MUSIC MASTI

Social Circus" is original, depressing, challenging. Some may attack it as too much of a good thing or just too much to handle in one listen, but Ali is convinced that the "switching channels" approach is productively edgy. It is above all a courageous album, venturing into areas most pop songs rarely explore. But can an audience fed on pop-corn bear the emotional burdens of "Social Circus"? Has the Pakistani listener, like Ali Azmat, finally gone beyond the momentary lapses of teenage heartache? Or has Ali Azmat left them far behind in his quest for musical ingenuity? The future of Pakistani rock-pop, even at the best of times is unpredictable but if any album is worth a serious listen it is this one. It has the potential to rattle preconceived notions and make you shift uncomfortably in your seat. I for one find that wildly exciting.