Francis Healy, front man of Travis once sang, “The love you bring won't mean a thing unless you sing.” He was right. Music has properties: timber, pitch, rhythm but mostly music has the uncanny ability to move us in ways literal words can't. In this winter of anxiety, Instep presents tune that'll lift you right up.

'Taara Jala' - Junoon

Ali Azmat is nothing if not a brilliant songwriter. He wrote this song back in the day when he was still with Junoon. Ali had in fact written 'Taara Jala' for his solo album Social Circus but eventually gave up the track to his band.

And what a delightful, atmospheric song it really is. 'Taara Jala' is one of Junoon's finest tunes to date and it's because of the soul that Ali Azmat injects into the song with his moving vocals.

Moody and slightly weeping guitars, haunting bass form the sound structure as Ali sings about living his dreams, finding that special someone, going on the path that he's always envisioned for himself - its more introspective and open to interpretation than any other song on the  record. It wouldn't be a stretch to say that 'Taara Jala' alongside other Ali Azmat compositions like 'Sapnay' proved to be the only redeeming songs on the album that was Junoon's Deewar.

'Aarzoo' - Noori

Noori are known for their pop-rock fun element, high energy and livewire shows. But brothers Ali Noor and Ali Hamza alongside members Gumby and Mohd Ali Jafri are equally capable of producing moody ballads. Over the course of the last few years, they've produced plenty of such songs including 'Ooncha Hoon Main', 'Bol', 'Hum Bhoolay' to name just a few.

But no other Noori song is quite as powerful as the sublime 'Aarzoo'. The tune which appears on Noori's second album, Peeli Patti Aur Raja Jaani Ki Gol Dunya, sees the brothers share vocal duties as the song flips between the deep vocals of Ali Hamza and the emotive singing of Ali Noor.

'Aarzoo' reflects on human emotions - love, loss, sadness and depression - and questions these conflicting emotions. The brothers sing with undertones of quiet desperation, making the song more appealing. The crisp guitar solo by Ali Noor towards the ends gives it a sharper, aggressive edge. It's really the perfect, moody number for really anytime.

'Phir Se Ud Chala' - Rockstar

AR Rahman returned to his old, groundbreaking self with the soundtrack of Rockstar after abysmal music for films like Yuvraaj, Raavan and Jhootha Hi Sahi. With Mohit Chauhan singing most songs on this particular album and Rahman heralding the soundtrack, it's hard to pick one song off this outstanding record. But if there's one song that really fits into this line up of songs, it's the opening number, 'Phir Se Ud Chala'.

As is, the music of Rockstar is daringly different from that of most Indian films’, essentially because of the storyline of the film. The sound is a mixture of pop-rock elements with some Northern Indian influences thrown in. On 'Phir Se Ud Chala', Mohit Chauhan sings with passion and conviction as the song opens with twangs of a guitar. Lyrically, it's almost as if it's a conversation the singer is having with himself, questioning the world, reflecting on universal feelings of just being lost or clueless.  Even more notably, the musical ambience shifts in the middle as the song progresses and a slow beat comes in, changing the pace and with it, the mood. The sing-along chorus only adds to the melody. Magnificent.

'Aag Ki Tarha' - Aaroh

Before Haider Hashimi joined the now-defunct Aaroh, the band was led by guitarist Nabeel Nihal Chishty. In the days when Aaroh was just starting out and competing for the top prize at Battle of the Bands, they produced some seriously good music. One of the songs that the band, fronted by the hugely talented Farooq Ahmed, played on the show and later featured on their debut album was the ballad 'Aag Ki Tarha'.

The subtle instrumentation, a fine mixture of wailing guitars, keyboards and bluesy bass, creates a mood that swims between deep despair and loneliness. Even as the song remains a morbid one, it takes you away from everything else because of Farooq's strong, emotive vocals and lyrical wordplay that reflects on heartache and worldly misery. It's really an outstanding, distinctive number.

'Jaanay Na Koi' - Ali Zafar

On the other end of the Aaroh spectrum is Ali Zafar who brings a lot of hope with his sweet melody, 'Jaanay Na Koi'. The song featured on Ali's sophomore effort, Masty, is unlike the rest of the record. With a groovy bass and clean, sharp acoustic guitars, this is just a very sweet, happy song that can instantly put a smile to your face. Ali sings with a lot of hope and conviction, and the wordplay focuses on the future, on a world where possibilities are endless.