Yaara maula: Gulaal (Hindi OST), Piyush Mishra
Gulaal’s OST, in its entirety, was a complete stunner. I really admire the way Piyush brings a predominant feel and unique sound to all the tracks, uniformly. While I adore Ranaji and break into a smile everytime I pass, ‘Jaise door des mein…’, Yaara maula is the track that dig the most. Its ultra-powerful, perhaps a not more than the in-your-face powerful war cry, Aarambh, because of its subtlety. Truly look forward to Piyush future musical projects.
Gulon mein: Sikandar (Hindi OST), Sandesh Shandilya
Frankly, I do not like Justin-Uday’s version of Gulon mein. Merely having the velvet-voiced Mohit Chauhan does not make a winner. KK’s version by Sandesh, on the other hand, puts the spring on my feet, particularly when I listen to this track in my morning drive, more so, when it follows the next track in this list!
Saanson ka rukna: Straight (Hindi OST), Sagar Desai
…and that track is this! I associate the really addictive chorus with assorted genres/ periods – Beatles tops my mind. But, for some reason, since I happened to see ‘Flashbacks of a Fool’ a week before I heard this track for the first time, that haunting track from the movie, ‘If there is something’ by Roxy Music comes across my mind even more – for no apparent reason! I invariably end up singing along everytime the chorus sings, much to the amusement of other cars/ drivers on the road!
Happy up there & This must be it: Röyksopp
Nothing very specific, but I really like the new album by Norwegian electronic music duo, Röyksopp. Called ‘Junior’, my favorite tracks are the strangely trippy Happy up there and the expansively retro sound in This must be it. Super groovy!
Needhaane: Sarvvam (Tamil OST), Yuvan Shankar Raja
This is vintage Yuvan…almost as if this was composed by him during Vishuvardhan’s (the director) debut, Arindhum Ariyaamalum and is a twin of the song, ‘En kannodu’ from that film. Yuvan’s quirky voice adds a new dimension to Needhaane and produces a mighty likeable track.
Sufi: Jai Veeru (Hindi OST), Bappa Lahiri
Bappa? On this list? Yes, he deserves it for Sufi. I love this track – its constructed like a typical Pritam number, but the lad has done it well. I read the film is atrocious – its a pity that this track was completely forgotten because of the film’s fate.
Aasmaa odh kar: 13B (Hindi OST), Shankar Ehsaan Loy
Again, for unexplained reasons, I’m reminded of Ilayaraja’s heydays when I listen to this track. Obviously, I love it. Several reviews termed this track, ‘South Indian’…not sure why, though. Or, what are the facets in this song that lead critics to call it that? For me, this is a mind blowing number – I love it when Shankar goes, ‘Badalon mein’ and changes the rhythm actively…magical moment.
Nazaara hai & Haafiz Jhuda: 8X10 Tasveer (Hindi OST), Salim Sulaiman
These guys are the underdogs in Hindi film music industry, except for their assembly line goof in RNBDJXYZABC, I really respect them for their contribution in Dor. Roping Vishal for Nazaara hai and Mohit for Haafiz khuda were nothing short of a coup. And the tunes too – brilliant!
Le Champagne: Trentemøller
This is something I discovered arbitrarily through mufin.com, the music recommendation service. I confess, I’m not a huge fan of electronic music, and actually very selective when it comes to this genre. But, when I do like the track, I cannot get it off my head. Danish electronic musician, Anders Trentemøller’s ‘Le Champagne’ is one of them!
Kanneer paadam & Thaalam: Thaalam (Malayalam Pop), Job, Charan & Yakzan
It is very difficult for me to select two tracks from Thaalam – this album has been one my playlist and I love it every day. But Kanneer paadam’s middle eastern-fused energy and the haunting lilt in the title song stand above other tracks. Awesome album – so glad I found it.
Didha, Jaikhanar chithi, K-J Kar & Ogochore: 3rd Person Singular Number (Bangladeshi OST), Habib Wahid, Prince Mahmud & Tahsan
This is a step ahead of Thaalam. Even more glad I found this album! The reason why you see 4 tracks from this album is because it is even more difficult for me than Thaalam to pick tracks here. But, these 4 are on top priority – within these, Jaikhanar chithi has me singing along, even though I barely know Bengali, since I’ve memorized it by now, while Ogochore’s lady voice is absolutely magical! Do not let trivial things like language stand in your way to enjoy this wonderful soundtrack.
Soul: Seal (the entire album)
Much like George Michael’s forgotten ‘Songs From The Last Century’, Seal’s new album, ‘Soul’ is a covers-only album. Many critics lament that the songs Seal and Canadian producer David Foster have chosen are way too common and have been covered to death, that this album is entirely unnecessary. I beg to differ. This selection of classic-soul, ranging from the works of Johnny Mathis to James Brown to even Deniece Williams is a tad better than George Michael’s and Seal offers his effortlessly amazing vocals in all these tracks, bloody effectively. He has always been one of my favorites, but goes many steps ahead with this covers project.
