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MUSIC BOX: Mostly the same
A good live record is judged on it’s ability to catch the fury and vitriol of a band on stage, sans all adornments such as videos, digital audiotape and pretty girls. Junoon’s Daur-e-Junoon, a mix of live tracks from their back catalogue along with a few additional goodies, manages to do just that. Pakistan’s first all live record passes the acid test (if one overlooks a couple of obvious glitches).
Gharaj bharas, a new track, thunders in the start of the album with a very Radiohead-esque groove, particularly in the guitar department. It’s a superb amalgamation of voice, rhythm and electronics, along with Sabir Zafar’s brilliant lyrics. A soul brotha introduces Mahi at LA’s House of Blues club. A muddy mix spoils a killer track, with Salman’s guitar getting lost. The explosive Dosti shines with Brian’s thumping bass and Salman’s shimmering guitar. Ali Azmat plays with the Roskilde crowd in a game of call and response. A spiralling Khudi is taken from their landmark Central Park, NY Summer Stage gig. A lumbering Sayonee, also culled from Summer Stage closes the first side.
The venomous Dharti Key Khuda strikes the listener as soon as the second side is cued up. Salman goes haywire on the effects pedal on this standout track, performed at a UN function. The inept suits probably missed the irony as the song applies equally to them as it does to local politicos. A lengthy intro weaves into the lazy Saeein. The band jams on this extensively, which is a welcome respite from most bands mechanical live performances. The classic Hiray harks back to the days when Azmat used to rock AC/DC t-shirts on Music Channel Charts. How far we’ve come! Pyaar Heh Zindagi, a new track, is a rough rehash of Sister Sledge’s We are Family. Morten Harket (of Norwegian one-hit wonders A-Ha), is also featured on the track. Our question is where is Morten playing the tabla? — backup vocals maybe? It’s a little confusing.
Longtime fans feared the treatment that was to be meted out to the classic Jazba-e-Junoon. Fortunately, Jazba 2002 is pretty decent, save one thing. The guitar riff is clearly swiped from U2’s discotheque from the pop record. Come on guys, we expect more from a band of your calibre.
All in all a good effort, and definitely a marked improvement from the average Ishq. The cover art is interesting, and looks like it was inspired from some 1970’s Marvel Comics. Do you think there are enough corporate logs on the cover? One has to squint real hard to see that it’s a Junoon record. These oldsters of the Pakistani rock scene must not let the soda pop high of sponsorship get in the way of creativity, for like it or not, they are still the benchmark.—Qasim Abdallah Moini
What’s new?
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Abrar-ul-Haque is one of the last few pop singers of our country who made it big before the satellite boom. Everyone joining the pop bandwagon after him had not only to strive harder but also had to cater to the audiences who had become wiser after witnessing work of western pop stars. However, it would be unjust not to appreciate Abrar’s uncanny knack for taking ordinary things in life and turning them into something amusing through his innovative lyrics and zany music.Abrar’s latest album opens with the highly controversial Punjabi Touch. The contents and lyrics combined with extremely dance-inducing music, magnetize the listener instantly. Since some organizations created a hubbub and forced Abrar to change ‘Nach Punjaban’ to Nach Majajan, the high profile video takes half the fun away of watching the video. Preeto, follows and it has a novel concept to its execution — you will not be able to contain that smirk throughout the song. Badam rangee is next with brisk composition inducing your toes to tap without knowledge! This side ends with Rondian Nay Wangaan, a soft and slow song that has distress written all over it in caps.
On the flip side, Abrar exhibits his true colours and takes us by surprise through songs like Sur Uthay Kay and Jagga that have moving, motivating, and stimulating lyrics. While the former has direct social connotations, the latter is the best song of the album as it describes the life and times of a wannabe goon. In Jagga, Abrar employs the folk style of storytelling and using the flute to his advantage, sings the song so passionately that it turns out to be a moving experience. The remaining three songs — Dilbur, Sukh Diayan Neendran and Rang Rang are half as energetic and entertaining as the rest of the album.
Abrar’s latest album is filled with his trademark libretto, the sprightly music, and immensely enjoyable songs. However, even his diehard fans may stop for a moment and ask, So, what’s new?—Jawad Daud
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