Lahore's Arooj Aftab has embraced her own identity effortlessly, creating a distinct, appealing sound
Lahore's Arooj Aftab has embraced her own identity effortlessly, creating a distinct, appealing soundIt's been a while since anyone new on the Pakistan rock scene generated interest besides Lahore's female rock band Zeb and Haniya. Arooj Aftab, also from Lahore, and currently a student of music at Boston's Berklee College, displays impressive vocal prowess. Her songs, in Hindi like most other bands from Pakistan, are instantly appealing. Her heart-torn ballad Udhero na accompanied by a classical style guitar (Stelios Michas) and soulful string arrangements is the best track from the set she's uploaded. Aftab is special because her style of renditions and compositions are different from all that you've heard from the subcontinent recently. Tere bina is another love song that mourns the loss of a loved one. Aftab's compositions are less about glass-shattering modulations and big on feeling.
Although Aftab sounds like she's straining just a bit in Hallelujah, an English track, another languorous guitar-driven number, but she pulls it off without too many hiccups. She surprises us in Beloved, drawing from her classical influences when you play it expecting another English track. Beloved has some cool bass lines -- this is the first time you've heard a bass on her tracks, in fact -- and charged percussions that drive it forward. We're not sure if these tracks are a part of Aftab's college project work, but the production is remarkably good. Aftab would make for a fantastic live act if the performance levels were maintained outside the studio.
www.myspace.com/aroojmusic
