Milliblog Weeklies – India’s only multilingual, weekly, new music playlist.
Week 307: YouTube | Spotify
Hangova – DC (Anirudh) – Tamil: Oh wow!!! After quite some time, something from Anirudh sounds completely unlike anything he has composed so far! To be honest, the music, generously harping on jazz, reminded me of Sandeep Chowta’s music. This is one phenomenally enticing song, with uniquely different vocals from Anirudh too (with backing vocals by Arjun Chandy).
Kattazhagi – Idhayam Murali (Thaman S) – Tamil: Thaman unlocks his Telugu-style high-energy rhythms in Tamil with the song in a film otherwise filled with some delightful melodies. And he sings it himself too (besides acting in the song and the film too!). The song is heady and catchy, and thoroughly enjoyable.
Emaatradhey Emaaradhey, Oru Naal Maaruma, Kanna Bro – Con City (Sean Roldan) – Tamil: Abhilash Venkitachalam’s vintage-style vocals power this intentionally vintage song where Sean Roldan sticks to the period-tinged musical cues and sounds. Oru Naal Maaruma is a better bet, thanks to Sean cranking up the tune’s somber mood and explores it in different shades with the interludes. Kaber Vasuki’s rendition is outstanding! But Kanna Bro hits it out of the park! The vintage sound Sean aims for here is the Chandrababu style of music, but unlike Emaatradhey, the mirroring is selective, with Sean retaining his stamp as much as emulating a specific style for effect. Ananthu’s singing works wonders in this scheme of things.
Machan Maatikittan – Anbe Diana (Bharath Sankar) – Tamil: This is Bharath Sankar erangi aduchifying in the best possible way. The chaotic lyrics and singing (by Sivam) are superbly accentuated by Bharath’s imaginative music that descends into wonderful kuthu eventually.
Chingari – VISA-Vintara Saradaga (Vijai Bulganin) – Telugu: A very pleasant melody that gets better because Vijai hands it to Sid and Lipsika who, both, do a terrific job with the ebullient melody, with Sid retaining the higher notes and Lipsika handling the same tune in the lower notes, creating a harmonious effect.
Hoyila Hoyila – Chennai Love Story (Mani Sharma) – Telugu: I wonder if the film’s director gave a brief to Mani Sharma that he wants every song to evoke pleasant memories of Ilaiyaraja’s 80s music… because almost every song from this film seems like a stupendous ode to Raja! Just listen to the strings section in this song in the anupallavi! Or the higher notes towards the end of the anupallavi. Or the solo violin bits in the first interlude! Mani does a fantastic job of bringing Raja’s musical flavor and brings a bit of himself too, admirably. Brilliant singing by both Dhanunjay Seepana and Sahithi Chaganti.
Lakshmi Puthra – Inmele (Arjun Janya) – Kannada: Very typical Arjun Janya, though there’s a lot of D.Imman’s musical cues too. Sweet melody handled in the appropriate way, with a captivating rhythm that keeps it steadily engaging. Good singing by Darshan Melavanki and Prithwi Bhat.
Kalyani – ARJN, KDS, FIFTY4, Ft. Shreya Ghoshal (Malayalam/Hindi/Indipop): The composers, ARJN, KDS and FIFTY4 remix their own 2025 mega-hit song, but this time add Hindi verse to the mix and get Shreya Ghoshal to sing those lines! It felt like a gimmick on paper, but works surprisingly smoothly!
Junoon – Ali Najih, Ft. Hanan Shah & Fathima Jahaan (Malayalam/Indipop): To me, Kalyani, Ansham, and Junoon seems to fall in the same genre within Malayalam non-film music though I’m unable to pin the genre into a convenient name. There’s a distinct Sufi’ish infusion into the song that makes it even more interesting. Hanan Shah, as usual, is very good, and Fathima Jahaan joining the song takes it to a new high.
Hegiruve – Shreyas B Rao (Kannada/Indipop): I love this recent profusion of excellent non-film music in Kannada! Shreyas B Rao’s musical sensibility in this song is straight out of Ilaiyaraja’s Agni Natchathiram soundtrack! The beautiful melody sits perfectly on top of the 80’s synth sound. That interlude is vintage Raja touch!!
