Take Five: Amazing Album Only Tracks

Today's Take Five is inspired by a tweet from JoSH band member Q. On 7th January he said :

"There are so many amazing songs in albums that don't get heard because they don't have videos. Listen to albums people! Lots of gems there!"

Back in the days before youtube and soundcloud existed it was impossible to hear teasers of all the track like now. You usually only got to hear the main single from the album and had to judge from that if the CD was worth buying. I usually bought albums after loving the promoted track and often found there was a song on there that I liked better than the featured track. Here are five songs that were overlooked, underrated and lacked the promotion of the main tracks.

 Imran Khan - Peli Waar

For some people, Imran Khan is synonymous with Amplifier. I however prefer Peli Waar from the album Unforgettable. It uses guitars and has a rock feel to it which is so different to the other songs on the album. Imran's vocals are brilliant on this track and it does not start to get annoying after a few listens.  

JoSH - Yeh Zameen

Out of all the songs on Beyond Kismat, Pyar Ho Gaya is the one that got its own video. But in my opinion Yeh Zameen is much better. It has a lovely soulful sound that I instantly associate with JoSH. A beautiful soft track that is sadly a well-kept secret.   

MixtaBishi & MoFolactic Remix Bikram's Electro Love Boliyan

  Bikram Singh ft. Ranbir S - Electro Love Boliyan (Mixtabishi & Mofolactic 2012 Edit) by MixtaBishi&MoFolactic 

MixtaBishi & MoFolactic, the remix duo from Australia, have mashed up Bikram Singh's Electro Love Boliyan with Rihanna's We Found Love. I love Bikram's ELB, which was brilliantly produced by Ranbir S and was worried that a remix would destroy the song. But thankfully the duo proved me wrong and blended the best elements of both songs with great skill. This mashup is a great track which will sound awesome on a night out. This version of Electro Love Boliyan is available as a free download via soundcloud or MixtaBishi & MoFolactic's facebook page so get it now and play it so the neighbours can hear it! 

Nitin Sawhney Spins the Globe on BBC Radio

Nitin Sawhney, who has worked with a wide range of artists including dancer Akram Khan and Paul Mc Cartney, will present a new show on BBC Radio 2 called Nitin Sawhney Spins the Globe. The programme will showcase music from a  variety of artists from all around the world and all of the tracks have been chosen by Nitin himself. There will be four weekly episodes and series on 5th Jaurary at 11pm. Make sure you tune in or listen again.

You can listen to Nitin talking about his new show here.

Desi Beats on Radio 1 at 7pm Tonight

Nihal's Desi Beats show on BBC Radio 1 show will go out at 7pm tonight instead of its usual time of midnight. Even though I can still listen to the show any time I want, live radio has something special that the iplayer can never recreate. I loved listening to the show when it was at 9pm back in 2006 and I hope Radio 1's audience appreciate all the great music at a time when they are awake enough to listen to it.

Bikram Singh - Bik.I.am Review

 

Album titles are important. They represent the songs in an album and suggest the themes that they contain. Although it sounds like the name of a certain singer, Bik.I.am is a nice title. I think the letter “I” in the title should represent identity, innovation and independence. The album has 14 tracks. Nine of the songs are produced by Tigerstyle and have the duo’s instantly recognisable beats. The remaining five are collaborations with other producers. These collaborations show that Bikram is prepared to take risks, explore new ideas and develop as a solo artist outside the successful Bikram - Tigerstyle marriage.

The album opens with 2 singles that Bikram has previously released: Kinna Sohna Munda, which I blogged about here, and Beyonce. Listeners expected a traditional bhangra track but Beyonce sounded very different to everything Bikram had previously released. Beyonce makes more sense musically when listened to as part of the album as it blends in with the other fusion tracks.

Electro Love Boliyan is a modern twist on a traditional style of song. This is my favourite out of the more experimental songs and I‘m pleased that it is has it’s own video and single release. The production by Ranbir S is brilliant and manages to maintain a good balance between Bikram’s vocals and fancy effects underneath. Just for a Dance has a few Arabic samples in it as well as some more modern beats. The overall effect is nice, even if the lyrics don’t quite make sense and Bikram is sidelined by guest vocalists.