Five years! Dhani hit the markets in 2003 and quickly shot to the top of our (invisible) music charts. Complete with stunning, non-ostentatious songs that have over time become characteristic of the band, the album was heralded widely as a piece of brilliant and sincere songwriting.
As `rock stars`, Faisal Kapadia and Bilal Maqsood are the ones with a clean-cut, trouble-free image that everyone aspires to be (okay, maybe not everyone). And now, after five years of feeding us scraps (i.e. singles), some of them rather gorgeous (case in point Zinda and Akhri Alvida to name a few), Strings comes out with a proper 10-track album titled Koi Aanay Wala Hai.
Creative duties are as always, shared between Bilal and Faisal, with Anwar Maqsood providing the lyrical content. Recorded in Karachi, mixed in Mumbai and mastered in New York, the production is just what it needs to be — crisp and clear. Thankfully, the songs aren`t compressed either (nor have they had their volume artificially increased), allowing the listener to enjoy the dynamics of the band as it eases up on the volume or heads for a louder, more distorted sound.
During many moments on Koi Aanay Wala Hai, Strings sounds exactly like it has done on previous albums. However, it`d definitely be a bit disconcerting if that wasn`t the case, since we`ve all come to expect that familiar warmth that its sound seems to emanate. Despite that, Strings has seemingly felt a need to `branch out` or to break away (though being very, very careful about it) from a settled nature. Some of the songs on the album betray the callous, melancholy nature of the work (such as Jab Se Tum Ko), and unfortunately don`t seem to work in the way that the band might have envisioned. Akin to some tracks on Atif Aslam`s album, Strings seems out of its element in trying to incorporate a more `rockier` edge to its repertoire, except thankfully without atrociously crafted videos.
Humsafar is probably the best track on the album and without a doubt one of the most complete tracks the band has ever penned. It starts off with clock-esque keys, before the band eases up on the instrumentation to let Faisal take control. One of Strings` strongest points is that the vocal melodies are incredibly infectious, yet they never seem overtly contrite or obvious. On the song`s verses the vocals display that very sense of subtle duress. After a carefully selected solo, the song takes a respite before embarking on one final push for the end.
The title track itself has the usual blasé guitars and soaring choruses that we`re used to. Keh Diya also seems to exude a predilection for Latin rhythms, with its jaunty percussion and a very sandy undertow — a definite song for the beach. Sonay Do is another sombre track that initially seems to have lost its way from a Coldplay album.
That said we now move on to the edgier tracks on the album. As mentioned earlier, Jab Se Tum Ko is one of these tunes, and it seems to have posed a direct challenge to Atif Aslam`s Hungami Haalat quest for the worst track of the year (despite being a reworked rendition). The percussion is torrid and displays the creative abilities of a sack of potatoes, while Faisal intones “Jab se tum ko maine dekha hai/mujhe pyar ka matlab aa gaya.” Unfortunately, things don`t seem to get better either lyrically or sonically for the rest of the track as the grating main riff doesn`t seem to want to bugger off.
Buoyant trumpets abound in the sprightly Aik Do Teen, and along with Jab Bhi Mein is where Strings` juxtaposition of a quicker tempo with its strawberry melancholia seems to work almost-brilliantly. Jago is a track that seems to musically nod towards Shehzad Roy and essentially represents a Noori-esque wake up call.
On a side note, the tracking of the album has been rather poor. A loud/fast song is always followed by a song more restrained in its volume, a `trick` that is quite juvenile and unexpected when coming from a band of Strings` stature.
Strings should be applauded for trying to inject new life into its music, but the choice of change or experiment has displayed a lack of wisdom. Rather than trying to make nuanced changes with the sound, the boys have tried to turn up the overdrive and hasten their pace. This effectively takes away from the austere nature of their sound, and like Jal`s album earlier in the year, seems like a quick attempt to show some `growth as a band`. If nearly two decades as a band has not brought about any considerable musical growth on its own, Strings should feel no need to grab a scythe and start hacking away at its formula. It is a band whose songs are filled to the brim with amazing melodies and melancholy; a band whose songs are instantly memorable.
Koi Aanay Wala Hai is undoubtedly a good album, and definitely worth the Strings stamp. Unfortunately, it also comes across as a bit disappointing when you consider that the duo involved might`ve been better off sticking to its trusted formula and refining it. Change is only good when it`s brought about au natural, rather than a superficial self-imposed change. All we can now hope for now is that on the next album (which I personally hope we don`t have to wait half a decade for) Strings manages to work out the kinks of its sound and ends up recording an album that is truly monumental.