Bandish, Times Music, Rs 195

Bandish, which features Euphoria’s Chris Powell and Silk Route’s Adil Manuel, is being promoted as something of a Hindi rock supergroup. However, much of their debut contains what sounds like watered-down versions of the songs of their parent bands. “Kaise Kahoon” could easily be Euphoria on a lazy day and if it wasn’t for the absence of singer Mohit Chauhan, you’d never guess that “Aajaao” wasn’t a Silk Route track. So when Chauhan comes in to take the mic on “Ye Baat Hai Sahi”, it makes for the strongest tune on the album. While Bandish’s blend of Western and Indian instruments is never terrible, it isn’t terribly good either.  Because even when they venture into different territory –  as on the ballad “Dil Ki Deeware” and the dance-pop “Tum Hi Tum” – the output is annoyingly familiar. Amit Gurbaxani