Of late I have been impressed with the work of two bands; 1) The Sketches –– from Sindh, Pakistan; and 2) Swaras –– despite the fact that they work from Canada, their roots basically go back to the land of Pakistan. And even though it’s very early to make a statement but I believe these two names, taking a leaf from the book of the famous Pakistani band Junoon, will leave their mark in the history of the music of Pakistan.
Swaras, which means “seven notes of the scale”, is a semi-classical pop-rock band that was formed in 2009 by the vocalist Asad Que. and guitarist Hassan Bokhari. Soon after the early success of “Kya Khushi” last year, the band Swaras makes their comeback with a brand new song called “Khayal”.
The song has been expressed in the language of Darbari and its poetry date back to the 18th – 19th century. Swaras’ “Khayal” is not your ordinary run-of-the-mill stuff –– it is one of the fewest songs which will leave you spellbound only if you get full grasp on its meaning (so do yourself a favor and watch/listen the song after reading and understanding the core meaning of its lyrics, which can be found by clicking here).
After doing a little bit of research, I have come up with a fact that the pop-rock music of Pakistan is actually identified by its heavy guitar’ing. And as we all know that Swaras’ fan base (in majority) is in Pakistan; they’ve done justice to the song.
Throughout, “Khayal” is based upon the energetic performances mostly by Hassan Bokhari the lead guitarist on the arrangements and Asad Que on vocals/compositions. The vocalist Asad Que. has also managed to pull off an incredible act with his mature voice. And last, but certainly not the least, Swaras’ fusion with Glen Drover (who has been a member of the famous American heavy metal band Megadeth) is sheer brilliance.
As far as the video is concerned, director Jawad Mir does an okayish job on mixing up with an electrifying audio. This backyard location (the “jamming” type of a set) and these graffiti walls add up some spice real nice to the entire song. Technically speaking, the camerawork, lighting, and editing is almost perfect.
To sum up, is by far one of the best songs of 2012 in terms of its feeling, poetry, and kickass music. The amalgamation of Asad Que, Hassan Bokhari, Faisal Ahsan, Amir Samimi (the drummer), and Glen Drover pays off well!
AUDIO RATING: 8.5/10
VIDEO RATING: 8/10
