What I've Been Listening To

I have been away for quite some time, and yet almost all my musical choices as of late have been before 2023. I felt that I certainly should highlight them, and thus have quickly jotted down a post with some of my favorite old songs this year. A little warning, there is a lot of Bollywood and Indian music.

Ali Sethi x Shae Gill - Pasoori

If you have ever been in South Asia through 2022, would have likely heard Pasoori, and for good reason. Easily the best song to come out of Coke Studio in recent memory, bringing together two young and talented singers for a major commercial hit. Every element of this modern Punjabi classic leads towards a seminal send-out near the end of the song.

Note: I plan to highlight it in another post, but Ali Sethi's recent track Ghazab Kiya might be the best song of the year so far.

B.I - Keep Me Up

While I always loved Keep Me Up, it grew into an obsession through January and beyond. The hypnotic and sensual synth loops morph perfectly with B.I's rough yet emotive vocal talents. Keep Me Up continuously builds, never exploding into a dramatic segment of fireworks, but always reaching and eventually gaining; sheer catharsis.

Benny Deyal, Neeti - Bang Bang (Prod. Vishal-Shekhar)

Vishal-Shekhar's groovy dance floor numbers have been regulars on my playlist through 2023, and I would say Bang Bang might be the one with the most longevity. The song is more or less a collection of great hooks, meaning that Bang Bang roars back to life whenever you are about to count it out.

Caroline Polachek - Welcome To My Island

Welcome To My Island is the best dreamy summer song to ever have been released in December. Caroline Polachek exists between avant-garde art-pop and campy parody, and Welcome To My Island is perhaps the best example of this. Not everything here works, but when it works, such as the shout-out-loud chorus, it works really well.

The Chairlifts - Amanaemonesia

Before her remarkable solo career, Polachek's run in the duo The Chairlifts deserves some high praise. The mysterious Amanaemonesia in particular deserves praise, for its budding hooks and synth-pop production. In a way, the song is quite ahead of its time, with viral hooks and idiosyncracies being the rage of the TikTok generation. 

COIN - Talk Too Much

As a professional chatterbox, I relate quite a lot to the lyrical sentiments. More than anything, Talk Too Much is a perfect example of the benefits of letting pop-rock just be simple pop-rock. There is hardly anything deep here to analyze, but that chorus will be stuck in your head for weeks.

Em Beihold - 12345

Of all the Gen-Z TikTok musicians to break out in 2022, Em Beihold feels the most like a future superstar. Her lyrics skirt that thin line between relatable and personal, which was obviously the reason for Numb Little Bug's success. 12345 probably is her very best, and while it could use another minute of room, the first verse's merger of doo-wop-influenced percussion and 2010s pop production are a nice palette cleanser.

Mohit Chauhan - Tum Se Hi (Prod. Pritam)

My 10/10 albums post from last year missed a few albums I'd now consider perfect classics, and 2007's Jab We Met is certainly one of them. Another gem from the soundtrack will certainly come later in this post, but for now, I'd like to highlight Tum Se Hi. From Irshad Kamil's poetic metaphors to Mohit Chauhan's beautiful vocal performance, Tum Se Hi might be my favorite "sad love song" ever. The moment Chauhan belts out Pritam's brilliantly composed "Na hai yeh paana, na khona hi hai," you know you are in for an all-time classic.

Nightwish - Élan

While Nightwish's Endless Forms Most Beautiful was let down a bit by its incredibly vast ambition, Élan stands Tuomas Holopainen's best lyrical and musical composition yet. A poignant and thoughtful essay on the nature of existence itself, Élan accomplishes every possible aim in less than five minutes. From Floor Jansen's immaculate vocal performance to the perfect finale, Élan might be the peak of symphonic metal and is almost as good as Marko's hair.

Priya Saraiya, Divya Kumar - Sun Saathiya (Prod. Sachin-Jigar)

While normally I would just post the full-length audio version, I have to also share Sun Saathiya's official video, since the choreography is the stuff of dreams. Speaking of dreams, that is what every element of Sun Saathiya feels like, with every single second packing much emotional catharsis. This is accomplished by the song playing both emotional ballad and energetic dance track, both at the same time with equal amounts of panache. Kudos to Priya Saraiya for her fantastic vocal performance.

Sadhana Sargam, Sujata Bhattacharya, Udit Narayan, Sonu Nigam, Shankar Mahadevan - Maahi Ve (Prod. Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy)

Assembling a dream team of vocalists (like seriously, this is the Avengers of '90s and '00s Bollywood), a legendary list of actors, and a production team that dominated the era, Maahi Ve is the quintessential '00s Bollywood track, and for good reason. From emotional ballads to jazzy sax riffs, Maahi Ve packs a lot within six minutes, and all while being an absolute blast.

Shaan, Ustad Sultan Khan - Aao Milo Chalen (Prod. Pritam)

This Jab We Met classic is far and away my most-played song of 2023 so far, and doubt that any song has a chance of dethroning it. I could write an essay on this song alone since every element is practically calibrated to perfection. Shaan performs what is far and away his best vocal performance, looping around every line of the song with endless wanderlust. Pritam brings his ultimate A-game, writing a melody that remains unbeaten. He also provides some killer production, with synths and guitars seamlessly merging with Hindustani classical instrumentation and Ustad Sultan Khan's timeless pleadings. This song his musical perfection.

Shaan, Kailash Kher - Chand Sifarish (Prod. Jatin-Lalit)

Composed by the team who brought my favorite song of all time to the world, Chand Sifrarish comes from their final album together (as of now), and is a bona fide classic for good reason. From Kailash Kher's ever-iconic shouts of "Subhaan Allah" to Shaan's smooth and flirtatious delivery, the song is a vocal masterpiece. However, it is in the production that Chand Sifarish makes its way into the annals of Bollywood classics, perfectly merging Sufi Rock with the sentimentality of Bollywood for great effect.

Shahid Mallya - Nirbhau Nirvair (Prod. Amit Trivedi)

While I still love Sufjan Stevens' April Base remix of Fourth of July, I believe Nirbhau Nirvair may have triumphed it as my favorite song of 2022 over the past few months. With pitch-perfect lyrics and melody, Nirbhau Nirvair is a testament to what is possible when the right people are hired for the right song. Everyone did the best they ever had for this song, producing an instant classic, and one of the best songs of the young decade.

Shankar Mahadevan, Shaan, KK - Koi Kahe Kehta Rahe (Prod. Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy)

The ultimate Bollywood club track, Koi Kahe Kehta Rahe brings together a great team of vocalists with a dream production team for a fun and ridiculous early 2000s romp. The cyclical beat proves a great aid for a wild time, which is always guaranteed with Shankar Mahadevan at the helm.

Literally anything by SHINee

While TVXQ is undoubtedly my favorite K-Pop group of all time, SHINee seems to have stolen the second spot for good. 1 of 1 is my recent obsession, but everything from Taemin's Move to the group's Juliette has secured a spot on my playlist through 2023.

Sona Mohapatra, Shazneen Arethna, Keerthi Sagathia - I Hate You (Like I Love You) (Prod. Ram Sampath)

While Bhaag DK Bose and Bedardi Raja from the same album are certainly gems worth their fame, I'd like to highlight this cheeky retro number, both spoofing and paying tribute to the late '80s disco numbers of Bollywood. Sona Mohapatra provides a crazy, rocking-and-rolling performance that dominates Ram Sampath (her husband)'s incredible production.

Vasundhara Das, KK - Chale Jaise Hawaien (Prod. Anu Malik)

Perhaps best known for the two impressive long shots that bookend and dominate the majority of the video, this 2004 track is a perfect example of what pure Filmi can do when done right. The scaling melody and stunning performances by KK and Vasundhara Das make this a highlight to remember.

Current Obsession: Woosung - Dimples

When all is said and done, Woosung might be remembered as one of K-Pop's most underrated talents ever. His chameleon-like falsetto is the signature of both his solo work, and his work with The Rose, merging into every genre he attempts. Dimples' synthwave assault is perhaps the song that best benefits from his twisting timbre, creating a kaleidoscopic loop with no escape.

Others:

I'm lazy and can only write so much:

Isaac Dunbar - Comme De Garcons

Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy - It's The Time To Disco

Toby Fox - Undertale soundtrack

Vishal-Shekhar - Dum Dum

Image Source: Tumblr