This blog have moved!!!!

I am delighted to inform you that I have moved to wordpress with new features and a new theme. I THANK EVERYBODY FOR YOUR COMMENTS, FEEDBACK!!!! The new URL is http://melodiouslife.wordpress.com/. I intend to cover more topics (though music WILL BE the main topic!) as I move along in the near future, so that we get more inspired in life to make a difference to the world around us and enjoy this GIFT called LIFE.

Madhu Balakrishnan: One of my current favourites!

I am sure you must have heard about Madhu Balakrishnan, who I feel is one of the best among the current singers. Madhu is the brother-in-law of Indian pace ace Sreesanth. Madhu nowadays is a frequent singer in almost all the South Indian languages, though he is from Kerala. He has some wonderful songs in Malayalam & Tamil. Most of his Tamil songs have been under Ilaiyaraja & Vidyasagar who have wonderfully tapped his potential of singing melodies/semi-classical songs. Madhu has a stunning base and is excellent at giving appropriate sangathis/variations to a song. Here are some of my favourite Madhu Balakrishnan songs, don't miss these :) I have written some of these songs in my earlier post on Vidyasagar! Pardon my repetition here!

1. Edhilum Ingu-Bharathi-Ilaiyaraja-a brilliant song in rare Rasikaranjini raaga.
2. Kandaen Kandaen-Madhurey-Vidyasagar-a dulcet duet with Sadhna Sargam.
3. Ding Dong-Ji-Vidyasagar-the same musical team as above and the same magic!
4. Kanaa Kandaenadi-Parthiban Kanavu-Vidyasagar-a masterpiece in Anandabhairavi raaga.
   
5. Pirayae Pirayae-Pithamagan-Ilaiyaraja-haunting song, haunting music, superb lyrics!
6. Guruvayur Unnikannan-Aanachandham-Jaison J Nair-a wonderful tune in Vasantha raaga.
7. Pesa Madandhaiye-Mozhi-Vidyasagar-a gem of a song!
   
8. Vasantha Nilaavin-Sooryan-Ilaiyaraja-What a song in Sriranjini raaga, only Madhu could have sung this! The modulations he gives in the first charanam is just amazing!
9. Vizhiyum Vizhiyum-Chathurangam-Vidyasagar-A duet with Harini, splendid song.
10. Ippavae Ippavae-Raman Thediya Seethai-the Vidyasagar/Madhu combo rarely disappoints.
11. Raaverayay Poove-Rock n Roll-Vidyasagar-nice song.
12. Chentharmizhi-Perummazhakalam-M.Jayachandran-A must-listen duet with Chitra set in the soothing Neelambari raaga.
13. Konja Neram-Chandramukhi-Vidyasagar-A duet with Asha Bhosle set in Bageshri raaga.
14. Yen Swaasathil-Jerry-Ramesh Vinayakam-An unnoticed brilliant song, a duet with Kalyani. Ramesh Vinayakam (the unsung talent) shows his class here!
15. Pichaipaathiram-Naan Kadavul-Ilaiyaraja-another great song in the "Pirayae Pirayae" league. I am hooked to this now!
    

Heights of Insanity

To my utter amazement, I came to know that some secretary of an association related to slums has filed a PIL against A.R.Rahman and another person related to the movie for having the name "Slumdog" signifying slum dwellers are "dogs". What I find insane about this is-why A.R.Rahman is being accused for this?????? He is the MUSIC COMPOSER of the movie. If they have to accuse someone it must be the producer/director and NOT the composer. It's like insulting the monumental achievement of Rahman who has made India proud by winning the Golden Globe. Now, there is a great chance that he may win the much-coveted Oscar too as he has won 3 nominations! The judge must dismiss these stupid litigations which seek to tarnish the image of reputed, hardworking, patriotic composers like A.R.Rahman who are taking Indian music to the world!!

Raagas in film music: Amruthavarshini

There is no better way to begin enjoying the usage of different raagas in films, than by starting with the nectarine intense raaga Amruthavarshini. The name itself shows how beautiful the raaga is. This raaga has a wonderful anecdote behind it. [I heard this in a raaga series CD called ISAI PAYANAM, which is a series of discussions on different raagas done by Smt.Charulatha Mani, a Carnatic vocalist. It is a wonderful collection to have as it covers most of the major raagas, dwelling on their unique attributes, the major classical compositions in them and their usage in film music.]
Shri Muthuswamy Dikshithar, one of the greatest classical musicians of India, a member of the Trinity was going for his brother's marriage from Tiruvaiyar. On the way, he was passing thro' a village called Ettaiyapuram, which was at that time experiencing severe drought. The land was dry and parched and the people were suffering. Overcome by compassion for the villagers, Shri. Dikshithar started singing the masterpiece krithi and praying, "Aanandamruthakarshini Amruthavarshini" to Goddess to bring rain to the village and lo! it started to rain heavily. It poured so much that he had to ask the Goddess to stop the torrential downpour. What a wonderful demonstration of the power of music!
Coming back to film music, these are the famous songs composed in this raaga:

1. Sivakami Aadavandhaal-Paatum Bhaarathamum-MSV
2. Thoongaatha Vizhigal-Agni Nakshathram-Ilaiyaraja-The most famous film song in this raaga, a masterpiece traversing the entire swaras in this raaga.
3. Kaathirundha Malli-Malluvetti Minor-Ilaiyaraja-a fantastic song.
4. Naandhana-Ninaithaale-Vijay Antony
   

One thing to note here, is that in some cases, the composers may not be within the raaga throughout the song, there may be minor deviations from the raaga. This is fine as in films, composers can take liberties to make the song sound better.

Shubhaniyogamalle: Flashes of brilliance from Ilaiyaraja

Many Ilaiyaraja fans feel that he is not the same composer who used to churn out hit after hit, when he was at his peak. I agree with this point, but I would also like to say that he has achieved so much that he need not do anything now to prove himself. Nowadays a song that elicits a "wow" is quite hard to come by from Ilaiyaraja but sometimes he does display his genius thro' individual songs. One such song that made me say a big "WOW!!!" is a Malayalam song from a nondescript movie called SMS. If I am right this song is set in Keeravani raaga. It is supposed to be a devotional song but Ilaiyaraja does not make it sound too simple. It has a very melodious, addictive tune with splendid variations (which we have got used to from the maestro). The orchestration is very simple with strings & wonderful flute pieces creating a very soothing effect. Don't miss this song! Listen to it here.

Hats off to A.R.Rahman!!!

Read this amazing article in the "The Hindu" after A..R.Rahman's return from the Golden Globe awards. He got a much-deserved hero's welcome on his return home. This man is a bundle of remarkable talent and HUMILITY. He is so grounded (touchwood!) in spite of so many achievements. I quote this amazingly mature thought of his and you can read the entire article from this link.

"Of course, this is a kind of recognition, but there are larger issues in life. But the foundation to all this or my vision is to eradicate poverty. This is a helping point for that."

Raagas---the treasure chest of Indian Music

The purpose of this post is not to analyze the raaga concept technically (though it is fun to do so, as the concept is very scientific) but to see how it enriches our music. Raagas are the epitome of the astounding variety in music that we see today. Just imagine, with just 7 swaras/notes, we are able to have so many zillions of tunes! There are about 300 or more known raagas though it is believed that there were about 800 of them originally but many have been lost. The credit for preserving, propagating raagas should go to the classical music stalwarts of India, especially the trinity. The utility of the raaga concept is manifold:

1. It serves as a starting point for composing. It is NOT necessary that a tune must be in the same raaga throughout, so we have raagamaalikas (compositions comprising of many raagas). But a tune in a raaga has a unique charm as it showcases the essence of that raaga fully.
2. It is a guide to compose in many situations, for e.g. if its a sad situation, raagas like Shubhapantuvarali could be used. If its an auspicious moment, then Anandabhairavi could be used. This is why we find in marriages, the compositions played would consist of these raagas. Raagas personify the situation and create a grandeur in that situation. Imagine a marriage without any live music!
   
3. Each raaga is a world by itself, a world of melody. As discussed here before, raagas do have medicinal benefits and they heal us, if we have faith. Hence we say music HEALS. They are being extensively used in promoting well-being and as a curative for many diseases.

I will be taking up individual raagas and their usage in film music in the ensuing posts. Whatever I know is purely because of my interest/passion in this concept. I am learning to even appreciate the technical nuances so as to have a holistic view. Its going to be a wonderful journey to examine specific raagas, because for me they are pure bliss! This is what makes Indian music special!

We Ilaiyaraja fans...............

Baradwaj Rangan in this post has captured the exact feeling of being an Ilaiyaraja fan beautifully. This is writing at its BEST! Even if you are not an Ilaiyaraja fan, you will enjoy reading this. Thanks Baradwaj!

Unsung songs of 2008

Firstly, A HAPPY NEW YEAR 2009 to all! If you want to know which were the best songs of 2008, you can see this at Milliblog and this at Vinith's blog. They have covered most of the wonderful songs of 2008. Instead of writing about the best songs, I thought, let me write about some pristine melodies which went unnoticed this year. Most of the times only 1 or 2 songs become "hit" songs but in most cases the hit song is not the best song in the movie. I intend to appreciate and highlight those tunes which did not get their due.

HINDI

1. Mann Mohana---Jodha Akbar---A.R.Rahman- this is devotional bliss!
2. Falak Tak---Tashan---Vishal/Shekhar
   
3. Chakkar Ghumyo---Aamir---Amit Trivedi
   
4. Jogi Mahi---Bachna Ae Haseeno---Vishal/Shekhar
5. Dhanya Dhanya/Bheege Bheege---Classically Mild (Sonu Nigam)/Deepak Pandit-the best Sonu Nigam album according to me with fantastic orchestration. All the tunes were very good but these in particular give me goosebumps!
   
6. Khabar Nahi---Dostana---Vishal/Shekhar
7. Bandagi---Drona---Dhruv Ghanekar
   
8. Kuch Khaas---Fashion---Salim Sulaiman
   
9. Kya Hai Sochti---Khushboo---Adnan Saami-a catchy tune with very innovative, funny lyrics.
   
10. Meetha Marz---Welcome to Sajjanpur---Shantanu Moitra
    
11. Zindagi---Yuvvraaj---A.R.Rahman
12. Muskura---Dasvidaniya---Kailash/Naresh/Paresh
    

TAMIL

1. Uyirile---Vellithirai---G.V.Prakash-a soothing melody
   
2. Aazhiyilae---Dhaam Dhoom---Harris Jayaraj-superb tune, amazingly sung by Haricharan!
3. Chaaral/Sollamaa---Kuchelan---G.V.Prakash-I loved these songs which just grew on me after multiple listens. Chaaral is a splendid tune in raag Jog.
4. Vaanathai Vittu---Raman Thediya Seethai---Vidyasagar
5. Againthaiyil/Kallil Uyir---Uliyin Osai---Ilaiyaraja-I have written about these masterpieces earlier. This is the classical Ilaiyaraja!
6. Kanaa Kaangiren---Aanandha Thaandavam---G.V.Prakash
7. Anul Mele---Vaaranam Aayiram---Haaris Jayaraj-a very unique tune with a different rhythm structure.
   

MALAYALAM

1. Etho Jalashankkil/Maymassame---Laptop---Sreevalsan Menon-I can't stop drooling over these 2 songs, you can't say which is better!
   
2. Paathirakkuyil---De Ingottu Nokiye---M.Jayachandran-a haunting tune
3. Coffee@MG Road/O Saathi---Coffee@MG Road album---Shaan Rahman/Vineeth Sreenivasan
   

Vidyasagar---Versatility is his forte

To compose in a music industry where you have stalwarts like M.S.Vishwanathan, Ilaiyaraja and A.R.Rahman is not an easy job. You have a great legacy to maintain! Vidyasagar is one such music director, whom I would like to write about today. What I like about him is that he has the ability to make even fast songs sound melodious. His melodies are one of the best I have heard as they have intricate tunes backed by soothing orchestration. His music has many qualities of his predecessors- great tunes, multilayered charanam, amazing orchestration, bass guitar usage, use of a variety of raagas, great background scores (an often ignored yardstick to measure talent) etc. The fact that he is compared to these stalwarts in it itself shows he has great talent. Moreover apart from Tamil, Vidyasagar has composed many great tunes even in Malayalam & Telugu (his mother tongue). I personally feel Vidyasagar has not been given his due at all. Many a time, his soundtracks have been dismissed as below par even when there were one or two fantastic tunes in them. Like most other music composers, Vidyasagar too has his share of terrible tunes but they are much less as compared to Srikanth Deva, Imaan, Deva, S.A.Rajkumar, Sirpy etc.
Many of his melodies are as good as the ones we have ever heard. A true test for any music director are the classical tunes (both Indian & Western styles) and even here Vidyasagar has shown his class. If he has got a good script, Vidyasagar has done great justice to it. Here is a list of my favourite Vidyasagar songs in Tamil. I will write another post on his Malayalam melodies soon.

TAMIL

1. Malare Mounama (Karna)---One of the best songs you will ever hear in Darbari raaga.
2. Nee Katru (Nilave Vaa)
   
3. Yaar Yaar Shivam/Poovaasam/Mouname (Anbe Shivam)---A wonderful movie with wonderful music.
4. Poi Solla Koodathu (Run)---Superb orchestration and great singing by Hariharan.
5. Thavamindri (Anbu)---One of my favourite songs of Vidyasagar, this is in Gowrimanohari raaga.
   
6. Azhagooril/Neeya Pesiyathu (Thirumalai)
7. Un Samaiyal Araiyil (Dhill)---What a song!
8. Orey Manam (Villan)---A fantastic tune.
   
9. Gilli songs---Loved almost all the songs. This is intelligent music making, fast songs but with high repeat value, they make you tap your feet!
10. Ding Dong (Ji)---A superb song in a rarely heard Rasikapriya raaga.
11. Kandaen Kandaen (Madurey)---Splendid tune in Brindavanasaranga raaga. Stunning mandolin interludes!
12. Konja Neram/Raa Raa (Chandramukhi)---The former is a great song in Baageshri raaga and the latter was a great classical composition though ONLY the first line was taken from a Kannada song.
13. Kaalai Arumbi (Kana Kandaen)---What a song!
14. Vennilaa (Ponniyin Selvan)
15. Iruvar Vaazhum/Athiathikka (Aadhi)---The former is an amazing tune which was never was noticed.
16. Kana Kandaenadi/Aalankuyil (Parthipan Kanavu)---The former is a beauty in Anandabhairavi raaga with amazing sax and bass guitar interludes!
    
17. Chithiraiyil Yenna/Atrai Thingal (Sivapathigaaram)---The former is a great folk tune and the latter an amazing melody.
18. Mozhi songs---Should I say something here? I even loved the bit songs which were pure melodies.
    
19. Pirivom Sandippom songs---I loved ALL the songs, each melody is amazing with high repeat value.
    
20. Vizhiyum Vizhiyum/Engaey (Chathurangam)---Unfortunately, this movie is not yet released. Vizhiyum is a masterpiece.
21. Naan Varaindhu/Adai Mazhaikaalam (Jeyam Kondaan)
22. Ippavae/Mazhai Nindra/Vaanathai (Raman Thediya Seethai)---Fantastic songs!
23. Pallanadhu/Thaen Thaen (Kuruvi)---I loved Pallanadhu especially, it makes me dance!
24. Vaa Vaa (Abiyum Naanum)---What a beautiful charanam!
25. En Uyirukkul (Mahesh Saranya Matrum Palar)---A duet song in a supposedly sober Sindhubhairavi raaga!