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Sunday, May 13, 2012

Coke Studio V5.1: Charkha Nolakha (Qayaas featuring Atif)

So, Coke Studio (CS) is back with its fifth season. I must admit I had lost all interest in the show until recently when Qayaas became part of the CS list of artists headlining this year. 

Qayaas is a band which possesses so much talent, not only in the vocals department but guitars and drums as well. It's a very tight unit and will do wonders considering they stick together long enough. I've already talked about Umair on one of my previous posts.

It is highly unlikely that I'll be talking about CS songs other than Qayaas's. Anyways, coming to 'Charkha Nolakha' - a collaboration between Qayaas and Atif, following are my thoughts on the composition. 

Overall the song has been given a very ambient feel which has thoroughly been achieved as well. The intro into the first verse of the song is absolutely beautiful. Umair's semi-baritone kicks in very nicely and does sound nice with Atif's nasal voice. The song seems to have quite a number of starts and stops which is seen right after the first verse/chorus. The song continues in its similar feel as before. The bridge is one of my favorite parts in the song; delay, chorus and reverbs on Atif's voice give an awesome feel to the song. When the drums kick in, a very very familiar song can be heard in the background; Led Zeppelin's Kashmir. So, basically Umair is singing on the main and interlude riffs of Kashmir; better him than Atif. Finally, we get a glimpse of the Metal side of Umair with his Axl-reminiscent screams. After another stop, the song goes into the outro where everyone, house band inclusive, joins in to sing the chorus. 

I would give the song a 7/10. The listener will not dig the song straightaway; I'd recommend giving it a few shots and letting it grow on you. Initially, I was very skeptical about blending a hardcore Metal voice with something as Pop as Atif's incessant moaning however I do think Rohail kept the hyena under control in this number. In a way its good for Qayaas in the commercial sense; a lot of Bieber fans will watch the episode and you never know, a few might even be converted! In any case, it's good exposure for the band. Coke Studio will open a lot more doors and give Qayaas a real shot at fame, success and proving themselves as the number one Heavy Metal outfit in Pakistan. 

In the future episodes, I seriously hope we get to see Khurram and Sarmad rocking out, and trust me they can kick up some pretty heavy shit; listen to 'Mera Wana', 'Inquilaab', and 'Uss Paar' by Qayaas. Apart from the fact that they're just awesome guitarists, there is no sound sweeter to the ear than ridiculously over-driven guitars. CS's first season has so far been their best; it was rough and raw, and the musicians were allowed to do whatever they deemed fit. The following seasons were just too perfect and clean-sounding to qualify for that original CS experience. Well, all I can do is wait, hope and be optimistic!

Good luck to Qayaas for rest of the season. You guys have done brilliant in the first episode, have a brewski, don't OD and continue kicking some butt. 

\m/ forever! 

Cheerio!

P.S. Good luck at the LUX Style Awards!

Following is the link to 'Charkha Nolakha':

NOTE: THIS ARTICLE IS STRICTLY MY OWN OPINION WITH ALL THE PUN AND HATRED INTENDED FOR THE LIKES OF GAYSLUM AND BIEBER (KURT KILLED HIMSELF BECAUSE OF YOU). 

2 comments:

  1. get a life dude! I am a Qayaas fan to the core , n do have respect for atif as well, leave his bollywood work he has done for JB kind of masses, n appreciate diversity he has got. You cant compare bieber n atif , you offended me saying this!!! . (Y) for Qayaas!

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