Just stumbled across this absolutely wonderful song called "Alif Allah (Chambey Di Booty)" by esteemed Pakistani folk musician Arif Lohar and musician/model Meesha Shafi (lead singer of Overload, "the loudest band in Pakistan" -- note that you can download their whole album, Pichal Pairee, from that site for free). It was performed in June on a Pakistani TV program called Coke Studio (yes, it's sponsored by Coca-Cola Pakistan), a sort of south Asian version of MTV Unplugged featuring fusions of traditional and contemporary musical styles. The program, according to a blog called Haq's Musings, is part of Coca-Cola's attempt to grab some of Pepsi's massive market share in Pakistan.
This song knocked me out on the first listen; it's the best thing I've heard since Macy Gray's "Beauty in the World" was released a couple of months ago. It's so seriously groovy I'm willing to overlook the corporate sponsorship and the annoying branding all over the YouTube video. It's nearly nine minutes long but worth every second. Music like this is kryptonite for curmudgeonism.
(If you have any trouble with the video link, click here to open it in a new window.)
For those of us who aren't fluent in Urdu (maaf karo*), you can find the (fairly Sufi!) lyrics here in both Urdu and English. (There's also a subtitled version of the video, but I find that distracting.)
I'd love to hear other music in this vein; please let me know about it in the comments.
* "Sorry" (literally, "forgive me")
Here's an interesting follow-up article on the Coke Studio project, and how the show is positioning itself in opposition to fundamentalist Islam in Pakistan:
http://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2010/12/pakistani-pop-music-takes-on-the-taliban/67485/
Posted by: Deborah | Monday, December 13, 2010 at 12:49