Overload are all set to release their new record, Pichal Pairee in Europe and Pakistan

Maheen Sabeeh
Karachi

The men of percussion are making a comeback after their phenomenal self-titled debut album. It’s been over two years since one heard a new record from the band and the wait might be worthwhile after all. After the instrumental debut, Overload’s upcoming record will be called Pichal Pairee. If you think the name is strange, that’s pretty accurate. But it’s also incredibly intriguing.

More interesting is the fact that this album will not release with any major record label but via Riot Records – which is Farhad Humayun’s label.

According to Overload drummer Farhad Humayun, “For Pakistan we’ll either release the album on our website and publish some CDs on Riot Records. Riot Records is my label for artists who don’t accept being pushed over!”

As for promoting the album, Farhad says, “We’re funding all recordings, videos and promotions ourselves.”

The album will release in Europe at the Oslo Festival on August 14. The record will then release in Pakistan once Overload wrap up their Scandinavian tour.

But before the album releases, teasers will be seen in forms of videos that the band is planning on releasing from early next month. Among the videos is one for the title track ‘Pichal Pairee’ which has been directed by two NCA students, Khizer and Hassaan.

Farhad himself has also taken the role of director for two more Overload videos – ‘Saath Mein’ and ‘Mela Kariyay’.

As for the record, there are quite a few changes in the line-up and in the overall sound of the band. For one thing, they’ve added vocals. Currently Overload includes Farhad Humayun (drums and percussion), Sheraz Siddiq (keyboards and synthesizers), Mahmood Rehman (guitars), Meesha (vocals) and Nasir Sain (dhol). Meesha will not just sing in English but also in Punjabi on this record. As for those who are still wondering where Pappu Saieen is, the answer is… not with the band.

“Pappu Saieen doesn’t play with us. It’s been over two years. Pappu had severe health problems and couldn’t travel. That’s just one of his issues. Overload has much more to offer than just dhol, which people are free to experience at the shrine where he plays alongside Jhoora Saieen,” says Farhad.

“Nasir Sain and Kaala Sain have been doing dhols with us ever since and we have a bigger following than we ever did with Pappu. Nasir is young, more energetic, a kick ass performer and a better musician who allows others to play their part on stage and in the studio,” concludes Farhad.

The timing of this album is surely interesting. With no records from Ali Azmat, Shehzad Roy, Strings, Shafqat Amanat Ali Khan – the time is ripe for younger acts to step in place. And Overload is a mighty name to follow.

Farhad Humayun and his crew realize that the market for instrumental music is small. But Overload have managed it because of their fiery live shows. With this album and the entry of Meesha on vocals, the band will have more room to play around and a bigger following to boot. Overload are not planning on singing in just English.

Overload may have moved on from Pappu Saieen but the band is threatening an interesting return. More instruments, a vocalist and very funky videos, Overload have never disappointed us. So until the album releases, we will wait.

ROCK NEWS!

U2 still not making profit on tour

They maybe the most consistent rock band (amongst the few names that have survived a break-up despite being together for over twenty years) but this hasn’t helped the Irish rockers in 2009. As newer bands like Kings of Leon and The Killers make waves across the board, the Joshua Tree men are suffering a serious financial crunch. Out with their twelfth studio album, No Line on the Horizon, which released earlier this year, U2 are apparently losing money while touring.

The latest U2 tour called ‘360′ has yet to earn them profit despite the fact that U2 have performed in 32 stadium shows in Europe and America already.

Paul McGuinness, U2’s manager has spoken out stating that the mammoth overheard is the reason behind the loss. Speaking to Reuters, he said: “The tour’s engineering problems are enormous and costly.

We had to find a way for it to be aesthetic and figure out a way of doing video.”

Despite insisting that the ‘Magnificent’ rockers’ latest concerts will eventually turn a profit, McGuinness was careful about predicting future earnings from the shows.

He added: “[It won't] exactly [be] gravy, because whether we’re playing or not, the overhead is about $750,000 daily. That’s just to have the crew on payroll, to rent the trucks, all that.”

Kate Moss to make music with boyfriend Jamie Hince

Kate Moss has always been a rock chick. In her days with Peter Doherty, Kate Moss sang on Babyshambles’ records, Down in Albion and the brilliant Shotter’s Nation and also co-wrote songs with Pete. They may have broken up but Kate hasn’t given up on music.

The story of her return to music is rolling after rumours surfaced that Kate Moss has joined PRS For Music, the organisation that collects music royalties for musicians, prompting rumours that she is set to release music with her boyfriend, The Kills’ Jamie Hince.

According to Britian’s The Sun, the supermodel has a strong desire to release new music and Hince is “tempted” to agree. The newspaper quotes an anonymous source as saying: “He’s so used to hearing Kate sing, at home and in karaoke, that he’s tempted to give it a go. She makes no secret of wanting to record more stuff.”

And it looks like this may be more than just a rumour. A spokesperson for PRS For Music was quoted as saying: “Kate has co-written some songs with Pete Doherty and she will now be able to collect her share of the royalties. Both Pete Doherty and Jamie Hince are members. We are glad to welcome Kate too.”

Of course Jamie Hince is no Peter Doherty but The Kills still enjoy fame in the UK and with Kate Moss in tow, they just might break onto the international scene with more fervour.

Radiohead’s Thom Yorke forms a new band…

No… Radiohead are still very much together. But Thom Yorke is forming a new line-up to perform some of his solo material. This new band will include Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist Flea, REM collaborator Joey Waronker, Brazilian, multi-instrumentalist Mauro Refosco, and long-term producer Nigel Godrich to perform his solo material live.

Yorke’s new outfit have announced they will play two Los Angeles shows at the Orpheum Theatre on October 4 and 5.

“In the past couple of weeks I’ve been getting a band together for fun to play The Eraser stuff live and the new songs etc, to see if it could work!” the singer wrote on Radiohead’s Dead Air Space blog.

He added: “We don’t really have a name and the set will not be very long cuz… well… we haven’t got that much material yet! But come and check it out if you are in the area.”

Yorke had been considering names for his solo career from comedian Adam Buxton, with Thombola, Thomosexual, The Duke Of Yorke and T.Homme – all under consideration. Yorke has spoken out time and again about his personal desire to bring the multi-layered Eraser to the stage, but so far his solo performances have been restricted and always feature him as a lone figure with an acoustic guitar onstage. That should change with this new, nameless band. And for fans of Radiohead… there is some good news. The band has re-released their classic records Kid A, Hail to the Thief and the bizarre Amnesiac. It’s a collector’s edition with live, unheard recordings. Of course, the bonus discs are not easily, available especially in this part of the world but the re-mastered tunes can be purchased or downloaded online.]]

Aerosmith are not parting ways

Joe Perry, Aerosmith lead guitarist gave fans quite a scare last week when he stated to the media that he hadn’t spoken with vocalist Steve Tyler since Tyler’s stage fall in South Dakota brought Aerosmith summer tour to an indefinite stop. But thankfully, the age-old iconic band is nowhere near calling it off. Rumors of an inevitable breakup for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame group quickly began circulating, but Perry calmed fans down by revealing to the Boston Herald that he doesn’t think this is the end of Aerosmith.

“Maybe we have three more records in us. Maybe we have five and seven years of touring,” Perry told the Herald. Perry added “Aerosmith is taking a breather” and that he hopes the band will reconvene in late spring to begin recording their next album and plot out a tour for next fall. Even though Perry and Tyler haven’t spoken in the last month and a half, Perry doesn’t see the radio silence lasting that much longer. “That day will come. Whether it’s him calling me or me calling him, it will happen,” Perry said.

As for his comments that he and Tyler hadn’t penned a song together in the same room for over a decade, Perry recognized that was partly because they’d outsourced that task to other songwriters. While he said that technique has been successful, Perry noted he fears outside writers deviate from the classic Aerosmith sound (‘I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing’, written by Diane Warren is one example). “I don’t mind using outside songwriters but I’d still like to see an Aerosmith where the core of the music comes from the guys in the band,” Perry said. Perry is not just putting up a show. The band is all set to travel to Abu Dhabi within a month – if the papers pull through – and will perform alongside Beyonce Knowles, Jay-Z and maybe even Kings of Leon.

– With additional information from NME and Reuters

Under the iron sea

Three artists and three lovelorn records… Instep lends an ear to some new local music releases

By Maheen Sabeeh

Artist: Sharique Roomi
Album: Yakeen**

Sharique Roomi’s Yakeen should have ideally been titled: “Sharique Roomi and Kashan Admani”. For one thing, Kashan Admani (Mizmaar guitarist/producer) has played guitars and bass on almost every song except ‘Sab Darwaze’.

Come to the album inlay and it is as disappointing as it gets.

Every song has the same combination of guitars, bass and drums thrown in together. The mélange of instruments that made Coke Studio stand out, the range of eclectic sounds disposed by Rushk for that matter (who managed to create melancholically mournful layers of sounds and weave them into meloldies) – are all but missing here completely.

The similarity in songs is a turn-off. They wander directionless, hopelessly into musical terrain that is neither inviting nor intriguing enough to evoke a second glance. The examples are spread throughout this record.

‘Pyar Hai’ is catchy with some fantastic guitars (that do not go overboard and gel well with the rock-heavy melody) but ‘Teere Peeche’ takes the musical buzz away almost instantly. The riff sounds like a cut out of an Audioslave record. One wouldn’t call it a rip-off but a sense of déjà vu does arrive with this tune. Lyrically it’s a little funny as Sharique sings, ‘Tere Peeche Ayon Ga Ma/Seedhay Seedhay Tu Meray Saath Chal Ray/Warna Chilaoonga Mein’ – but the singing is monotone without conviction and the song is unable to redeem itself.

‘Khali Kaali Raat’ is electric rock and just might be a raging hit at concerts. But does it have the same soul as Noori’s new ‘Kedaar – Coke Studio mix’ or the fiery ‘Dil Ke Baaton Ko’ that Aaroh debuted on their debut Sawal? No. ‘Dil Ke Baaton Ko’ was in-your-face with tough plastered all over it and Farooq’s vocals had the same aggression as those volatile riffs, and the two melted in perfect symphony. These are just some examples. ‘Khali Kaali Raat’ has neither of those qualities.

‘Thoda Sa’ goes on about having fun in life amidst the doom and gloom that surrounds us. The message maybe right, especially for an entertainment-starved youth but the constant riffs, and the dull vocals are no help.

After Strings’s Koi Aanay Wala Hai and Ali Azmat’s Klashinfolk – the game for rock music just got a lot more textured. It is hard to compete as the tides fly towards stars like Atif Aslam and Ali Zafar and as Noori return with (in the coming weeks…) what sounds like their most mature effort yet – the genre of rock music just expanded into a whole new dimension and it has to be tackled with more than the ability to play or sing. Playing fabulous guitars and singing love songs is just fine but it isn’t enough to cut a memorable record.

Verdict: Yakeen might sit well with Roomi fans but a record with vision and consistency is what Sharique Roomi needs to walk the fine line between edgy rawness of rock and the haunting blues and ballads. Yakeen manages it but only in small patches.

Artist: Schaz
Album: Jalan*1/2
“Each and every track of this album contains a piece of me!” says Schaz in her album credits. And it’s clear that every piece of Schaz is lovelorn, celebrating and crying, dreading and dreaming and going through all the motions and emotions. The problem, however, is that neither the sound nor the vocals are sharp enough to grab the listener. Why would we sync it on iPods or request it on the radio when much better songs are out there?

It isn’t that this record is awful. No, it is promising… but in places. All the songs are written and composed by Schaz except one. It’s an important step as a young artist to attempt songwriting. Music is always more exciting when it’s personal and has heart behind it.
There is no doubt that Schaz’s debut single ‘Jalan’ worked. It was and still is this wonderfully enigmatic tune. Questioning, contemporary and bluesy, it was an impressive debut. But Schaz disappeared and has now returned with her solo album.

There is no buzz around the record and it remains unclear what the genre really is except for plain old pop and rock. And that is the one genre that Pakistani music industry produces in abundance and only few remain memorable.

Jalan has few entertaining tunes and is mostly just dull. Take for instance ‘Mere He Raho’ which works on the shoulders of some lacking sonic efforts and sees Schaz take another swipe at waiting for someone but the song evokes little emotion.

On ‘Meray Yar’, she sings ‘Kehtay Hai Dost Mujhse/Hogaya Hai Tujh Ko Mujhe Se Pyar/Par Ye Mein Mano Kaisay’ – the lyrics are as pedestrian as most Bollywood lyrical jargon.
‘Mastana’ with its crushing guitars does manage to create an ambivalent mood but the melody is too weak to give it a second hear as Schaz sings, ‘Tu Hai Mera Ho/Nikaley Jarahi Hai Meri Jaan/Yeh Pyar Bara Mastana/Yeh Pyar Bara Deewana’ – it sounds like a bad Indian film song.

‘Teri Ratein’ is monotonous and sounds almost whiny.

The mood of this album shifts from lyrical dullness to recycled riffs and clichéd sounds. Its idealistic romanticism but without any solid layer. The production is consistent but the content is conflicting.

Hadiqa Kiani’s latest, Aasmaan, with all its hooks and beats, essentially works because the melodies are beautiful. The sonic efforts behind the record are secondary. Jalan’s biggest flaw is its inconsistency in sound.

There is no harm in attempting a lovelorn album but there is always a chance of entrapping oneself in clichés. And that fact follows Schaz’s Jalan like a plague.

Verdict: Jalan is an average record. Though Schaz is promising as a singer, she needs to step away from the painfully dull lyrics and weak melodies to leave a lasting impression.

Artist: Zeb Alam
Album: Sapney**

Dj Ali Mustafa is at it again. Working with new artists has become his forte and 23-year-old Zeb Alam is the latest artist to join the ranks. Zeb’s solo album appeared out of thin air in markets without any buzz around it and it seems that it will go down in the same vein.
And that is because there is nothing interesting about this record. It’s one love ditty after another with some electric riffs thrown in here and there. They meander on endlessly and it’s quite annoying.

The opening track, ‘Khoya Raha’ with its sharp riffs and ‘Teray Meray Darmiyan/Aaye Kyun Faasle’ is a clue to the endless maze that is Sapney. If dreams are haunted by love, as the lyrics reflect, the conviction in vocals that wrenches the heart isn’t there. Why does Atif Aslam work? It isn’t just because of his growth as a musician but that voice that made him stand out in 2004 with ‘Aadat’. The carrying of emotions is important for a singer for the listener to fall into the world of music.

‘Sapney’ – the title track – has some character. The soft piano and the weeping violin with Zeb singing, ‘To Kya Huwa/Phir Bhi Jeena Hai/Aansoo Hai Tau Ansoo Peena Hai/Na Kuch Kisi Se Kehna Hai’ – the song slowly builds towards a crescendo and Javed Iqbal’s violin and Ali Mustafa’s instrumentation is just bang on.

From ‘Sapney’ we cross ‘Tum’, (the song that is eerily similar to Roxen’s ‘Toa Phira Aao (remixed version)’, ‘Aao Na’, the rock song that has one foot in progressive rock, another in Junoon’s old raw Talaash days and one in the world of pop love and it all flies right through the head without registering.

‘Mahiya’ (yet another one…) sounds like a song right out of a Pakistani or perhaps an Indian film, with its up-tempo frenzy of sticky sounds and the only imagery that comes to mind is of lush green locales with film stars running around. It is rather amusing. If that’s your cup of tea, give it a listen. Otherwise skip it.

There are hints of hope in songs such as ‘Pehla Pyar’, but they too are all about love. It’s quite boringly done. One doesn’t expects gems like Ali Azmat’s ‘Na Re Na’, Zeb and Haniya’s ‘Rona Chor Diya’, Strings’s ‘Humsafar’ or ‘Titliyan’ or Atif Aslam’s all-new ‘Wasta Pyar Da’ but there has to be some ingredients that make one give Zeb Alam another listen.
The effort behind Sapney is not by Zeb Alam alone.

The lyricists range from Arafat Ali (who wrote the major chunk of the words) to Bilal Saeed. It seems (from the album credits) that the only thing Zeb Alam has done is sing on this record. And if that is his forte, he falters time and again. The emotions don’t reflect the true mood of the song because the vocals fall flat. Its shaky ground for a new artist. And these vocals may be struck by studio effects which can go awry at times. He’s young and has a long way ahead but with Sapney as a debut, Zeb needs to work more on connecting with the words via his voice that has an uncanny resemblance (at times) to Roxen’s Mustafa Zahid!

Verdict: Zeb Alam needs to figure out the kind of artist he wants to be and run with it. His vocals are his biggest assest and they need more conviction to pull off complex emotions that make an album worthwhile.

*****Get it NOW!
****Just get it
***Maybe maybe not
**Just download the best song
*Forget that this was made

“I know six years is a big break. But I never walked away from music. I never released an album because I wanted to do a different album, something I have never done before.” – Hadiqa Kiani

Maheen Sabeeh
Karachi

Hadiqa Kiani returns to the limelight with her brand new album, Aasman and takes on the experimental genre of dance and RnB

From pop beats to the dance floor…

“This is a magical moment,” said Hadiqa Kiani at the press launch of her latest record, Aasmaan. It’s been six years since Hadiqa released her last record, Rung. She was not AWOL completely.

There have been collaborations, a slew of them in fact in the last few years. Whether it is a full-fledged English language album like Rough Cut (with Aamir Zaki) or anti-terrorism tune like ‘Yeh Hum Nahin’ or the groovy ‘Mehr Ma’ with Khiza, Hadiqa has been around.

But six years is a big break for fans, especially in an industry where female musicians are rare. And even as the numbers are slowly rising, it is still a predominantly male dominated environment.

“I know six years is a big break. But I never walked away from music. I never released an album because I wanted to do a different album, something I have never done before,” said Hadiqa while speaking with Instep Today.

This maybe Hadiqa’s first album in six years but she has been busy doing other things including singing in languages as varied as Chinese, Turkish, Persian and Pushto. The reflections can be heard on the new album where Hadiqa sings not just in Urdu but also Pushto and Persian.

It’s too soon to give a verdict to the album. But if the first single, ‘Sohnya’ is anything to go by, fans and music critics are in for a surprise.

The video, screened at the press conference, is directed by Sohail Javed. And it is a simple video which serves as a platform for Hadiqa. Seeing Hadiqa move with the beats is a sight to see.

Even though ‘Sohnye’ is a groovy number, there is something inherently local about it. Hadiqa’s vocals soar very high and the usage of dhols has given the song a slight edge. It doesn’t sound like a Western imitation even though it remains true to the ethos of dance music. It hasn’t been ripped off Western beats like songs by bands such as Circle of Trust.

The superstar is back

Hadiqa Kiani, alongside her brother Irfan Kiani (who has produced the album) was a sight to see as she mingled with the press, before and after the press conference.

When she was speaking with the press, Hadiqa floored pretty much everyone when she said, “I know that its not easy to take out time but I’m grateful to all of you for being here. And if you can take out time for me, I can do the same for all of you.”

And Hadiqa made sure that no one was forgotten. From the names featured on the album such as UK-based JKD or sound engineer Kashif Ejaz, Hadiqa mentioned everyone. Also present at the press conference was VJ Naveen Waqar who confessed that she was a “Hadiqa fan”.

Doctor Akbar Yezdani, CEO of Fire Records stated, “I think a lot of hard work has gone into this album. Hadiqa is the female pop icon in Pakistan and we welcome her.”

And finally President of Geo Television Network, Imran Aslam spoke and he accurately portrayed the importance of Hadiqa Kiani to Pakistan and the world at large.

“Is Shor Mein Yeh Awaaz Nahie Gumti (Amidst all the noise, this voice is never lost),” he said. “Hadiqa is versatile and she is modern yet traditional and that is a great achievement. She doesn’t sing on DAT. And when she performs, people enjoy her energy.”

The times are a-changing and so should music

“I don’t think we could’ve done better than this,” said Irfan Kiani while speaking with Instep Today. Both Hadiqa and Irfan maintain that while they grew up on Beegees and Pink Floyd, the times have changed and they are moving with the beat.

“We picked up this genre and there is a market for it. It took us years to release it but we’ve done it. Our surroundings are such that we can’t ignore them. The unstable situation affects everyone. But if one chooses to not release an album, that decision is like giving into the agonizing factors,” says Hadiqa firmly.

And Hadiqa was also very forthcoming about the letter (see box below) which first released on Facebook and is now rotating in the world of cyberspace and mentioned among other things, her divorce and her return to the limelight. Hadiqa did write it and there were some solid reasons.

“I was getting calls and queries about everything and that’s when I wrote the note. I have gotten divorced. Its legal and its been a year. My mother suffers from paralysis. She has been for the last three years and I have to be there for her. I couldn’t move to the UK,” she says.

Meanwhile Hadiqa is enjoying her role as a mother immensely. The new album is dedicated to her son who she says, “The best thing in my life. Life has changed and gotten better because of him.”

She maybe a mother but Hadiqa is nowhere near calling it quits. Not only is she making a return with an album but she is also a judge on the show, LG Awaaz Banaye Star. And for her the show is important because “it is a student-based”. In other words, the contestants are young students and to Hadiqa, this is how talent will develop in Pakistan.

And until that happens, there is always Hadiqa…

The good and bad news

Just a few weeks prior to the release of this album, Hadiqa Kiani wrote a note on Facebook to answer queries from her fans who had been wondering where the singer was.

And here’s what the letter said…

Hello everybody!

Good news is that I will be appearing as a judge in an upcoming music reality show on Geo TV for the next one year (starting very soon).

It’s a big show sponsored by LG Electronics. Another good news is that my album will be out very soon as two videos are ready and two more are on the editing table (will be ready by the end of this month).

My dear fans, I had been through tough times in my life because of my mothers paralysis in 2005 and my second divorce with Farid Sarwary in 2008 (mainly because of the distance). I could not settle down in UK leaving my sick mother behind.

Anyways God has always been very kind and I feel so blessed to be the mother of my angel Naaday Ali.

I have worked really hard on my album along with amazing musicians of Pakistan, UK and Belgium.

After the release of my album I’ll start touring and will get a chance to meet most of you. Also my official website Hadiqa Kiani will reopen on the day of the release of my album.

Thank you very much for being on my side and giving me support all the way during my tough times.

God Bless you all.

Luv

Hadiqa Kiani