VTV music review

Ok, this one is for Srini... Vinnaithandi varuvaya music review... In the order of the songs which my music player plays...

Aaromalae...
Begins with an extremely addictive guitar riff that continues through out the song, on the lines of Pink Floyd I heard. And then comes Alphonse, a name unheard of, to melt himself into this track that takes twists and turns not so easy to follow. And that is where the addictive "swasthi swasthi" hook comes in to support the listeners. Awesomeness in the use of guitars! Such a nice blend of classical "Swasthi swasthi" with a pure western track and a delight as always for a Rahmaniac, one of those concoctions that only ARR can mix!

Those not used to western songs may find it a bit difficult to digest in the beginning.


Anbil avan...
Loved the choir type intro intertwined with the playful tune in the prelude. For once Devan's voice was tolerable in this song and Chinmayi belts this out in total style. Also the variation in the "puyal veyyil mazhai" repetion where Chinmayi goes high and Devan maintains the low is catchy. A nice peppy number that has a constant pace throughout. The very first feeling I got when I heard this was that of a Christian marriage but the use of nadhaswaram in the middle got me confused a bit, which gets explained very well in the visuals (the marriage is repeated in Hindu style).

Hosanna...
One of ARR's best in so many aspects. The soothing flute to begin with...Vijay crying out with a sweet pain "yen idhayam udaithai"... the soft pads... the tingling bells... angelic Suzanne's humming "Hosanna" (this is totally angelic, just close your eyes and listen to Suzanne singing Hosanna with those chimes)... add another layer of orchestration to the already heavenly sounds... snap comes in the beat and Vijay starts singing those amazing lyrics... the panoramic sound shifting between ears... the flute that is a constant resposne to Vijay's voice... the peppy rap bit of Blaaze... throw in the guitars and make it more peppy while still maintaining the soft romantic mood... orchestra and beats to support Suzanne... "Vanna vanna pattupoochi"... and so on goes this masterpiece...

Thalai engayo poiteenga thalai... indha madhri oru feel good song kaettu romba naal aachu :-) This will be on my playlist for years to come...

Kannukkul kannai...
Once again one of those songs that I'll play for the years to come. I don't know how many people appreciate this song, but this is a total rocker of a song. The opening Irish style cello rocks to the core...total class and style... through in the beats and some more beeps and sounds... And there begins Naresh, to not stop till the end of the song... Awesome lyrics once again. The brief pause between "kaadhal kondu naan pesa...kathi thooki nee pesa" gives a hip-hop flavor the song... and then he takes off with another melody in "un nanban illai..." with constant chorus shouts and electronic sounds and the constant cello backing is still going on... the charanam is one of THE most innovative in terms of structure... every word alternates between the solo and the chorus... and the songs content is not lost in this structure... awesomeness!

Thalai... once again engayo poiteenga... indha situationku yaarume ipdi oru paatu potrukkave mudiyadhu....

Mannipaaya...

What to say! Seriously what to say! Totally awesome song in terms of singing, lyrics, tune, pianos, the thirukkural bit ... Most importantly the emotion it evokes and how much on target it is. Going by the sitaution in the movie, that elatedness in love as well as the pain in it is so well captured that I wouldn't be surprised if this song becomes the chart topper this year and the award grosser! Shreya and ARR are flawless in singing and in a very long time (Read years), I haven't enjoyed the lyrics as much as in this movie. Kudos to Thamarai....

காற்றிலே ஆடும் காகிதம் நான், நீதான் என்னை கடிதம் ஆக்கினாய்...
அன்பில் தொடங்கி அன்பில் முடிக்கிறேன், என கலங்கரை விளக்கம் நீ...

அனைவரும் உறங்கிடும் இரவெனும் நேரம், எனக்கது தலை அணை நனைத்திடும் நேரம்...

The thirukkural bit brings goosebumps, not sure whose idea it was, but it works big time!

Omana pennae....
Once again, a masterpiece that I'll be repeating for years to come. I don't know where such creativity oozes out from. A song that doesn't follow the norms of film usic and one that hooks you onto it the very first time you listen only to keep growing on you more and more... Benny rocks! The soft bells... the beats that join in (I guess some of the chords are getting played in the reverse after the beats join in which gives a peculiar sound. I am sure those are reverse notes)... the reverse chords... "aahaa...adadaaa...." beautiful chorus "hey"... multi layered "omana penna" ... the "hooo" crooning bit, I am wondering if BEnny did it himself or if it is Arr's synthetic sounds... the nadaswaram bits, mallu bits with Kalyani... more new sounds (not even sure of instrument names these days with the variety of sounds this man is cooking up)... once again beautiful lyrics... and a masterpiece!

Vinnaithandi varuvaya...
This is again an unconventional song that rambles at its own whims and fancies and takes all those unexpected twists and turns which is more of a situational piece. And when I saw the movie, I could see the huge impact this piece was creating. Especially towars the interval, when this song surfaces for the first time, no other tune could have been used at that place. IT was heavenly. Now about the song. Once again a very strong guitar backing up, Karthik's exquisite renditioning, a very yearning tune, really asking the moon if it will come over the skies... beautiful lyrics again "netru un iravil...."... the time Karthik finishes asking, the strings take more quirky twists and then the song goes from the questioning phase to the answering phase, and the slight transition in the tune is so beautiful...heavenly... "inimel neeyum naanum pirivadhillai".... and after this self pacifiying answers, he returns to the basic question, "will you come?" essentially summarizing KArthik's (the hero) predicament.... Beauty!

Rahman has outdone himself any number of times and this time is no exception. I always admired Gautham Vasudev Menon's music taste and he hasn't let me down. VTV is a huge musical and I am more than eager to hear of more of ARR-GVM combos. Must buy!

TOTAL AWESOMENESS!