Milliblog Weeklies – India’s only multilingual, weekly new music playlist. Week 56:
On Saavn | On YouTube
10 songs this week. 9 of them are in Saavn playlist; it’s missing only Adiacot’s Jaane De – have embedded that in YouTube here and is also part of the YouTube playlist. YouTube has 8 songs and is missing Thedunna Theeram Nee from Neeyum Njanum and Hey Nenila from Mr.Majnu.

A note on the songs in the playlist.

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Apna Time Aayega – Gully Boy (Dub Sharma & DIVINE) – Hindi: This is one electric track with a hook that you cannot not sing along! Kudos to Ranveer Singh to get into the skin of his character by also singing it, something that this production house pioneered with Rock On!

Red Card-u – Vantha Rajavathaan Varuven (Hiphop Tamizha) – Tamil: This is the ‘come down and hit’ (erangi adikkira, in Tamil) style masala song that seems to have been custom-created for STR, given the lyrics refer to his recent skirmishes with people in the Tamil film industry. While there’s nothing much to say about STR’s digitized singing, Hiphop Tamizha’s music is zingy, with a manic energy needed to prop a song like this.

Hey Nenila – Mr.Majnu (Thaman S) – Telugu: Thaman’s new Telugu soundtrack, overall sounds great. He’s back with much better music this time. My pick of the soundtrack are Yemaindo (that I had added in my Weeklies on December 16th) and Hey Nenila, that is a great showcase for singer Sruthi Ranjani. The tune has a convivial ‘you talking to me?’ charm and the music is spritely too, particularly the interludes.

London Dhaaka Dol Baaje – That is Mahalakshmi (Amit Trivedi) – Telugu: This is the first song from the 4-language Queen remake. Interesting shades worth noticing between the 4-language versions. Only the Telugu version is a solo, sung by Geetha Madhuri, while the rest are duets, featuring Jassie Gift as the male singer, along with Ananya Bhat in Kannada and Tamil, and Sithara Krishnakumar in Malayalam. The Tamil, Telugu and Kannada version music is identical, while in the Malayalam version, for some reason the opening (prelude) Nadaswaram is missing. I assumed it was because of the Muslim setting but the sound (or a variant, possibly Shenai) does play in the interlude like the rest of the 3 language variants. Amongst the 4, I felt the Telugu version fit in best, with the tune and lyrics, but still, this is shades below London Thumakda.

Hey Madhuchandrike – Argentina Fans Kaattoorkadavu (Gopi Sundar) – Malayalam: A somewhat predictable Gopi Sundar melody that’s made better by Vijay Yesudas’ singing. The music is simple and sedate, and the interludes and background music scream Gopi’s trademark style.

Ishq Kond & Thedunna Theeram Nee – Neeyum Njanum (Vinu Thomas) – Malayalam: Ishq Kond belongs to the ‘Aye Hairathe’ school of music, with its resonant ghazal-like sound. Najim Arshad sounds so very good here. Thedunna Theeram Nee is a great listen too, again for the very-Rahman sound (that first interlude flute, in particular!!), and Amal Antony’s likeable singing!

Ranga Maliyela – Anandi Gopal (Hrishikesh Saurabh Jasraj) – Marathi: The Marathi-musical trio, Hrishikesh Saurabh Jasraj’s latest song is a sheer delight! The melody and music is reminiscent of Rahman’s body of work from films like Water and Earth, and is thoroughly endearing. Ketaki Mategaonkar and Sharayu Date are outstanding with the singing. The music video, cataloging the journey of a little girl, from her carefree days to becoming a child-bride and being left back at her place by her husband is heartbreaking, to say the least. The scenes are so real and intimate that it makes a difficult watch, to know that such practices were widely prevalent in India only a few decades ago.

Jaane De – Adiacot: Adiacot, or A Dream In A Cup Of Tea (!), comprises of EPR (Santhanam Srinivasan Iyer), Hulkyboyy (Sagnik Choudhury) and El Deepo (Soumyadeep Dasgupta). The group from Kolkata debuted last year with an abuse-laden diss on Mumbai’s gully rap scene, including massive digs at DIVINE. Their new single, Jaane De is a frenetic affair with superb percussion layer. At a time when the Mumbai gully rap is on a high with a movie about them, this is a legitimate battle brewing with this bugle call from Kolkata.

Almost – Hozier: The new single is from Hozier’s upcoming album titled ‘Wasteland, Baby!’, 4 years after his eponymous debut, if you discount the 4-track EP from last year, Nina Cried Power (2 songs from the EP are featured in the upcoming album too). Almost has Hozier’s trademark drawling vocals that’s absolutely captivating. The music, with a memorable ‘I wouldn’t know where to start’ hook, catchy clap-like rhythms and brilliant guitar makes for great listening.

Read the post on Filmcompanion.

Milliblog Weeklies – India’s only multilingual, weekly new music playlist. Week 55:
On Saavn | On YouTube
11 songs, this week. Saavn has 8, and is missing Neeyoraal, from Kalikootukar, Marghazhi Reloaded’s Dwijavanthi and Superheroes Without Capes, by Thayir Sadam Project. Have embedded them below. YouTube has 10 songs and is missing only Funktuation’s Poovey (which is on Saavn).

A note on the songs in the playlist.

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Wako Naam Fakir – Fakir of Venice (A.R.Rahman) – Hindi: This is Rahman of yore, considering the film has been in the making for a decade. I’m assuming this was probably composed in a very period. The soft, lilting tune that accentuates Kabir’s poignant verse and Rahman’s own voice keeps you completely invested in the song. Also, that tune change for the antara!

Behe Chala – Uri (Shashwat Sachdev) – Hindi: My pick of the soundtrack is the one that doesn’t pump up the adrenalin or go hyper-jingoistic. Shashwat’s music reminds me of early Rahman, with an instrumental selection that beautifully complements the ‘behe chala’ sensibility, as if water is flowing serenely. Yasser Desai is a great choice for the singing too.

Chamba – Electro Folk Series (Music by Aditya Dev, based on a traditional Himachali/Chambyali song): The song was earlier featured in Mohit Chauhan’s album, Fitoor (as Mai Ni Meriye). Aditya Dev’s Electro Folk variant doesn’t tamper much with the actual song and keeps it equally likeable. It’s the singers who take the song to a new high, particularly Neha Kakkar, besides Sonu Kakkar and Aditya Dev himself.

Kannamma – Ispade Rajavum Idhaya Raniyum (Sam C.S.) – Tamil: Sam opens his 2019 account with a catchy, well-produced song. The song starts without any bang since the pallavi seems plain enough, but Sam builds it really well, layering the catchy ‘Sokkatha’ phrase and then using the punchy sound for the rest of the song. The interludes (Vishnu’s flute, in specific) and Anirudh’s singing are good highlights.

Poovey – Funktuation (Tamil): I loved Oora Paaru (had added it in my top 30 of 2018 under non-film/Indipop) from Funktuation. Poovey sounds almost like listening to Jamiroquai sing in Tamil!! Full marks for staying in character with the funk and adapting Tamil perfectly into the flow.

Merupula Merisina – Prema Katha Chitram 2 (JB) – Telugu: Despite the Mohit Suri’ish/Pritam’ish Hindi sound, JB aka Jeevan Babu continues to offers good music and yet be largely relegated to the second/third rung of Telugu music.

Aarum Kaanaathe – Allu Ramendran (Shaan Rahman) – Malayalam: A rather predictable/familiar, but sweet melody from Shaan. The choice of the singer — Adheef Mohammad — works wonderfully for this melody.

Neeyoraal – Kalikootukar (Vinu Thomas) – Malayalam: A song that I could easily mistake for being composed by Vidyasagar. The base classical melody and the soft music contribute to that feeling effortlessly. Not to take anything away from Vinu Thomas, his song is hugely listenable. And the singers – Swetha Mohan and Najim Irshad – really own it.

Dwijavanthi – Marghazhi Reloaded Episode 3 (Mahesh Raghvan, Sharanya Srinivas, Shravan Sridhar & Akshay Anantapadmanabhan): Wonderful effort by the 4 people involved. Mahesh’s Geoshred on the iPad, in particular, is such a resonant sound to focus on! Sharanya’s singing too is brilliant. The raaga, that I identify as the one behind the famous song, ‘Akhilandeshwari Rakshamam’, is the real winner, given how well it has been expressed here.

Superheroes Without Capes – Thayir Sadam Project: I had ranked the Thayir Sadam Project’s Crazy Little Thing Called Chakravakam at No. 14 in my list of top 30 non-film songs for 2018. This new song is a very nice effort! Ambi Subramaniam’s violin phrase, in particular!

You And I – Tom Walker: Tom revisits his massive hit from 2017 with a more ebullient sound. It works yet again, flawlessly!

Read the post on Filmcompanion.

Milliblog Weeklies – India’s only multilingual, weekly new music playlist. Week 54:
On Saavn | On YouTube
13 songs in the first playlist of 2019. Saavn has all but one song – Allah Avalente Pennakane, from Ennodu Para I Love You Ennu. Don’t miss it in the YouTube playlists – lovely song. YouTube is missing the 3 instrumental pieces from Varathan since they are inside a jukebox. Have added the jukebox as an embed, below.

A note on the songs in the playlist.

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Brand New Day (2019 Version) – Sting: Oh yes, that’s good old Stevie Wonder on the harmonica! Sting’s famous song is back with an extra punchy background. The original melody is intact and gets a neat upgrade!

Asli Hip Hop – Gully Boy (Spitfire) – Hindi: ‘Asli Hip Hop Se Milaaye Hindustan Ko’ goes Spitfire’s lyrics. In Ranveer’s raw, but endearing vocals, the short hip-hop track with sparse backgrounds, sounds captivating!

Dingu Dongu – Sarvan Thaala Mayam (A.R.Rahman): There is a Shivaranjani-raaga infused pathos in the melody of the song that is particularly affecting. On top of that, Bamba Bakya and Anthony Dasan’s superb singing, along with the delightful vocal chorus by the kids (that was first featured in the trailer) makes the song a wonderfully energetic listen.

She Is My Girl – Dev (Harris Jayaraj) – Tamil: The one song that I could salvage from the incredibly familiar and predictable (yet another) soundtrack from Harris. And ironically, it is that familiarity — that ‘Bike’il Pogalaama Oora Suthalaama Ada Love’il Idhu Common Thaammaa, in particular, remind you of a dozen other Harris songs — that helps relate to this song!

Dhan Dhan – F2 (Devi Sri Prasad) – Telugu: The 2nd song from F2 (after Entho Fun) that is worth a listen. Devi’s music is predictably comfortable, for sure, but within that limitation, he amps up the rhythm and keeps the song steadily interesting. In particular, the way he uses conversation-style phrase in the antara is neat, besides the gentle doffing-hat to Kalyanji Anandji’s Apni Toh Jaise Taise from Laawaaris.

Allah Avalente Pennakane – Ennodu Para I Love You Ennu (Arjun V Akshaya) – Malayalam: Composer Arjun V Akshaya makes a superb choice in Vineeth Sreenivasan for the vocals, and with that combo – Vineeth and the highly resonant melody that brings to mind everything from Anwar’s Kizhakku Pookkum and Oru Oorla Rendu Raja’s Sundari Penne (same raaga, perhaps!), the song’s slow build-up and simple background music makes it a superb listen.

Sound Of An Orchestra – Mika: Mika returns, albeit for the theme song of an Italian TV show, The Company of the Swan (La Compagnia del Cigno). The song has the texture you’d expect from Mika – the almost whimsical movement, his superb vocals and a profusion of instruments (as in, orchestra). It all exuberantly breaks out with the hook, in typical Mika style.

Medicine – Bring Me The Horizon: From the band’s upcoming 6th album, the song, with a rousing rock/pop hook, has a slid electronic core as well. Perfect radio-friendly stuff.

Favourite Thing – Fleur East: The superb drum beats (Ghana roots) and the pulsatingly big hook make this new song from Fleur a fantastic listen.

Move On – Mike Posner: The new single is from Mike’s upcoming album, A Real Good Kid. The song’s lovely guitar backdrop, the endearing melody, and the incredibly catchy ‘Move On’ hook make it a compelling listen.

Sit Back And Relax, Priya and Abin’s Love Theme & Red Is On – Varathan OST (Sushin Shyam) – Malayalam/Instrumental: I had anointed Sushin as the Malayalam composer of the year 2018 in my annual music round-up, for his stellar work in both Maradona and Varathan. The makers of Varathan have now released the film’s OST too, and it sounds fantastic. Many of the moody pieces make you want to watch the film, to see the context of the music’s use. The sprawling, shape-shifting Red Is On, in particular!

 Read the post on Filmcompanion.

Milliblog Weeklies – India’s only multilingual, weekly new music playlist. Week 53:
On Saavn | On YouTube
13 songs in the last playlist of 2018. Both Saavn and YouTube have 11 songs each. Saavn is missing Kungumanira Sooryan from Neeyum Njanum and Viswasam’s Kannaana Kanney, while YouTube is missing Yaariva from Nathicharami and Anandam from Manchukurisevelalo.

A note on the songs in the playlist.

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Hai Re Farebi – 706 (Anikhet Khandekar) – Hindi: Classical musician Anikhet Khandekar hits it out of the park with a wonderfully realized mix of a classical melody orchestrated with the right amount of sounds that are anything but classical, though the base is very much rooted in the classical mode. The fusion works, and so does the choice of Anikhet’s daughter, Prathaa, for the vocals. She’s stupendously good with the singing!

Vellattu Kannazhagi – Mehandi Circus (Sean Roldan) – Tamil: Mehandi Circus’ script is by Raju Murugan of Cuckoo and Joker fame! And we know what happened the last time Raju and Sean Roldan got together, in Joker. Vellattu Kannazhagi is a charming song no doubt, and there’s a lot to like in the simple, innate beauty of the melody. If there’s anything pulling it down, it is the generic seeming rhythm, a trait that pulls down most of Rahman’s recent songs too.

Uyir – Seethakaathi (Govind Vasantha) – Tamil: Uyir seems like the lyrical version of the outstanding The Journey of Ayya that I had placed at No. 3 in the list of 30 best songs in Tamil in 2018. The base raaga from the instrumental piece seems to be intricately used in this song too and Govind’s searing vocals lend it phenomenal depth.

Kannaana Kanney – Viswasam (D.Imman) – Tamil: The other song in the noisy Viswasam soundtrack that I liked, besides Adchithookku. It’s an easy pick given Sid Sriram’s vocals and the immersive lyrics by Thamarai.

Entho Fun – F2 (Devi Sri Prasad) – Telugu: It looks like the ‘senior’ stars like Nagarjuna and Venkatesh have evolved to understand that they need a younger star to tag along with – so, after Nag’s Devadas with Nani, here comes Venkatesh’s F2, with Varun Tej. Devi’s music is surprisingly warm and low key, with a steadily soft melody with his own singing adding tremendous value.

Anandam – Manchukurisevelalo (Shravan Bharadwaj) – Telugu
Anandam is like a mix of a Devi Sri Prasad’ish song and a Vishal-Shekhar song! The spritely rhythm and Anudeep’s enthusiastic singing help hold on to the song’s feel consistently. Overall, Manchukurisevelalo, besides the title song and this one, is a surprisingly tepid soundtrack from the otherwise promising Shravan.

Yaariva & Bhaavaloka – Nathicharami (Bindhumalini) – Kannada: Aruvi-fame Bindhumalini is on her own (without Vedanth), but the quality of her music remains the same! There is a marked simplicity to her music that sounds more intimate than her work in Aruvi, possibly owing to the film’s theme. Vasundhare remains my favorite from the soundtrack, but its companion piece of sorts, Yaariva, with a similar soft, jazz feel is mighty good too. (since Yaariva is not available as a single on YouTube, adding the jukebox here). And then there’s Bhaavaloka that Bindhumalini owns with her powerful singing. The melody took me back to the Muthuswamy Dikshithar carnatic song, Akhilandeswari Rakshamam, set to dvijaavanti raaga.

Neer Kanikayil & Sanjaaramaay – Ente Ummante Peru (Gopi Sundar) – Malayalam: This is Gopi literally returning to home base! Neer Kanikayil is vintage Gopi melody, with an absolutely delightfully low-key and enveloping melody that he sings himself, with a throaty intimacy. The interludes, particularly the flute-like instrument, too add to the intimate feeling in this soft, unhurried song. Najim Harshad sounds a lot like singer Karthik in Sanjaaramaay, another song that has Gopi’s trademark sounds. This one too is easily likeable, given its familiar sound and melody, interjected with Urdu phrases.

Kungumanira Sooryan – Neeyum Njanum (Vinu Thomas) – Malayalam: Vinu’s delightful melody sounds to me like Reetigowlai raaga and Shreya’s exquisite singing makes it all the more beautiful!

Bindhast Houn – Mauli (Ajay-Atul) – Marathi: Even as the duo’s Hindi form seems middling in a year when they had the most high-profile releases (Thugs of Hindostan and Zero, for instance). But it is perhaps in Marathi that they continue to shine! Like this lovely song from Mauli! The build-up and musical flow are very similar to the sprawling music they produced in Sairat! And in Shreya and Karthik’s voice, this song is sheer magic!

They Don’t Care About Us – Rudimental, featuring Maverick Sabre and YEBBA: A song bristling with its horn-infused orchestration and a tune that surges brilliantly! The song, despite sounding negative on first glance, is actually the opposite!

Prelude: This is the 11th year of my annual music round-ups. In case you are curious, here are the previous editions 2017 | 2016 | 2015 | 2014 | 2013 | 2012 | 2011 | 2010 | 2009 | 2008

2018 was a landmark year for Indian film music in a way that it almost completely and confidently eroded the value of a ‘soundtrack’, or what most people call an ‘album’. There is no need or pretense of a soundtrack or an album anymore. The 2 directors who held on to that definition and went on to score very big, either musically or dramatically (on screen) using music as a co-creator—Shankar and Mani Ratnam—gave up on that notion with 2.0 and Chekka Chivantha Vaanam, respectively, this year. Shankar had 3.5 songs in 2.0 (all of them were severely underwhelming, in my opinion) while Mani Ratnam released, almost apologetically, his A R Rahman-composed soundtrack of Chekka Chivantha Vaanam on the day of the film’s release.

It’s not that soundtracks or jukeboxes on YouTube don’t happen anymore. It’s just that nobody expects them—all that predictably—anymore. It seems fine to have a loosely connected set of singles for a film, and have them perform the film’s weekly/monthly marketing.

Telugu film industry seems to be only one that still holds soundtrack with some sanctity, but I don’t think that would last anymore. It’s already doing what Hindi cinema adopted—multi-composer soundtracks—in films like Lover and Hushaaru.

Malayalam and Kannada cinema have gone further into the limited number of songs per film mode – 3-4 songs seems like the new norm everywhere.

Given all this, I’m doing away with calling out the top 3 soundtracks per year, starting 2018. Top 30 singles seem to suffice!

Beyond film music, I thought Indipop was very, very big this year. A lot of non-film pop music surfaced even beyond stronghold languages like Punjabi where it is the norm (against Punjabi film music), led by digital medium, primarily YouTube and the streaming platforms. Another small start is the music composed for TV series. I observed pretty good music for series like ALTBalaji’s Broken and VIU’s Banned. I’m assuming this will catch on, given the number of web-series and OTT/streaming series that are being made and released across languages, and that we will have a lot more soundtracks for these too, besides films. It’s great in one way – another avenue for music artists to find an occupation and express themselves musically.

And yes, as usual, just remember – every top 10/20/30 list of songs or movies or books is a function of two things – your unique views and opinions, and the total number of that piece of art you have listened/seen/read/consumed. You, as a casual listener, may not have listened to a lot of music, but I do. Week after week. On an average, I listen to at least 50+ new songs from across India and outside. And this is not including those songs I listen to more than once or twice because I’m drawn to them based on my tastes. My long-list for each language is easily about 200+ songs, which, I have to use only my personal tastes and preferences, to reduce to just 30. So, you could very easily start an argument by isolating one song you haven’t heard or liked from the top 30 and ask, ‘Is that song better than XYZ?’.

For example, “Is Meri Nimmo’s Yeh Bhi Beet Jaayega better than Chaav Laga from Sui Dhaaga?”, or “Is Jarugandi’s Yaaradi Nee better than Chekka Chivantha Vaanam?”, or “Is Brand Babu’s Inthe Prema better than all the songs of Devadas?”, or “Is Kinavalli’s Chalamelara better than Odiyan’s Kondoram?”, or “Trataka’s Manase better than all/any song from The Villain?”.

There are no answers for such questions simply because, as I mentioned earlier, each top 30 list is a finite list of 30 songs. And that 30 is like a fingerprint, unique to each person. If all our lists are identical, that’d be a very boring world. It is because our lists are different that we discover new songs, learn from each others’ experiences and tastes and expand our horizons. Let’s enjoy and celebrate that diversity in opinions.

If you wonder how I/we create our own lists and end up liking specific songs among so many, read Milliblog’s Three Laws of Music Appreciation Multiverse.

As always, these lists are in my order of preference, not any random order. And yes, I make these lists primarily for my own listening. They are not meant to pander to some market forces or some star/composer’s whims or fancies – that would be a massive waste of my time. So, these lists are to answer my own question, “There are SO MANY songs to listen to. What should I listen to?“. I’m solving my own music discoverability problem given a profusion of songs throughout the year. The only reason I also share them online is to help others with the same discoverability problem and possibly help some of the lesser known/heard songs that deserve a listen.

Happy listening!

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Hindi

No single composer dominated the release cycle or in terms of quality in 2018, in my opinion. Last year, it was a close call between Pritam and Tanishk Bagchi, but in 2018, Pritam was completely absent, while Tanishk continued to run riot with many singles that were also clever recreations, a technique he has totally owned by now. Amit Trivedi came close, with an ambitious and sprawling soundtrack for Anurag Kashyap’s Manmarziyaan, and followed it up with a very good Andhadhun. But he had spotty music elsewhere – Raid, Blackmail, Bhavesh Joshi Superhero, PadMan, Helicopter Eela and Kedarnath. That’s a lot of films in one year, though… and it shows, why many of them were spotty with only occasional highlights.

Veterans Shankar Ehsaan and Loy scored very well with both Raazi and Soorma, while Ajay-Atul made deeper inroads into Hindi cinema with Dhadak, Thugs of Hindostan and Zero, even as they hold on to their roots with films like Mauli. But their big-ticket films like Thugs of Hindostan and Zero seem more like them using the respective director/producer’s soundscape a lot more than their own.

My favorite soundtrack of the year is Laila Majnu. Between Niladri Kumar (getting back to Hindi, after his 2016 Hindi debut in Shorgul and his Kannada debut in Niruttara, in 2017) and Joi Barua, the music they produce is mindbogglingly good, and this is one soundtrack that perhaps deserved a better film, and hence better commercial success/viability. It proves that Imtiaz Ali’s musical sense is intact no matter how he chooses to engage in the film.

There were a lot of other composers who were good on a one-off basis. That list doesn’t include Tanishk Bagchi, of course, who has made a career out of recreations, despite being known for good original music, like last year’s Shubh Mangal Saavdhan. But I’d argue that some of his recreations are definitely good and don’t deserve the generic write-off they end up getting. That list includes Dil Juunglee’s Gazab Ka Hai Din, Raid’s Nit Khair Manga, Fanney Khan’s Jawan Hai Mohabbat, Mitron’s Chalte Chalte, KGF’s Gali Gali and Simmba’s Aankh Maare. Long list, huh?

Among the other composers who surprised with very good work this year sporadically, Sandesh Shandilya (Daas Dev), Vishal Bhardwaj (Pataakha), Abhishek Arora (October), Anurag Saikia (Karwaan), Clinton Cerejo (3 Storeys), Krsna Solo (Meri Nimmo) and A R Rahman (Sanju) top my list. The only woman composer in my top 30 is Akanksha, of Samuel-Akansha who composed for Jalebi.

Other composers who didn’t make it to the top 30 but deserve a mention include Sohail Sen (Aashiyana – Love Per Square Foot), Sameer Uddin (Jive With Me – Kaalakaandi), Mannan Shah (Tere Liye – Namaste England), Anurag Saikia, despite his presence in the top 30 with Karwaan, also had Prabhu Ji from High Jack, Jeet Ganguli (Mirza Ve (Male) – Marudhar Express), Rochak Kohli (Lae Dooba – Aiyaary), Rana Mazumdar (Yeh Kya Hua – Broken But Beautiful), Jasleen Royal (Khol De Par – Hichki), Sundeep Gosswami & Surya Vishwakarma (Dil Beparwah – Phamous), Anu Malik (Chaav Laaga – Sui Dhaaga: Made In India and Gold Tamba – Batti Gul Meter Chalu), Rachita Arora (Mushkil Hai Apna Meil Priye, Bahut Hua Samman, Chhipkali – Mukkabaaz) and Sachin-Jigar (Kamariya, Nazar Na, Milegi – Stree; De De Jagah, Shubh Din – Parmanu).

Composer of the year: Amit Trivedi

01. Daryaa – Manmarziyaan (Amit Trivedi)
02. Aahista – Laila Majnu (Niladri Kumar)
03. Challa Chaap Chunariya – Daas Dev (Sandesh Shandilya)
04. Title Song – Dhadak (Ajay-Atul)
05. Soorma Anthem – Soorma (Shankar Ehsaan Loy)
06. Naina Da Kya Kasoor – Andhadhun (Amit Trivedi)
07. Theher Ja – October (Abhishek Arora)
08. Naina Banjare – Pataakha (Vishal Bhardwaj)
09. Tum Se – Jalebi (Samuel & Akanksha)
10. Bhare Bazaar – Namaste England (Rishi Rich & Badshah)

11. Dilbaro – Raazi (Shankar Ehsaan Loy)
12. O’Meri Laila – Laila Majnu (Joi Barua)
13. Hallaa – Manmarziyaan (Amit Trivedi)
14. Chogada – Loveyatri (Lijo George – Dj Chetas)
15. Chota Sa Fasana – Karwaan (Anurag Saikia)
16. Paintra – Mukkabaaz (Nucleya)
17. Raat Youn Dil Main Teri – Daas Dev (Sandesh Shandilya)
18. Qaafirana – Kedarnath (Amit Trivedi)
19. Ruby Ruby – Sanju (A R Rahman)
20. Nazarbattu – Yamla Pagla Deewana Phir Se (Sachet – Parampara)

21. Mere Naam Tu – Zero (Ajay-Atul)
22. Bas Tu Hai – 3 Storeys (Clinton Cerejo)
23. Tafreeh – Bhavesh Joshi Superhero (Amit Trivedi)
24. Yeh Bhi Beet Jayega – Meri Nimmo (Krsna Solo)
25. Tareefan – Veere Di Wedding (Qaran)
26. Grey Walaa Shade – Manmarziyaan (Amit Trivedi)
27. Pardesiya – Soorma (Shankar Ehsaan Loy)
28. Badhaaiyan Tenu – Badhaai Ho (Tanishk Bagchi)
29. Hafiz Hafiz – Laila Majnu (Niladri Kumar)
30. Monobina – Gold (Tanishk Bagchi)

Hindi Top 30 playlist on YouTube | Saavn

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Tamil

Tamil film music easily belongs to Govind ‘Menon’ Vasantha, in 2018. The composer, from Thaikkudam Bridge, had been roped in as the composer for his Tamil film long before 2018 in Oru Pakka Kathai, Kalidas Jayaram’s debut vehicle. Last year, the film’s crew released one single and Govind’s musical single debut fizzled out in Tamil. But this year, the man bounced back incredibly with his full album debut (Asuravadham, with 2 fantastic songs), the towering soundtrack for 96 and closing the year with a stupendous Seethakaathi.

But Santhosh Narayanan doesn’t let Govind take the center stage alone! He had a stupendous year too, with brilliant music in Kaala, Pariyerum Perumal and VadaChennai! It’s great to have this healthy and exciting flow of music from 2 fantastic music makers, in the same year!

The 3rd composer who comes close in terms of what Govind or Santhosh produce, but still fell short is Yuvan Shankar Raja. Between Pyaar Prema Kaadhal and Peranbu, he sure seems like having a great time!

About the rest. I expected a whole lot more from A R Rahman – after all, he had his films with 3 directors for whom he produces brilliant music, in 2018 – Shankar, Mani Ratnam and Rajiv Menon. I was completely underwhelmed with both 2.0 and Chekka Chivantha Vaanam, and from whatever I have heard from Sarvam Thaala Mayam, I found it functional and good, not in line with the combo legendary form (Minsara Kanavu and Kandukonden). Anirudh had a great Kolamaavu Kokila and good pop singles like Julie, though I thought his big-ticket Rajini, Petta, was strictly middling.

Darbuka Siva’s story is quite sad, since it seems tied to the will-it-ever-release Enai Nokki Paayum Thotta that is almost like the slow-motion bullet from Matrix… it is still in the air, flying. But, he showcased excellent music in Nimir, thankfully. Between Iravukku Aayiram Kangal, Diya and Mr. Chandramouli, Sam had a pretty good year, while Dhibu Ninan Thomas followed up Maragadha Naanayam’s debut with a good Kanaa. D.Imman continues to produce a lot of familiar and similar music, but for the occasional spark, like in Tik Tik Tik and Seemaraja.

Vishal Chandrashekar’s Telugu form seems better than Tamil for now, given his great music in Padi padi Leche Manasu, though his one single from Kalidas is very good too. I expected a lot more from Sooraj S Kurup’s Tamil debut Vandi, but given the movie’s fate the music faded too. Others like Premgi, Joshua Sridhar, Bobo Shashi and Arun Raj round-up the top 30 confidently, with the occasional good output, even as I missed Ghibran, despite limited work like Aan Devathai, Vishwaroopam 2 and Ratchasan.

Other composers who deserve a mention but missed their place in the top 30 because, well, it IS a top “30” include, Ajaneesh B.Loknath (Nenjil Mamazhai – Nimir), Premgi Amaren (despite his Party song featuring in the top 30) with Adiye from R K Nagar, Ved Shanker Sugavanam (Yaaradi, Kannala – China), Dharan Kumar (Idhu Varai Naan – Zhagaram), Santhosh Dayanidhi (Neethane En Thoovanam – Lisaa), Arrol Correlli (Mayakkuraane – Annanukku Jey), Girishh G (Thallipora – Pakshi), N.Kannan (Kalavarame – Tamizh Padam 2), Hiphop Tamizha (Kadhalikathey – Imaikkaa Nodigal), Vivek-Mervin (Seramal Ponal – Gulaebaghavali), Siddharth Vipin (Koottippo Koodave – Junga), Thaman S (Kanave Kanave – Sketch), Achu Rajamani (Pondattee – Golisoda 2, Thirudathey – Marainthirunthu Paarkum Marmam Enna), V.V.Prassanna (Kedaya, Yaaradhu – Kalari), Balamurali Balu (Azhukku Jatti Amudhavalli – Iruttu Araiyil Murattu Kuthu), M S Jones Rupert (Vidiyarkaalai Nilave – MamaKiKi) and Javed Riaz (Pora Pora – Yaar Ivargal).

Composers of the year: Santhosh Narayanan and Govind Vasantha

01. Pottakaatil Poovasam – Pariyerum Perumal (Santhosh Narayanan)
02. Anthaathi – 96 (Govind Vasantha)
03. The Journey of Ayya – Seethakaathi (Govind Vasantha)
04. Kaarkuzhal Kadavaiye – VadaChennai (Santhosh Narayanan)
05. Kalyaana Vayasu – Kolamaavu Kokila (Anirudh)
06. High On Love – Pyaar Prema Kaadhal (Yuvan Shankar Raja)
07. Geedhaara Kiliye – Nimir (Darbuka Siva)
08. Alathi Anbai – Asuravadham (Govind Vasantha)
09. Dhooramaai – Peranbu (Yuvan Shankar Raja)
10. Naan Yaar – Pariyerum Perumal (Santhosh Narayanan)

11. Yaenadi – Nimir (Darbuka Siva)
12. Karuppi – Pariyerum Perumal (Santhosh Narayanan)
13. Yedhedho Aanene – Mr. Chandramouli (Sam C.S.)
14. Kannamma – Kaala (Santhosh Narayanan)
15. Mazhai – Kaalidas (Vishal Chandrasekhar)
16. The Life of Ram – 96 (Govind Vasantha)
17. Varum Aana Varaathu – Seemaraja (D.Imman)
18. Vaayadi Petha Pulla – Kanaa (Dhibu Ninan Thomas)
19. Ulagam Ennai – Vandi (Sooraj S Kurup)
20. Konjali – Diya (Sam C.S.)

21. Kodi Mangani – Party (Premgi Amaren)
22. Vilagaadhe Enadhuyirae – Oru Kuppai Kathai (Joshua Sridhar)
23. Ayya – Seethakaathi (Govind Vasantha)
24. Maya Maya – Sarvam Thaala Mayam (A R Rahman)
25. Yaaradi Nee – Jarugandi (Bobo Shashi)
26. Bhoomi Bhoomi – Chekka Chivantha Vaanam (A R Rahman)
27. Rowdy Baby – Maari 2 (Yuvan Shankar Raja)
28. Maadila Nikkura Maankutty – VadaChennai (Santhosh Narayanan)
29. Inayae – Thadam (Arun Raj)
30. Tik Tik Tik – Tik Tik Tik (D.Imman)

Tamil Top 30 playlist on YouTube | Saavn

—

Telugu

The Telugu film industry produced a lot of good, interesting music across the year that went far beyond what conventionally passes for musical templates in Telugu films. With 5 of his films represented in the top 30, I’d easily rate Gopi Sundar as the top composer of the year in Telugu. And this includes the best song of the year, from Geetha Govindam. But, I’m also acutely aware of the allegations against the composer in the #MeToo saga, so let me add that context even as I anoint him as the composer of the year for the incredible quality of music he produced in Telugu.

I’m glad to see Jakes Bejoy taking confident strides outside Malayalam in 2018, even as his Tamil repertoire was middling. His Taxiwaala fared much better including the best song of the soundtrack at my No.2. Tune-machine Devi Sri Prasad impressed with occasionally with good tunes from Rangasthalam and Bharat Ane Nenu, while Anirudh’s Telugu was a very good one! Vivek Sagar had 2 great soundtracks in Ee Nagaraniki Emaindi and Sammohanam, and Kannada composer Ajaneesh Loknath’s original Telugu debut (not counting the remake Kirik Party) in truly Nannu Dochukunduvate was excellent.

Hindi Remix-Raja Tanishk Bagchi makes a surprising entry into the Top 10 of Telugu with an original composition that also beautifully touches a quasi-classical note! The return of Sandeep Chowta in Mehbooba was fairly okay, but one song does stand out, easily. Debutant Chaitan Bharadwaj had a stupendously successful film in RX100 to let his music reach a wide audience, and Vishal Chandrashekar produced a whopper of a soundtrack towards the end of the year, and has 2 songs in my top 30 from it.

Other noteworthy composers include Keeravani’s brother who now goes by the name Kalyana Ramana, with his lone winner in Ammammagarillu; Thaman, who produced a lot of music but the only thing that worked for me is a song from Tholi Prema, his best in ages; JB, on whom I continue to place a lot of hope; Prashanth R Vihari, who has been steadily rising his profile and finally culminates it all in both Chi La Sow and particularly in Antharisksham 9000 KMPH, Mickey J Meyer, who had minor highlights in Mahanati and Srinivasa Kalayanam; and last year’s toppers, Radhan and Shravan Bharadwaj producing very limited music in Hushaaru and Manchukurisevelalo.

Few of the other composers who missed the top 30 include Hiphop Tamizha (Dhaari Choodu – Krishnarjuna Yudham), Sharreth (Chiniki Chiniki, Nijama Manasa – Naa Nuvve), Ankit Tiwari (Anthe Kada Mari – Lover), Suresh Bobbili (Naaloni Nuvvu Neeloni Nenu, Edo Jarige – Needi Naadhi Oke Katha), Srinivasa Sarma Rani (Kougillalo, Avuna Nena – Ala) and Zenith Reddy (Arey Arey – Pedavi Datani Matokatundhi).

Composer of the year: Gopi Sundar

01. Inkem Inkem Inkem Kaavaale – Geetha Govindam (Gopi Sundar)
02. Maate Vinadhuga – Taxiwaala (Jakes Bejoy)
03. Rangamma Mangamma – Rangasthalam (Devi Sri Prasad)
04. Gaali Vaaluga – Agnyaathavaasi (Anirudh)
05. Oohalu Oorege Gaalanthaa – Sammohanam (Vivek Sagar)
06. Inthe Inthena – Nannu Dochukunduvate (Ajaneesh B.Loknath)
07. Adbhutam – Lover (Tanishk Bagchi)
08. Saiyaan – Mehbooba (Sandeep Chowta)
09. Pillaa Raa – RX 100 (Chaitan Bharadwaj)
10. Padi Padi Leche – Padi Padi Leche Manasu (Vishal Chandrashekar)

11. Chala Chala – Ammammagarillu (Kalyana Ramana)
12. Okadhaari Lona – Nannu Dochukunduvate (Ajaneesh B.Loknath)
13. Baitikochi Chuste – Agnyaathavaasi (Anirudh)
14. Ninnila – Tholi Prema (Thaman S)
15. Yenti Yenti – Geetha Govindam (Gopi Sundar)
16. O My Lovely Lalana – Padi Padi Leche Manasu (Vishal Chandrashekar)
17. Vachaadayyo Saami – Bharat Ane Nenu (Devi Sri Prasad)
18. Pelli Pandhiri – Shailaja Reddy Alludu (Gopi Sundar)
19. Kanulalo Thadigaa – Sammohanam (Vivek Sagar)
20. Vagachi – Amala (Gopi Sundar)

21. Inthe Prema – Brand Babu (JB)
22. Mellaga Mellaga – Chi La Sow (Prashanth R Vihari)
23. Andhamaina Chandhamaama – Tej I Love You (Gopi Sundar)
24. Samayama – Anthariksham 9000 KMPH (Prashanth R Vihari)
25. Madhilo Unna Prema – Jamba Lakidi Pamba (Gopi Sundar)
26. Manchukurise Vela – Manchukurisevelalo (Shravan Bharadwaj)
27. Savyasachi – Savyasachi (M.M.Keeravani)
28. Undiporaadhey – Hushaaru (Radhan)
29. Collegee Agelona – Ee Nagaraniki Emaindi (Vivek Sagar)
30. Mooga Manasulu – Mahanati (Mickey J Meyer)

Telugu Top 30 playlist on YouTube | Saavn

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Malayalam

From 1 song in Kismath and 2 songs in Ezra, composer Sushin Shyam has definitely come a long, confident way with stellar pieces of music in Maradona and Varathan. But for this 2 soundtrack win, I’d have picked Rex Vijayan for Mayaanadhi, as the composer of the year. I continue to place my bets on Rahul Raj, though the man gets low key every year – but his music in both Kaly and Vikadakumaran were definitely noteworthy.

The most promising relatively-newer composers this year were Mujeeb Majeed and Ranjin Raj; the latter in particular was very impressive in Joseph. The other big surprise, like Jakes Bejoy’s lateral movement to Tamil and Malayalam, was singer Sachin Warrier, who not only impressed with Kannada, but also had 2 fantastic songs in Malayalam. John P Varkey and Kailas Menon, another pair of relatively new composers round off the top 10 in style.

I missed Bijibal the most in 2018, but he did produce the very-Bijibal score in Oru Kaatil Oru Paykappal that I loved. Last year’s toppers, Gopi and Shaan, fared relatively poorly this year, though their Aravindante Athidhikal, My Story, Oru Adaar Love, Mazhayathu, Kaamuki, Kammara Sambhavam and Captain did have the occasional great songs worth getting into the top 30. Deepankuran’s Thattumpurathu Achuthan was an above average effort, enough to make look forward to his music, while Vishnu Mohan Sithara did something similar in Ottakkoru Kaamukan.

Other one-off winners include Hindi composer Vishal Bhardwaj with Carbon, Arunraj with Oru Pazhaya Bomb Kadha, Stephen Devassy with Neerali, M.Jayachandran with Ente Mezhuthiri Athazhangal, Tony Joseph Pallivathukal with Mohanlal, Mangal Suvarnan with Kinavalli, Sayonara Philip with Kuttanpillayude Sivarathri and Sreejith Edavana with Shikkari Shambhu.

The other composers who did not make it the top 30 but definitely deserve a mention in the year-end list (and they did feature in the Weeklies during the year) include, Sithara Krishnakumar (Poomathe Ponnamma – Udalaazham), Jassie Gift (Mylanchi – Masterpiece), Jecin George (Neelashalabame – Charminar), Ashwin and Sandeep (Tanka Takkara – Naam), Jakes Bejoy (Pathiye – Ranam, Doore Vazhikalil – Swathandriam Ardharathriyil, Saare Njangal – Queen), Dawn Vincent (Bum Bum Bum – Iblis), Rajesh Murugesan (Paravayai, Payunne Mele – Thobama), Ousepachan (Thullimazha – Ennaalum Sarath..?), Vinu Thomas (Drama – Pandaarand), Deepak Dev (Panimathiye – Vallikudilile Vellakkaran), Nahoom Abraham (Venmukilukal – Jeevitham Oru Mukhammoodi), Viswajith (Kannaanthalir – Velakkariyayirunnalum Neeyen Mohavalli), Prakash Alex (Mazhamukile – Kalyanam), Athul Anand (Vanolam – Kala Viplavam Pranayam), Girish Narayan (Nenjin Ninave – Angarajyathe Jimmanmar), Hariprasad R (Thoo Manju, Mazha Megham – Krishnam), Arun Ashok (Mayathennum – Mayathennum), Raghu Dixit (Aararo – Koode), Nadirsha (Varika Rasika – Panchavarna Thatha), Jibu Sivananda (Mazhayil Nanayum – Kaitholachathan) and Jubair Muhammed (Oru Poovithal – Old Is Gold).

PS: Malayalam is the only other language where the first 2 songs belong to the same hero – Tovino Thomas, like Telugu, where Vijay Devarakonda features in the top 2 songs. Incidentally, Sid Sriram sings both the songs in Telugu.

Composer of the year: Sushin Shyam

01. Kaadhale – Maradona (Sushin Shyam)
02. Uyirin Nadhiye – Mayaanadhi (Rex Vijayan)
03. Poo Poothuvo – Kaly (Rahul Raj)
04. Aaha – Orayiram Kinakkalal (Sachin Warrier)
05. Kanne Kanne – Mandharam (Mujeeb Majeed)
06. Jeevamshamayi – Theevandi (Kailas Menon)
07. Karineela Kannulla – Joseph (Ranjin Raj)
08. Suhara Song – Shibu (Sachin Warrier)
09. Mizhi Niranju – Eeda (John P Varkey)
10. Kannum Kannum – Vikadakumaran (Rahul Raj) [not available in the Saavn playlist]

11. Kiliye – Mayaanadhi (Rex Vijayan)
12. Mangalakaaraka – Thattumpurathu Achuthan (Deepankuran) [not available in the Saavn playlist]
13. Rasathi – Aravindante Athidhikal (Shaan Rahman)
14. Aaro Varunnathai – Mazhayathu (Gopi Sundar)
15. Kaattin Saarangi – Carbon (Vishal Bhardwaj) [not available in the Saavn playlist]
16. Maanathe Chandirane Pole – Ottakkoru Kaamukan (Vishnu Mohan Sithara)
17. Kaayal Olam Enthino Kothichuvo – Oru Kaatil Oru Paykappal (Bijibal)
18. Nee – Varathan (Sushin Shyam)
19. Kurumbi – Kaamuki (Gopi Sundar)
20. Njano Ravo – Kammara Sambhavam (Gopi Sundar) [not available in the Saavn playlist]

21. Moovandan Manchottil – Oru Pazhaya Bomb Kadha (Arunraj)
22. Azhake – Neeraali (Stephen Devassy)
23. Mizhi Mizhi – My Story (Shaan Rahman)
24. Neela Neela Mizhikalo – Ente Mezhuthiri Athazhangal (M.Jayachandran)
25. Va Va Vo – Mohanlal (Tony Joseph Pallivathukal)
26. Chalamelara (Raveguru) – Kinavalli (Mangal Suvarnan) [not available in the Saavn playlist]
27. Naadottukku – Kuttanpillayude Sivarathri (Sayonara Philip)
28. Mazha – Shikkari Shambhu (Sreejith Edavana)
29. Paalthira Paadum – Captain (Gopi Sundar)
30. Manikya Malaraya Poovi – Oru Adaar Love (Shaan Rahman)

Malayalam Top 30 playlist on YouTube | Saavn

—

Kannada

Compared to 2017, I thought the Kannada film music output in 2018 was far superior. Last year’s hold-outs like Ajaneesh Loknath had a very good year, while last year’s star Judah Sandhy continued his impressive form almost all through, till soundtracks like Thayige Thakka Maga caught up.

I have always hoped a lot from multilingual composer Manikanth Kadri and I’m glad to see he produced a really good soundtrack in Naduve Antaravirali, while Sachin Warrier’s Kannada debut was a super surprise since he seems to be getting truly multilingual too! Charan Raj had a good year since his long-awaited Jeer Jimbe released finally, though it was Tagaru that was his best work in the year.

The most prolific Kannada composer Arjun Janya, who took on that mantle from V.Harikrishna, was busy all through the year, and his Raaga (2017) equivalent wholesome soundtrack happened in Kannadakkagi Ondannu Otti. Sunaad Gowtham was the surprise entry this year in the top 10, with a confident set of songs in Ananthu V/s Nusrath.

The trio, Kartik, Pradeep, Ganeshan, made themselves heard in Trunk, while Anand Rajavikram, who I had pinned some hopes based on last year’s Lee, had one very good song in Relax Satya. Nobin Paul’s Anukta, Vasuki Vaibhav’s Sarkari Hi. Pra. Shaale, Kasaragodu, Amit Anand’s Gultoo and Chandan Shetty’s Gaanchali complete the rest of the top 30. As for Thaman, who plays peekaboo in Kannada, he had one decent outing in Orange.

Veteran Gurukiran’s Nee Yaaro Nanage from Amma I Love You, a couple of songs from Arun Suradhaa’s Trataka, Oo Deva from Poornachandra Tejaswi’s Fortuner, Sridhar V Sambhram’s Kannugale from Iruvudellava Bittu, Ashic Arun’s Mugulunage from Edakallu Guddada Mele and Kiran Ravindranath’s Sogasaagi from Krishna Tulasi are some of the other composers who missed the top 30, but deserve a mention.

Composer(s) of the year: Ajaneesh B.Loknath and Judah Sandhy

01. Hosa Padmavathi – Johny Johny Yes Papa (Ajaneesh B.Loknath)
02. Mental Ho Jawa – Tagaru (Charan Raj M.R)
03. Dheemtha – Katheyondu Shuruvagide (Sachin Warrier)
04. Shaakuntle Sikkalu – Naduve Antaravirali (Manikanth Kadri)
05. Nana Mele Nanageega – Kannadakkagi Ondannu Otti (Arjun Janya)
06. Jaleela – Ambi Ning Vayassaytho (Arjun Janya)
07. Rangeride – Vaasu Naan Pakka Commercial (Ajaneesh B.Loknath)
08. Jeevana Kali (Sagu Sagu) – Idam Premam Jeevanam (Judah Sandhy)
09. Haniye Haniye – 8MM Bullet (Judah Sandhy)
10. Eega Thaane Jaariyagide – Ananthu V/s Nusrath (Sunaad Gowtham)

11. Ontharadali Ella Hayagide – Bruhaspati (V.Harikrishna)
12. Jeeva Sakhi – Tagaru (Charan Raj M.R)
13. Daariya Kaledukondide – Katheyondu Shuruvagide (Sachin Warrier) [not available in the YouTube playlist]
14. Romanchana – Trunk (Kartik, Pradeep, Ganeshan)
15. Kshana Kshana – Relax Satya (Anand Rajavikram)
16. Ee Saniha – Anukta (Nobin Paul)
17. Kuttu Kuttu – Viictory 2 (Arjun Janya)
18. Yenammi Yenammi – Ayogya (Arjun Janya)
19. He Sharade – Sarkari Hi. Pra. Shaale, Kasaragodu (Vasuki Vaibhav)
20. Manase – Trataka (Arun Suradhaa)

21. Saalaagi – Gultoo (Amit Anand)
22. Arare Arare – Idam Premam Jeevanam (Judah Sandhy)
23. Bhoomi Baana Kaadambari – Katheyondu Shuruvagide (Sachin Warrier) [not available in the YouTube playlist]
24. Ardha Chandra – 8MM Bullet (Judah Sandhy)
25. Ele Vayasina – Naduve Antaravirali (Manikanth Kadri)
26. Yaaro Yaaro – Orange (Thaman S)
27. Dadda Song – Sarkari Hi. Pra. Shaale, Kasaragodu (Vasuki Vaibhav)
28. Title song – Kannadakkaagi Ondannu Otti (Arjun Janya)
29. Yaako Yeno – Jeerjimbe (Charan Raj M.R) [not available in the Saavn playlist]
30. Usire Usire – Gaanchali (Chandan Shetty)

Kannada Top 30 playlist on YouTube | Saavn

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Indipop

I started tracking Indipop very diligently in 2018 and it helped me very well. The sheer range of multilingual pop music all through the year was staggering. Particularly worth mentioning is 7UP’s Madras Gig set of songs that were consistently good. The other series worth highlighting is Gautham Vasudev Menon-blessed Ondraga Originals, which had music by singer Karthik and lyrics by Madhan Karky. Like my note on Gopi Sundar in the Telugu top 30’s introduction, it is only fair to add the context of #MeToo allegations against singer Karthik while talking about how good his music was.

3 bands that were really consistent with the quality of their output were Agam, Sona Mohapatra and Ram Sampath, and The Yellow Diary. Agam’s sophomore album released as a series of singles in 2018 even as the full album hasn’t released yet. But the 2nd album was a true work of art, with a staggering showcase of fantastic music and imagination! Sona and Ram continue to produce eclectic and delightfully Indian music together. The Yellow Diary, across 2 EPs (Izafa and Marz) were very, very impressive.

Ananthaal’s loss was the Shor Police’s gain – missing Vijay Prakash, but the other 2 continued the good music in the new band. Of the others in the Tamil pop variety, Anirudh’s Julie, BP Collective’s Kannil Mazhai, Ashwin Vinayagamoorthy’s Maiyitta Mayile, Thayir Sadam Project’s Crazy Little Thing Called Chakravakam, Funktuation’s Oora Paaru, Ranjith’s Pachondhi deserve a special mention.

01. Manavyalakinchara (Mist of Capricorn) – Agam
02. Koova – Ondraga Originals
03. Siddaiah Swamy Banni – Folk Fusion
04. Anjaana – Shor Police
05. Marz – The Yellow Diary
06. Julie – Anirudh Ravichander
07. Mulla – Hope Project
08. Aaya Na Tu – Arjun Kanungo, Momina Mustehsan
09. Kannil Mazhai – BP Collective
10. Tum Jo Mile – Maati Baani

11. The Celestial Nymph (Manassi Dussaham) – Agam
12. Maiyitta Mayile (feat. Kausthub Ravi) – Ashwin Vinayagamoorthy
13. Tori Surat – Sona Mohapatra, Ram Sampath
14. Crazy Little Thing Called Chakravakam – Thayir Sadam Project
15. Tere Jeya Hor Disda – Izafa, The Yellow Diary
16. Oora Paaru – Funktuation
17. Cloud 8.9 – Uplift [not available in the YouTube playlist]
18. Kanne Kanne – Madras Gig (Leon James)
19. Thee – San Jaimt
20. Cheluvayya Cheluvo – Folk Fusion

21. Saalaikal – Thaikkudam Bridge
22. Rangapura Vihara – Agam
23. Kaadhal Thozhi – Vidya Vox, Madhan Karky & Shankar Tucker
24. Ab Dil Zara Zara – Devika Bandana
25. Sunset Malkauns – Harmony with A.R. Rahman [not available in the YouTube playlist]
26. Pachondhi – Ranjith
27. Anhad Naad – Sona Mohapatra, Ram Sampath
28. Maayera – Raghav
29. Orasaadha – Madras Gig (Vivek Mervin)
30. Ki Ae Yaar – Karan Sehmbi

Indipop Top 30 playlist on YouTube | Saavn

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Marathi

My Marathi song listening continues to be small and sporadic, mainly because the sources of music are limited. I largely get them via Saavn and Apple Music, and discoverability is a big problem on YouTube since they are uploaded by many different players – smaller record labels, production houses etc. Within what I heard (which is a very small universe unlike my listens in Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada or Malayalam), this is my pick for the top 10.

01. Konte Naatey – Aamhi Doghi (Mangesh Dhakde)
02. Luklukle Swapna – Truckbhar Swapna (Shreyashh)
03. Saye – Youngraad (Hriday Gattani)
04. Jau De Na Va – Naal (AV Prafullachandra)
05. Dheemi Dheemi – Cycle (Aditya Bedekar)
06. Banjaara – Bogda (Siddharth Mahadevan & Soumil Shringarpure)
07. Iskoot Zaala – Chitthi (Onkarswaroop Bagde)
08. Kuni Yenar Ga – Mumbai Pune Mumbai 3 (Nilesh Moharir)
09. Dhuvun Taak – Mauli (Ajay-Atul)
10. Title song – Chumbak (Amar Mangrulkar)

Marathi Top 10 playlist on YouTube | Saavn

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Read the post on Filmcompanion.

Milliblog Weeklies – India’s only multilingual, weekly new music playlist. Week 52:
On Saavn | On YouTube
12 songs this week. Both playlists have 11 songs, but not the same 11 🙂 YouTube is missing just Mayakkadha from Silukkuvaarpatti Singam, which is available on Saavn. And Saavn is missing just one song – a blasphemy to miss Thala’s Adchithooku, from Viswasam! What ra, Lahari Audio, what you doing? This is also a week which has just one Hindi song, and even that is a remix of a 1989 Hindi song!

A note on the songs in the playlist.

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Adchithooku (Viswasam, Tamil): One heck of a rabble-rousing song by Imman. But even beyond the conventional kuthu idioms, Imman adds an interesting musical layer that sounds both alien to the kuthu template but also adds a new perspective to it! Good job!

Mayakkadha (Silukkuvaarpatti Singam, Tamil): The only song that worked for me, from Leon James’s latest. His music in his Telugu debut, Next Enti was very underwhelming. This song has a nice, captivating hook and some spritely backgrounds. Very well sung by Sudharshan Ashok.

Kerala Song (Natpe Thunai, Tamil): Hiphop Tamizha converts actor Vivek’s iconic comedy scene from Budget Padmanabhan into a frenetic mash-up of a song that is as over-the-top as it is enjoyable 🙂 While at it, he also mixes Pallivaalu bhadravattakam skillfully into the mix.

Varalama & Peter Beatu Yethu (Sarvam Thaala Mayam, Tamil): I was mighty underwhelmed with the film’s first teaser – I was left wondering why this plot (of which there was precious little to comprehend) for Rajiv’s return after 18 years! But this Chennai Times interview of Rajiv Menon, by Suganth, helps appreciate the plot like the teaser didn’t! Now, after reading the interview, the new song makes a lot more sense and generates interest. In some ways, it is like Sangamam’s conflict, between actor Rahman and Manivannan’s art and Vijaykumar’s art. The song is nice, in a way Rahman’s music usually is, but not in a very deep way, in my view. The composing credit for the song is for Rajiv Menon, while Rahman has been credited as ‘curator’. I found the sound superficial… or synthetic, with a more modern outlook to the emotions it is trying to depict. But that superficiality is just my own opinion, for a lot of younger folks, this is authentic and deep… and eventually, another generation will appear in the future for whom even this would seem superficial because something else would have taken shape by then.

Peter Beatu Yethu is kuthu, Rahman-style, where he incorporates a lot of world-music sounds to complement the rhythm focus of the film’s theme. The core tune did remind me of Kaadhalar Dhinam’s Enna Vilai Azhage – this line: “Viraivinil vandhu kalandhidu
viralpada mella kanindhidu
udal mattum ingu kidakkudhu
udan vandhu neeyum uyir kodu”
and
“Dhinam dhinam unai ninaikkiren
thurumbena udal ilaikkiren
uyir kondu varum padhumaiyae
unaivida illai pudhumaiyae”

Maari’s Aanandhi (Maari 2, Tamil): For a melody this beautiful, and one that almost alludes to the delightful prelude humming from Raja’s Kaadhalin Dheepam Ondru from Thambikku Endha Ooru, I really it was sung by someone who didn’t have to strain so much. Raja’s vocal strain is so obvious that it is painful to hear. Great job by Yuvan, though, with the sprawling melody and orchestration that keeps it all together.

Hrudayam Jaripe & O My Lovely Lalana (Padi Padi Leche Manasu, Telugu): After the first 2 singles, here’s the full soundtrack! Ironically, my least liked song from the soundtrack is by Sid Sriram (Emai Poyave). Hrudayam Jaripe easily works, with its energetic guitars and hook, and a fantastic veena layer. The other winner is Oh My Lovely Lalana, where composer Vishal Chandrashekar uses Karur Shivaramaiah’s English-Telugu Javali in Karaharapriya as base for his version. Stays true to the original with some nifty musical additions! Superbly sung by Sindhuri, Vishal’s wife!

Yemainado (Mr. Majnu, Telugu): Thaman scores pretty well here with the sparse backdrop and the use of Chennai Strings, to add a sprawling musical layer on Armaan Malik’s singing of the highly melodic tune.

Nuvve Nuvve (Hushaaru, Telugu): The second song by Sunny M.R. in Hushaaru. I’m glad to see him back in Telugu! This one’s also sung by Arijit Singh, no less. The tune is as intimate and touching as you’d expect a melody from Sunny. In Arijit’s voice, it transforms even better as it progresses and the rhythm kicks in.

Vasundhare (Nathicharami, Kannada): Composer Bindhumalini returns after Aruvi, albeit without Vedanth Bharadwaj. And song lives up to the Aruvi high in every way! She not only sings it incredibly beautifully, but she also adorns it incredibly with a lovely saxophone-loaded jazz feel and a smattering of Latino. It all works so very well together in that whispery serene tune!

Gali Gali (KGF, Hindi): Tanishk Bagchi strikes for the umpteenth time. In a film that is billed as a multi-lingual but they are way too scared to even refer to the actual composer of the film in any title or YouTube description, Instead, composer Vijay Basrur is adequately hidden in all promos. Not that his songs are any good – they seem loud, garish and pointless. Gali Gali, though, works purely on the charm of the original that it attempts to remix – it is telling that Kalyanji Anandji’s original from almost 3 decades ago is still so good!