Thursday, July 14, 2011

The winner by knockout: Coke Studio Pakistan

I thought it might be unfair to slam Coke Studio India for not matching up to the magnificence that is Coke Studio Pakistan. In its first week anyway. So I waited a month, and from what's been trotted out till now, it looks like that sudden burst of brilliance everyone here's been hoping for isn't forthcoming this season.

Two songs, one from our Coke Studio, the other from Pakistan's. "Chitthiye" is limpid, inoffensive, swamped by the same all-pervasive synth sound that won't leave any of CSI's songs alone. It's...what's the word...contented. "Alif Allah-Jugni", on the other hand, is a stream of energy so taut driving that it sounds like it couldn't settle down if it wanted to. Why this difference? It's not the singers; Chauhan and the Wadalis are in the same vocal league as Shafi and Lohar. It's in the attiutude. It's the difference between rock and pop. It's in the annoying girl-group chorus they have in "Chittiye". It's the reason why Pakistan produces great rock bands and we don't, and why their Coke Studio success is something we have not, and from the looks of it, will not replicate.



3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Synth sound is playing kaput agreed. Also, just a small point - the brick bats have followed assuming that CSI will change overnight whereas the reality is that the season one is shot 2 months back.

As someone who was present in most of the CSI recordings I can tell you that the major grouse which the so called music fans have with CSI will not go away till CSI season 2...

Hope...lets all hope then

Anonymous said...

One more thing. I don't think the comparison between Meesha and Alif to Wadali brothers and Sunidhi is fair at all...but then....that's my view.

a fan apart said...

I agree to an extent - it's an inexact form of comparison. But try this out - take any random CSI performance and contrast it with a random one from CSP. I think in most cases I'd conclude the same as I have above.