Hello Oct 2012!

What to put as a title :-) Ended up with this month.

When I started this blog, it was more of a chronicling, possibly for visits down in the future, which I never did for the most part. Last week I happened to chance upon a few of my own posts and it brought with it a queer sense of reliving the incidents, both of which were hilarious ones. I felt a rich experience of it and am quite enthused by the whole affair.

So, right now, am in Delhi for the last 2 weeks... will be here for another 3 months... working towards a big program in Jan. What's happened in the last few months... it's a flurry of so many things, not in any particular order. For the teachers' meet, we went to Mysore; the sathsang at Chamundi was quite memorable for the proximity of my seat was something for the first time; KumarParvat trek was a stamina-tester, but the experience atop, where Subrahmanya was enlightened, was totally mind-blowing!!! The grand Chennai ITC program, a few classes here and there from Mumbai to Kolkatta... the varieties of cuisine, especially the Punjabi - North Indian mix of food in Delhi... so many things...

And yes, am having the right inspiration to write apart from the conducive environment.. yes, a new A.R.Rahman release "Jab tak hai jaan"..

Not going to write a detailed review... Initially I felt it to be more of a YRF album than ARR. But as is the case with many ARR albums, takes a little time to sink in. And now it's quite enjoyable. Will it be an evergreen album for me? I don't think so, but I will savor it every now and then. Harshdeep Kaur, you are scintillating; her son Heer would be on my all time favorite list. Just remembered, there could be an ARR live show in Chennai in Dec it seems; I wish I can make for it. This shall be my new year wish :)

Something that pulled my heart strings in the recent times... the way the kids are growing up, especially in the metros... it's so sad. Parents do not get much time and most of the free time, if there is any that's left after the flurry of classes they go to apart from the regular school, is spent with all kinds of gadgets not to exclude the good-old-enemy TV! And the obesity I find is so shocking: all wrong kind of food is stuffed in, thanks to the pseudo facts proclaimed by these fun-foods! And the lack of life in adults, in the true sense... metro life is so mechanical, and the entire life is a struggle, an endeavour to take care of the survival process; whether at the end of it, they get to survive, I do not know, but I see them dying everyday in their pursuit to survive... very sad...

And I realized last week, that I never posted a pic of Shakthi, my dear wife, even once in this space! It's more than 1.5 years now: Have been through so many things with her: so many fights, so many intimate moments, what not! But she's been such a sweet heart and her support has been quite phenomenal in many ways. I wish I take pics more often... Not many pictures of us... Here's one from our marriage...

Happy Dussehra!!!

May the feminine within blossom more... jai bhairavi devi!

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!

Yuvvraaj

A.R.Rahman is the yuvvraaj!

The first few times when I heard it, it seemed a bit unfamiliar and I could not get the melody flow. But once you get the flow of the song, it is simply mind blowing. It is rich, profound, grand and magnificent. This will go in as one of the master pieces of the little Maestro.

Each song can be discussed in great detail, but I'll limit myself for want of time.

1. Main hoon yuvvraaj: Beethoven's 5th symphony aptly used as an intro to the character as well as the album, to hint on what the listener is in for.

2. Tu hi mera Dosth: The intro with the cello, backing vocals and solo female operatic singing is sheer magic. Benny rocks. Shreya croons and Rahman aptly supports. Gives you a feeling of floating.
Note at 3:57 the introduction of an African drum kind of percussion for a brief while... WOW!

3. Tu Muskura: Alka and Javed score fully. Sargams are euphoric. Another song that lifts you up, makes you light. Note at 2:01, how the interlude switches from the Dosth to serve as a prelude to the tune in the Charanam. Another WOW!

4. Shano shano: I hated this song for the first few times, with its old style pop music feel. But after some time, now I am able to enjoy this. This will be the next Pappu can't dance... Straight to the disco floors. The "shano shano" is quite catchy. The singers omitting the last words of the line for the first time and then singing it the second time in the beginning of the song gave an interesting listening experience. The switching sounds between left and right will give an enhanced listening experience to those using headphones.

5. Shano Shano remix: Awesome for a remix. Do not skip since it's a remix. In fact, this is slower than the original, with a great hip hop theme around it.

6. Manmohini: Vijya Prakash will become a well known name after this song. Very catchy "thom thanana" backing up, great hindustani rendition and an ultra cool fusion song. When I saw "manmohini" in the song list, I was actually expecting a slow devotional number, but this surprised me pleasantly. Wouldn't have complained if the song was longer.

7. Zindagi: Srinivas, MY MAN!!!! What a soulful number and what a soulful rendition. After a long time, this song made me search for lyrics and memorize it for I can sing along. One of the best melodies in the recent time.

8. Mastam: What a fun number!!! It's very unconventional... We haven't heard a song like this before. Sonu justifies why he was chosen. With all the different animal noises, continuous claps, unconventional melody pattern, I am eagerly awaiting the picturization of this song...

9. Yeh Rishta: Should be the climax song. This has the standard ARR trademark for racy orchestration and full throated vocals. A very interesting song with sargams intertwined with a western classical tune that flows to Indian style too. Great singing by everyone. The beginning piano is simply awesome.

I don't have a great confidence in the movie's plot but I do believe that Mr.Ghai would do visual justice to this opulent composition. The preview pics are promising. However the movie be, it is going to be a musical treat as the music is interwoven with the whole story with all characters related to music in one way or the other.

One line summary: As this post begins, A.R.Rahman is the Yuvvraaj.

Sakkarakatti...

Another Rahman musical for a newbie's debut (following JTYJN, Ada), this time in Tamil.
While there was some debate over some of my friends over their incapability to appreciate the music as they used to in the older days, I liked the album and it has been running for quite some time in my music player...

Naan eppodhu: Loved Reena's voice. Was able to appreciate it more than Meenaxi's "yeh rishta" as I was able to understand the lyrics.

Chinnamma: One of my all time favorites. In Tamil, it just became better. Benny and Chinmayi did great justice. Loved the female counterpoints.

Elay: Refreshing guitar strumming and violin interludes. Nice rendition.

Taxi: What a cool song. I won't be surprised if this became the chartbuster of the year. Blaaze's rap and Vivian's French interludes are awesome

Marudhani: The "munbe vaa" for this year. One of the songs that can make it into my all time favorite melodies. Madhushree's voice is indeed "madhu". Though the diction is better, still there is room for improvement.

I miss you da: One of the weirdest experimentations I've heard so far. Catches on slowly. Special mention to the totally different style of singing by Chinmayi...

Summary: One of the better albums you can lay your hands on.

Azhagiya Tamil Magan

Well well... I never could imagine Rahman composing for Vijay; someone whom I admire the most working with someone who I consider should quit... But honestly, the album simply rocks. Not once did I get a feeling that it was a Vijay movie except for the lyrics in the opening song. And in fact, for the first time after quite a while, I am loving all the songs in the album without having to skip any track.

I do get the "sounds-similar" complaint about which I am not too bothered. The songs rock. And they are not blatant rehashes like a few others out there who keep dishing out the same stuff over and over again. A brief look at the songs in no particular order. Use an excellent headphones to catch many of the intricate sounds.

Ponmagal vandhaal: By far the best remix I have heard so far. Aslam's voice is excellent and the rap is out of the world. Especially when the rapper sings the "muthukkal sirikkum" line. Have an ear for the occasional female voice in the background.

Valayapatti: Only Rahman can ever come up with this number. A song that fluctuates between so many genres, yet blends so perfectly into one magnificent composition. A tight song to sing as well. Not a place where I can complain about the song. Having small aalaps for raga names is another thing to watch out for besides the stunning Nadhaswaram pieces, multitude of strings, the harmony and backing vocals. The lyrics is something noteworthy and catchy ("Nee nerungumbodhe current erudhe unga ooru kalpaakkamaa). The singers have done an amazing job in this song, for that matter, in all the songs.

Ella pugazhum: High pitch rahman sung intro for Vijay. First of its kinds and by far, should have been the best intro song for Vijay. The high pitch is something that only rahman could possibly go. The intense harmony energises the song pretty much. A much needed reprieve from the dappankuthu Shankar Mahadevan sung intros. This song is set to set the theaters on fire by Vijay's fans.

Kelaamal: What a song!!! Saindhavi's voice is so mellifluous. Especially the "kokilam kokilam" bit is simply too good. Sriram does a good job as well. A very tough song to compose and sing as well... Vintage rahman stuff.

Maduraikku pohaadhadi: Another folk number. Another winner. Am tired of writing excellent, fantastic, etc etc... Benny is someone I am going to look out for... "asarudhu asarudhu" bit is very much hummable.

Nee Marilyn Monroe: Benny rocks with Ujjaiyinee in this song. Western song from ARR has always been my cup of tea and this one is yet another one of those. Not another MD can dish this out.

An album that I expect to do commercially well too.

Am mighty pleased and very happy as a Rahman fan.