for this beauty. He has composed, arranged and programmed for the song. The voice of Shahbaz Aman is as pristine as a natural wonder created by God and the coming together of his vocals and Satish's melody and production is divine. BK Harinarayanan is the lyricist. The lines " priyamezhumoraal ariyuvaanaay pakarukee madhuram" send tears down my cheek for the sheer quality of writing, composition and singing. The strings and brass sections are grand like the score in Symphony Orchestra, and one can give an ovation to Budapest Art Orchestra. and even though the song's Pallavi and Anupallavi are melodious by themselves, the arrangements make it heavenly. The Mild Piano and then the Horns join in, but the interlude becomes even more appealing with the bass guitars by Keith Peters and the strings section. The stanza is beautifully composed and performed. Sai Shravanam is the mix/master engineer. @satish.composer @shahabazaman5 @vaisakh_ravi @saishravanam @harinarayanan.b.k @keithpeters_bassman @pazhanjan_pranayam 2. SoubhagyamLyrics - Vinayak SasikumarComposed, arranged, and programmed by PS JayhariSinger - Sithara KrishnakumarCan I put this singer's abilities on paper and describe them using the right words? Brilliance, maybe one word but some of the work she comes up with is beyond description. Just last week I featured a Tamil song called " Mohabbat -Love with Pride" by Sithara Krishnakumar and her act Project Malabaricus. If that was some reverberating Rock, this divine melody. It only shows what a blessed vocalist and a talented performer she is, being able to shift 180 degrees and perform with the same ease.PS Jayhari has been a consistent composer and he once again weaves new magic based on Classical Carnatic influences in this touching melody. Sandeep Mohan plays the guitars and Jayhari and Sithara take us into a world of peace and oblivion. I believe there are traces of Khamas Ragam in this song. The chorus segment along with the Piano and strings section works in tandem to great effect. The interlude with the Piano and the rhythms and Sithara aalap is just another magnetic section. All one can do is, surrender to the rich melody and emphatic production of this song, enhanced by this genius Sithara. The male vocalists on Libin Scaria, Suroor Musthafa and Milan Joy. Nishanth BT at Nhq, Sanjay Sukumaran at Sonic Island are the recording engineers. The tracks are mixed by Abin Paul and mastered by Gethin John, Mastering World, UK. @psjayhari @vinayaksasikumar @imbammovie @sitharakrishnakumar @mixwithabin @libin_zakharia @suroormusthafa @milanjoy_3. Meri Kahaani TuMusic composition, production & arrangement - Rishi KumarVocals - Devanand SP & Ashi Singh!Language: HindiGenre: Indie PopRishi Kumar seems to be a supremely talented musician, because how else can I compliment a 16-year-old prodigy? This is not the first time I have featured him, his compositions "Raah De" a couple of months ago and "Dil Ho Tum" earlier this year. There is magic in his scores and to do this consistently is a sign of some precocious talent.I like how Rishi from Chennai keeps using various vocalists to deliver his sings, and that too gives me great hope for the future, because not only is he willing to experiment with voices and styles for his songs, but he also believes in offering opportunities for vocalists to showcase their talents. Here we have Devanand SP and Ashi Singh. The song is fast and peppy and the pop genre gets to you and alters the mood. Devanand has a ravishing voice and it sounds fresh too. The Piano and acoustic guitars set the tone and make it quite interesting along with the fantastic rhythms which get both Western and Indian styles on board. The interlude is a phenomenal piece with the Veena solo by Ranjani Mahesh. This is where Rishi has a beautiful and creative vision. Just like the Sitar solo in "Raah De", he brings about some fine live instrumentals into the song. 

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weekly 3rd dec 2023

Top Indian Songs of the week 3rd December 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 3rd December 2023. 1. Ennum Enn Kaaval Neeye  Song Composed and Arranged: Mathews PulickanLyrics: Anvar AliSingers: G. Venugopal, K.S. ChithraLanguage: MalayalamGenre: Light MusicI heard this song on a chilly morning in Coimbatore where I was spending my vacation. I got so engrossed in the song that I forgot that I was only planning to do 5 rounds of walking at the society's park, and ended up doing 10 rounds. Maybe that is why they say that good music is great for our mental and physical well-being.  I was eager to get back to Mumbai and see the film " Kaathal The Core", but the song just rapidly increased my urge to do so. It has Mathews shining like a lode star on composition, and arrangements. Being Tamil-speaking I understand most of the beautiful lyrics by Anvar Ali as he writes " Ennum Enn Kaaval Neeye", showing the purity of respect and love between the male and female protagonists beyond marriage and sexual preferences.  Chithra is undoubtedly one of India's greatest playback singers and she possesses something that some other greats also have lacked. At 60 years of age, her vocal prowess remains untarnished and she can sing every note at various vocal registers with incredible ease. The stunning guitars by Sumesh Parameswar pull you close and you just follow like a puppet. With G Venugopal's heartwarming vocals that feel like a tight hug, we stay focussed to the beauty of the tune, but let us not forget the crooning strings by Rithu Vysakh who plays a one-man quartet. Rithu not only plays the Violin, Viola, Cello and Double Bass, but he also arranges all the string sections in the song. Listen to the magnificent intervention on the violin when Chithra sings " Neeye" and pauses for a bit. The nightingale Chithra touches your heart with every note and the associated emotion. The chorus section comes as a total surprise, instead of a traditional instrumental interlude and it is delivered by amazing singers Sruthy Sivadas, Aavani Malhar, Samanwitha Prashanth, Anila Rajeev, Sreenanda Sreekumar, Aravind Nair, Rajesh Rameshan, Lal Krishna, Aswin Vijayan and Abhijith Damodaran. The song had traces of Keeravani Ragam according to me and also reminds me of another gem "Vaanam Parthen" by Santhosh Narayanan from the album 'Kabali'. I love the line in the stanza "EN kathake , en janale , pon kanave" with Venugopal and the chorus singers. It lifts me and throws me into a higher orbit of joy. I cannot thank Mathews and the team enough for creating this wonder of a song. As we come to a close we have a joyful ride by Sumesh on acoustic guitars and a bass layer underneath. Nikhil Ram plays the touching flute solo in the end and Anand's Tabla is a source of comfort right through. Midhun V Dev is the mix engineer with mastering done by Gethin John. The sound engineers are Amal Mithu, Amal Raj, Vinu Nair, Midhun Manoj Arjun B Nair, KD Vincent and James. @matt.pulickan @kaathalthecore @anvarali113 @kschithra @g.venugopal@rithuvysakh @parameswarsumesh @anadhan @biju @nikhilramtp@shiyad_kabeer @subin.jacob_ @amal_mithu @amal_raj17 @nair_b_arjun @midhunmanojj @kkmmohandas @midhunvdev@sruthy_sivadaas @aavani_malhar @samanwitha__ @anila.rajeev@sreenandasreekumar @arvindnair_official @rajish_n_ramesan@lal_music @aswinvijayan_p @abhijith_damodaran_2. Sapta Sagaradecho Ello Side B Music composed, Produced and arranged by: Charanraj M RLyrics: Dhananjay RanjanSinger: Karthik Chennoji Rao

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tamil oct 2023

Top Tamil Songs of October 2023

Here are the best Tamil songs released for the month of October 2023. If you are a musician submit your new music here.1. Maya Maya SINGERS: PADMAPRIYA RAGHAVAN, CHRISTOPHER STANLEYLYRICS: KARTHIK NETHASONG COMPOSED AND ARRANGED BY JUSTIN PRABHAKARANLanguage: TamilGenre: Light Music/ PopThis light-hearted movie was wonderful to watch and had some amazing moments to cherish. The song sounds better when heard in the audio rather than in the movie "Irugapatru", but credit goes to Justin Prabhakaran for consistently giving us good songs to hum and sing. He has composed, arranged programmed with all additional programming by Sebastian Sathish. Padmapriya Raghavan is on fire with her vocals and she sings it with such grace and also induces a mild element of teasing and playfulness. The sound of the classical guitar played by Shirish Malhotra adds a layer of romance, and accompanying elements like the bass guitar by Naveen and Trumpets by Vijay, are spotless in execution and arrangements. The song feels like some Latin Pop thanks to the classical guitar and Christopher Stanley matches upto Padmapriya with some passionate vocals. I love the humming portions that make the song groovy. Then the combination of the rhythms and trumpets is gentle on the ears but gigantic on the hearts. Bharath Dhanasekar, a composer with very good talent handles the rhythm programming. The breezy melody will occupy your head for days. The recording engineers are Adhithya Sivakumar, and Kashyap Rammohan, mixing is Balu Thankachan with assistance from Paul Daniel. Gethin John at Hafod Mastering handles mastering duties. @prabhakaranjustin @padmapriya_pp @singerchristopherstanley @karthiknetha_official @adhithya.sivakumar @sebastiansathishmusic @thebaluthankachan @barath_dhanasekar@shirishmalhotra 2. Chella Kalliye Song Composed and Arranged by Sam C.SSinger : Kapil KapilanLyrics: Sam C.SProgrammed by C.D. AnbumaniLanguage: TamilGenre: Light MusicThe movie Parking is being appreciated by reviewers all over and it feels nice to know that good music is also present in good movies. Sam CS is probably at the peak of his powers and his list of scores both in Tamil and Malayalam is finally making the world notice his potential. Keba's acoustic guitars are almost played like the Ukulele and Kapil Kapilan just powers through with his fabulous vocals. The song just transforms into something impactful when the lines " enna maathina maayavi". Sam shines as a lyricist too here.  Keba also plays the electric and bass guitars and Sam composes such an elaborate anupallavi segment here that we hear so many changes, arrangements, a humming etc. Kalyan's electric violin comes in as the interlude and Kiran plays the flute. The elaborate strings section is thanks to Chennai Strings Orchestra. The recording engineers are CD Anbumani, Abishek AR, S Aakash Edwin, with K Mahima Chowdhary as music production manager, Balu Thankachan as mix/master engineer @samcsmusic @thebaluthankachan @kebajer @cdanbumani @kapilkapilanmusic 3. Nagaraatha Nodiyodu Singer: Kapil Kapilan Song composed arranged and programmed by Sam CSLyrics: Karthik Netha Language: TamilGenre: Light MusicThe second S

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weekly 26 nov 2023

Top Indian Songs of the week 26th November 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 26th November 2023. 1. My Fellow ShowmanWRITTEN BY: RIKA, DOMINIC JAMES, JOSH WHEATLEY PRODUCED BY: RIKA, DOMINIC JAMESLanguage: EnglishGenre: Indie PopThis British singer-songwriter of Indian descent is a musical rage at just 21. I have featured her before for a fantastic single called " Love to You" and now this one tops this week's Indian charts. Rika has written the melody and lyrics along with Dominic James and Josh Wheatley. The guitars are thumping and ooze all the energy thanks to Josh playing it. The vocals by Rika are nothing short of stunning, with emotions being exhibited with great effect through her singing. She uses her wide vocal range to full effect as well especially when we get to " You're broken like me" past the 2.20-minute mark. The production by Dominic and Rika is spot on. The vocal harmonies are arranged to perfection especially when the guitars and drums fade away. The writing is intense with lines like " Lost the words in the space 'tween my mouth and my brain, How do you like me now? As I exit the stage". @rika @glvssounds @pixlpix @sanica.photos 2. Bhoo BandhamMusic Composed and Arranged by: Vijay PrakashSingers: Vijay Prakash, MangliLyrics: Chandra BoseMusic arranged and produced by Nakul AbhyankarLanguage: TeluguGenre: Folk-PopBhoomi 2023 strikes again for the 3rd time now, with this mind-blowing genre-bending song composed and arranged by the masterful playback singer Vijay Prakash. This Telugu number has Mangli and Vijay as the lead vocalists and the talented Nakul Abhyankar produces the song with great efficacy and also handles some arrangements. The moment Mangli grabs our attention with her distinct tone, we can sense the influence of Raag Anandaabhairavi. The strings section in the background is mild, meaningful and magnificent. Shruthiraj sizzles with the rhythms and the bass guitars accompanying provide great style. We get to hear the folk humming thanks to the list of superb vocalists in Sarath Santosh, Saisharan, Santosh Hariharan, Deepthi Suresh, Sireesha Bhagavatula and Soundarya Bala Nandakumar. All the sounds in the background ensure we get the folk flavour and so kudos to Vijay Prakash and Nakul. Kamalakar and Shivrudra Singh Rathore play the Flute.The interlude is a symphony of the humming, strings section and flute interventions. Shruthiraj is on top of his game with all the varied percussion sounds brought to life. The recording engineers are Sathya Narayanan, Ainul Huq and Pradeep Menon at AM Studio, Chennai. Nakul is the mix/master engineer. @vijayprakashvp @iammangli @boselyricist @nakulabhyankar @salimmerchant @sulaiman.merchant @sarathsantoshofficial @saisharanofficial @santoshhariharanlive @deepthisureshofficial @sireeshabhagavatula @soundarya_offl @shruthi4250 @sathyanarayanan_b @theainmusic @satyajit_jamsandekar @theflutester @pradeep_prady_

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weekly 12th nov 2023

Top Indian Songs of the week 12th November 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 12th November 2023. 1. Dil Baro Singer, Composer: Junaid AhmadLyrics: Sunayana Kachroo and Junaid AhmadProduction & Arranged by: Junaid AhmadLanguage: HindiGenre: Light Music/PopThe sound of the Rabab makes me feel like I have just met with God (Rabb) Himself. This young composer/producer, Junaid Ahmad from Kashmir shows his roots with the enchanting Rabab notes played played Sabyasachi Deb. Junaid was a finalist in an Indian music reality show called Big Golden Voice and one can easily fathom, why. He has written the melody and performed the soothing vocals. Sunayana Kachroo and Junaid have collaborated on the lyrics. The fact that he is trained in Indian classical music, comes to light through his performance, especially the mild ghamakas and aalaps. Mohit Dogra accompanies on acoustic guitars but the Sitar solo by Mehtab Ali Miazi along with the alaap by Junaid in the interlude. The song's pre-chorus segment feels a bit like Pritam's "Subhanallah". Raghav Sharma sizzles with the bass guitars and Keys. The change in the song's tempo is fantastic when we get to the chorus segment thanks to the bass, rhythms and fast-paced Rabab. The solo on the Sitar gets interesting having some fragments of Raag Yamunakalyani. The song continues to maintain its delicious melody in the stanza, and the song's overall tone creates an aura of travel and happiness. Mehtab is a star with his SItar solo that springs up again in the second interlude and the notes are very beautifully written when we get to the outro as he goes in Kashmiri " Baa balai chaanie deedar seet". This is where I sense the pathos of Raag Charukeshi. The tracks are mixed and mastered by Nicks Kukreja and Raghav Sharma. @junaidmusic_ @sunayanakachroo @ansha_mohan @nicks_kukreja29 @ebc_originals @deepak.v.rawat @artistefirst @rohitsobti1 @kalki_29dec @rackkeys  2. Kaash Composed and Performed by: Harry AroraWritten by: Jashar Singh & Harry AroraMusic Production by: Aditya VermaAdditional Production by: Swarup Chattopadhyay & Chaitanya PanditLanguage: HindiGenre: Rock BalladEarlier in the year I reviewed Harry Arora's EP "Girta Toot'ta DIl" and his song "You'll Leave Me Behind". The song is a roller-coaster ride and creates such raw emotions when we listen to it. Harry is a heavily talented vocalist and he did offer one of 2023's best vocal performances in the EP. Continuing from where he left off, Harry serenades us with this Hindi single, giving so much focus to every syllable and note. The slow acoustic guitars by Akash Ravi Chopra are mild without ever taking any attention away from Harry's singing. Pritul Chauhan does brilliantly on drums shifting from mild to heavy in various segments. I feel deeply disturbed hearing his vulnerable and valiant vocals and it is not just the singing, but the arrangements too that deserve praise. The song is produced by Aditya Verma with Swarup Chattopadhyay & Chaitanya Pandit on additional production. The piano and the strings section create beautiful additional layers but then the electric guitar by Austin Furtado in the interlude steals the thunder. We get a well-written stanza and I love the way the line is written "yeh man ka karaar jo har baar toote, pyaar mein hai kyun", both from a musical and lyrical perspective. Kudos to Jashar Singh & Harry Arora for the lyrics.  A moment comes after 3.30-minute mark when the guitars fade and the drums vanish, here Harry hits the final nail on the coffin with his singing, and the engaging strings section does its bit. The song is recorded at Raag Sethi's Compass Box Studion, Ahmedabad and the tracks are mixed and mastered by Harry and Chaitanya. Austin and Pritul sizzle in the outro. @harrythisside @funkyouadi @saumyauniyal_ @pritul_chauhan @austin.furtado.3 @jashar.singh @akashravichopra @chaitanyaya @swarupchattopadhyay @compassboxstudio @dusky_dolphin_films @bluecassettestudios 3. Woh Tara Singers: Shannon Donald & Shashaa TirupatiMusic Composed & Produced by: Raghav & ArjunLyrics by: Raghav & ArjunLanguage: English/Hindi

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weekly 5th nov 2023

Top Indian Songs of the week 5th November 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 5th November 2023. Here is the SPOTIFY Playlist of the Top songs of the week1. Din Shagna Singer - Neha BhasinMusic - Sameer UddinLyrics - Garima ObrahLanguage: PunjabiGenre: Folk/PopThis is a week with some outstanding music, and I couldn't think of a better song to top the charts for the week. The Sarod-sounding intro gave richness and quality from the start and Omkar Dhumal's Shehnai creates the perfect ambience for a wedding scene. Sameer Uddin has been featured more than a few times on this website he deserves a massive round of applause for composing and producing this heartwarming number. Neha Bhasin's vocals just keep getting better with every note and she mixes a tinge of sadness and longing with joy and the end end product is gold. Neha is accompanied by Murishka D'cruz & Natasha Pinto and they sing the same lines at times and then sing a beautiful mild humming too. This piece of vocal harmony arrangement is a highlight of the song and once again is a feather on the cap for Sameer for the flawless arrangements. Natasha's Piano interventions are timely and the verse is fraught with some stunning quality. The notes are excellently written and thanks to the accompanying Shehnai and harmonies the song gets elevated constantly. Tanishk Lalla and Prasad Waglekar are Sameer's musical assistants and need to be complimented as well. Garima Obrah's apt and touching lyrics help in delivering the message. There are also acoustic guitars and ethnic strings, mandoline that are employed all through the song, especially in the interlude. Neha is on fire in the bridge section with some memorable high-pitch notes filled with ghamakas. This is an outstanding number that shines on all elements that make a song stand at the very top. Neville Dubash (Tune Inn Studios) is the mix engineer and Chris Athens has mastered the tracks. Rashi Bagai is the Executive Producer of this project.@zookthespook @garimaobrah @5am.audio @bhasinrashi @omkardhumal @nevillethedeville @dixshant_kala @tanishklalla_ @nehabhasin4u @murishkad @pinat @prasad.waglekar 2. Ennile Punchiri Song Composed and Arranged by - Sam C.S Programmed by - Jomey JohnsLyrics: Vinayak SasikumarSinger : K.S. Chithra, Kapil Kapilan We all want to constantly keep listening to legendary vocalists and their voice is like an eternal flame. Music composers too want to be involved with such legends and that is why they collaborate with them and make them sing the composer's notes. Many a time, this falls out as the singer is unfairly given a mediocre song and the purpose of the project becomes more of a self-gratification attempt for the composer with fans left in disarray.This song composed by Sam CS features the Nightingale KS Chitra and Sam delivers a breathtaking song and finally allows music lovers to listen to the true greatness of Chitra. Joseph Vijay's acoustic guitars takes us into an Ilaiyaraja mode straightaway and within seconds the song gets etched in our memory forever. We can also Joseph's bass guitars Kiran's flute solo and the mild strings section by Cochin Strings in the background. Kudos to Sam for generating such a massive impact with all the live instrumental arrangements. Kapil Kapilan's entry with that humming is pristine and loaded with pathos. From there on Chitra takes care of the rest. Shruthi Raj's percussions and rhythms are gentle but generous. The humming by Chitra is so addictive and the way she ends it with a quick ghamaka is nothing short of brilliant. We have Jomey Johns on programming and Vinayak Sasikumar writing the lyrics. The song reminds me Ilaiyaraja's " Malaiyaoram Veesum Kaathu" sung by SPB in 1987 for the album 'Paadu Nilave'. We have Francis Xavier, Josekutty, Herald Antony, Carol George, Jain, Danny, Albin Jose, and Francis Sebastian playing the Violins and Violas, Albin Jose and Carol George on the Cellos and Sanjai Arakkal have recorded the live strings session. The interlude has many layers of the Flute and with the notes played here it also takes me to Ilaiyaraja's "Manguyile Poonguyile". Sam proves his potential with an equally haunting and enticing stanza and Kapil stands tall in front of Chitra performing the vocals with great finesse. The recording engineers are CD Anbumani, Abishek Ar and Aakash Edwin, Balu Thankachan is the mix/master engineer with assistance from Paul Daniel and Hariharan on mixing. The Music Production Managers are K Mahima Chowdhary and Kannan with Indhumathi, and Sathyamurthy as the Music Production Team. Velavan B is the Music Co-ordinator@samcsmusic @kschithra @kapilkapilanmusic @vinayaksasikumar @thebaluthankachan @mahimachawdhary @abishekarmusic @s_aakash_edwin @mjomyjons @supervijayoffl 3. Unnakku Thaan Music: Santhosh NarayananSingers: Santhosh Narayanan, Dhvani Kailas

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weekly 29th oct 23

Top Indian Songs of the week 29th 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 29th October 2023. Here is the SPOTIFY Playlist of the Top songs of the week1. Meri Jaan Singers: Asees Kaur, Abdul Rashid Hafiz Music: Mithoon, Abdul Rashid HafizSong created, composed and arranged by MithoonLyrics: A. M. Turaz, Abdul Ahad NazimLanguage: Hindi/KashmiriGenre: FolkBhoomi 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 - GarimaWritten by Amit Trivedi, Siddharth - GarimaLanguage: HindiGenre: Semi-classical Electronic PopThe 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

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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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oct tamil 2023

Top Tamil Songs of September 2023

Here are the best Tamil songs released for the month of September 2023. If you are a musician submit your new music here.1. Unakku Thaan Music: Santhosh NarayananSingers: Santhosh Narayanan, Dhvani KailasLyrics: VivekHarmony Vocals: Aditya RavindranLanguage: TamilGenre: Light Music/ LullabyEven as Bollywood struggles to get its musicians to score decent music, they have come to a model where a single movie album has multiple composers. It is in a state of shambles, while industries like Kollywood still keep outclassing with single composer-focussed albums. Here is something new though with "Chithha" having its first single by Dhibu Ninan Thomas and then it was Santhosh Narayanan with the next. If the first song was one of the most melodious of 2023, this special song by Santhosh will touch your heart and grab your attention with a symphony of phenomenal violins and heartwarming lyrics. The unbelievable layers of Violin are thanks to the performance of Anupam Roy with Karthik Manickavasakam's arrangements, and Vivek is the man behind those touching words. Santhosh composes, produces and sings this melody. Santhosh burdens you with his voice and delivery and the mild sadness of the song will get to you thanks to him. The Piano starts flowing like a stream of water that you feel like getting your feet into. It is tempting to focus, but then the focus once again shifts to Anupam's violins when the anupallavi goes " En paarvai unnodu, un bommai kannodu, pesamal vinnodu, naam midhanthu povom, kaathoram adi aalolam". The interlude is enhanced by the Violins and the amazing accompanying vocals of Aditya Ravindran. The layers of vocal harmonies singing the humming are phenomenal and it gets better with the Clarinet joining in and Santhosh singing " pa pa , pa pa pa pa paa". The pause is welcome and sets the tone for the more cheerful and playful stanza. This is thanks to the amazing live rhythms by Karthik Vamsi and Dhvani Kailas' cute vocals reminding me of "Vaa rayil vida polam va" from 'Pariyerum Perumal', also by Santhosh. Santhosh delivers an emotionally apt vocal performance and the outro is fitting and beautiful with the humming, Violins and rhythms coming together. Rupendar Venkatesh, Pranav Muniraj and Santhosh are the recording engineers, with Ruoendar on mixing and mastering and Meenakshi Santhosh functioning as the musicians' co-ordinator. @musicsanthosh @adityaravindran95 @pranavbalu @worldofsiddharth_ @deerajvaidy @meenakshi_santhoshnarayanan @rupendar_venkatesh @thinkmusicofficial @karthikmanickavasakam @_anupamroy 2. Kadhal Payanam Performed by Atulya Karalil, Pradeep Kumar, Vaishakh JyothisWritten by Kablian Shankar, Vaishakh JyothisLanguage: TamilGenre: PopThe voice of Pradeep Kumar resonates the moment he utters the first notes and there are not many like him to sing with such deep emotions in the Tamil space at least. We have the composition by Vaisakh Jyothis and the lyrics by Kabilan Shankar, with Atulya Karalil as the other lead vocalist. I am featuring these artists for the very first time and they sure have impressed me immensely. Josy plays the flute solo, and the acoustic, and electric guitars are played by Anandu Gopal. Atulya holds herself with great style and that is tough to do next to a performer like Pradeep. Atulya's voice is as sweet as they get and she does these brilliant ghamakas with her lines "maamalai mele payanam thodarvene". The electric guitars, bass guitars, and flute solo all make for some fantastic instrumental support. The song keeps getting better with the anupallavi lines like "percentile naam moozhkalaam". The Veena intervention creates moments of ecstasy. Alan Santhosh is the bassist and all the additional vocals we hear belong to Aravind Murali. When I hear the tone of the song, especially the intermittent swaras I am reminded of AR Rahman's "Anarkali" from 'Kangalal Kaidhu Sei' and "Kannalane" from 'Bombay'. Viasakh makes it interesting with a Lo-fi tone and style. I do hear some influences of Raag Abheri, especially with the Veena interludes by Rakshita Ramesh and swaras sung by Atulya. The stanza builds beautifully with even more melodious richness. This is a fantastic and creative production. Ashbin Paulson is the mix/master engineer. @vaisakhvj @pradeepkumar1123 @atulya_music @shreyasundar @josyflute @rakshitaramesh @ashbin.paulson

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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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tamil august 2023

Top Tamil Songs of August 2023

Here are the best Tamil songs released for the month of August 2023. If you are a musician submit your new music here.1. 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 GopalakrishnanLanguage: 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 and the whole production and adaptation are carried out by Girish Gopalakrishnan. These are some of India's brightest talents and so let us celebrate them. 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. The more you hear, the more you tend to appreciate the work that has gone into it. The strings section, and the Harp all are so beautifully arranged. But a standing ovation is needed for Girishh, Anjana and Mohan. The backing vocalists are Roshni Sharon, Shilpa Natarajan, Valentina Gasper, Ebenezer Arunkumar, Prashant Gasper, Dobbin Raj and Regis Tony SD. After she hits that final high note the, strings section takes over and this is what magic is. Subbiah Arunachalam is the recording engineer, Sai Shravanam is the mix/master engineer. All the amazing symphony we hear is performed by the FILMharmonic Orchestra Prague with Samarth Srinivasan supervising the recording session. 

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weekly 3rd sep 2023

Top Indian Songs of the week 3rd 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 3rd September 2023. The Spotify Playlist is here1. Mann Taara Singers - Gulraj Singh & Shashaa TirupatiComposed, Arranged and Programmed- Gulraj SinghLyricist - Kshitij PatwardhanLanguage: MarathiGenre: Light Music/ Symphony This EP called "Unaad" is going to be one of the best Indian movie albums of 2023. I have already featured one single last week, and this is another splendid single. I want to thank Gulraj Singh first of all, for such brilliance and when original music sounds this good, we feel like we have just been reborn. The Live strings section begins straight off the bat with Abhijit Mazumdar, Prakash Varma, Chandar Makwana on Violins, Sanju Varma, Raju Padiyar on Violas and Sujan Chetry on the Cello. Shon Pinto's gentle guitars guide us through and then we hear the vocals of Gulraj and it feels like the break of dawn with that ray of sunlight. The Antara with the line being repeated "dariya dariya tu" is heartwarming to hear, with the mild Piano also following. There are also woodwinds we can hear in the background and within 2 minutes Gulraj has done so much in this song than many composers would do in an entire album. Listen to the flowing strings section in the background as we enter the interlude section. The song is composed, arranged and programmed by Gulraj Singh. The interlude doesn't end there, as we get more on the Keys, the flute and strings go on to conquer our hearts. The verse begins with Shasha's stunning foray and she delivers comfortably in Marathi. The lines written by Kshitij Patwardhan seem quite complex but to me, they seem like Shashaa has pronounced the words well. The humming is beautiful and leads the way into the second interlude, with Gulraj writing and orchestrating a great string section here. Vincent Joseph must be lauded too for all the musical assistance he lends to Gulraj. Interestingly Shashaa sings both the stanzas, and I wonder why. The tracks are mixed by Amey Londhe and mastered by Ashish Saksena at Purple Haze Studios. Amey and Akshay Purandare are the recording engineers at AUDIO GARAGE STUDIOS. The outro is elaborate with strings, vocal harmonies, rhythms and percussions and feels like a fitting end. @gulraj_singh @zeemusicmarathi @amey.music @shonpinto1 @axe_mix @vincent.joseph.96 @kshitijpatwardhan @aditya_a_sarpotdar 2. Palkan Written, composed and produced by AdvaitaLanguage: HindiGenre: Classical Rock fusionIt has been a while since I featured this amazing fusion Rock band and here they are with a chart-topper. It starts with the tongue-twisting swaras rendered by Ujwal Nagar, and this is where I think there was some influence of Raag Darbari and Raag Atana. The song is written and composed by the band Advaita and with Ujwal's vocals flowing we also hear the bass by Gaurav Chintamani, acoustic guitar by Chayan Adhikari, Keys by Anindo Bose and the mild flute by Rohit Prasanna. We hear this intro section of amazing Hindustani vocals with tantalising ghamakas and then Abhishek Mathur sweeps in with his lead guitar solo, aided by Aman Singh Rathore on drums. This interlude is less hardcore and makes for some pleasant soft rock moments, almost like a Ballad. Chayan makes a foray into English lyrics and these moments are breathtaking thanks to the lyrics and vocals. It all feels like a fragile dream like he sings. The flute solo by Rohit makes way for another intervention by Ujwal. The closing stages are all about Ujwal's aalaps and Swara's rendition exchanged with brilliant live instrumental arrangements. Anindo does the mixing and mastering of the tracks and is also the recording engineer. @advaitamusic @anindobose @gaurav_chintamani @chayanadhikari @ujwalnagar @rohitprasannaflute @plugnplaystudios @salimsulaimanmusic @merchant_records @shivansh.j @abhishek_is_on_insta @kamoora_singh 3. Chand Composer: IP Singh, Rajarshi Sanyal Lyricist: IP Singh Vocals: IP Singh, Rajarshi Sanyal Music Production & Guitars: Rajarshi Sanyal Language: HindiGenre: Semi-Classical Pop

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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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