Milliblog Weeklies – India’s only multilingual, weekly, new music playlist.
Week 292: YouTube | Spotify
(The Spotify playlist is missing one song, Nenjile, from Chatha Pacha)
Hum To Tere Hi Liye The – O’ Romeo (Vishal Bhardwaj) – Hindi: A tune that screams ‘Vishal Bhardwaj’ in the softest way possible! Ankur Mukherjee’s pensive guitar is as much a lead in the song as Arijit’s dreamy vocals.
Tu Yaa Main – Fame Us (Rai Harrie) – Hindi: A banger by Rai Harrie that mixes frenetic Punjabi sounds with Mumbai-street-style hiphop. The sound is relentlessly engaging and the singing by both 7Bantai’Z and Rai Harrie is adequately punchy!
Sunhari Kirne – Gandhi Talks (A R Rahman) – Hindi: What a pleasant surprise! This is a wonderfully lush and engulfing melody where Rahman seems to be channeling his inner SD Burman given how the song’s melodic flow seems to echo Pyaasa’s ‘Yeh Duniya Agar Mil Bhi Jaaye Toh’! Arijit is splendid in the Hindi version as is Rahul Deshpande in the Marathi version. The tune takes on a slightly macabre tinge as it progresses and it correlates well with Arvind Swamy’s visible display of angst, on-screen. The constantly flowing tune beautifully culminates in the prayer-like, ‘Kuch Subhen Yunhi Bani Hogi Shaayad’! This part sounds even better in Marathi, by the way.
Vaanile Samurai X Rajavin Paarvai – Vaa Vaathiyaar (Santhosh Narayanan) – Tamil: Santhosh takes snatches of the iconic MGR song and adds his own funky additions. The new singing parts work much lesser than the musical parts. The original’s use feels dreamy, as if from another world (it sure is), and it sounds even better in the anupallavi (RaaNiyin Mughame)!
Marandhu Poche – With Love (Sean Roldan) – Tamil: Something in the music, particularly after the first interlude started and the flute phrase began, took me back to a forgotten, underrated gem from Devan Ekambaram’s Bale Pandiya number, Aaraadha Kobamillai, though I cannot pinpoint what 🙂 Adithya RK nails the captivating ‘Marandhu Poche’ hook and gently lilting tune by Sean Roldan keeps everything easily likeable!
Jiger – Moonwalk (A R Rahman) – Tamil: For a film that brings together Rahmand and Prabhu Deva after many years, the soundtrack is oddly mid. Almost every song feels like Rahman trying way too hard… or, it’s just the director not knowing what he wants. Jiger is the only song that stood out for me, particularly with how it handles the first interlude and the overall tune that sounds more like spoken melody for most parts.
Un Paarvai – Kadhal Reset Repeat (Harris Jayaraj) – Tamil: This is such an obvious ode to Ilayaraja’s Sangathil Padaatha (Auto Raja, 1982)/Thumbi Vaa (Olangal, 1982). I mean, it’s written all over the song. I hope there’s some context in the film towards this ode. But full credit to Harris – he takes the soul of the original and concocts something brilliantly fresh. His choice of Vineeth Srinivasan helps the song really well, and along with Pragathi and Gayathry Rajiv, the singers do a terrific job. Interestingly, as the first interlude opens with Joseph Vijay’s guitar, Rahman’s Puthiya Mugham number, ‘July Maadham Vandhaal’ makes an appearance too!
Bhalle Bhalle, Aa Nari Ee Nari – Nari Nari Naduma Murari (Vishal Chandrashekhar) – Telugu: Vishal’s Telugu–Malayalam musical fusion is pretty slick in Bhalle Bhalle, with the nadaswaram and percussion doing the heavy-lifting. It’s a very accessible, melodic mashup topped by the hummable ‘Bhalle bhalle baagundile’ hook. Vishal does something mighty interesting in Aa Nari Ee Nari – he fuses the Western musical sound with the Indian drunkard singing, and the result is very, very good! Arvind Annest’s singing gets the feel perfectly, amped up by the brass section.
VaareVaa VaareVaa – Lenin (Thaman S) – Telugu: A very DSP-like song by Thaman! Even though Jubin Nautiyal too sings, it is Shwetha Mohan’s show all the way. Thaman does distinguish the song from DSP’s style in the interludes and the way he employs the guitar.
Nenjile – Chatha Pacha (Shankar Ehsaan Loy) – Malayalam: I was in two minds with SEL’s Malayalam debut. The title song was okay’ish, while Naattile Rowdies didn’t work for me at all. Thankfully, there is now Nenjile! There’s most definitely Ehsaan’s Blues-Rock influence in the song, but the trio also infuse a curiously attractive retro Malayalam film music touch to it. Vijay Yesudas and Anoop Sankar’s portions accentuate this, even as Shankar’s doesn’t.
Benki Song – Graamaayana (Poornachandra Tejaswi SV) – Kannada: When the ‘Jeenguchakka Jeenguchakka’ chorus starts playing in the first interlude, did your mind go back to Raakkammaa Kaiya Thattu’s ‘Jaanguchakku Chajakku Jakku’? 🙂 This is quite different from the ‘Jingichakka Jingichakka’ from the song’s original, Benkiyalli Thampu Kandenu, from Mana Mechida Hudugi (1987 Shivarajkumar starrer with music by Upendra Kumar). This is a surprisingly bouncy recreation from Poornachandra Tejaswi – it’s adequately massy but in a very decent, civil way. There is a polished nature even in the kuthu-style tune, rhythm, and sound. The original was a typical 1980s song, but the remix treats it with both sincerity and a fresh pair of ears.
Araginiye – Mango Pachcha (Charan Raj MR) – Kannada: Delightfully dreamy melody from Charan Raj, and the voices he has chosen superbly amplify the song’s feel – Kapil Kapilan and Saanvi Sudeep. Saanvi, in particular, lends the English verses in the interlude beautifully. Her lower pitch contrasts well with Kapil’s slightly more excited, higher pitch, and together, the combo does wonders to the languorous tune.
Neena Neena – Rakkasapuradhol (Arjun Janya) – Kannada: Arjun’s expansive tune felt like Raag Jog to me. Vijay Prakash’s rich baritone ‘Neena’ whisper brought to my mind Rahman’s ‘Dil Se Re’. Vijay is fantastic throughout the song, particularly in the anupallavi and the bridge from anupallavi to pallavi. Arjun introduces Bala’s nadaswaram too great effect in the second interlude. The female chorus, comprising of Prithwi Bhat, Pooja Rao and Nagaranjini Raghu, deserve a special mention.
Aseema Prema Radheyadenu – 45 (Arjun Janya) – Kannada: Arjun Janya’s enchanting music in this song reminds me of M.M.Keeravani’s style, particularly as the Sarangi starts playing in the first interlude. This is the kind of music Keeravani, as Maragathamani, produced in his early Tamil films, some by K.Balachander! The whispery melody is adorned beautifully by Arjun in terms of a musical envelope. Indu Nagaraj is phenomenal with the singing!
Romanchaka – Landlord (B. Ajaneesh Loknath) – Kannada: There’s a smattering of Rahman’s Minsara Kanavu number, VeNNilave VeNNilave in the first interlude – perhaps a similar raaga employed? The tune is deeply melodious and gorgeous, and Sanjith Hegde sings it with so much emotion, backed by Harshika Devanath aptly.
Koi Naam – Jasleen Royal (Indipop/Hindi): As Aditya Sharma starts singing, mid-way, with the even Western sound layers in the mellow sound of tabla, I was reminded of the first time I heard Sandesh Shandilya’s Piya Basanti re way back in 2000! The effect is similar, or it’s perhaps that Aditya seems to be invoking the spirit of Ustad Sultan Khan in his singing. The ghazal-like softer portions in the antara is the best part of Jasleen’s new song, but together with the mukhda, the combination works brilliantly.
Amaidhi – Salim Sulaiman, ft. Sid Sriram (Indipop/Tamil): Salim Sulaiman are getting very, very good at creating tunes that transcend languages. Amaidhi is a lovely Tamil variant of Sukoon, already a brilliant melody led by Arijit Singh. Sid Sriram does a terrific job owning the Tamil version in his inimitable style.
