The profusion of atmospheric sounds in Ayalathe is both disconcerting and alluring! Shreekumar Vakkiyil’s involved vocals sit on top of Prashant’s lively, impromptu’ish backdrop! The three traditional songs, sung by...
Continue reading...Karthik
Srinivasa Kalyana (Music review), Kannada – Midhun Mukundan and Raghavendra Thane
Gapu gapalli‘s light, frothy sound makes it a breezy listen. In Bettadmele Srinivasu, Midhun starts with faint strains of Sivaji’s Ballelakka and layers a punchy brass-based kuthu, led confidently by...
Continue reading...Happy New Year (Music review), Kannada – Raghu Dixit
Raghu sings the breathless Adda bidde madesaa with a quirky twang amidst racy country music. Nakul Abhyankar lifts the already bouncy, exuberant Sa re ga ma to a new high....
Continue reading...Badrinath Ki Dulhaniya (Music review), Hindi – Amaal Mallik, Tanishk Bagchi, Akhil Sachdeva and Bappi Lahiri
Aashiq surrender hua is a dedicated Bollywoodisation of an infectious, foot-tapping South-Indian kuthu song! Amaal’s second, Roke na ruke, is the complete opposite! The song transcends conventional Dharma pathos templates...
Continue reading...Kavan (Music review), Tamil – Hiphop Tamizha
The pulse-pounding Happy New Year sounds like something composed after a night of drunk revelry. Oxygen harks back to Harris-Anand combo! Excellent melody, with intriguing instrumental choices. Mathurangalaam‘s jazz base...
Continue reading...Dora (Music review), Tamil – Vivek-Mervin
There’s a whiff of early Rahman in Engapora Dora, particularly in the semi-classical twist with the uncredited female humming and the veena-based, most-probably Senchurutti raaga interlude. Vaazhavudu‘s energetic rhythm keeps...
Continue reading...Yaman (Music review), Tamil – Vijay Antony
Yem mela kai vachaa gaali is a menacing kuthu that makes the intent very clear, loaded with cringe-inducing rhyming words. Damelo dumelo is lyricist Vetriselvan spectacular show of assembling the...
Continue reading...Saheba (Music review), Kannada – V.Harikrishna and Shankar Ganesh
Armaan Mallik leads Heegethake confidently, a generic, pleasant faux-sufi melody. The title song treads similar ground – painfully templatized, evoking a classic Laxmikant-Pyarerlal melody. Kolike ranga is Tipu’s show! He...
Continue reading...Hitman – February 12, 2017
Originally published in The Hindu. Paarai mele – Sathriyan (Tamil – Yuvan Shankar Raja) This composer is obsessed with singing his songs himself. He sings terribly too. You thought this...
Continue reading...Aby (Music review), Malayalam – Bijibal, Jaison J. Nair
Onnurangi‘s frothy melody is Bijibal’s trademark, particularly that complex anupallavi, and of course, the interludes and backgrounds. Lovely listen, thanks also to Vineeth Srinivasan’s fantastic singing. The sweeping melody extends...
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