Milliblog Weeklies – India’s only multilingual, weekly new music playlist.
Week 185: On Spotify | On YouTube
11 songs this week! All the songs are available on YouTube and Spotify.

Makhmali & Hadd Kar De – Prithviraj (Shankar Ehsaan Loy), Hindi: A song that sounds rather non-period’ish and could have featured in any of the trio’s more modern films. That folk’ish rhythm that plays on the back of the ‘Makhmali’ hook could have been placed for that period effect, but the overall package sounds so very new. Keeping that aside, it’s a gorgeous song, with brilliant singing by Arijit Singh and Shreya Ghoshal. Hadd Kar De has what we instinctively (and in a filmy way) identify as shades of a period-score – that means, we may not imagine this song in a modern backdrop. The melody is engaging, the rhythm is jaunty, Neeti Mohan’s singing is outstanding and the backgrounds are excellent too, giving the song a wonderful lilt.

Vikram title song – Vikram (Anirudh) – Tamil: After the banger of a title song from Beast, Anirudh delivers yet again in style for the Vikram title song that deftly makes use of the original Vikram title song. This is one electric title song! The other songs, including the 2 English songs (Wasted, Once Upon a Time), and Porkanda Singam, though they sound cool enough, didn’t appeal to me as much – perhaps they are better seen than heard.

Cheranaadu – Paper Rocket (Simon K King) – Tamil: I was just starting to wonder what happened to Simon after showing much promise. What a lovely Tamil-Malayalam mix in terms of sound and language (written by Ku.Karthick and Joe Paul)! Ramya Nambessan’s singing is fantastic, and Simon’s background mix using the guitar and chendai to produce an incredibly rhythmic sound works darn well. Couldn’t help but notice that the reference to Siruvani (from Coimbatore) was enveloped in Malayalam lyrics 🙂

Kaathu Vaakula Rendu – Kaathuvaakula Rendu Kaadhal (Anirudh) – Tamil: The film’s soundtrack is already loaded with great songs and the thoroughly catchy title song easily joins that list! This one has excellent lyrics by Vignesh ShivN too that syncs so well with the melody!

Oh Isha – Major (Sricharan Pakala) – Telugu: While I was underwhelmed by Sricharan’s first song from the film (Hrudayama) that I felt was rather generic, he hits out of the park with Oh Isha! He has terrific support from his singers – Armaan Malik and Chinmayi Sripada. The melody is something within the range of what modern-day Hindi film composers like Sachet-Parampara produce, but Sricharan brings his Telugu film music sensibility too to it and makes it his own.

Padamule Levu Pilla – Premadesam (Mani Sharma) – Telugu: Right from the start, Mani’s tune and sound is from a different period, at least 10-15 years before today when he was ruling the roost. But that sound works for the song’s advantage. That ‘Naa chitti gunde chuttu vunna’ phrase, backed by the tabla is a lovely touch. And the contrast between Armaan Malik’s vocal range and Harika Narayan’s works wonders for the song.

Aambale Neelambale – Thrayam (Arun Muraleedharan) – Malayalam: Arun lives up to his recent form (Anugraheethan Antony) with a breezy melody that KS Harisankar handles incredibly well. The extended prelude that lands the Aambale hook is particularly gorgeous!

Oru Naalithaa – John Luther (Shaan Rahman) – Malayalam: I hear Shaan’s signature melody all over the song – as soon as Najeem Arshad starts extending the ‘Oru naalithaaaaaa’, I see Shaan’s name in my head! Very pleasant tune!

Jr. Monalisa – Harikathe Alla Girikathe (Vasuki Vaibhav) – Kannada: If I hadn’t seen the composer’s name, I’d have guessed Arjun Janya. The comic vocal embellishments had become Arjun’s trademark given how often he employs them 🙂 But Vasuki’s tune and almost-nasal vocals have the requisite levity to carry the fun song’s feel impressively.

Ki Mayay – Belashuru (Anupam Roy) – Bengali: To be honest, I have gone past Anupam’s musical style and they have started sounding less interesting over time to me. So when I stumbled upon Ki Mayay, I was pleasantly surprised and very, very happy! This is a classical Bengali melody (could be a Hindi film melody too) that gains tremendously from Shreya Ghoshal’s incredible singing. The tune took me back to Madan Mohan’s style of music-making.

Milliblog Weeklies – India’s only multilingual, weekly new music playlist.
Week 184: On Spotify | On YouTube
12 songs this week! All the songs are available on YouTube and Spotify.

Main Ki Karaan? – Laal Singh Chaddha (Pritam) – Hindi/Punjabi: What a lovely song! And so good to hear Sonu Nigam sing it! The simple, lilting tune that Pritam concocts is thoroughly endearing and when Romy interjects with his high-pitched lines, the song’s feel blends in with the Punjabi soul as demonstrated in the monologue at the beginning.

Raat Rani & Shuru Se Shuru – Modern Love: Mumbai (Ram Sampath, and Shankar Ehsaan Loy) – Hindi: For a soundtrack that boasts of so many composers (7 songs, each composed by different composers), only two made the mark for me. Ram’s Raat Rani has an effortlessly likeable vibe and is wonderfully sung by Nikhita Gandhi. Shankar Ehsaan Loy’s Shuru Se Shuru is the soundtrack’s best, though. The song could have been part of the trio’s larger films too, and offers a catchy tune brilliantly sung by Shashaa Tirupati and Shankar Mahadevan. The parts where the composers overlay the 2 voices is gorgeous!

Hum Nashe Mein Toh Nahin – Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2 (Pritam) – Hindi: Strictly a by-the-numbers melody by Pritam, but above average given the largely substandard output in Hindi film music these days, including the other songs from this film 🙂 Plus, Arijit Singh sings this one!

Pathala Pathala – Vikram (Anirudh) – Tamil: Oh, what a joy listening to Kamal singing after quite some time, that too with this trademark Madras lingo (that he wrote himself)! Anirudh’s tune seems functional, but he does considerably better with the overall packaging and the pulsating sound.

Oh Sita Hey Rama – Sita Ramam (Vishal Chandrasekhar) – Telugu: Vishal’s tune and sound is so very Ilayaraja-like! The melody is beautiful, and the interludes—so Raja’ish—add so much charm! While SPB Charan was his usual best, Ramya Behara’s singing seemed a bit strained, oddly.

Shallow – Stand Up Rahul (Sweekar Agasthi) – Telugu: I recall writing about Ala Ela, another song from this film way back in August 2021! I have heard the other songs from the soundtrack but nothing worked as much as that one… but for this one! Probably because of Shaan’s singing, the song sounds like a breezy Indipop song!

Entha Chithram – Ante Sundaraniki (Vivek Sagar) – Telugu: Vivek had paused his bluegrass’y sound for a brief period, but it’s back here! It’s a trademark Vivek song, and the overall tune feeds very well within that sound. The singers, Anurag Kulkarni and Keerthana Vaidyanathan, have been given a chorus’ish backdrop that enhances the appeal.

Parayuvan – Aviyal (Sankar Sharma) – Malayalam: From Sharreth’s Manjin Thooval, to this song – the soundtrack covers massive ground, looking at the male protagonist’s appearance! Sankar’s tune is ebullient and easy on the ear, well sung by Sanoop Kalarikkal.

Enganokke Enganokke – Jack N’ Jill (Ram Surendar) – Malayalam: Enganokke carries the same wacky vibe that Kim Kim carries and one look at the film’s trailer, I think I can understand why 🙂 This one fuses a Kerala folk sound very confidently with a tune that starts sounding like a folk melody but also includes rap portions. Sree Nanda, the singer, is really effective, particularly with her ‘TiRRa TiRRa’ part!

Arike – Syam Mohan (Indipop/Malayalam): The melody seemed to be based on Saaranga raaga, and had shades of Vidyasagar’s style too. Pleasant song, with good singing by Rajkumar Radhakrishnan and Sangeeta.

Nterini – Fatoumata Diawara (World Music): I stumbled on Nterini through a music-focused WhatsApp group and I have heard the song so many times already, besides going into the rabbit hole of this incredible artist’s other songs and albums! I figured that Fatoumata Diawara is a Malian singer who sings in Bambara, the national language of Mali. The singing and sound are truly phenomenal. And her guitar work, which she handles so confidently and with so much enjoyment, is sheer delight!

Milliblog Weeklies – India’s only multilingual, weekly new music playlist.
Week 183: On Spotify | On YouTube
18 songs this week! All the songs are available on YouTube and Spotify.

Kahani – Laal Singh Chaddha (Pritam) – Hindi: Oh wow! This is Pritam taking us back to his frothy Barfi sound! And the choice of Mohan Kannan for the singing (as against a Papon, for instance, who too could have been great for this melody) makes a big difference in adding freshness to the tune. Lovely song.

Dil Ki Gali – Jayeshbhai Jordaar (Vishal and Sheykhar) – Hindi: If I hadn’t known the composer of this song, I’d have guessed, instantly: Shankar Ehsaan Loy! Vishal and Sheykhar produce a cracker of a song that’s pleasant and captivating, and includes some fantastic singing! Sheykhar’s singing of his one line, in particular, is a lovely touch! On the other hand, Katyayani holds the song in total style!

Keetraadum Vaaanam, Nigazhe Sadhaa & Naan Pookalaalae Unnai – Kathir (Prashant Pillai) – Tamil: Kathir’s soundtrack is a lovely little surprise by Prashant. It’s perhaps his most mainstream, non-experimental sound in recent times, but even in this zone, his work is fantastic! Sreekanth Hariharan is excellent in Keetraadum Vaaanam, handling the sax-loaded melody, while Preeti Pillai joins him in Nigazhe Sadhaa, another lilting and pleasant melody with lovely lyrics by Karthik Netha. The vocal interplay between Sreekanth and Preeti is particularly lovely! Preeti is stupendously good in her solo, Naan Pookalaalae Unnai, evoking Rahman’s melody-style.

Kaalathukkum Nee Venum – Vendhu Thanindhathu Kaadu (A R Rahman) – Tamil: What a pleasant surprise! Rahman, after all these years, produces a song that sounds like something that we have heard long, long ago from his early films! There is an innate simplicity in the tune and the backgrounds that hark back to early Rahman. What does not go back to those days is the choice of singers. Despite Silambarasan’s valiant effort, he is singing against type, and the strain shows, both in his singing and in the song itself. Rakshita Suresh does a stupendous job handling Thamarai’s evocative lyrics, and I’d love to hear another version of the song in the album perhaps sung by a singer who deserved this kind of a melody.

Maayava Thooyava – Iravin Nizhal (A R Rahman) – Tamil: What Rahman doesn’t do in the above song with regard to the choice of singer, he does incredibly well in this song! In a beautiful melody that may fit perfectly in a film like Kaaviya Thalaivan, he ropes in Shreya Ghoshal to sing the song. And what a fabulous job she does!

Soorathenga – Koogle Kuttappa (Ghibran) – Tamil: A terrific, ebullient song, with a superb hook reminiscent of Ghibran’s electrofolk series. Very well sung by Gold Devaraj.

Emundi Ra – Krishna Vrinda Vihari (Mahati Swara Sagar) – Telugu: The first song from the film, Varshamlo Vennella, didn’t work for me; I found it rather generic. But Mahati Swara Sagar gets this one right! In Haricharan’s dependably excellent singing, the lively tune is a lovely listen! And did I hear a Nordic-style interlude too? Seemed so, and was interesting as an addition and the way it was Indianized!

Ee Veduka – Ashoka Vanamlo Arjuna Kalyanam (Jay Krish) – Telugu: A gorgeous melody from Jay where his choice of singer—Haripriya—too works tremendously to the song’s advantage. Jay gives her a tune that involves extending the sound of each word all through the pallavi and the sweet melody comes alive right here.

Kothaga Ledhenti – Ranga Ranga Vaibhavanga (Devi Sri Prasad) – Telugu: This is the side of DSP who produces Raja-style melodies while he is not busy churning foot-tapping songs with repetitive hooks! Arman Malik and Haripriya are very good with the singing. That 3rd line, ‘Intha Daggarunna Nuvvu Nenu Kothaga Ledhenti’ tune took me back to some Ilayaraja song that I couldn’t place!

Sottala Buggallo – Ramarao On Duty (Sam CS) – Telugu: Before Sam lands the catchy hook, he layers the song with a lovely melody! After Sam’s recent, less-interesting work, this song is a relief and a welcome change!

Ma Ma Mahesha – Sarkaru Vaari Paata (Thaman S) – Telugu: Very, very catchy, but also something Thaman could compose in his sleep these days 🙂

Bhala Thandhanana – Tholi Choopu (Mani Sharma) – Telugu: It’s perhaps ages since Manisharma produced melodies like this! But I’m so glad to hear him create this! Darn good singing by Anurag Kulkarni and Sahithi Chaganti.

Paathi Paathi – Night Drive (Ranjin Raj) – Malayalam: I missed this song from December 2021 and found it only now after the film’s release. While the basic tune is interesting enough, and very well sung by Kapil Kapilan and Nithya Mammen, Ranjin’s musical additions are even more engaging, particularly those pulsating interludes interjected beautifully by the flute.

Kannil Pettole – Thallumaala (Vishnu Vijay) – Malayalam: Relatively less interesting as a tune, but Vishnu Vijay gets the music and sound very right! The glitzy, captivating music, along with Irfana Hameed’s rap makes it a good listen.

Aaraanu Athu – Jo & Jo (Govind Vasantha) – Malayalam: Govind seems to be having solid fun composing, and particularly singing this song 🙂 The song’s build-up is brilliant and that nadaswaram (by Balasubrahmanium) layer is a groovy touch!

Laage Re Nain – Paras Nath (recreated bandish), ft. Pratibha Singh Baghel – Indipop: The familiar bandish set to Raag Bhopali gets a modern, bouncy fusion version in Paras’ imagination. It works perfectly for Pratibha’s skills since her singing is impeccable even as the music makes itself distinct from Coke Studio Pakistan’s 2013 recreation.

Milliblog Weeklies – India’s only multilingual, weekly new music playlist.
Week 182: On Spotify | On YouTube
18 songs this week! All the songs are available on YouTube, while Spotify is missing the Malayalam song Santhwani, and Shankar Mahadevan’s Dil Ki Dhun for obvious reasons considering it’s a promo song from rival streaming platform, JioSaavn 🙂

Jordaar – Jayeshbhai Jordaar (Vishal-Sheykhar) – Hindi: It’s good to hear Vishal-Sheykhar’s music, though he is ‘Sheykhar’ now, the music remains the same! The song’s pulsating sound and Gujarati smattering go pretty well. The singing, by Vishal Dadlani and Keerthi Sagathia, is thoroughly enjoyable, and that ‘Bhai toh ek dum Jordaar’ is an earworm!

Maan Le – Chitrakut (Somesh Saha) – Hindi: Somesh’s melody, that tabla-laden backdrop, the strings that punctuate the first interlude, and the sitar that joins the song eventually… all make the song sound a lot like an Indipop song. Arijit’s singing is the star, though – he holds the song that already shines with Somesh’s confident, engaging melody.

Dil Ki Dhun – Shankar Mahadevan (Indipop/Hindi): The single has so many marketing tie-ups behind it – a song produced as part of JioSaavn’s current ‘Dil Ki Dhun’ campaign, a music video shot with OnePlus 10 Pro, and more! But, for a song that aims to showcase ‘My Country, My Music’, the song is way too short (under 2 minutes) and decidedly Mumbai + ‘North’ India. Shankar’s composition is fantastic, though. The way he drops the sound at the 1-minute mark and brings in a classical high with his impeccable vocals is a lovely touch!

Boli Tujhse – Amit Trivedi (Indipop/Hindi): This song is table-stakes by Amit’s standards, but still, is a listenable melody. The singers—Asees Kaur and Abhijeet Shrivastava—elevate the song considerably though that ‘Naam Tera Jo Mujhse Judd Gaya’ line screams so much of Amit’s template.

Maaman Magale & Nee Pirindhadheno – Kuttram Kuttrame (Ajesh) – Tamil: I have already expressed confidence in Ajesh’s composing skills more than once in this blog, and here he is, proving it yet again. Even though the Maaman Magale refrain harks back to ‘Aathangara Marame’ in a slightly slower mode, and even if the song reeks of early Rahman, this is still a very listenable song! Ajesh comes into his own in Nee Pirindhadheno that he not only composes but also sings extremely well! Viveka’s soulful lyrics add weight to this pensive melody too.

Naandhaana Naan Needhaana – Kathir (Prashant Pillai) – Tamil: It’s clear that Prashant is aiming for a ‘period’ sound to go with the sepia-toned visuals from the past. But instead of going the whole hog, he simply underlines the period’s musical style mildly while retaining a more modern sound, and this combo works wonderfully well for this melody. The choice of the singers has a lot to do with the song’s feel too – Gowtham Bharadwaj and Keerthana Vaidyanathan.

Dippam Dappam – Kaathuvaakula Rendu Kaadhal (Anirudh) – Tamil: To be sure, I was less impressed by the starting portions led by Anthony Daasan, but Anirudh concocts an incredibly catchy ‘Dippam Dappam’ hook that holds the song together.

Madichu Vecha Vethala – Buffoon (Santhosh Narayanan) – Tamil: What starts off as an authentic therukoothu escalates into something completely different at the 2-minute mark! It becomes a pulsating techno number using a familiar Tamil folk melody 🙂 Hugely enjoyable twist, that!

BulBul Tarang – Ramarao On Duty (Sam CS) – Telugu: After a series of non-starters, Sam seems to have a ‘big’ film in hand and he gets his recent best form, along with Sid Sriram in tow. The tune has a Western Classical base and a mysterious sound to it, a combination that works quite well!

Bullet Song – The Warriorr (Devi Sri Prasad) – Telugu: Trust DSP to produce the catchiest gimmicky songs 🙂 The bike sounds, the vocalization of bike sounds, the simple, hummable tune, and the catchy rhythm… everything simply works in this enjoyable masala song. And yes, the singers – Silambarasan and Haripriya!

Bhale Bhale Banjara – Acharya (Mani Sharma) – Telugu: Mani shows that he still has the goods to handle a ‘big’ film! The tune is a standard-issue hodge-podge, to be sure, but it takes its masala origins seriously enough and delivers adequately.

Aanandamo – Solamante Theneechakal (Vidyasagar) – Malayalam: Oh wow, the return of Vidyasagar! That too, in Malayalam, where he has a decidedly more melodic repertoire compared with Tamil and Telugu! The first single lives up to his legacy in Malayalam with excellent singing by Abhay Jodhpurkar and Anwesshaa, particularly in the anupallavi where Cochin Strings showcases its magic too.

Maayalle Maayalle – Makal (Vishnu Vijay) – Malayalam: Another ‘comeback’ film, but this has nothing to do with a musical comeback – Meera Jasmine’s comeback 🙂 But in a Sathyan Anthikad’s film! Vishnu’s first single is a breezy listen, particularly in Haricharan’s effortlessly good singing. The way Vishnu has constructed the anupallavi in a seemingly lengthy way is really charming as is the ‘Vattam vattam pottittu’ hook!

Santhwani – Ente Mazha (Sharreth) – Malayalam: Sharreth is such an anomaly in present-day film music—a much-needed anomaly! What was once a staple in Malayalam film music in the 80s, a classical carnatic composition, makes an appearance in all its splendor, sung brilliantly by Sharreth, as expected. I assume the raaga is Abheri.

Kanasallu Kaanada – Cutting Shop (KB Praveen) – Kannada: I figured that KB Praveen is not only the composer of the film, but also the film’s lead! That’s a fairly unique role that few actors have performed before him – my immediate references are T.Rajendar and K.Bhagyaraj in Tamil, though I’m sure there are quite a few more. The film’s first single, released last year (Yako Sisya), didn’t work for me, but both that one, and this new single have carnatic ‘sa ga ri pa’ style alaap as a key musical element despite being completely different genres, musically. I’m assuming Praveen’s musical knowledge is reasonably good that he is confident with his tunes, and it shows in Kanasallu Kaanada given that it is a more-than-competent melody handled beautifully by the couple, Nakul Abhyankar and Ramya Bhat Abhyankar. Praveen keeps the ‘Sa Ga Ri Ma’ refrain as the song’s main hook (in Ramya’s vocals) and this adds to the song’s appeal.

Bai Ga – Chandramukhi (Ajay-Atul) – Marathi: The film’s other 2 songs (Chandra and To Chand Rati) didn’t work for me, but this one’s classic Ajay-Atul! The melody is wonderfully lush and classical raaga-based, and Aarya Ambekar’s singing is fantastic! The chorus part towards the end was a wonderful surprise!

Bulbuli – Coke Studio Bangla, Season 1 (Bangla): The song picks up the famous Nazrul Geeti (by Kavi Nazrul Islam), Bagichay Bulbuli, and gives it an energetic Coke Studio treatment. The update is very interesting given that the original is a rather sedate ghazal while the new version is so very pop-music lively! Rituraj Baidya’s singing is scintillating. When Sanzida Mahmood Nandita joins him mid-way with her ‘Dol Dol Dol Diyeche’, the song becomes a delightful duet!

While listening to the song, and the original, I couldn’t help but notice how similar it sounded to Laxmikant-Pyarelal’s Khilona title song!

Milliblog Weeklies – India’s only multilingual, weekly new music playlist.
Week 181: On Spotify | On YouTube
11 songs this week! All the songs are available on both YouTube and Spotify.

Intezaar – Lucky Ali, Mikey McCleary (Hindi/Indipop): Oh wow – the return of Lucky Ali! And Mikey seems to be the perfect guy for bringing him back to the elusive singer back to mainstream! The tune is very Mikey but Lucky makes it his own with his inimitable singing!

Beast Mode – Beast (Anirudh) – Tamil: This is Anirudh magic all through! Right from that ‘Meaner, Leaner, Stronger’ hook… to that captivating musical bit that starts the song… to the catchy rhythm… to Anirudh’s punchy vocals, this is a hero-worship song that is oozing swag and style.

Kaalai Maalai – Paper Rocket (Dharan Kumar) – Tamil: A very beautiful melody from Dharan who keeps the lilting rhythm at a tasteful minimum to let the tune shine through. Sid Sriram’s vocals elevate the song considerably and this becomes even more obvious when in the anupallavi, the tune goes into that ‘NaaLai enbadhu nilavaaga’ pivot. Vivek’s lyrics are a significant part of the song’s charm too.

Pogadhey – Nadhi (Dhibu Ninan Thomas) – Tamil: After Nadhi’s very, very promising first two songs (Theera Nadhi and Kathari Poovasam), Dhibu hits it out of the park yet again – that’s 3 fantastic songs in a row! Singer Anila Rajeev is clearly in fantastic control of the enjoyable melody even as Dhibu helps her with a really captivating melody that literally flows so beautifully! Some bits of the melody took me back to Ilayaraja’s style and panache!

Lawyer Papa – Nenu Meeku Baaga Kavalsinavaadini (Manisharma) – Telugu: Before I come to the song, I’m honestly surprised by the frequency of films starring Kiran Abbavaram! I quite like the chap’s disarmingly simple appeal, but he had SR Kalyanamandapam in August 2021 (which he also wrote!). Then, he had Sebastian P.C. 524 in March 2022. Even before that film released, promos and songs for his next, Sammathame, had started. And now, the first single from Nenu Meeku Baaga Kavalsinavaadini! A lot of films, in a short span of time! Good for him, though.

The song is an interesting kuthu tune by Manisharma. It seems like it was crafted out of a minor variation in Rowdy Baby’s ‘Ra, namma beach pakkam potham… Oru dappankuthu vesthaam’ hook! But Manisharma, the veteran he is, builds something very catchy out of that, and Ram Miryala is superb in handling the raucous song.

The Panchakattu Song – Ante Sundaraniki (Vivek Sagar) – Telugu: Oh my God! This is Vivek Sagar at his best in recent times! The way he uses Aruna Sairam’s superb voice in a heady, zany tune is brilliant! The tune itself is a completely whimsical affair that gets rooted in Aruna’s brilliant singing, particularly in the anupallavi.

Manju Thullikal – Four (Bijibal) – Malayalam: A typically Bijibal-style melody that is low-key and so very unassuming. But in Najim Arshad’s always-delightful singing, the simple melody comes alive along with the small nuances Bijibal infuses into the tune. Like that ‘Hridayam Vaanil… Uyarnne’ high towards the end of the pallavi that I thought would have a more rounded closure but it just ends with 3 different pitches for ‘Uyarnne’!

Aakasham – Aromal Chekaver (Malayalam/Indipop): An unusual and catchy song where the techno sound fuses with a faux-classical sound, and the mix, curiously, is very good! Siva Prasad’s Nadaswaram has also been used very well in this mix.

Sing To The Skies : Swararaaga – The Immersive Experience, Vol. 2 (Sandeep Chowta, ft. Varijashree Venugopal, John Connearn, Jonathan Huber & Seb Read) – Indipop: I remember writing about 2 songs from Sandeep’s first volume of The Immersive Experience back in February 2021. And I completely missed the 2nd volume that released in May 2021! The pick of the album is the take on the Shankarabharanam raaga-based Tyagaraja kriti, Swararagasudha. The song is a new-age recreation of the kriti that starts with the original’s charanam and yet retains the soul of the original, thanks to Varijashree Venugopal’s fantastic singing!

Reunion 1 – The Immersive Experience, Vol. 3 (Sandeep Chowta, ft. Abhay Nayampally, Seb Read) – Indipop: So, how did I come across the volume 2 of The Immersive Experience? Because I stumbled on volume 3, and then wondered when I missed the 2nd volume 🙂 Surprisingly, the new album (3rd volume) has 9 songs, unlike the previous 2 albums that had only 4 songs each! But oddly, enough, just one worked for me as a striking enough song, even though the album is a good listen overall. Reunion 1 is the only song that features Abhay Nayampally’s carnatic classical guitar and that alone makes this song a great listen! The song’s other version (Reunion 2) has more of Diego Hedez’s trumpet with only a smattering of Abhay’s guitar, though.

Prarthona – Coke Studio Bangla, Season 1: I’m really not sure about the frequency of songs in Coke Studio Bangla! The first song was released on February 23rd and the second song drops on April 1? The song is lovely, though. Using the Bangla folk song, ‘Allah megh de’, led by Momotaz Begom, as the base (famously ripped off by Bappi Lahiri twice – once for Runa Laila’s album, Superuna, and then for the film Sharabi), the song fuses ‘Baba Maulana’ too eventually, and the result is one hugely lilting song.

Milliblog Weeklies – India’s only multilingual, weekly new music playlist.
Week 180: On Spotify | On YouTube
14 songs this week! All the songs are available on both YouTube and Spotify.

Jalwanuma – Heropanti 2 (A R Rahman) – Hindi: Whoa, this was a pleasant surprise! A very, very tuneful and classically filmy song from Rahman in a Tiger Shroff film! The lilting qawali style backdrop works mighty well, and the singers—Pooja Tiwari and Javed Ali—are fabulous.

Vaa KaNakku – Manmatha Leelai (Premji Amaren) – Tamil: Beyond all the on-screen shenanigans by Premji, I have always found him to be a very, very adept composer from the limited body of work he has produced. In Vaa KaNakku, he delivers on that promise again very, very confidently! That rhythm he concocts is incredibly addictive and the tune has a naughty edge to it, in line with the film’s theme. For some reason, Ajay Krishnaa sounds and perhaps imitates Udit Narayan, though it goes well with the tune. But Swagatha S Krishnan handles it in her usual, normal way that works perfectly.

Oh Reba – No Entry (Ajesh) – Tamil: When the song started with ‘Oh Reba Reba’ and a generous sprinkling of English words evoking Vaali’s lyrical style, both the tune and lyrics seemed less than interesting. But Ajesh turns the song around with his ‘Kanna pinna manasukku’ hook and after that, the song remains consistently interesting! I was a bit surprised he didn’t rope in the film’s lead, Andrea as the singer, and instead got in Jonita and Benny Dayal. Both do a terrific job, of course. Ajesh has been consistently promising and deserves better opportunities as a composer.

Colours of Love – Partner (Santhosh Dhayanidhi) – Tamil: When I heard the soundtrack of Partner, I had shortlisted 2 songs for the Weeklies addition – Raati and Colours of Love. Then I had a feeling that Raati sounded very familiar – figured eventually that Santhosh was reusing his own 2018 Madras Gig single 🙂 So, only Colours of Love for the Weeklies! There was a shade of Harris Jeyaraj, I thought, probably owing to the prominent flute phrase, but Santhosh has something original here. His choice of roping in Sean Roldan for the lead vocals is very, very good. Swetha Mohan adds weight too, as the song progresses and Santhosh layers the song with some brilliant strings in the interludes.

Elamalakaadinullil – Pathaam Valavu (Ranjin Raj) – Malayalam: Based on Ranjin’s previous work, I had expected more from this song. It does have a fantastic melody that Haricharan delivers wonderfully. But when the rhythm started, it sounded a bit too templatized. But don’t let that stop you from listening to the song given how good the tune and singing is.

Udd Gaya – Lekh (B Praak, Jaani) – Punjabi: B Praak has been credited for ‘music’ while Jaani has been credited as ‘composer’, so I’m not entirely how it works. But this is a gorgeous song, with a heartwarming lilt. B Praak’s voice is, as usual, incredibly powerful and carries the melody wonderfully.

Ghei Chand Makarand, Kaivalyagaan, Bindiya Le Gayi, Le Chali Taqdeer, Ram Ram – Lori (both male and female versions), Vithala… Darshan Deun Jaa & Aaj Sugandh – Me Vasantrao (Marathi): I heard the songs from this magnificent labor of love last month and have been desperately trying to get the complete credits since it includes original songs composed by Rahul Deshpande as well some traditional songs too. Suffice to say, my limited musical knowledge (if I can even call it that) doesn’t offer me any words to appreciate this film soundtrack’s music. All I can say is that I find the soundtrack incredibly, incredibly pleasing. I know that’s hardly a review or even a statement but that’s the best I can add 🙂 If you have even a passing interest in music, do give this phenomenal album a try.

Milliblog Weeklies – India’s only multilingual, weekly new music playlist.
Week 179: On Spotify | On YouTube
17 songs this week! All the songs are available on YouTube, but Spotify is missing 2 songs – A R Rahman’s Moopilla Thamizhe Thaaye and Vaanam Bhoomi from Kaliyuga Kaandu Mirugam.

Ye Luthrey, Boom Boom & Aaram Karo – Sharmaji Namkeen (Sneha Khanwalkar) – Hindi: Sharmaji Namkeen is a pretty good soundtrack by Sneha! Of the 4 songs, except for the Laung Gawacha redux, the other 3 see her bringing her A-game in terms of sound! To be sure, there’s the generous Amit Trivedi sound too in the songs, but Sneha’s backgrounds are brilliant! Jasbir Jassi is his ebullient self in the high-energy Ye Luthrey, while Kailash Kher and Raja Mushtaq handle the super catchy Boom Boom with the necessary comic touch it needs. Gopal Datt layers even more of the comic touch in Aaram Karo that, like Delhi Belly’s Saigal Blues, intentionally brings the old’ish sound in a spanking new sound.

DaFa Kar – Heropanti 2 (A R Rahman) – Hindi: This is passable by Rahman’s standards, and fits his recent musical style as heard in films like 2.0, Mersal, and Sarkar. But that he offers Tiger Shroff a song that barely has a rhythm he could dance to (he still does, of course) is interesting. The tune is decent-enough, though adequately predictable, the background music keeps things a bit unpredictable and lively.

Tera Saath Ho – Tanishk Bagchi, Ft. Zahrah Khan and Guru Randhawa) – Hindi/Indipop: Tanishk starts the song in the most unassuming style with Zahrah singing sedately. But then he infuses tremendous energy with the Punjabi folk ‘Mukhda Janda Mahiya’ phrase and the song takes on a totally different, phenomenally catchy tangent! Guru joins in much later, and this is largely Zahrah’s show!

Yaadein Wohi – Arijit Singh (Hindi/Indipop): Arijit recreates the 80s synth sound in the song so perfectly! Of course, his singing is, as always, terrific. Very catchy song!

Kathari Poovasam – Nadhi (Dhibu Ninan Thomas) – Tamil: This is a chorus song featuring 4 female (Sinduri Vishal, Deepthi Suresh, Soundarya Nandakumar, and Bhargavi Sridhar) and 4 male singers (Aravind Srinivas, Saisharan, Shenbagaraj, and Santhosh Hariharan). And it makes sense given the situation – a college song, something that used to be a regular musical genre in Tamil cinema (and perhaps in many other languages) at one point in time. Dhibu gets the opening very well, with the men and women singing one after the other, and then only the men launch into the hook (Kathari Poovasam). It’s only in the last version of the hook that everyone sings together. The hook has a catchy 90s feel to it and brings the melody together mighty well!

Moopilla Thamizhe Thaaye – A R Rahman (Tamil/Indipop): Rahman is no stranger to such thematic anthems and to be entirely honest, I had become a bit immune to his similar anthemic sound of late. But, after starting the song in his own voice (that made to expect a certain kind of sound), he throws a wonderful surprise with the female chorus (Saindhavi Prakash, Khatija Rahman, Amina Rafiq, Gabriella Sellus, and Poovaiyar) that not only holds but also directs the song incredibly. Rahman and Ameen (his son) do take over the later portions of the song, but the best parts remain the ones sung by the women. Thamarai’s lyrics are hugely imaginative and cover a whole spectrum singing Tamil’s praise. The video too is brilliantly conceived and choreographed, with a lovely visual backdrop of Tamil’s Aayidha Ezhuthu.

Vaanam Bhoomi – Kaliyuga Kaandu Mirugam (Jayakaran Wilfred) – Tamil: I was pleasantly surprised by this song! One, the film’s title seemed scary and odd, so I wasn’t expecting much. But composer Jayakaran Wilfred produces a very, very pleasant melody and holds that soft, lilting sound steadily. His choice of Jithin Raj is bang on target – Jithin adds life to the melody and makes it so much more enjoyable!

O Manuja – Djinn (Prashant Pillai) – Malayalam: Oh, how I have missed this Prashant Pillai! He gets Sithara Krishnakumar to sing what seems like a really old Malayalam song but his own music is packaged in a superbly modern avatar. The only hitch is that this package is very, very reminiscent of what Ram Sampath did with Saigal Blues in Delhi Belly (the 2nd Saigal Blues reference this week!). Still, this is a fantastic listen!

Puzhayarikathu Dumm – Jo & Jo (Govind Vasantha) – Malayalam: Govind produces an absolute banger in Puzhayarikathu Dumm(u)! It isn’t something far from Thaikkudam Bridge’s trademark sound, of course… and Milan V S’s singing props the energetic, folkish melody brilliantly. But it is Govind’s pulsating rhythm that totally rocks the song!

Manjin Thooval – Aviyal (Sharreth) – Malayalam: Whoa!! Trust Sharreth to take us straight back to the 80s and 90s with this incredibly lush melody! It felt like I was listening to a classic Ilayaraja song from the 80s or a Vidyasagar song from the 90s! The melody is delightful, and the singing, by Chithra and Unni Menon, adds to that effect, along with the ‘lalala’ interlude and the profusion of strings!

Ee Mazha/Barkha – Sreekanth Hariharan & Srinath Nair (Malayalam/Indipop): This is a gorgeous song! Sreekanth brings Malayalam while Srinath brings Hindi, and the mix works so neatly! The melody in the song keeps both elements perfectly in balance and they blend really well towards the end too.

Jhanjar – Deep Kalsi (Punjabi/Indipop): Bouncy Punjabi number that has a confident lilt and good singing by Deep Kalsi. Mudassir Khan’s Sarangi is a lovely touch!

Go – Abdullah Siddiqui x Atif Aslam (Coke Studio, Pakistan – Season 14): After Thagyan, here’s another total stunner from Coke Studio’s season 14! The song starts with what seems almost Carnatic in sound! It’s just a snatch repeated to create a persistent backdrop. Abdullah Siddiqui’s English lyrics (first time in season 14?) and pop sensibility beautifully blends with Atif’s always-enchanting vocals. That ‘Dil jaane na jaane’ phrase that both sing after the interlude in the middle and reach a stupendous crescendo (Atif’s trademark) is a lovely touch!

As I’m Getting Older – Tejas (English/Indipop): Very listenable and enjoyable rock sound with captivating guitar riffs and excellent singing. That extended musical interlude bang in the middle leads to a superb guitar phrase!

Bones – Imagine Dragons (English): I found it very similar to the band’s now-iconic Believer, in terms of the anthemic sound they gun for. It’s more tuneful than Believer, but the energy is very similar.

Milliblog Weeklies – India’s only multilingual, weekly new music playlist.
Week 178: On Spotify | On YouTube
10 songs this week! All the songs are available on both Spotify and YouTube. And no, Beast’s new single, Jolly O Gymkhana was way too generic for my taste.

Phir Se Zara – Attack (Shashwat Sachdev) – Hindi: Shashwat’s music reminded me of early Harris Jayaraj’s music. The almost-ominous backgrounds retain an ambient, ethereal feel and a solo, punchy voice (Jubin Nautiyal) leading a hugely impactful melody. Jubin’s singing is terrific for this particular tune and it gets better as the song progresses.

Kattikoda – Taanakkaran (Ghibran) – Tamil: It’s great to see Ghbiran get his mojo back occasionally after being so enormously promising in the earlier part of his career. This song has superb singing by Shweta Mohan but the real highlight is the gorgeous tune. The tune took me instantly to Ilayaraja’s Andha Oru Nimidam Charukesi-classic, ‘Siriya Paravai Siragai Virithu’, particularly that tantalizing line, ‘Udhadu uruga… amudham paruga (varugavae varugavae)’ that forms the base for ‘Otha vaartha… motha vaazhkka’!

Pottu Vaiththaan – Maha (Tamil/Indipop): I believe the raaga used is Hamsanadham, most probably. It is most definitely a raaga that I already love and I was able to trace a few known songs from this tune – Thendral vandhu ennai thodum (Hamsanadham), Swasame swasame (Hamirkalyani), and Nilavum malarum malarattume (Saaranga), among others. Surprising to hear this beautiful number, that too sung by singers like Harini and Tippu, being released by an unknown label with zero fanfare!

Adavi Gusagusalu – Bheemla Nayak (Thaman S) – Telugu: Bheemla Nayak is already a very, very good album. Now that the full album is out, the other song that I really liked was Adavi Gusagusalu. The steady background sound that is wonderfully ambient, the fantastic singing by Manisha Eerabathini and Sri Krishna, the chorus that kicks in the two-and-a-half-minute mark that alludes to Thyagaraja’s Entharo Mahanubhavulu… this is a lovely song!

Bullet La – Sammathame (Shekar Chandra) – Telugu: Much like some of Thaman’s or Gopi Sundar’s trademark sounds, Shekar Chandra too has his trademark sound that I wrote about in Atithi Devo Bhava’s Ninnu Chudagane. That familiar percussion-sound makes its appearance here too – it remains catchy for now.

Jada – Chor Bazaar (Suresh Bobbili) – Telugu: Suresh continues to impress, albeit occasionally. Here, he has singer Ram Miriyala handle a wonderfully warm, almost-Amit Trivedi’ish melody brilliantly. The tune’s is soft but has a folksy bounce that makes it thoroughly enjoyable.

Poya Kaalam – Lalitham Sundaram (Bijibal) – Malayalam: There are singers like Sid Sriram and Sanjith Hegde who have a voice that you cannot ignore at all. And then there are singers like Vineeth Sreenivasan who have a voice so warm and relatable. Bijibal dips into that warmth in Vineeth’s voice beautifully in this song, and layers it with an excellent vocal chorus and backgrounds that are straight out of the 60s MGR-style music!

Isolated (Part 1) – Arnab Bashistha, ft. Papon and Kaysee (Indipop): Despite being composed by Arnab Bashistha, the melody has the hallmark of a Papon composition, and this may be a feeling evoked by his singing style too. The overall ghazal’ish singing and composition style gets an added charm with Kaysee’s English phrases, Ustad Murad Ali Khan’s Sarangi and Subhankar Hazarika’s Sitar.

Thagyan – Coke Studio, Season 14 (Zain Zohaib x Quratulain Balouch): Thagyan is the quintessential Coke Studio Pakistan sound! An incredibly catchy qawwali that gets a phenomenal modern musical backdrop featuring swanky synths and horns section. And when Quratulain Balouch enters in style (quite literally, in the video), the song gets infinitely more interesting!

Sleepyhead – Parekh & Singh (Indipop): The classic Parekh & Singh sound is intact, as always! It’s instantly likeable, lulling you into the trippy music, with vocals to add to the mood!

Milliblog Weeklies – India’s only multilingual, weekly new music playlist.
Week 177: On Spotify | On YouTube
14 songs this week! All the songs are available on Spotify, while YouTube is missing one song because it is inside a jukebox – the short track from SebastianPC524! I have embedded the jukebox below.

Ik Tu Hai – Attack (Shashwat Sachdev) – Hindi: For a film about a supersoldier, the first single is so very soft and melodious! Shashwat’s song starts wonderfully with what seems almost like the seconds of a clock amplified in the background, wonderfully handled by Jubin Nautiyal’s singing and interspersed by Salman Khan on sitar. But at the 2-minute mark, the song takes on a brilliant rock sound amping up the song’s appeal too!

Kannaatti – Nooru Kodi Vaanavil (Siddhu Kumar) – Tamil: Siddhu’s tune is pleasant enough but it is Anand Aravindakshan’s singing that makes a tremendous difference and elevates the song significantly. When he delivers the ‘Kannaatti’ hook, it seems to be coming from deep inside his heart, with so much conviction!

Va En Thozhi – Ben Human (Indipop) – Tamil: I recall being impressed with Ben’s earlier singles in 2019 – Hey Zara and Single Superstar. In Va En Thozhi too, his overall sense of sound and melody makes a pretty engaging song, produced well by Max Ulver. The song felt like listening to an early-Harris Jayaraj song, and that’s a compliment.

En Kadhal – Andhagan (Santhosh Narayanan) – Tamil: So, after the Telugu and Malayalam remakes of Andhadhun, and the not-Andhadhun-remake Kannada film Sakath, here is the Tamil remake of Andhadhun that has a similar-sounding title too. Considering the hero is a pianist (a blind pianist, at that), there is a piano-led lead song in all the versions. In Hindi, it was Amit Trivedi’s Naina Da Kya Kasoor, a fairly ebullient song unlike what one may expect from a piano-led melody. The Malayalam version mirrored that approach, with Jakes Bejoy’s Munthiri Poovo. But the Telugu equivalent composed by Mahati Swara Sagar used a sweeping, classic filmy melody in Maestro’s Vennello Aadapilla. Santhosh’s Tamil version too goes with the Telugu idea – a deeply melodic, piano-led tune, unless a different song exists in the Hindi and Malayalam template in the soundtrack. Sid Sriram is his usual self considering the melody’s highs are perfectly made for his range.

Imaikkariye – Selfie (G.V. Prakash Kumar) – Tamil: When the song started with ‘Look into my eyes’, I was ready to give up on it, but GVP quickly changes track into the ‘En Uyire’ and ‘Imaikkariye’ phrases that take the song on a very different zone. That, and the anupallavi’s melody, sung by GVP, and then by Manasvini Gopal (charanam?) keep the song consistently likeable.

Nee Kanulalo Daagundaa – SebastianPC524 (Ghibran) – Telugu: What a shame that this song is just one-and-a-half minutes long! I would rate this as the soundtrack’s best song, next to Heli, that has been found to be way too similar to Jathikkathottam from Thanneer Mathan Dinangal. Anudeep Dev’s voice is fantastic, and Ghibran’s melody is the real winner here, with a deeply resonant sound that reminded me of Ilayaraja’s melodies.

Manasutho Choodaleni & Chinna Maata – Clap (Ilayaraja) – Telugu: The first interlude in Manasutho Choodaleni took me straight to Raja’s 90s repertoire, and for some reason, I started singing ‘Kurta maxiyum salwar kameezum sumandha pengaLe’ and I realized that the tune is also perhaps mildly connected. Also, for some reason, I liked the Telugu version more than the Tamil version – Raja’s age-withered voice, to me, did justice to the Telugu verse better. Chinna Maata too is on similar lines – evoked Raja’s 90s music a lot at least to me. The melody is lush and the rhythm too played contrastingly nice on top.

Mizhi Arikil – Veyil (Pradeep Kumar) – Malayalam: Pradeep conjures a film song that almost sounds like a meditative experience! The sparse sound—involving Pradeep’s voice and the keyboard, mainly—remains largely intact barring the higher-pitched singing in the middle. Long after the song is over, the ‘Yelelelele’ refrain continued to haunt me!

Sellamma – PS Jayhari, ft. KS Harisankar (Indipop) – Malayalam: PS Jayhari, who had a couple of impressive tunes in 2019’s Athiran, has a very listenable melody here. Harisankar’s singing is perfect and amps up that ‘Sellamma’ hook beautifully.

Tandanano – Maati Baani, ft. Shubha Raghavendra (Indipop) – Kannada: Maati Baani’s first single under their new Folklore series sponsored by Target (O Re Jiya) did not work for me despite the heady confluence of Konnakkol, Hindustani music, and Kannada rap. But their 2nd single in the series hits the bullseye… and how! Tandanano too has a Kannada element, but unlike the first single, this entire song is in Kannada! But true to the band’s musical ethos, they mix Kannada folk with Mariachi and the result is an exuberant song that is instantly likeable and danceable!

Goriye – Darshan Raval (Indipop) – Punjabi/Hindi: It’s interesting to see Darshan enter Guru Randhawa territory, with DJ Lijo in tow. The catchy song has spunk and is very easy on the ear, with Darshan’s always-engaging singing helping things even more.

Ranjhé – Ikky, Lavi Tibbi (Indipop) – Punjabi: Canadian musician Ikwinder Singh aka Ikky produces a high-energy Punjabi track that shines with its global musical outlook! If you listen only to the 40-second segment right in the middle of the song starting with the 2nd minute, you may think you are listening to an international pop track! But that’s the song’s success – it seamlessly fuses the wonderfully enthusiastic Punjabi verse to truly global-sounding music. The result is hugely enjoyable.

Ellulleri Ellulleri – Ram Surendar (Indipop): The Mavila tribal folk song has been used and reused many times in Kerala. Most recently, Justin Varghese produced a pulsating techno recreation of the song in Ajagajantharam. Ram Surendar’s version is aptly pulsating too but in a more conventional danc’y outlook, sung well by Durga Viswanath.

Milliblog Weeklies – India’s only multilingual, weekly new music playlist.
Week 176: On Spotify | On YouTube
18 songs, this week – a pretty satisfying week from a variety point of view! All the songs are available on YouTube, while Spotify is missing one song, from Lalitham Sundaram!

Mon Aar, Beh Jaana & Dhandhli – Jugaadistan (Assorted composers) – Bengali/Hindi: Mon Aar has an ebullient rhythm that kicks in early on and Anurag Saikia layers it with the verve that stays till the end. Roshni Saha and Gauranga Shekhar handle the Bengali lines (written by Roshni) wonderfully. Beh Jaana is the usual Yellow Diary magic! Rajan Batra’s lush, affecting voice sailing through the frothy melody effortlessly. The other song that stands out in the packed soundtrack is by Khamosh Shah. His Dhandhli is something straight out of Amit Trivedi’s earlier, more vibrant repertoire! Manish J Tipu delivers the necessary comic edge to the song while still making it musically engaging.

Meri Jaan Meri Jaan – Bachchhan Paandey (B Praak) – Hindi: B Praak’s distinct and powerful voice carries this one easily. But the composer in him layers the song with that lovely ‘O Meri Jaan Meri Jaan’ hook that is used repetitively to fantastic effect.

Nenjorama – Madhil Mel Kaadhal (Nivas K Prasanna) – Tamil: Nivas’s music and Pradeep Kumar singing? Oh wow! The music is tantalizingly good – no-frills, but a classic melody that occasionally brings to mind Ilayaraja’s music! Pradeep is stupendously good with the higher notes, as is Malvi Sundaresan when she joins in much later.

Parai – Sean Roldan (Tamil): A searing, touchingly sad song that makes one more angry than sad! Kumaran’s music video, though short, makes a tremendous impact in showcasing the mental disease called caste that we humans have invented for ourselves and which alters our perception to not let see each other as humans. Roja Adithya’s voice, along with Sean’s own singing, offers the necessary gravitas to bring the anger in the lyrics alive.

Kangal Oya – Sanah Moidutty (Tamil): Sanah’s singing is, as expected, terrific, but it is Sanah the music composer who impresses even more in this new single. The tune is slow and sedative and that ‘Ri ri ri ri’ hook is a captivating highlight.

Rathipushpam – Bheeshma Parvam (Sushin Shyam) – Malayalam: In line with the rest of the songs from the film, Sushin stays with this 80s synth sound, and in Unni Menon’s voice, this is a pleasant trip back to the disco days!

Maname – Veyil (Pradeep Kumar) – Malayalam: The other Pradeep Kumar song of the week – and this one is his own composition, after the terrific ‘The Hey Song’ that came out mid-last year. The song is instantly recognizable as Pradeep’s trademark sound, with that dreamy sound that was once the domain of Santhosh Narayanan too.

Meghajalakam – Lalitham Sundaram (Bijibal) – Malayalam: A vintage Bijibal song that is loaded with good-natured happiness in the melody that you cannot not nod your head along. Najim Arshad is so, so good a choice for the song, and that ‘Pazhayoru Paattinde’ hook is sheer joy!

Laagni, Vaadli, Tu Juhi Re, Kori Ne Kaachi, Navi Zindagi & Fari Fari – Prem Prakaran (Amit Trivedi) – Gujarati: After the extended prelude sung by Amit Trivedi, the 80s style synth music kicks in even as a gorgeous flute layer too wafts in. Ishani Dave’s sweet voice is perfect for the melody and Amit uses her vocals in the backgrounds too, towards the end, very effectively. There’s even more 80s synth in Vaadli too!! The tune is so very Amit, with a soaring hook that screams his predictable style… that sounds fresh enough given the synth package and Gujarati. In Tu Juhi Re, Amit has a beautiful melody that perhaps deserved a slightly better singer than Amit, with his relatively flat rendition. As if expecting that, the other version of the song, featuring Jigardhan Gadhavi delivers brilliantly! Kori Ne Kaachi took me to Jatin-Lalit’s style of music given the Pancham-style seeping in too 🙂 The rhythm, the charming tune, and the throwback to an older style of music, and Jigardhan Gadhavi’s singing make this one very enjoyable. Both Navi Zindagi and Fari Fari (sung by Siddharth Amit Bhavsar) are light, frothy, and thoroughly engaging. Amits music is uncluttered, understated, and lets the pleasant tunes stay at the forefront. Amit’s 10-song soundtrack for Prem Prakaran has a very consistent sound all through, and overall, makes for a very good listen as a package.

Paas Aa – Zaeden & Aakash (Indipop): Very summery vibe in an uncluttered, easy-on-ear melody.

Monster- Dhruv Visvanath (Indipop): I loved the song as soon as I heard it, but I was trying to pin it down to the ‘why’ (do I like it). The reason escaped me for over a week, and finally, I have been able to pin it down! It’s a fantastic melody, with a mysterious tinge in the tune, but my personal reason for getting drawn to it is because I thought it was almost like a composition from Rob Thomas (of Matchbox Twenty fame; has gone solo). Specifically, this song could easily fit in his album outstanding Cradlesong (2009)!