Sooda oru sooriyan has a heady percussion to go for it and the hook is catchy too, but it doesn’t press further. Paarai mele is that kind of song which...
Continue reading...Karthik
Irada (Music review), Hindi – Neeraj Shridhar
Mahi is unlike what one expects from a remix-master like Neeraj Shridhar (of Bombay Vikings fame)! Neeraj hands Harshdeep Kaur a captivating melody with a strong Rajasthani folk whiff, while...
Continue reading...Sivalinga (Music review), Tamil – S.S.Thaman
Chinna Kabali is standard-issue Thaman kuthu, espousing Raghava Lawrence’s superstar ambitions in an instantly foot-tapping package. Sirikka vechu‘s lilting and simple melody is endearing, though it seems like a new-age...
Continue reading...Hitman – January 29, 2017
Originally published in The Hindu. Tippa – Rangoon (Hindi – Vishal Bhardwaj) Back in the 90s, Doordarshan aired an NFDC-dubbed version of Alice In Wonderland’s Japanese anime version (originally called...
Continue reading...Running Shaadi.Com (Music review), Hindi – Abhishek-Akshay, Keegan Pinto, Anupam Roy, Anjana Ankur Singh and Sandeep Madhavan
Manoj Yadav’s yin-yang verses and the Bappi-Kalpana Patowary combo lift Pyaar ka test beyond its generic’ness. The charming Mannerless Majnu‘s—Shruti singing about Bitto!—highlight is Sukanya Purkayastha’s delightful rendition. Abhishek-Akshay’s last,...
Continue reading...Chakravarthy (Music review), Kannada – Arjun Janya
The title song panders to hero-worship, but it actually does it in style! Vyasraj handles the vocals brilliantly, particularly the title hook (a chorus) and the ‘Bhuvana gagana’ phrase! Arjun...
Continue reading...Basheerinte Premalekhanam (Music review), Malayalam – Vishnu Mohan Sithara
Penne penne has a nice enough tune, but it’s Vishnu’s spartan orchestration that really engages. The guitar+ghatam mix is particularly alluring, as is the high-pitched outtakes and the mid-way tune...
Continue reading...Ajaneesh Loknath’s hatrick is disturbing
This is both disappointing and depressing. Listen to: ‘Kaagadada Doniyalli’ from Kirik Party (music: Ajaneesh Loknath) and, The River, by The Bombay Royale Now, it is easy to jump to...
Continue reading...Raees (Music review), Kalyanji-Anandji, Ram Sampath and JAM8
The original Laila from Qurbani, by Kalyanji-Anandji is so compelling a dance track that it’s no surprise the recreation works seamlessly too. Ram’s imagination, particularly Ed Gibson’s amped up trumpets,...
Continue reading...Hitman – January 22, 2017
Originally published in The Hindu. Kanna Katti – Kaalakkoothu (Tamil – Justin Prabhakaran) Among present-day composers who offer melodies strongly reminiscent of Ilayaraja, Vidyasagar tops the list. While others like...
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