Current day Bauls in Bangladesh are Sufis and have given up claims to be Muslims. Most live simple lives on an absolute minimum, earned mainly from performing their music. Baul songs always incorporate simple words expressing songs with deeper meanings involving Creation, society, lifestyle and human emotions. The songs are performed with very little musical support to the main carrier, the vocal. Bauls, bohemian by nature and belief, leave on grand expeditions, writing and performing music on their entire trip to earn living and disseminate notion of love and spirituality.
Ektara (literally, the one-string), Dotara (literally, the two-strings), ba(n)shi (flute made from bamboo shoot)) and cymbals are used in the presentation of Baul geeti. Although, in recent days, Baul geeti has lost popularity mainly due to disruption of the lifestyle of the bauls by urbanisation and westernisation, the songs have permanently altered Bangla music, especially in the form of Lalon geeti.
Baul songs were hugely promoted by Fokir Alamgeer and Feroz Shahi in Bangladesh.
Lalon geeti
Lalon geeti is the work of composer and philosopher, Lalon Shah (also known as Lalon Fokir). Most of his songs are extensions of Baul geeti. However, his songs are always more philosophical in nature, involving greater thought about abstract themes.
Lalon geeti originated in Kushtia and has been popularised throughout the two Bengals (West Bengal and Bangladesh) by various artists. Among the proponents of Lalon geeti, Farida Parveen is particularly worth mentioning for her extensive work in modernising tunes.
Adhunik gaan
Adhunik songeet literally means "modern songs". Although, to outsiders, this may seem an extremely ambiguous way of nomenclature, it has particular motivations.
Bangla music traditionally has been classified mainly by the region of origin and the creators of the musical genre, such as Nazrul geeti (written and composed by Kazi Nazrul Islam), ghombhira (unique to a specific area in Bangladesh), etc. However, this prevented the ability to classify any music that failed to fit into any of the classes.
In the period just before Indian independence (Bengal, under British rule, was a part of one massive India that does not exactly correspond to the India of current day), several new minor musical groups emerged, mainly as playback songs for movies. These songs failed to fit into any particular genre, but seemed to be tied together by common theme of "music for the masses". Most of the music tended to be aimed at the mainstream audience - popular catchy tunes with simple words that were far moved from the classical ragas (modes). Hence, a miscellaneous category, Adhunik songeet, was created, since, at that time, this music was "modern".
Although over time these so-called "modern" songs have become fairly old, they continue to be called by the same name. Interestingly, this group of song has grown faster than any other, since it is a miscellaneous category that can accommodate anything that fails to fit elsewhere. The common theme continues to exist. So, although the nomenclature itself might not be as insightful, the genre itself is still well-defined.
Among the main contributors to Adhunik songeet were several singers from both West Bengal and Bangladesh. The list can never be completed, but some of the more prolific (and better known) ones from Bangladesh are:
Female
Runa Laila (also immensely popular Ghazal singer in the Sub-continent)
Shakila Jafar
Shahnaz Rahmatulla
Sabina Yasmin (possibly most prolific in terms of number of songs)
Male
Tapan Chowdhury
Abdul Jabbar
Andrew Kishor
Shubir Nondi
For a very long time, Adhunik songeet played the same role that pop currently plays in the Western World. It was the easy-to-follow and simple song that was fit for people of all age and occupation. It continues to be the most important music among middle-class, white collar Bangladeshi families to this day.
Modern music and western influence
In the post-independence period, Adhunik songeet continued to attract large proportiones of music enthusiasts. However, with time, newer generations demanded more upbeat music. Starting late 80's, music involving political theme have started to gain popularity once again, in a similar fashion to growht of Nazrul geeti had gained popularity during the revolution against the British Monarch and the War of Independence of Bangladesh.
Pop music
Pop music initially started with the so-called band music. And as the name suggests, the music was heavily influenced by Western Music. Some of the best known bands of the pop era were:
L.R.B
Nagor Baul
Miles
The early contributors to pop music also included the following singers:
Azam Khan
Baby Naznin
Happy Akhand
Lucky Akhand
It is worth noting that pop music of Bangladesh had an assorted history. Artists of the "Adhunik Gaan" and folk (especially new wave) genre also contributed to the pop music from time to time. This further popularized pop music with the masses.
Rock music
Bangla rock was started by Azam Khan, Miles and LRB. Hassan (associated with Ark) and James (associated with Feelings and, later, Nagar Baul) contributed in popularizing rock music. However, hard-rock did not begin until arrival of bands like Rockstrata, and later Warfaze among many others in the early 90s.
Bangladeshi rock scene has evolved into two distinct categories.
i)Mainstream
ii)Underground
i)Mainstream Rock
Current day rock and metal bands have progressed a long way from the initiators of the genre in Bangladesh. Deeply influenced by the progressive rock music of the West, and with the latest technology and equipments at their disposal, many of the new rock musicians are trying to develop their own identity and style instead of following western bands. Some of the best known new bands are:
Aurthohin
Bangla
Black [
Black
Chime
Feedback
Feelings
In Dhaka
LRB [
L.r.b ]
Rockstrata
Souls [
Souls
Warfaze [
Warfaze ii)Underground Rock
Mainstream bands have already released solo albums while underground bands are trying to promote themselves by performing their own numbers or cover numbers in concerts. Many popular bands like Artcell, Black, Cryptic Fate, The Watson Brothers have come from the underground circle and are still considered underground by most people as they still mostly play underground shows and are not widely popular throughout the country. The more successful bands eventually sign for a record label. G-series is becoming more and more popular for providing platforms to such underground bands. Genres such as alternative rock, heavy metal, thrash metal, death metal, black metal and gothic metal are increasingly popular among these bands.
Some of the popular underground bands are:
Rock/Hard Rock/Alternative
Cryptic Fate**
Artcell**
The Watson Brothers**
Aashor**
Arbovirus**
Fake Plastic Superheroes
Breach**
Nemesis**
Decipher
Baahzsnought
Thrash metal
Poizon Green**
X-Uranium
Death metal/Black metal
Barzakh
Dripping Gore
Forbidden Truth
Severe Dementia (formerly known as 666)
Voodoo Economix
Gothic metal
Druids
Progressive metal
Eclipse
Fusion/Rock-fusion
Ajob
Meghdol
Shironamhim
Taan