Milliblog Weeklies – India’s only multilingual, weekly new music playlist.
Week 240: YouTube | Spotify
10 songs this week. Only one is missing in the Spotify playlist – the new Peshawar Zalmi anthem, Zalmi Yama.
Sajni, Dheeme Dheeme – Laapataa Ladies (Ram Sampath) – Hindi: Arijit sounds a bit different in Sajni, but as always, he’s a terrific asset to any song. And a dreamy melody like this is his usual backyard. Led by a gentle guitar backdrop, the tune works effortlessly! Shreya Ghoshal hits it out of the park in Dheeme Dheeme! Ram’s tune is a throwback to the older melodic style and Shreya’s soulful singing elevates the song phenomenally.
Sab Achhi Baatein Hain, Thehar Zara – All India Rank (Mayukh-Mainak) – Hindi: All India Rank definitely has an interesting soundtrack even though the songs don’t particularly stand out, musically. Given the film’s possibly early-to-mid 1990s period, I would have expected more cues in the sound beyond the rather generic “dated” sound. Sab Achi Baatein Hain is Varun’s lyrical show all the way! The wordplay lands wonderfully and is accentuated well by the singers, Araham Khan and Bodhisattva Sharma. Thehar Zara joins the short list of songs that sound like they are composed by the one who is singing who also happens to be a composer. In this case, it is Vishal Bhardwaj and the melody is very much like something you expect from Vishal Bhardwaj the composer, and one he would have offered to Suresh Wadkar!
Daluma – Double Tuckerr (Vidyasagar) – Tamil: Vidyasagar, again, in Tamil! Close on the heels of his Malayalam film (Marivillin Gopurangal), it’s good to see Vidyasagar being in circulation again, but to be honest, the overall sound of this song is at least 10-15 years behind date. Despite that, there are enough nuances that you can identify as the composer’s trademark and those are what I have come to love from him. Here’s hoping (against hope) there are more interesting songs in this film.
Enai Neengathe Nee – Tharunam (Darbuka Siva) – Tamil: The song’s hook (Nee, En Vaanavil Vaanamum Nee) doesn’t land till the 1:30 mark, but Darbuka Siva builds the lift-off so very well in the beginning. It’s low-key, with the singers too pitching it on a low scale. But the overall effect is great, with a lovely, almost melancholic violin layer by Karthick Iyer.
Marubadi Nee – Yezhu Kadal Yezhu Malai (Yuvan Shankar Raja) – Tamil: Actor Siddharth’s singing, in a lush melody like the one Yuvan concocts here, is on less sure footing than what Sean Roldan had him do in Apple Crumble recently (Lover). But the texture of his voice adds value to the song, and this is even more apparent in the anupallavi. Given director Ram’s past work with Yuvan, it is no surprise that the song is a knockout in terms of the melody, but what also stands out is Madhan Karky’s lines. Some of the lines had me pausing the song and absorbing the unusual words plonked in them! Like, “Swasam Ena Unnai Naan UtkoLLum Seigai Meemigai Illai”!
Pranaya Nilaa – Murivu (Yunuseo) – Malayalam: The song seems to owe a lot to Sairat’s outstanding title song (Ajay-Atul) – the way it opens, the jaunty rhythm that joins eventually! But the composer pulls off something akin to what Tamil composer Sirpi did with Captain’s (1994) ‘Kannathula Mai’, which was so obviously modeled along Ilayaraja’s Walter Vetrivel (1993) chartbuster, ‘Chinna Rasave’ – there is a similarity that is easily discernible and yet, it does sound interesting on its own too! 🙂
Zalmi Yama – Abdullah Siddiqui (Official anthem of Peshawar Zalmi, Pakistan Super League 9) – Urdu/English/Pashto: This is probably the most interesting sports anthem I recall hearing in recent times! The sound is vibrant and the buildup towards the ‘Zalmi Yama’ hook is fantastic. The singers, in particular, Nehaal Naseem does a superb job of maintaining the tempo of the song all through, while Abdullah Siddiqui (of Coke Studio’s ‘Go’ fame) makes a brilliant rap intervention.
Sadqay – Aashir Wajahat, NAYEL, co-composed by M.ZHE: A captivating song that pops a lovely surprise when the Harmonium lands, taking the song’s tone to a different period instantly! The composers also layer that Harmonium phrase with a catch chorus in the next musical block, adding to the song’s charm! This is the 2nd song this week featuring Nehaal Naseem!
