Song covers: Secondhand serenading

Pakistani band Axis disappoints with their cover of Vital Sign’s ‘Yaadein’.

LAHORE:

These days, many musical acts are covering songs from legendary artists of the past. From Bilal Khan to Farhan Saeed, it seems that for Pakistani musicians, releasing covers is an easier and more popular option than creating an original song. Over the last few years, we’ve seen covers which injected a new life to the original song to those which started from scratch and created a completely different sound. The release of Axis’s song “Yaadein”, which was a tribute to the legendary Pakistani band Vital Signs, has the band successfully joining the growing list of those who have studio-recorded cover songs. However, much to our disappointment, the cover fails to bring something new to the classic number.

This letdown comes as a surprise, as Axis, previously released the moderately successful and catchy tune “Humsafar” and had shown commercial potential with their easy-going tune and simple music score. The song hit a chord with the listeners and remained relevant to the current musical climate.

Additionally, when it comes to experimenting with Vital Signs original songs, Axis isn’t the only band to have done so. Last year, SYMT and Noori also recorded tributes to the Vital Signs, which proved moderately successful and ran on major radio stations.

While SYMT brought forth a different sound with “Tere Liye”, Axis version of “Yaadein” didn’t bring anything new. Axis turned the song more remorseful compared to the original which simply showed the charismatic Junaid Jamshed walking down memory lane.

Although the pace of “Yaadien” was slowed down to match the vocal abilities of the band’s lead singer Fahad Ali, it still couldn’t match Jamshed’s vocal prowess. Musically, the band stuck to its limited pop sound which was heavy on acoustics and lacked alternative instrumentals that could have helped them reinvigorate the cover version.

Hits and misses

Cover songs enthusiasts argue that redoing the same melody helps to keep the industry alive and builds a connection with older fans. But, at the same time, it stops bands from making original music which, as a result, hampers the industry’s productivity in the long run. Take one look at the music scene of today, and compare it to the golden days of pop music which produced unforgettable acts like Vital Signs, Sajjad Ali and Junoon. One can’t help but notice that today there is a dearth of originality and creativity in the industry.

New bands need to realise that cover songs come with great responsibility. When a new and upcoming band daringly takes on a song originally sung by music legends, it makes the band obviously susceptible to harsh criticism and comparisons.

The fact that “Yaadein” couldn’t connect with listeners despite its efforts should come as a lesson for all those upcoming artists who are considering the route of recording a cover song. At the same time, Axis band should learn from this experience and try overcoming the gaping flaws of this single and provide some fresh pop music in the future. 

Published in The Express Tribune, March 18^th, 2012.