<p>Motivational songs are the last genre you would find me recommending — most tracks that claim to spur you on end up putting one to deep sleep. But in the hands of a capable progressive rock band like the Mumbai-based group Yugaant, motivation takes on psychedelic hues, effectively negating all soporific effects. Another aspect of this number that strikes an instant chord is the quality of the rendition.</p>.<p><span class="italic">Zidd</span> is Yugaant’s latest single released last month. It combines some powerful lines with elements from prog rock as well as good-old classical rock thrown in. Somehow, it still manages to retain a vintage feel to it, which is perhaps mostly due to the lead singer Ashish Naskar’s solid singing abilities. The video is all funk that goes very well with the drum-heavy number and the distorted guitar interludes. <span class="italic">Zidd</span>, incidentally, is a precursor to the band’s debut EP <span class="italic">Faasle</span> to be released sometime early next year.</p>.<p>Often, this column ends up advising you to listen to the song and ignore its video, but in this case, the track is immensely elevated by the cleverly engineered video — so yes, see and listen both.</p>.<p><strong><span class="bold">Play By Ear</span></strong> <em><span class="italic">showcases a potential earworm every week for you, the discerning listener, who is on the hunt for some musical serendipity.</span></em></p>
<p>Motivational songs are the last genre you would find me recommending — most tracks that claim to spur you on end up putting one to deep sleep. But in the hands of a capable progressive rock band like the Mumbai-based group Yugaant, motivation takes on psychedelic hues, effectively negating all soporific effects. Another aspect of this number that strikes an instant chord is the quality of the rendition.</p>.<p><span class="italic">Zidd</span> is Yugaant’s latest single released last month. It combines some powerful lines with elements from prog rock as well as good-old classical rock thrown in. Somehow, it still manages to retain a vintage feel to it, which is perhaps mostly due to the lead singer Ashish Naskar’s solid singing abilities. The video is all funk that goes very well with the drum-heavy number and the distorted guitar interludes. <span class="italic">Zidd</span>, incidentally, is a precursor to the band’s debut EP <span class="italic">Faasle</span> to be released sometime early next year.</p>.<p>Often, this column ends up advising you to listen to the song and ignore its video, but in this case, the track is immensely elevated by the cleverly engineered video — so yes, see and listen both.</p>.<p><strong><span class="bold">Play By Ear</span></strong> <em><span class="italic">showcases a potential earworm every week for you, the discerning listener, who is on the hunt for some musical serendipity.</span></em></p>