My Publications

Roud Bolechchey Hobey by Faizul Khan Tanim Roud Bolechchey Hobey promised to take me on a musical journey but it just left my feelings maimed by the roadside. Welcome to one of the most morbid albums of the year as Arnob's songs here are few shades darker and slower than the previous compilations. The overall sound could have been better as well. It’s obvious the singer’s going in a much more downbeat direction with the melancholy compositions and a sombre voice. But interestingly, there are very few artistes who can be in personal relationships with his/her fans to make an impact - sometimes, an artist does need to talk things out with life over slow, joyless melodies and has a different story to tell. To me, Arnob does this with flair with his overall lyrics, which are quite confessional and a little sad. And sometimes, the mystifying depth of a song can be the best part of an album. For example, track six Biri has a very psychedelic and atmospheric feel with the use of slid...

The Rock Revolution Part-1 It took more than two decades for genres like heavy metal to be born after rock first arrived in our country. Faizul Khan Tanim traces the early steps of this revolution as he revisits the magnum opus mixtape "Hooray" It’s the year 1991. Bangladesh is being rocked by the downfall of the Ershad regime. However, the audio shops are being rocked by something completely different: a heavy metal mixtape called ‘Hooray’, released by the record label Sargam. Covered by abstract art in black over orange, the cassette had a quite incongruous look - but once in the cassette deck it made its existence known. Screaming guitars and vocals filled with emotions that could drill their way straight into the marrow of your bones. Pop lovers covered their ears, dubbing it ‘noise’. Heavy metal aficionados like me, however - who were already listening to the likes of Iron Maiden and AC/DC - we were overwhelmed. This was our music, being played by our own! Son...

Father, son and the Wonder Rock music is all about missions and visions. The Concert for Sundarbans was a beautiful testament that rock music can also be about family relations by Faizul Khan Tanim It is often said that “hope rocks”. And as the rockers on stage hollered “Save the Sundarbans” and the 15,000-strong audience replied “amen” in unison, the huge October 1-event at the Army Stadium to create awareness about the Sundarbans and promote it as one of the Seven Wonders of the World, proved this to be right. This BAMBA (Bangladesh Musical Bands Association) concert at one of the country’s most esteemed music venues, the Army stadium, was otherwise most noted for its display of two generations of Bangladeshi rock. Sharing the stage with their fathers Manam Ahmed (Miles) and Maqsoodul Huq (Maqsood O’Dhaka), were Zeheen (Mechanix), Zerif (Power Surge) and Dio (Nemesis). Together they reached new, rocking heights. The only complaint was the omission of a good sound system throughout...