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Pop music: scene and heard
Popular music in Pakistan has a chequered history. It has experienced its share of ups and downs with both creative lulls and booms one after the other. To praise it lavishly would be like inflating the ego of a child to the point where it becomes uncontrollable; renegade to the wishes of its parents. To crucify it on the cross of changes, constantly pointing out its inferiority compared to classical music would be an equally naive folly. We take a candid look at the current scene, analyzing the efforts of major pop/rock bands while diagnosing the malaise inflicting underground groups.
To get to the summit of a mountain is no doubt an arduous, draining task. But the complacence that sets in once a person is on top can be a damaging state of being. Not that thanklessness is an enviable virtue, rather success should enable men, at the sake of sounding cliched, to reach higher and do better. Among groups, the maxim seems to be that if you’ve found a seemingly perfect pop formula, ride it out and cash in for as long as possible. The moment a band tastes success, creativity and innovation take a back seat. Junoon seems to have fallen victim to this trap. On Ishq, their last offering, the band’s sounds took a dramatic turn for the negative. Gone were the solid grooves and interesting concepts, and save two or three songs, most of the material was barely average. Their approach on all previous albums, such as infusing new ideas and lyrical themes was sorely missed. A new all-live album has just come out, and the group has commissioned Garaj Baras, a new song in it. One hopes it will signal a return to the trailblazing Junoon of yesteryear.
Awaz is dead and buried. Yet both its former front men, Haroon and Faakhir, have taken the dive with respective solo albums. What was the fresh, youthful sound of Awaz is sounding overdone now, with non-stop bhangra/flamenco hybrid love songs ruling the roost ad nauseum. It’s not bad music. It just all sounds the same. These guys have to break out of their formulaic molds and test the waters with unique material.
Speaking of bhangra, the local uncrowned king, Ibrar Ul Haque, has also gotten a little too comfortable. However, his case is a little different. He is releasing albums with such blinding speed that its turning into overkill. The one with Majajni rocked. Bayja Cycle Tay was great. But now it’s getting to be a bit too much. All of a sudden we see Assan Jana Mall-o-Mall. The market is being saturated with Ibrar, and this is hurting the quality of his songs. Jawad Ahmad, free from his orbit of the Jupiters, is surely making his mark. The guy has a great, different voice and despite what his detractors say, is providing quality bhangra-beat, more than enough to ward off the attacks of Daler Mehndi, Stereo Nation and rest of the Indian and Anglo-Indian factory produced bhangra-masters. Tanvir Afridi, who scored with Guddi and other minor hits in the past is back with Guddi-2. Though he gets no marks for the creative title, the music is definitely enjoyable. With the remake of his past hit, complete with a cheesy video featuring all the cliches of the genre; mustachioed villains, nubile damsels, oozing machismo heroes and even a lion, this guy knows what he’s doing. What pure camp! It’s great. The whole Punjab Da Shere thing was brilliant. Two thumbs up to Afridi for not taking himself seriously.
After bidding farewell to Najam Shiraz, whose busy hawking tea these days, the rebuilt Karavan are gathering steam. With Tanseer Dar firmly in place in the vocal slot, Assad Ahmad and co. can concentrate on what they know best; making good ole big guitar Pakistani rock. The band is ready to drop Gardish their newest effort, a heady blend of riffs and rhythm. It will be interesting to see if the public catches on to what these guys are playing. Lord knows what Ali Haider was trying to prove with Jadu. All the hard work and evolution that Saeeyan displayed seemed to be for naught. Gimmicks like Dance to Trance did little to win over the public or critics. His intent might have been noble but direction on this album was definitely lacking. To make matters worse, the wacky remix of Haider’s cover classic, Zalim Nazroon Say, was a real let down to hardcore Haider fans. Both Junaid and Shehzad Roy have been quiet for a while, with Roy Rogers concentrating on building charities and the former Vital Sign still talking of a reunion that’s just round the corner (that line is at least four years old). Latest reports showed Junaid leaving music for spiritual reasons and then coming back at it. Lets see how that develops. Hadiqa Kiyani is quiet these days reportedly busy in recording her album which has English songs in it.
As for the new crop of pretenders to the rock throne, the winds of fortune blow favourably. Aks sound promising with their ambient deadhead vocals, bare grooves and Nasir Tehrany’s acid trippin’ Dali videos. Jazba are back on the scene after a long absence. Let’s hope this time they’re here to stay and not fizzle out after one strong single. Dusk, the sleeper pioneers of local black metal, are also prepping their latest record; tentatively titled Off White. The new album is sonically quite a departure from the band’s first effort, while maintaining rock hard guitars and Babar’s barked growl. Rushk, with their striking video and melancholic lyrics are worth mentioning.
There are others. Drift, Brain Masala and Seth are bands often on the lips of underground aficionados. Yet the two main problems with the majority of underground bands is that for one, a lot of them don’t sing in Urdu and two, they don’t perform very many originals. Unless there are plans underway by our former colonial overlords to pay us another visit, Urdu will remain the lingua franca of communication. If you want your music to be heard, sing it in Urdu, or any other local language. Playing Radiohead, U2 and Metallica covers is great. It shows you are a savvy musician with good taste. Doesn’t say much about your creativity. If you want true respect, work on original material, or else be happy playing covers of Creep in some Clifton dive bar for the rest of your life. One other irksome detail with some of these bands is their attitude. They think they are rock stars and will give you all the flak in the world. Tone it down kids. You’re not Van Halen just yet.
The scene, both mainstream and underground is promising. It will take the continued effort of both bands and lovers of great music to nurture and make it grow. Though a Utopian ideal is far from reality ‘tis better to try and burn out then to rust and fade away.
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