In a world without music & musicians, would you be surprised if the sounds held no more meaning? Well, this reality is not too far away considering the music of Corona, keeping us on hold since the last 50 days! So, when I say a “world without music”, can you picture that? It would be the death of human souls without sounds of an instrument or the voice of a musician. As John Keating said in the movie, ‘Dead Poets Society’ – “…But poetry, beauty, romance, love, these are what we stay alive for…”, then indeed we would be living dead without that melody.
I have spent a good 50 days under a roof, religiously following the quarantine schedule & I cannot stress enough how I soothed myself each evening strumming those strings on my Ukulele! I would have hated the evenings & the much longer nights had it been without any music & lyrics. And then one day I came across a post by the much revered North Eastern musician, Bipul Chetri as he said – “ If you want to help musicians, go stream their music from their official channels on their online platforms like Youtube, Itune, spotify, amazon….this is their only income in the current scenario.”
Well, that hit me. We love all the music flowing from left & right, but how often do we think of musicians giving their heart & soul to you for that “One Song.”? The thing is, we understand artists as individuals with a muse & some innate talent, and we forget that they have to make a livelihood too! The gears used by musicians to provide better sounds, costs a bomb in itself & then all the promotions to make that sound reach you. It is much more complicated than we think, for talent & excellence does not go hand in hand, unless done through the right mediums.
So, if you can imagine all the background scores of your beloved movies, no longer being played & the sounds of your emotions on that favorite playlist of yours, going for a toss, then consider this. It could be the new normal, to have NO MUSIC in the times to come.
Here’s is our team’s most voted list of their favorite numbers during the lockdown:
#1. Bipul Chetri
You will love him for his strumming tunes & Nepalese, that sounds so familiar! Add him to your perpetual “Travel List”.
Genres: Music of Nepal, Independent music
Songs:
Ram Sailee (Ode to My Father)
Mann
Asaar
#2. Parvaaz
You cannot help but fall for their heart wrenching music. This band experiments not only with its unique sound, but also with lyrics written in Urdu, Kashmiri and Hindi, that are no less than beautifully written poetic pieces. Add it to your “Psyched” list!
Genres: Progressive rock, Alternative rock, Folk rock
Songs:
Colour White
Beparwah
Roz Roz
#3. Samar Mehdi
This Bhopal based singer is fan – tas- tic with his strings & is an isolationist’s godfather, owing to his incredible childhood. His music & lyrics & melody speak volumes of emotions. Add him to your “Self –rescue list!” – especially the last track.
Genre: Folk
Songs:
Parey
Iltija
Kashmakash – Qa’ar-Urooj
#4. Indian Ocean
Needs no introduction, nevertheless with a name as hit on spot we cannot skip them for their absolute upbeat music. This is our kind of Indian trance! Add them to your list of “Fusion Rock Genre”
Genre: Folk music
Songs:
Nam Myo Ho
Ma Re Wa
https://open.spotify.com/track/5C37jaPnIPlqhClVvrYkyH
Kandisa
https://open.spotify.com/track/3balMS5fsvVWjKkkvppRSx
To keep your sanity in tune, keep exploring new music! ALSO – Don’t just stream, DOWNLOAD/BUY ALBUMS to let the legacy of your artists survive. Everyone knows that unless their stream count is in the millions, artists get a handful of the total from the likes of Spotify, Gaana, Wynk music, Saavan, Hungama and Apple Music.
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