Originating from the vivacious city of Jamshoro, Sindh, the Sufi-pop-rock band The Sketches, comprising of vocalist Saif Samejo and guitarist Naeem Shah, has already climbed up the ladder of success in not just parts of Sindh but the entire Pakistan with popular hits such as “Mandh Wai” from Coke Studio season 4, “Nind Nashe Vich”, “Rano” and “Raat”.

(LEFT TO RIGHT) Adnan Kandhar, Abbas Jaffri, Suhaee Abro and Saif Samejo

In addition, The Sketches’ latest release “Main Sufi Hoon” has been nothing short of sensation: the video has had almost 3,000 shares on facebook and almost 6,000 likes in just 24 hours of its release. This boasts the prominence and preeminence of The Sketches’ work.

Audio-wise, “Main Sufi Hoon” is a product and an amalgamation of some of the best musicians Pakistan has to offer: on drums is Louis “Gumby” Pinto; lead guitarist Faraz Anwar of Mizraab fame, possibly one of the best guitarist of Pakistan; The Sketches’ own Naeem Shah on rhythm guitars; and the energetic Saif Samejo as vocalist.

While hearing the song, one could easily feel the vibe of the words and breathe into them. Lyrically, “Main Sufi Hoon” is a delight to the ears. “Main Sufi hoon sarmasta; mera kaun pihchane rastaa” (I am a Sufi and who knows my way?). Simply ecstatic. The dynamic voice of Saif Samejo and Naeem Shah’s magical work with guitars is also nothing short of a triumphant victory.

Directed by Adnan Kandhar, the video features the likes of Abbas Jaffri and Suhaee Abro roped-in spiritualistic roles, exploring the exquisite desert of Thar, doing soul-searching. According to the director, Main Sufi Hoon “is the journey of distinguished and unforgettable phase of human culture”.

The video, in particular, stands out as it fortuitously adheres to the principle of promoting Sufism in its strict sense with originality and concept. The guys behind VFX, Haroon Habib and Ghafar Muhiudin, also need a pat on their back for the Herculean task of bringing special effects’ galore with utmost sincerity and skills.

To sum up, “Main Sufi Hoon” is another milestone achieved by The Sketches; another feather in their cap. However, we must not forget that it is not something that could have pulled off individually. The song, undoubtedly, is a team effort.

Audio: 9/10; Video: 10/10

This post, The Sketches! – Main Sufi Hoon (Music Video Review) , was originally published at PakiUM.com

Faraz Anwar has been the frontman of Mizraab for over a decade and more recently accompanied Noori as lead guitarist for their US tour. Tu Kareeb Hai is the latest offering from Faraz Anwar and his first solo artist track in a while. Possibly one of the most undervalued artists in our music industry; Faraz Anwar is a multi-instrumentalist and has been in the industry since he was a teenager. He might be an acquired taste to some but there is no denying there is wealth of creativity this artist can draw upon and his compositions are often deep, thought-provoking and unpredictable.

This song we’re going to review today, Tu Kareeb Hai, was a remake of a track on Mizraab’s first album (Panchi, 1997). The album was released unfinished by the record label and in order to do justice with those songs, Faraz Anwar has been redoing them. The first reincarnations were on Maazi Haal Mustaqbil where we were introduced to much heavier progressive rock classics in the form of Panchi and Mayusee. Since that album, his playing style has evolved and become more distinct. There are to be remakes of Sahil and Nami and Kahani’s has already been released (I strongly suggest everyone checks out Kahani’s Remake). Faraz Anwar is much more versatile than given credit for and his prowess as a jazz fusion artist shines through this track. Masterfully blending elements that will keep both old fans and new converts satisfied, Faraz Anwar has come up with a beautiful track and I can not get enough of it.

As a Mizraabian, I have heard the old version hundreds of times and this new version is like meeting an old friend who has grown in complexity and intricacy. When comparing the old version of this track with the new, you can see the new version is light-years ahead in terms of production, composition and melody. Check it out for yourself and let us know what you think.

This post, Review: Faraz Anwar – Tu Kareeb Hai , was originally published at PakiUM.com

If you have not listened to Har Zulm by Sajjad Ali already, listen to it now at the link below:

[ Sajjad Ali - Har Zulm ]

Sajjad Ali has proved himself once again with such an amazing song. The song “Har Zulm” was uploaded on the Official Facebook page of Sajjad Ali and within few hours of its release, it has gathered more than 4,000 likes, 2,000 comments and a record of 7,000+ shares.

Although some hip-hop lover teen might not be interested in the song, this song is for persons of every age, worth mentioning, even my grandmother likes it. Video, music, lyrics and style have a common feature of simplicity which unites them all resulting in a masterpiece.

The lyrics are by the Poet Aftab Muztar. The lyrics are deep, every word providing a meaning in itself. The lyrics being broad allows every person to relate to them, one commentator mentioning the song as ‘close to everyone hearts’. The music goes on in one single peaceful flow; the melodious voice of Sajjad Ali adds magic to it. The video is simple yet elegant. It features three people; Sajjad Ali, his son and a foreign guitarist. Sajjad Ali gives his worth-to-die-for smile many times in the video.

The keyboard player in the video is the son of Sajjad Ali. This seems to be the start of his career. Let’s hope he too becomes a shining star for the Country like his father.

Sajjad Ali is one of the talent who has maintained his class over the time and has a huge fan following. He was recently also seen on the famous talent show – Sur Kshetra. Successfully, he wins hearts of many. Such an asset he is for the Country. He moved to Dubai few years ago. We hope that situation in Pakistan gets better and he settles back to Pakistan.

The song is available to download on itunes for $0.99 – Check out below the complete song lyrics:

As my first post for Pakium, I decided to review the audio creations of Shaany. Always an eternal pessimist, I was dreading having to hear and review something released by a ‘new’ act, because more often than not, new musicians have caused me physical pain and mental stress; instead I was exposed to a great artist in the form of Shaany.

This review will cover both of his recent releases, “Sanwal” and “Pukaarey Tujhe“, both strong contenders for the most addictive tracks I’ve heard in the past few weeks. In fact, let me listen to them again while you check them out yourselves and then we’ll meet back here and compare notes.

“Sanwal” – Video:

“Pukaarey Tujhe“ - Audio

Okay, now that you’re back and in the right mood, let’s begin the review! Onwards!

Production Value

One of the biggest ‘YES!’ factors of both songs is the amazing production quality. Shaany has had experience as a producer and sound engineer and it clearly shows in his work. The songs were co-produced by Vicky Haider and they have done well to create audio that represents the artist.  Both are extremely well balanced tracks and that make for some really good listening.

Parts I Loved

What especially struck me were the jazz influences in both tracks. This is especially evident in Sanwal and one of the highlights was the solo section. The solo contains elements of blues, jazz and classic rock over an excellent piano progression.  Pukaarey Tujhe is a soft ballad that shows off some of Shaany‘s piano work which is very good. The song contains some great vocal parts and I feel it generally has been sung better than Sanwal. I think you can hear more emotion in Shaany‘s voice in this song and that allows listeners to really connect with the lyrics.

Parts I Wasn’t Impressed With

One of the downsides of Sanwal is the way the vocals started.  I can see why it was done but I felt that a guitar melody would have better served the song. In Pukaarey Tujhe, I felt a little let down with the chorus as the rest of the song came in very strong.  I get the feeling that perhaps Shaany didn’t take too many risks with the vocal melodies in these tracks. I mean, there are some really great moments but overall you can almost hear him hold back and I would really love to see him explore his vocal range more in his future releases.

Final Thoughts

Sanwal has all the ingredients to become an instant classic. Pukaarey Tujhe is a great song that was recorded brilliantly and is almost as addictive as Sanwal. What really struck me about both tracks is that Shaany seems to know exactly what he’s doing in all elements of a song and have twists and surprises for the listener and keeps them interested. As a critic, sure I can find a few mistakes here or there, but none of them take away from two really great songs that I have had on repeat for the past few days. I am personally looking forward to what Shaany will come out with next.

Please show support for this artist by following him on Facebook and sharing his music.

This post, Shaany – “Sanwal” and “Pukaarey Tujhe” Audio Reviews , was originally published at PakiUM.com

People from the medical profession are rarely seen as to being ensnared by any other profession or infatuation apart from their native work of serving the people by curing their diseases; but Mustufa Pervez is an exemption to all of this.

Having started his career in the field of music with the help of his brothers by releasing songs like Doobgaya, Jaana and Kitna Yaad Aaya, Mustufa is back with a soft melodious song once again which has added toppings to his already magnificent image as an artist.

“Kahin Nahin” is a supple song with soothing melodies that tears open the heart of the artist and his listeners. Dressed in all black in this video with an unplugged guitar in hand, Mustufa has created a terrific impression that has supplemented the lyrics of the song. The song starts with the artist sitting in a semi-lit room with miniscule lighting sets in a circular arcade around him. The first note struck by the singer mesmerises the soul of an individual and the first line

“Mein Jhoota Nahi (I am not a liar) , Na Hai Jhoota Emaan (Nor is my conscience)”

creates an inviting effect to listen further. The song is basically about a depressing soul talking to his lord about the thoughts that are buried inside his heart. The initial regret about life is clearly exemplified when the artist sings

“Cheezain likheen jo paagal pan mein woh hain haseen / All the things written in madness are clearly beautiful”.

The artist conveys the message that normal life sometimes doesn’t bring the amount of happiness as compared to a life in madness. The heart touching line of the song that is mostly sung as a chorus is when the artist tells his lord that even though he is spiritually connected to the angels yet somehow he isn’t one amongst them. This line breaks down the listener completely and forces one to think about stuff, one has completely forgotten about. The artist talks about the opportunities of life and the slight ray of hope that has to be enlightened further and transformed into a complete realistic opportunity. The song ends with a question about the punishment that has been inflicted upon the man and the chorus is re-laid once again to continue the soothing effect.

With no drums struck and just the guitar strumming makes this song a laid back one, that could be snooped and enjoyed completely when an individual is completely depressed and wants to cut off the connection with his life for some time. The song has to be a step towards stardom for the young Mustufa Pervez. As far as the rating for the song goes, it has to be 8/10 as Mustufa has been successful in creating an enduring upshot that will remain at least until he releases another creative song like this one.

This post, Review: Kahin Nahin By Mustufa Pervez , was originally published at PakiUM.com

On a hot may afternoon as I was surfing through some Pakistani music websites looking for a new release from any of the major heavy weights, startling news popped in at the corner of the page- “Entity Paradigm had broken again”. This time two of the Band members had left the band, leaving the fans in a sense of disarray and a despondent atmosphere. A few minutes later, I opened the official fan page of Entity Paradigm to carve out the other part of the unfinished news that I had read on the Entertainment blog. Yes, the band had broken- a message had been posted by Ahmed, Hassan and Salman on the official Ep page, thus confirming the datum that Fawad and Waqar had left the band. A couple of months later in July, a promo video was released about a song named “Ajab Tamasha” which served as a precursor to the full version released on 1^st December 2012 after months of prolonged hiatus.

Ajab Tamasha with no sort of uncertainty, is a hard rock enchanting song signifying the fact that this is an original work of the  band that has had a history of releasing very little music and yet having one of the biggest fan following in the country. The band through this song has conventionally established the true face of the present age and the song as its title suggests terms everything happening around as “Distinctive Mockery”. The band through this song also ascertains the fact that the present age is an age of darkness and whilst majority of the people continue to live under its shadow, some continue to live under the hammer of hunger and poverty. The song is yet another attempt by the band to inculcate some spirit into the present day Pakistani population and make them aware of the present situation and the problems that have enslaved Pakistan.

Even though the strumming of the guitars and the beating of the drums gives us the glimpses of the old EP we know, but the attempt to create ripples among the gen pop by belting out hard rock vocals has failed bitterly and voraciously. The initial revelation of the red flashing lights, the equipments, Ahmed’s eyes and the guest drummer’s thumps appear incomparable but the flavour of the song and the raw voice of the previous songs that mesmerised us and tilted the youths balance towards rock music is completely missing. Fawad’s voice has surely been missed and the deep hole that he has left in the band will surely take some more time and of course more songs to fill.

The video of the song, no doubt has the symbols of a rock video but the message conveyed through the lyrics has not been transformed into the visuals. Unlike Shor Macha which housed information about the problems of Pakistan through fast pictures, this one doesn’t have the same essence.

The rating of the video according to me has to be around 6-7 out of 10, just because of the fact that the goose bumps generated by the earlier EP videos and songs weren’t engendered in this one. On a concluding note though, this song has signaled the back of EP on the rock stage and hopefully this would be the start of regular flow of music from the band that has had a history of tremendous Alternative and Progressive Rock Music.

This post, Entity Paradigm [EP] Ajab Tamasha Review , was originally published at PakiUM.com

The boys from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa are back with their much awaited song ‘Niqab’ – a reflection of a poem penned down by Ghani Khan with the aim of highlighting existentialism. “It is very experimental and at places you might find it to be pointless,” states rhythm guitarist Jawad Iqbal. “But all of the absurdity is intentional; for all the videos after ‘Niqab’ we will not feature band performance; we will play around with visuals surrounding a single theme instead.”

This post, ‘Niqab’ by Yasir & Jawad (Review) , was originally published at PakiUM.com

Starting off with heavy guitaring with an eventual rise in drums, Ahmed Ali Butt stomps the yard and begins his rhythmic vocals. Empowered with catchy vocals, the song covers many of the neglected topics of the country such as the poor, double cross, explosions, darkness, sorrows etc. The music video captures the very essence of what can be best defined as all rock and no role. One of the most remarkable things done by the band in their music video is that they portray the political scenario in a funny way as they show a monkey sitting on a desk wearing a stylish three peace suit.

Because of Waqar’s departure, the drums were managed by Overload’s vocalist and drummer Farhad Humayun. Directed by Ahmed himself and audio productions being a project of Albert Studios, it can be safely said that the band is functioning quite well and will aim to make more music in the future.

This post, ‘Ajab Tamasha’ by Entity Paradigm [First Review] , was originally published at PakiUM.com

As far as Mathira is concerned, her new song ‘Jadugarni’ can be best described as ‘effortless’ as it is nothing but a down right copy of the popular Akcent song. The PakiUM fans read my mind because the comments below the song are enough to give the song a review. Comments such as “all she is doing is making vulgar ugly faces NOT even dancing,” by Sameen Wasi and “ghatiyaaa tareennnn,” by Kaifi Zia are a perfect example of a review that Mathira deserves to make her realize that originality counts in the music industry and being a copycat is not going to take you anywhere.

The music video is a product of Blue Notes Production and directed by Farrukh Sheikh whereas Sameer Ahmed was the producer, Farhan Golden managed the direction of photography, Zain Khan and Farhan Nizami managed the editing.

The Music video indeed has got an extreme reaction and to hide and cover that up the ratings option on original video upload on YouTube has been disabled the original video upload has been removed off Youtube.

Bad Luck Matheera!

This post, Mathira’s Jadugarni! Copies Akcent’s My Passion [REVIEW] , was originally published at PakiUM.com

Recently, the singer has released a music video for a song from his new album and is a pretty good one for a start. Titled ‘Yaari’, the song bluntly starts with the singer on a sea side singing his heart out. This carries on while he watches a dazzling model having her photoshoot and walking on the sand. The video is a simple one but the same cannot be said for the vocals as Amanat, with clear intentions of making it big in the music industry, has shown that he is not fun and games and has it what it takes to be a good vocalist. The music video ends by the model rejecting the dress bought by Amanat as a gift for her.

The music video of the song was directed by Faraz Haider whereas Yasir Nasir managed the direction of photography and Syed Umair Ali managed the editing and postage.

This post, “Yaari” by Amanat Ali [REVIEW] , was originally published at PakiUM.com