Junoon - Deewar's Review

Band: Junoon
Album: Deewar
Released by: Icon Films
Genre: Rock (Sufi Rock)
Lyrics: 127mins
Music: Drama
Vocals: M

As crazy as it sounds, the titles of all of Junoon’s previous albums had something to do with their achievements. Junoon, was the introduction of the band to the world, therefore the self titled album. Inquilab, true to its name brought out an Inquilab (revolution) in their music and gave it the unmatched sound that we associate Junoon with now. Azadi, saw them experimenting with their music getting independent from any established genre and delving deep into Sufi mysticism for inspiration, they produced their own genre of Sufi Rock.
Parwaaz literally flew them to previously un-heard of heights of success. Ishaq, may not have been as musically brilliant as some of their previous albums, but there were some magical moments in an otherwise strange album. After the tons of critical acclaim that Junoon got for their previous works and the huge fan following all over the world, Ishaq came as a disappointment to all the Junoonis out there. Rumors of rifts between the band members and a split-up were being spilled all over. People were writing them off. It was time for action. It was the ripe time. It was time for “Deewar”.

Deewar, The Wall. The title made so famous by Pink Floyd’s remarkable album in the late 70s. Junoon’s “Wall” might haven’t reached as high as Pink Floyd’s “Wall” yet, but its standing in the local rock scene bears stark resemblance to what Floyd’s was in their own era. Floyd ruled the world of adult, contemporary, retro based rock then, and Junoon fused the same genres together on this album hoping to scale new heights. Surprise surprise…Success for Junoon !!!

Not only is the music predominantly and significantly devoid of aspirations towards Sufi-rock or any other formula-driven style, it presents an intriguing attempt at marrying political statements with personal expressions, as well as trying to make honest bedfellows out of rough-hewn rock and neo-pop. Being the flag bearers of the local pop/rock scene, Junoon are looked at for inspiration and to lead the entire industry to new horizons. Therefore, the experiments started in Ishq are continued here, with a lot more maturity and success this time around. Historically, great rock bands are known to mature and move from classic rock to different sounds. Bands like U2, Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin (all of who, by the way have inspired Junoon), when in the twilight of their careers, turned to slower, contemporary rock with a lot of success.

The New Look of Junoon

There have been major changes in this album’s make up. For the first time ever, Salman is leading the vocals and Ali is making music. This is a pleasantly surprising change and it works. Ali’s music on the album opener “Taara jala” and “Sapnay” and Salman Ahmed’s vocals on the brilliant “Hangama” are worth mentioning. The diversity of songs compiled on this album screams out with each track. The funky, Bob Marly-ish, reggae-rock number “Pappu yaar”, which is the song of the year for me, is another milestone in Ali Azmat’s venture into music making. Think of it what you may, Junoon have mocked at the mushy rock n roll wannabes of the day who try to copy their style. And have they done a good job of it!!!

Tara jala is a romantic start to the album and Ali sounds the best he has ever. A remake of the classic “Khwab” with Salman on the vocals is neo-classic and some people might not like it, especially since the original was fabulous. The macho Garaj Baras, which is probably the heaviest Junoon have ever gone is also included on the album. Once again Salman proves his guitar genius on garaj baras. This is definitely the number that could propel Junoon into Western audiences. It has also been selected for a soundtrack in an Indian movie this summer.

Ghoom tana is another worth mentioning track with backing vocals from Ali Noor. The title track Deewar features excellent solos by Salman and is a 4 chord rocker revealing Junoon’s inspirations. Two songs which would take a while to digest but are probably two of the best ever Junoon songs, the Zeppelin inspired Baarish, and Hangaama which borrows lyrics from Ghalib are musical masterpieces.

All in all, there is a lot more to this album than just mushy neo-pop adult rock. Massive experimentation and diversity in this album lend it a lot of goods. This is Junoon at their maturest best. And this album is one to be checked out.

Review by Jibran Mirza

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