New Pinch | Audio | wavemag.com.np

Nepathya has done it again. With this album, folk music gets a shot in the arm. Although purists may beg to differ, rock sounds fused with folk blends well here and actually sounds great. Remember when Bob Dylan went electric his fans hurled abuses at him. It's about time folk music won the hearts of the city folk as well. The album starts with a powerful and a well arranged song. Taal Ko Pani is brilliantly worked out. It packs quite a punch and can generate a lot of excitement if performed live. The title song is well arranged and is a much heavier version than the one sung by Deepesh Bhattarai. It also does away with the monotony one feels in the earlier version. Maryo Pirati Le has a lingering melody and moves imperceptibly from a folk to a blues beat. Simanama is a perfect blend of folk and rock. The guitar work is well augmented by high quality recording. From track #8, however, one gets the feeling we're moving into another album. Tracks like Sano Kura could well have been left out. The band should stick to a trademark sound. A band should identify itself to its listeners with its distinctive sounds. A selection of eight of the better tracks would have made a brilliant album.

MERO PRIYASI ***
by Sunil Parajuli

This is Sunil Parajuli's third album. His first was a big hit and is still talked about among serious listeners. It was an amazing production from a four-track recording. In his new album his singing is still good although it lacks in consistency. It begins with the lively Manka Kura. The piano cuts the beat giving the song added punch and Sunil's voice comes out strong. Sunshaan Raatma is light jazz and brings a welcome change to the stagnating pop scene. A live recording would have done wonders to the song. Sunil then veers away from loves songs and sings about the environmental degradation of Kathmandu and how we can beautify this city. Din Dhaldachha could have been lifted out of its dullness with more instrumentation. The experimentation in Yo Din has not worked well leaving much to be desired. The arrangement leaves the song quite bare. Most of the songs like Tada Timi have a dominating bass riff while and there is little evidence of the classical guitar. The title track is unlike any of the songs we hear today. Sunil has his own style, while Kishor Gurung's classical influences are most pronounced in the bass lines.

THE BLUE ***
by Navin K. Bhattarai

Nabin K. Bhattarai's album The Blue is yet another commercial endeavour. The album consists mostly of soft numbers; the typical Nabin Bhattarai pop melodies. Saanj Dhaldaichha is marked by superb guitar and the song is the usual easy listening type that we expect from Nabin. Eh Jhari is a more melodious song but just as simple as the preceding ones. He goes on to try different beats although the singing remains as docile as ever. Rojeko Timilai could have been a punchy song but Nabin chooses to sing it like a soft number. Jiwanma Khusi is heavy rock and Nabin sings with more punch than his usual self. The guitars really take off and it's apparent that the singer is under peer pressure to produce something more exciting. This is followed by the soft rock Raharai Raharma. Navin fails to come up with a song that can stand up to his first big hit, but his fans will of course enjoy the album nevertheless. Judging from where he stands, it's about time Nabin added more substance to the lyrics and sang with more conviction and ease rather than sound like he's competing in an elocution contest. The album however, has variety and is a potential seller