Coke Studio offers a touching tribute to Independence Day

It’s a month dedicated to music, perfect to add some symphony to Pakistan’s dry and staid state of affairs as we celebrate the nation’s 68th anniversary. The I Am Karachi music festival is already underway and numerous Pakistani films and their soundtracks are making musical waves: Moor, Karachi Se Lahore, Bin Roye, Dekh Magar Pyar Sey are at the top of the list. Adding optimum value to all of this is Coke Studio that released an ensemble version of ‘Sohni Dharti’ yesterday while announcing the kick-off to Season 8 on August 16. The teaser was released “to celebrate the spirit of independence with all the artists that will be featured on Coke Studio Season 8” and made a tribute to Sohail Rana and Masroor Anwar, the men who composed the song and penned those poignant lyrics. And they are bittersweet because we really have left it to God to safeguard the existence of this beautiful country; our ‘leaders’ are leaving no stone unturned to ruin it. prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" />

Back to the music, ‘Sohni Dharti’ serenades as a beautiful reminder of all that was and all that can be. It features everyone scheduled to appear in this season but if you close your eyes and listen, then there are voices that stand out: Ali Azmat, Ali Zafar, Arif Lohar, Umair Jaswal, Surayya Khanum and most distinctively, Atif Aslam, whose voice resonates like a beacon. Alycia Dias, Sara Haider and Quratulain Balouch lend some girl power in the absence of Coke Studio favourites Meesha Shafi and Zeb Bangash and while several established voices have been brought back, the season also celebrates eclectic new stars like Mai Dhai. It looks extremely well balanced and leaves us with something to look forward to!

– Aamna Haider Isani

Soch’s ‘Kabhi Kabhi’ is a breath of fresh air

Ever since the band’s Bollywood debut with ‘Awari’, Soch has been under the critical eye of music watchdogs wanting to know if they are just a ‘one-song wonder’ or have more to offer. Their new song for upcoming Pakistani film Dekh Magar Pyar Se titled ‘Kabhi Kabhi’ is likely to put such preconceived notions to rest. Featuring Humaima Malick and Sikander Rizvi in the music video, the song serves as a stamp for the band’s versatile abilities.

Remember those ’70s melodies that heavily relied on the soothing beats of the piano and acoustic guitar riffs? ‘Kabhi Kabhi’ is a reminder of that past glory. The song boasts of a great composition and an intelligent arrangement which is very different from the band’s signature of melancholic, intense music. The song is easy on the ears, hummable and has a feel good factor. The surprise package of the song is Alina Najam, the young singer who featured in Nescafe Basement’s season 1. She sails effortless through the song and the raw ability of her voice adds a rough edge to this otherwise peppy, romantic number. If the song is anything to go by, then the team of Dekh Magar Pyar Se and Soch might be on their way to give the Pakistani film industry its most youthful soundtrack in the recent past.