Milliblog Weeklies – India’s only multilingual, weekly, new music playlist.
Week 251: YouTube | Spotify
Back after another week’s break. Incidentally, Milliblog would complete 19 years in existence on July 22nd! That’s a lot more life than what I had anticipated for a blog I started casually in 2005 🙂
O Re Dariya – Tribhuvan Mishra CA Topper (Ram Sampath) – Hindi: Dreamy, 80s Western ballad-style sound by Ram, aptly aided by Sona Mohapatra’s singing. The overall soundtrack is disappointing, but this one song stood out!
Thenkizhakku – Vaazhai (Santhosh Narayanan) – Tamil: Beautiful melody from Santhosh that is made even better by Dhee’s soulful vocals! The gently lilting backdrop to the main tune keeps the song consistently engaging. Some of the musical choices made by Santhosh truly made me sit up. For instance, that ‘Nee nee sollum kadha’ just before the end of the pallavi! And the divergent note in the beginning of the anupallavi: “Othaiyila pogum…”!
Oh Raaya – Raayan (A R Rahman) – Tamil: The first thing that stood out for me in the song is singer Ganavya Doraiswamy’s wonderful singing (despite questionable Tamil diction at places). The next is the possible nod to Rahman’s own ‘Chandiranai Thottathu Yaar’ from Ratchagan (which itself was inspired by Lesle Lewis’ Suneeta Rao-sung song ‘Paree Hoon Main’). But it’s just a nod, not a re-use or replica. The older song’s captivating rhythm is morphed to create a different tone. Great listen!
Sokka Nanum Nikkiren – Boat (Ghibran Vaibodha) – Tamil: This is the Ghibran of yore – if you consider early-2010s as ‘yore’, that is 🙂 The tune took me to the classical ‘Brochevarevarura’ and A R Rahman’s ‘Uyirum Neeye’ from Pavithra. So, I’m assuming that this song could be based on Kamas raaga. But the real highlight is to get Gold Devaraj’s incredibly colloquial (Madras baashai) verse sung by a classical singer like Sudha Ragunathan! It’s hilarious to hear Sudha singing, ‘Naina neeyunthaan kaandu yethura, unnaandakka naanum paatha moonja than thiruppura’ 🙂 But it’s all in perfect sync with the raaga and feel of the song, proving once again that music transcends words/lyrics.
Sitar – Mr. Bachchan (Mickey J Meyer) – Telugu: Mickey incorporates his signature-style ambient sound set to a punchy rhythm. But that Veena phrase truly elevates the song (I’m hoping it is the Veena). Saketh Komunduri and Sameera Bharadwaj do a terrific job, particularly the latter.
Pacha Pachani – Purushothamudu (Gopi Sundar) – Telugu: Gopi’s standard-issue violins are present, of course 🙂 There’s more of very-Gopi’ish sound in the interlude too. But the tune makes for a lovely listen, in SP Charan’s SPB-like vocals! The kids chorus (Aasrith Raghava, Veda Vaagdevi, Tanishka) is used to great effect too.
Dwapara – Krishnam Pranaya Sakhi (Arjun Janya) – Kannada: Arjun Janya channels Pakistani band Junoon’s cult classic Sayonee to concoct a unique melody and does a great job with his nuances. That ‘Niharika’ line, in specific, offers a lovely flavor to the song. Jaskaran Singh is outstanding with the singing!
Kangaani, Raasaathi, Maala, Thathaka, Thodaadha, Saarbaaga – Valliamma Peraandi (Arivu) – Indipop/Tamil: KangaaNi is pulsating and powerful! The ‘KangaaNi KangaaNi’ hook took me back to Sakalakalavallavan’s ‘Nalla vandi paaradi pulla ukki pottu yeradi pulla’ (Katta Vandi Katta Vandi). Every musical phrase in the song makes an impact, ending even with an English phrase (Far away, my ancestors…)! However, the same English mix doesn’t work in a song like Billions. In Raasaathi, Arivu joins Rashmeet Kaur to produce an intriguing Tamil-Punjabi mix, singing of pining and longing in love. Maala could have easily been a Santhosh Narayanan composition! It sounds like a standard-issue Tamil film gaana, but Arivu does accentuate it with his singing. Ironically, while I expected the use of the much-memed ‘Aiyaiyo Eriyuthudi Maala’ line in this song, it appears only in the ‘Block Pannitten’ song! Thathaka’s techno music was a pleasant surprise, but the twist in the music at 3:26 made me laugh out loud 🙂 Thodaadha and Saarbaaga seem to be connected intricately given how they both use a list of ‘Saarbaaga’. But musically, both are completely different. The former has a searing hiphop base while also hinting at ‘Kanda Shasti Kavasam’ melody briefly! The latter (featuring Arivu’s bandmates from Ambassa, Gaana Balachandar and Chellamuthu) is a crowd-pleasing gaana with a fantastic brass segment as the undercurrent. There’s a lot to like and enjoy in Arivu’s new album. He proves that his musical sense is as good as his singing and writing.
Chhadd Jaave – The Yellow Diary (Punjabi/Hindi/Indipop): A shorter-than-usual song from The Yellow Diary, but one that is as lush as any of their other songs. Rajan Batra’s vocals continue to be as alluring as ever, and the guitar-solo ending leaves the song on a beautiful high.
