Valentine's Day Downloads

Like many other industries, the Desi music scene has learnt the power of a special Valentine's day tie in. Here's a round up of some of the songs released to celebrate the patron saint of bee keepers.

Parichay - Tu Hi Zindagi   

 
Parichay has been dropping hints about a Valentine's day surprise and this one doesn't disappoint. An acoustic version of Tu Hi Zindagi, which appeared on All New Everything, this song is slushy and romantic. Parichay can produce powerful gorgeous vocals and acoustic tracks like this really show them off. The original version was one of my favourites from All New Everything, but I think I like this one better. Download here.

Swarathma Celebrate Life After 55

Swarathma, an Indian folk rock band, have released a new single and a video to go with it. Rang Zinda is about 'Bachpan after Pachpan' or childhood after 55 and was a collaboration with students form the National Institute of Design in India.

The video shows a group of elderly people going about their daily activities and having fun. One woman is an elegant dancer and there is one man who has the coolest beard you will ever see. The band also make an appearance towards the end of the video.

The older generation are all too often left out of today's music world. There is the stereotype that all they listen to are old Bolllywood hits and religious songs. But Swarathma have cleverly reminded us that people don't need to be a certain age to appreciate good music.

If you liked the song, it is available as a free download on Swarathma's SoundCloud page.

Swarathma - Topiwalleh

Bands promoting their albums via facebook is old hat. The Bangalore based folk rock band Swarathma decided to take a novel approach and asked their followers to don a colourful topi on their profile picture to support the release of Topiwalleh. The resulting gallery of mad hatters would have made a great promotional poster.

Swarathma have a way with rhythm and folk influenced percussion. Throughout the album the syncopated beats the band use are infectious. The use of traditional instruments and how Swarathma blend them with more modern musical instruments techniques is innovative. I particularly liked how the violin was given a starring role in many of the tracks. Sanjeev Nayak is the rabbit that Swarathma pull out of their hat each time they want to give a song a special finish.

There is a message in the music that Swarathma make. Ghum is a dark and sinister track about child abuse. It’s atmospheric and the contrasts in the song are excellent. The lyrics of Topiwalleh take a dig at Indian politicians while beachy summer vibes play underneath. There is a great laid back reggae groove to the title track of the album which makes a great opener.