Rock tinge to moonlit nights

An old classic gets a fresh look.

The cult series Mirzapur is all set to return with the much-awaited season two as everyone who have been chanting ‘kab aayega Mirzapur’ now know. The buzz around it made me go back to listen to the poignant wedding song that was played when Guddu and Sweety register their marriage. ‘Vaaroon’ was composed by the very talented Anand Bhaskar of the Anand Bhaskar Collective fame. For those who don’t know, ABC, as it is popularly known, is a Mumbai-based fusion band that expertly mixes Hindi-rock with Carnatic vocals; their tracks are big on guitars and violins and often are lifted up by heavy choruses. Their best-known work is in their debut album ‘Samsara’ that was released way back in 2014.

Of course, I didn’t stop at ‘Varoon’. YouTube then recommended I check out ABC’s latest offering uploaded a few weeks ago. And guess what it turned out to be? A rock cover version of that old favourite ‘Ye Raat Ye Chandni Phir Kahan’. Yes, the same one, composed by S D Burman and sonorously sung by Hemant Kumar.

This version though, is meant to wake you up; it begins with a beautiful guitar-violin hook at the end of which Bhaskar glides in with the first line of the song and then bam! the guitars and the drums take over, only to let the violin peek in again. Altogether pretty delish, as they say.

Play By Ear showcases a potential earworm every week for you, the discerning listener, who is on the hunt for some musical serendipity.