Pusher Love Girl, Suit & Tie, Tunnel Vision, That Girl, Let The Grove Get In & Mirror – The 20-20 Experience (Justin Timberlake)
If there was one (Western) album that I was most impressed in recent times, it is this one! Justin Timberlake’s new album is what we’ve all experienced with Michael Jackson was around – grand, showy and incredibly catchy pop/hip-hop sound produced brilliantly. Let The Groove Get In is my personal favorite for its sheer influences – an African’ish chorus and a lead hook that is sheer wonder in terms of its world music influences! Fantastic album!
Aaja meri jaan – I Love NY (Hindi – R D Burman and DJ Phukan)
DJ Phukan’s re-version of Pancham’s phenomenal tune is a solid effort, thanks largely to Mauli Dave’s superb rendition. While on this topic, do listen to the kick-ass title song of the film of the same name (starring the man with the single eyebrow that ran across the face… Krishan Kumar!). Pancham composed just this song only two songs for the film (Saare shaher mein and this song – thanks Pavan Jha for the update!), a rehash of the background music he created for Saagar… and sung by SP Balasubramaniam and Anuradha Paudwal.
Come na come, Mama douser, Sudden delight & Kasu panam – Soodhu Kavvum (Tamil – Santhosh Narayanan)
One of the trippiest soundtracks from Tamil (or from any Indian language for that matter)! The sheer range is mighty impressive, but my personal favorite is Sudden Delight, the tune that played in the trailer when it released – addictive!
Aalolam thenolum – Pathiramanal (Malayalam – Afsal Yousuf)
One of those few random Malayalam soundtracks that I stumbled upon with a gorgeous song. To be fair, it is a fairly predictable melody, but the singing (by Najim Arshad and Mridula Warrier) and the video, featuring an absolutely lovely Remya Nambeesan add to the overall charm!
À cause de l’automne, 10 Ans, Le dernier souffle, Boxing club & Happy end – 5 (French Pop – Alizee)
French singer Alizee’s 5th album was due in 2012, but arrived only recently, in 2013! The sound seems different from her usual style – this is very retro and well put-together. The uptempo songs work much better than the mellow ones, though. Like the Bond’ish sound of À cause de l’automne is superb! 10 Ans, even more so, with the surf guitar sound killing it! Le dernier souffle’s rock n roll sound too is done well, while Boxing Club, Alizee’s collaboration with BB Brunes’ Adrien Gallo is the other highlight that gets everything right.
Further On Down The Road, All Of Me, Angel, Till Your Well Runs Dry & Goodnight Irene – Old Sock (Eric Clapton)
Old Sock is perhaps the most imaginative and apt name for a new album. That it’s by Clapton make it even more appropriate! The sound is familiar and comfortable Clapton. There’s Taj Mahal (in Further on Down The Road), JJ Cale (in Angel) and Paul McCartney (in All Of Me)… what more can one ask for?
Mungda & Saawan bairi – Commando (Hindi – Mannan Shah)
A surprising debut by Mannan Shah, Pritam’s assistant. I was impressed with the way he turned even an assembly-line item song like Mungda into something worth listening to! Saawan bairi is the soundtrack’s highlight, of course.
Viva Madikeri, Dhol Lejhim & Thillelo – Deep India (Deep Forest-Eric Mouquet and Rahul Sharma)
While I do have a minor issue with the santoor being used across all the songs – thereby making it seemingly pan-Indian, the range of tunes on offer is very good. The tone and nature of sound is quite different from the usual Deep Forest material, but the Indian touches are very enjoyable.
Etho sayana – 10:30am Local Call (Malayalam – Gopi Sundar)
Yet another of those random Malayalam singles that made the cut in my recent listening. The tune is very, very Gopi and seems to touch upon Darbari Kaanada.
Neram – Pistah (Tamil – Rajesh Murugesan)
The film’s team seems to have made phenomenal use of Jagathy’s old song (from the film Kinnaram) and carved out a hyper-energetic anthem of sorts!
Yaaram & Kaali kaali – Ek Thi Daayan (Hindi – Vishal Bharadwaj)
Vishal’s output in Ek Thi Daayan is very good, but it looks like he is up against his own better, past works. In relative terms, it seems average, though Yaaram, with Gulzar’s lyrics evoking a modern-day version of Mera Kuch Saamaan) and Clinton’s fantastic vocals in the simple, engaging tune of Kaali Kaali do stay with you for a long time.
Aatmavin, Solomanum Shoshannayum, Pampara pa pa & Vattoly – Amen (Malayalam – Prashant Pillai)
Amen is without doubt one of the best Malayalam soundtracks in recent times. After solid effort in Ni Ko Njaa Cha, Prashant once again delivers excellent music. My personal favorite is Pampara pa pa, the single-shot song!
Sairo sairo & Diamond Girl – Baadshah (Telugu – Thaman S)
The usual Thaman masala fare, but enjoyable as usual. I liked how Thaman helps Simbu make a cut by smoothening his off-note singing in Diamond Girl. Sairo’s orchestration is very good too!
Uyiril uyiril & Nakula – Vallinam (Tamil – Thaman S)
More Thaman! Uyiril is my personal favorite; Thaman has 2 versions to help us track the tune really well – the reprise brings out well.
Tanhai & Pyaas – Pyaas (Pop – Jal The Band)
An average effort from a band that once was in a heady high. Since the Bhatt Brothers have over-exploited their kind of music, it hardly sounds unique these days. Tanhai and Pyaas are the only tracks that I was compelled to spend time with, after the initial listen.
Aaja nindiya, Koi jaagi & Jee le zyada – Aatma (Hindi – Sangeet Haldipur, Siddharth Haldipur)
It’s a pity the film failed – that dragged the good soundtrack with it too. Aaja nindiya and its jazz version, Koi jaagi (by Anahita Kumar) are fantastic songs. Jee le zyada is in a different, Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy’esque league – with the foursome girl-group – Alyssa, Anusha, Shefali and Apeksha – doing a superb job!
Roja poo – Rendavadhu Padam (Tamil – Kannan)
That ‘Raja homage’ song! Pitch perfect homage that reminds one of many nostalgic Ilayaraja numbers. Pudhukkavidhai’s Vellai Pura Ondru tops the list for me.
Ghore pherar gaan, Dhin khon mapa ache, Mon porle & Bhoy dekhas na – Hawa Bodol (Bengali – Indradeep Dasgupta)
Fantastic Bengali soundtrack by Indradeep. The quality of tunes, singing and orchestration are all consistently superb all through the album. I had Dhin khon stuck in my head for a long time… Arijit’s vocals is a big reason!
Farida, Aao morey piya, Kuch kar maula & Dil fakira – Farida (Indipop – Abhijeet Sawant)
If you recall, Amit Trivedi’s first mainstream, commercial outing was for a non-film by Abhijeet Sawant (the album Junoon). Even back then, Abhijeet had shown interest in choosing his tunes carefully than just doing any random pop album. The same feel is evident even in Farida. I’m placing my bets on Rajiv Bhalla now, like I had, on Amit, earlier!
Indrodu, Maalai pon maalai & Yaaro ivan – Udhayam NH4 (Tamil – GV Prakash Kumar)
GV does very well for himself in Udhayam NH4. I was intrigued by Indrodu’s structure – it doesn’t seem to have any repetition – either in music or lyrics/sentence – in the pallavi (mukhda). I believe such structures could have people getting the song a bit late since the first listening would just breeze through. Yaaro ivan is my favorite in the soundtrack however – it sounds like some classic Raja song from the 80s… not an allegation of plagiarism or anything… just a complement in how good it sounds!
Maamanukku, Viraivil vidiyum & Kannadi pappa – Nagaraja Chozhan M.A, M.L.A (Tamil – James Vasanthan)
I had very limited expectations from this film’s soundtrack, to be honest. But trust James to spring a surprise – as a soundtrack, the overall sound is a bit bland, but the composer nails it with his tunes! I was stuck with Maamanukku for quite a few days!
Tum hi ho, Sunn raha hai & Milne hai – Aashiqui 2 (Hindi – Mithoon, Ankit Tiwari and Jeet Ganguly)
I’m just deeply disappointed that the Bhatts considered this like yet-another film with just the title evoking the originals name. They should have been really, really careful in handing over the composing duties to someone who can match at least half of what the original ended up with. I can still listen to ‘Ab tere bin’ all day long without getting bored. From that perspective, handing the whole soundtrack over to Mithoon may not have been a bad idea at all since Jeet Ganguly seems to have failed to make a dent here (with his name attached to most songs).
Maro janmae & O naadu Washington – Greekuveerudu (Telugu – Thaman S)
Thaman seems to be more in sync with Devi Sri Prasad’s music style in this soundtrack – surprisingly! Maro janmae, the short, energetic song is great, while veteran SPB shows this class in O naadu Washington.
Heaven, Broken & Soothe my soul – Delta Machine (Depeche Mode)
The band’s new album after four years is definitely a come-back of sorts. The sound is punchy and atmospheric with a few songs standing out for sheer grandeur. Like Heaven, with its fabulous synth-rock sound. Or Broken, with mesmerizing arrangements in terms of effects. My favorite is Soothe My Soul, with its expansive synth and captivating tune.
Counting Stars, If I Lose Myself, Feel Again, I Lived, Burning Bridges & Life In Color – Native (OneRepublic)
OneRepublic’s latest album is a fantastic experience – the sound is consistently punchy and most of the tunes are very easily accessible in that they are catchy! Given that the band is often compared to Coldplay, quite often, I felt that the new album sounds more like a cross between U2 and Coldplay – that can’t go wrong, in my opinion!
Heaven In This Hell, Fire, Frozen & Filthy Blues – Heaven In This Hell (Orianthi)
Greek-Australian guitarist Orianthi was last famous in India for her work in A R Rahman’s Rockstar. If you liked her guitars in Sadda Haq, I strongly urge you to listen to her new album. The guitar is almost a voice by itself and in some songs like Fire and Filthy Blues, it takes on a whole new space! The music is solid rock with phenomenal guitaring (understandably), but the tunes are very, very good too.
Because We Can, What About Now, Pictures Of You, With These Two Hands – What About Now (Bon Jovi)
Bon Jovi’s latest album is, well, very Bon Jovi. Or rather, more of Bon Jovi! This is classic stadium rock done the way it should be. The tunes and the guitaring is all fantastic, in usual Bon Jovi tradition. Just that we’ve been hearing these blokes do this for a l-o-n-g time. Not that I’m complaining, but there’s this urge to reach out to my favorite Bon Jovi album – Slippery When Wet – after the new album ends. That’s not such a bad thing at all!
