Cover Story: ‘Hum Bane Tum Bane’

Where would Indian indie be without covers? Back playing ‘Mustang Sally’ every August? Oh, wait. Indiecision scours the interweb to find you great (and sucky) covers performed by Indian indie artists during live performances, studio sessions and whenever the urge to bust out ‘Smells Like Teen Spirit’ hits them. Presenting, Cover Story.
Song: ‘Hum Bane Tum Bane’
Original Artist: Lata Mangeshkar + SP Balasubramaniam
Cover Artist: Lounge Piranha

Bangalore alternative act Lounge Piranha is perhaps best known for it’s moody, rhythm driven post-rock. The quartet from Karnataka (*what efficient wordplay this*) frequently go beyond just guitar rock in their live sets, incorporating instruments like the didgeridoo into their act.

They also do a pretty mean punk cover of ‘Hum Bane Tum Bane’. The hit song from the classic 1981 Kamal Haasan starrer Ek Duje Ke Liye is one of Bollywood’s “evergreen numbers”. It’s also one of the kitschiest, non-Bappi Lahiri songs of the ’80s that lends itself to much creative interpretation. This fact, while not entirely exploited by the Piranhas, allows the band much room to explore its loony side without seeming entirely retarded (case in point – the bit between 2:36 and 3:25). Thankfully, they make it work, courtesy the shared vocal efforts of Kamal Singh and Abhijeet Tambe.

Now will somebody cover ‘Yaar Bina Chain Kahan’ already?

Lounge Piranha on MySpace
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