Music: Aadat

Artists: JalGohar Mumtaz

Jal: Aadat***1/2

By Nadeem F. Paracha


Jal’s leader, Gohar Mumtaz, seems to have a massive, no-holds-barred ego. But if you couple this with his talents as a guitarist, composer and supporting vocalist then, at least to me, this is a terrific prospect.
Well, as long as he does not end up like the scene’s other worthwhile egos, such as Junoon’s Salman Ahmed and the Signs’ Rohail Hayyat. Both of these (along with Aamir Zaki), were the kind of bulging egos that make the music scene far more interesting compared to the usual moronically smiling goody two shoes. One can’t help but plant a tight slap on their gleaming faces! (Fakhir, anyone?).
Ego with genuine talent is a good thing. Without talent (or in case of Salman, withering talent), it too then deserves nothing more than that tight slap. So a player like Gohar is a good thing. And it shows on his controversy-plagued band’s debut release.
He did well to find Ferhan Saeed as a solid replacement for his former lead singer, Atif, who too was no stranger to ego. Now all Gohar can prey for is that it is Atif and not Jal who falls into the local scene’s two major post-success pitfalls, i.e. amoral corporate sponsorship or the cringingly contradictory and self-deluding religious escapades (ala JJ and Najam!).
Okay, compared to Atif’s debut, “Aadat” is neither better nor worse. But why then do I see Jal having a more consistent future than Atif?
Well, Atif’s album, the way it was produced and released smacked of the sort of egoistical recklessness that does not suit the kind of melodic rock both these acts are trying to target. After all, there was a difference the way, say, a Sex Pistols or a Clash record was recorded and those recorded by veteran FM-Rock greats like Fleetwood Mac, Eagles and Supertramp.
In other words, Jal’s debut comes out sounding tighter and more professionally done. And even though sound and structurally speaking, it evades the Toolsque complexities successfully replicated by EP’s “Irtiqa,” it is no flat college-rock-meets-bubblegum-pop slump like Noori’s “Suno Kay Hum Hain Jawaan.” And neither do Jal come out sounding like another updated version of Junoon (like, say, Karvan or so many other local rock acts).
Instead, and quite interestingly, Jal comes across as a bunch of Iron Maiden fans borrowing the archetypical twists and chops of the famous British rockers and blending them with post-VS local pop smoothness and FM-pop savvy.
The results are great if you consider songs like the marvelously melodic “Lamhey,” the somber and deliciously bass-heavy, “Har Jaga Hai Jal” and the tight quasi-rocker, “Manchala.” However, the said formula suddenly falls flat and goes nowhere every time the band tries to minimize it in an attempt to clobber together a ballad or two. Because songs like “Aik Din Aye Ga” and “Panchi” are quite honestly rather boring and stale. Absolutely nowhere near “Lamhey” or for that matter, Jal’s rockier version of “Aadat.” Ah, yes, “Aadat.” A song originally composed by Gohar and Atif when they were together but first recorded and released by the outgoing Atif. His is a terrific version. But this cannot be said about Jal’s version, in spite of the fact that I see tremendous potential in Ferhan and Gohar. The Jal version just lacks the punch of the original. It sounds constipated, caught between trying to be a lot more rockier and yet straight. Doesn’t work. The excellent “Lamhey” remains to be the band’s calling card. And if truth be told, it actually sprints past “Aadat” in the melody and solid pop-rock stakes. It may not be as intense, though.
Now, in the end the usual warnings from this old, repetitive critic. Some things I always end up suggesting to new talented acts: Stay away, far away from the multinationals’ glittering but soul capturing allure. Stay away, far away from “popized patriotism” and stupid “national songs.” Way away from all the shiwanee-with-a-bowtie naatkhuaans! And from the “in” crowd and clique (all the Feriha Altafs, Tariq Amins, Mian Salus, et al. Just look what they have done to Ali Azmat!).