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...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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