Sawaal by Aaroh

Giving the listener something new and different is one way to make an impression in the market. Yet barring a few notable exceptions, most bands that attempt to market what they think to be original styles are often deluded. For one thing, most four bar patterns thought to be original have already been written and done to death in the past. And even if one is newly introducing an Angraizi style in Urdu, doing the same thing 10 times on one album amounts to getting stuck in a rut and does not make a good or even tolerable album.

Hailing from Karachi, Aaroh comprising Farooq Ahmed (Lead Vocals), Nabeel Nihal Chishty (Lead and Rhythm Guitars), Khalid Khan (Bass Guitars) and Kamran Khan (Keyboards) seem to have missed this point with their debut album. This is a band whose ingenuity, talent and originality at the Battle of the Bands – or as it now appears in hindsight, the lack thereof – had given them amazing popularity along with the number one position in the Battle of the Bands. They had, I expected after viewing their various live performances, an ability to jam, write catchy songs, and intertwine many different musical genres. I was wrong to think that.

The artwork of the CD fails to impress me. The cover is the dullest thing I've seen in years and the 'cut and pasted' parts of the full pictures that are spread around the booklet give it a very amateur look. For all I care the band that offered me frustration would have looked far better covered in the oil that is available in excess on the coastline. The back-inlay behind the transparent tray is even worse. Or maybe the band chose this sleeve in memoriam to what has happened since the aftermath of the Tasmanian Spirit. I am deeply touched.

"Sawaal", the debut effort by Aaroh, is simply the same song being re-done time and again. Generally, most music has some bright spots, but it will be a struggle for any rock fan to distinguish the good notes on each song here. Every one of the CD's 12 songs sounds identical and if any hard rock fan stops paying attention to what is going on in the album following the third track, he or she cannot be blamed. Some credit can be given to lead vocalist Farooq for providing the vocal duties fairly well. Yet add loud guitars and the same dang pounding of sequenced drums and you have a recipe for disaster. If I were paid a ridiculous sum of money, I too could whine into a microphone about how much life sucks and how I adore the cute boy next door and I wouldn't be writing music reviews.

And this is not just a question of first adverse impressions. I have listened to this album for some time now and the sad factor is that this album fails to improve over time. Ability to play often overshadows ability to write exciting music and Aaroh fall headlong into the Mekaal Hassan / Fuzon trap. A listener in the aforementioned situation gets nothing except a lack of variety. And we demand to get our money's worth down to the last penny. Capitalism has turned music into a product. It's something we fans of music have grown to accept. Similar to the boasts of car commercials, new releases are often paraded as "album of the year" and other clichés are tossed around with increasingly predictive frequency.

One should always remain sceptical when bands use this line to sell albums because there may be a reason they're trying to make such an aggressive push for it.

The album starts off with "Sawaal". And that is precisely what you'd be left with by the end of the album. A few questions: Did the band win The Battle of the Bands because it was playing on home-ground? Did they really deserve to win? Was Entity Paradigm a lot better? Were the judges already briefed prior to the final who are supposed to be in the battle and who is supposed to be eliminated? Were the bands from Karachi given more importance? Were bands from Lahore 'not supposed' to be victorious? Did Aaroh win because they covered a Vital Signs song (guess who was in the jury?)?

It's quite distressing. I loved Aaroh since day first and fought/discussed the band with fellow critics/friends/listeners. Now with the album in hand I do not know what to say to the anti-Aaroh brigade. Alright, the title song is great, but then what does one say of the rest of the album.

One could of course have argued that since all songs on "Sawaal" sound similar you'll either love them completely or hate them for being so monotonous. To quote the band "tujh ko chaahaa hai / buss yeh gunaah hai" My ears as yet fortunately or unfortunately are not as fanatical.

"Aik Din" is 'the' weakest song on the album. Whiny vocals, same music; and the lyrics suck. "Woh sehar aik din aayay gee / Aur tu meri ho jaayay gee" being repeated over 'n' over again don't seem to make things easier but all the more irritating! Go home, Farooq (you're the one singing this crap), and cry to your mama - because I don't care about your whining and neither does anyone else.

If one were inclined to be kind to them, one could say "Dunya" is one of the best tracks the band has to offer. This is because people are actually singing and not whining as much as they are otherwise, and the track sounds completely different from the rest of the album. The acoustic guitars and the guitar solo are superb. But there is little respite or variation in the rest of the album.

"Jalan" sounds really good when it is performed live probably because the crowd is all hyped up and couldn't care less about the words sung as long as they are having fun. But when listening on one's own, the lyrics are retch-inducing. A word to the band: STOP crying dudes! The girl[s] do[es]n't want you. Maybe you disappointed her as much as you disappointed me. And stop threatening her too! ("Ya toh meri yaadon main aao naa / Ya phir meri baahon main aao naa"). Come to think of it, even the video dampens my spirit. Where did all the originality and creativity go when the band was in the process of making this album? Is the idea of Romeo/Juliet being filmed in a forest, running away from the zalim samaaj on a heavy-bike and then eventually dying ground-breaking? C'mon! Even Shehzad Roy, never a beacon of originality, has trampled this ground and been more creative and effective in doing so.

First things first: Who is this girl they can't seem to get over with? Is she good enough to waste a 'debut album' on? That's precisely what the band has done by making yet another song, "Aankhein" by getting Nabeel to do the lyrics. And who said guitarists are multi-talented? They are not! Nabeel you are good at making music, stick to it! You are not as good (not even close) as Aamir Zaki who writes fairly well. (Next thing you know Nabeel will be providing vocal duties like 'Sal the Man' did! And the listeners will be left banging their heads on a "Deewar"!)

The next song "Dil Kee Baaton Ko" proves that the weakest aspect of the entire album is the songwriting. Silly pop melody for the chorus, redundant pop/rock riffing, and not much else. The song churns out yet another mid-tempo clunky number with boring, underwritten directionless riffs and nothing even remotely resembling a good vocal line.

Be prepared to have your intelligence insulted with the two instrumentals (fillers?) available on the record. The pretentious, ridiculous strings on "Hoor" and "Zarb" do little more than to make me giggle at this crap-fest in its full-blown glory. For hilarity, visit the aaroh.com message board and watch the sheep run to say "Hoor" is a classical insturmental (notice the spelling) track which touches your soul" and "The album closes off with another insturmental (again?) track Zarb an amazing number…"

From this point on, "Aaroh" becomes an act that for me have spiralled into creative oblivion. "Sawaal" might be an important step for the band, particularly for their sponsors, but it has certainly alienated me. Admittedly this isn't the most horrible thing ever written, but it sure isn't very interesting either, and quite honestly, why would I listen to this when there is music three hundred times better out there?

Review By: Insiya Syed

First published: www.pakistanirock.com

On the rocky Karavan trail

With an energy unmatched by the super-bands, Karavan set Karachi a fire.

I was introduced to and fell in love with Karavan's music with the release of "Rakh Aas" in 1997, but never got a chance to see them live. "Safar" followed in 2000 and I still somehow missed them live. Their latest, the staggering "Gardish" (2002) drove me even deeper in love with the band and their front man, Tanseer Daar. So it was with huge excitement that I heard that they would be playing at Café M. Seeing them in person promised to be enthralling. I was not disappointed.

The band's current line-up features Assad Ahmed (guitar, backing vocals), Sameer Ahmed (bass guitar), Alan Smith (percussion, backing vocals) and Tanseer Daar (lead vocals). For this performance they were joined by a tabla-player whose gentle, spiritual rhythm meandered through virtually every song.

Around 1997 Assad Ahmed got himself a studio and started recording. Sameer Ahmed joined in on bass, and Karavan was born. Najam Sheraz joined briefly as the vocalist for the debut "Rakh Aas", but left to revive a solo career. The search for another vocalist was tiring but Assad completed a magical formula with Tanseer Daar. 'Tan' was definitely not as strong vocally as Najam but he fared fairly well. I asked Assad how things have been since he joined. "Things are always difficult when an original member is replaced, but Tan brought stability with him. He's dedicated to our vision and I think that shows on "Gardish"," he said.

The other members – Sameer and Alan – keep busy playing sessions with Fuzon and Junoon respectively. Why doesn't Karavan focus on its own act more? "We don't like doing videos and without them we aren't in the spotlight. However, it'll be a long time before any of those bands can release three albums and sell 300,000 copies," says Assad. "We paved the way for them along with Junoon. Most new bands are fans of ours. You can look at them and see us, listen to them and hear us. It's very flattering."

Café M Live is small but this makes for an up-close experience. The audience was involved, screaming and totally absorbed in the experience. Judging by their behaviour, the audience had come with high expectations. While there were only about 30 people, Karavan was playing to the faithful and the noise this handful created effectively trebled their number. Among them were Jibran Zuberi (Indus Vision), Gumby (Noori) and Shallum Xavier (Fuzon).

The set included many hits old and new, and a few great covers. The band kicked off with "Rakh Aas", a classic that brought back memories of Najam Sheraz. The audience started by swaying awkwardly, like teenagers unsure of the game plan, but the excitement soon carried them away.
Tan held the audience – the female part, at least – in the palm of his hand. A single smile could bring the house down, and Tan knew it. Assad was an effective foil. His masterly riffs make the band, and his performance generated so much heat (literally and otherwise) that one could see the steam rising from his soaked black curls.

Karavan was clearly performing to impress and their verve put all rumours of a break-up to rest. Assad Ahmed later told me, "The break-up thing was never true! When people see me with Haroon, Sameer with Fuzon or Alan with Junoon they think that we're not together anymore. We are here to stay." In fact, they're busy working on an unplugged album.

That night Karavan brought an energy that jaded super-bands simply can't muster. They were fresh, exhilarated, and happy to be there, and the audience more than matched them. The first row, mostly female, was the centre of the hysteria, but the rest of the hall was a little calmer.

In short, the performance was a delight. You know something special is happening when you see a tiny venue go mad. There was sweat and smells, youth and remembrance, and best of all, there was passion for music. It was a night to remember, one that owes everything to a brilliant performance by a great band.

Review by: Insiya Syed

First published: September 05 - 11 2003, The Friday Times, Lahore, Pakistan.