Sham

Sham bhi koi jaise hai nadi
Lehar lehar jaise beh rahi hai
Koi ankahi, koi ansuni
Baat dheemi dheemi keh rahi hai
....
....
Suhani suhani hai yeh kahani
Jo khamoshi sunaati hai
Jise tune chaha, hoga woh tera
Mujhe woh yeh batati hai
Main magan hoon par na jaanu
Kab aane wala hai woh pal
....


- Sham, from the soundtrack of Aisha
  Music, Vocals - Amit Trivedi, Lyrics - Javed Akhtar

Ever since I heard DevD soundtrack, I've been looking at the work of its composer, Amit Trivedi. He has been entertaining, very. Checkout is his new compositions with new sounds and arrangements, in Aisha and Udaan(which just got a official selection at Cannes), and while you are at it check the soundtrack of Aamir.

Going back to 'Sham', it's a brilliant composition. Seemingly simple words, turned into a great piece. Look out for the pauses, the highs and lows and the mood in the voice, sung by the composer himself.

Dhan te nan!

On a literally infinite loop of the new track from Kaminey, Dhan te nan. It is so energizing. Vishal Bharadwaj is back with powerful music, and I hope an equally intriguing film, looking at his track record. I admire such multi-talented people. The lyrics, by Gulzaar, defy age and convention:

koi chaal aisi chalo yaar ab ke
samandar bhi pul pe chale
phir tu chale us pe ya mein chaloon
shehar ho apne pairon tale
kahin khabrein hain
kahin kabrein hain
jo bhi soye hain kabron mein

unko jagana nahi

....

chal chal sadkon pe hogi
dhan dhan dhan te nan - 3

Emosanal Attyachaar!

Yeh Dil Pighla Ke Saaz Bana Loon
Dhadkan Ko Awaz Bana Loon
Smoking Smoking Nikle Re Dhooan
.... ....
Tauba Tera Jalwa, Tauba Tera Pyar
Tera Emosanal Attyachaar!

This number from the upcoming Anurag Kashyap's, Dev D, a new age version of Devdas, caught my attention in between all the endless channel surfing. The rock version is equally well done along with this brass band version.

Interestingly I have liked Socha Na Tha, Ek Chalis ki last local, Manorama Six Feet Under and Oye Lucky..Lucky Oye, all starring Abhay Deol, who plays the lead in Dev D.

Viva La Vida

When you try your best, but you don't succeed
When you get what you want, but not what you need
When you feel so tired, but you can't sleep
Stuck in reverse
.......
Lights will guide you home,
And ignite your bones,
And I will try to fix you.
- Fix you

those were the haunting lyrics that got me started with Coldplay. And I have been plugged-in since then. The one great thing that is common to all of Coldplay's songs (discography..a term I learnt recently from Ashwin), is the melody. Their songs are hummable and have a distinctive rhythmic verse...unlike many others in their genre. I was looking forward to their latest album that was getting released, Viva la vida ( which means Long Live Life, wikipedia apparently reported it as Live the Life few days ago). Most tracks from the album have different exotic sounds...right from guitars, violins to even a tabla (or something that sounds like it), and their unmissable meaningful lyrics, other than being melodious.

The title song "Viva la Vida" sets the pace and has an upbeat feeling. "Violet Hill", has a more of a rebellious tune. "Lost!" seems like a sequel to "Fix you" the song which is quoted above...brilliant. While its other version "Lost?" has a piano base. One more that has a literally haunting tune is "Cemeteries of London" which has a captivating music arrangement too. There are more interesting songs in this album...I'll skip talking about them.

I hear Jerusalem bells are ringing
Roman Cavalry choirs are singing
Be my mirror my sword and shield
My missionaries in a foreign field
For some reason I can't explain
I know Saint Peter won't call my name..
- Viva la vida

These lyrics seem nothing to do with religion, talk about multiple interpretations! Make your own.

I just got lost
Every river that I tried to cross
Every door I ever tried was locked
Ohhh and I'm...
Just waiting 'til the shine wears off
- Lost!

****1/2

More on this album from Bhavin.

Once

I'm not really fond of musicals. Tried watching Sweeney Todd, but couldn't sustain Johnny Depp singing about his barber blade and gave up. But this one, for Once is different. Read about it on Tushar's blog and looked appealing.


The movie has a interesting background. The lead actors are artists, Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova. "Falling slowly", made by them, which plays through the movie many times, won the academy this year. The movie is directed by John Carney, member of The Frames band, which Glen Hansard is part of.

Glen and Marketa are both amazing as actors, particularly Glen. Both of them are musicians, and how they bond through their love for music, is kind of the story of the film. In brief,

Genre: Musical, Hopelessly romantic.
Music: *****
Acts: Pretty good, I got to know that the lead actors are singers after watching the movie.
Abstractness Quotient^: **
Overall: Recommended

Every song in the soundtrack is worthy of the musical. I've been playing the songs, all day, they just grow on you. Lyrics, mostly by Glen himself are beautiful..here's from "Say it to me now"

I'm scratching at the surface now
And I'm trying hard to work it out
So much has gone misunderstood
This mystery only leads to doubt
And I didn't understand
When you reached out to take my hand
And if you have something to say
You'd better say it now, now

Imdb

^ I should be stating this, 'cause the last movie I saw, I liked it, but many didn't due to high AQ!

Lost in a February song

February is special. It always rings the bells for me. Its a magical month...though its not often that have I seen the extraordinary happen this time of the year. Its this time, that I feel that life is taking new turns, and it does. Sometimes in my knowledge, sometimes a realization that it did, later. Intuition keeps knocking the door a lot..this time of the year. So February, where are we going, this time around...?

Where has that old friend gone
Lost in a February song
Tell him it won't be long
Till he opens his eyes, opens his eyes
Where is that simple day
Before colors broke into shades
And how did I ever fade
Into this life, into this life

- from the soulful February song by Josh Groban

Kyun apne ap se...

Was just surfing around, when I came across this trailer of Sudhir Mishra's next "Khoya Khoya Chand". I liked the title song that was used in the trailer, so hunted down the entire song. This song grows on you the more you listen to it. I never had a ear for the "qawwali" genre, but this one blows off. Two other songs "O Re Paakhi" and "Thirak Thirak" are good too. Shantanu Moitra gives some intense music here after Parineeta.

Aj shab jo chand ne hai roothne ki than li
Gardisho mein hai sitare baat humne maan li
Andheri shayh zindagi ko sujhi thi nahi gali
Ki ek aaj haath tham moye haath ki kami khali

Kyun khoye khoye chand ki firak mein talash mein udas hai dil
Kyun apne ap se khafa khafa zara zara sa naraz hai dil
Yeh manzilee bhi khud hi tai karein,
Yeh faslein bhi khud hi tai karein,
Kyun to raston pe phir sehem sehem sambhal sambhal le chalta hai yeh dil

The lyrics are amazing, though I don't understand all this Urdu, hopefully Quadir will help :)


Disclaimer: No puns, similes and metaphors intended.

Life in a...Metro, the music

Melody. Punch.

After a long time, a complete rocking album. Life in a...Metro, is the movie album I'm talking about. Each and every soundtrack in the album stands out. Its a breather in the current phase where there is an absolute dearth of some soulful music. Pritam is creating magic, starting with Gangster, Bas ek pal & Woh Lamhe. The difference this time is that the movie is actually almost as good as the music. Earlier ones didn't deserve some of the superb tracks they got.

In Dino, the starter, is a continual chart topper. Though I didn't like its revisited version, which sounds like a terrible remix. Then there is Alvida, in the dreamy voice of KK; this song two versions, each in different mood. KK's is like a nostalgia while the one by James (the singer that looks like some rock star, and who appears in almost all videos in the film) has a angry hard-rock tone and lot of guitar interleaved. O Meri Jaan, has one of finest "woo-hoo" pieces. Baate Kuch Ankahi Si..is a melodious track. It has as many as three versions. One crooned by Adnan Sami, in his typical heavy swinging voice, one of his best. The revisited version is fast paced with beats thrown in, sounds more poppy. The third one, called unplugged, is slow and soulful, with just mouth organ and guitar, this is probably the best track in the album.

Rishtey, too has two versions. One by angry man James, and the other by DJs Naved & Nikhil Chinappa (the channel v vj, his name turns up in number of good albums!) which is a total remix style, but sounds good. And finally there is Kar Salaam, which is shown at the end of the movie, where the different stories reach their culmination, some end in happily ever after, some don't. The song is like a commentary on life, and has that introspective feel.

kho jaana, pa jaana, na paana, hai jindagi jaan le
bik jaana, loot jaana, bass jaana hai jindagi maan le
ho ho ho karle yakin, jo kal gaya woh phir se aata nahin
ho ho ho gujra huva jo waqt hai woh dastak lagaata nahin
jo aaj hai bass wahi hai tera - 2
ha kya teri hasti hai, mitti ki basti hai
pal mein hi ho jaati hai yeh fanaa
kar salaam - 4

This album is a collector's item.

Last farmaish

Ajnabi shehar hain.....ajnabiii..sham hain

Sonu Nigam's ultra melodious song...i am all over it. Other songs from the same album, Jaan-E-Mann are good too. I liked Ek din fursat main from Zindagi rockss too. Its become impossible to track whats "happening" back home. Why home, its impossible to track things here too. The workload is just too much. Just came out of a project submission followed by 2 midterms all in a span of 2 days. Just surviving, or may be not.

Jaan jaati hain to jaaye
Chota sa to risk hain...

I can't stop ranting about things happening with me, but I am going to blow it all off, as my project partner, who shares some of the hard luck, says in his distinctly Tamil accent "whu chares?" :)

Hope that things will come back on track...lady destiny where are you.

Tuti futi shayari main...
Likh diya hain diary main
Aakhri khwaish ho tum..
Last farmaish ho tum...

Gulzaar, he is as evergreen.

Ayushyavar aikle kahi...

I had been hearing lots of praises about it. Dhaval managed to get the show tickets before hand using his contacts. And yey, we finally made to the theatre presentation of "Ayushyavar Bolu Kahi", a musical show featuring songs and poems by Sandeep Khare and Salil Kulkarni.

I have been listening to their songs since I heard "Man talyaat...malyaat" in our college's Firodia Karandak play 3-4 years ago. I have been hooked ever since. The reason is simple....the lyrics, the tunes, the music...its just inexplicable....Few months back when i had got the 3 of their released albums for my mom, the shopkeeper said "this guy(Sandeep Khare) sells more than Jagjit Singh and the likes ! ".

With lots of expectations me and Dhaval went for the show...and oh boy...! The theatre was jam packed...everywhere i could see people, many of them of our generation, which i was surprised to find. The show started with their trademark "ayushyavar bolu kahi". The show is arranged such that the songs and poems presented go from one mood of life to another. Salil has this soft, classically trained voice and Sandeep's is more charismatic with an identity of its own. And together they create magic....In few of the songs Sandeep interludes the tunes with verses from his poems, it sounds amazing.

With melodious and mightyly meaningful songs, impact is what you feel...and applaud is all you see and do. The best part about the Sandeep's writings is that he goes in depth in many other subjects other than the just standard romanticism. His poems like "Safarchand" on the mediocrity in life, and "Nastik" on being a nastik touch heights of imagination. I found "Nastik" deeply profound. Another poem "Love Letter" is a sarcasm on use of English in everyday Marathi.

And the second best part is that even a person with average art-appreciation genes can enjoy and understand the thought put behind his poems. A friend of mine recently rightly said..."Aplya veles hi kuni kavi zala asa aplya pudhcya pidhyanna sangu shaku ! "

At the end of the show we met them...i tried to say "Haslo karan dusre kahi shakya nahi..." a line from one of his poems, but i couldn't say it the way it should have been. I still remember the weird smile Sandeep Khare gave me :P

And i did i say the third best part... Sandeep uses these ugly, hoarse sounding words ( which are not that uncommon for Marathi ) in his compositions. Yet he and Salil, manage to make real good tunes out of them.

Unmissable.

Category [ _Unfiled_ ]

Maahi ve

There is a dearth of good music...& its been like this for some time. In the midst of this barren one or other number comes as breeze of fresh air. Am talking about Faakhir's Mantra. Have heard two tracks from the album & they are brilliant both to sound n see.

The ubiquitous Maahi ve just grows on you everytime you hear it. It has in Faakhir's words "fusion of Blues n Sufi music". Though shades of Rafi & Kishore are noticeable. Particularly the oodley doodley thingy, very very Kishore. The video is very nicely done considering the music videos we see these days, jeez! It has that Chicago feel to it & coincidently this was reiterated by a friend too.

Maahi ve...maahi ve
Oh teri yaad aati hain re
Chandan see dhup mae
patli ki chaaaon maaaee
Maahi ve, Maahi ve

The other one is Jiyaa na jaaye. The video has a continous rose petal rain, looks kinda very royal. The camera keeps circular paths & the shot of sitar strings bending at a note...cool.

While surfing i stumbled across a weird thing. Big B in a rap video. He looks awkward initially but he seems to carry the fast track in a artificial but convincing manner. He does it all, & he does it good.

3 times in the past 3 weeks, i reach E-square, see the housefull displays & come back. Waiting desperately for the multiplex in Kothrud to come up. Till then...for the Force to come, wait you must.

Category [ _Film_ ]

Khatmal

First blog to get written from Linux. This is MandrakeLinux 10.0,
with auto fat / ntfs volume mount. Yes, ntfs too.

dheere se jana khatiyan me...
....ohhh khatmal
dheere se jana khatiyan me...!

I happened to hear this song. Till date i thought
this was a semi-classical song...cause i never looked
over the lyrics. And now that i have heard it...i cant
stop applauding KishoreDa's urge for creativity. This song
which has some really weird lyrics ( it is addresed to the
khatmal to stop troubling a beauty in her sleep ! )
has been turned into a nice semi-classical piece. People who
can do this metamorphosis, turn tragic into magic are, simply
put, genius. And the maestro has a number such weirdo creativity
put in place very gracefully. Look at songs from chalti kam naam
gadi. It has KishoreDa styled fusion all over it. And yet he
manages to make it sound good.

Creativity has so much freedom which comes gift wrapped with it.
It brings in a lot more out to the mechanical world, its the
contribution of this imaginitive intelligence that makes life
so much worth living. Above all it gives so much satisfaction,
like this piece of blog filled with a random subject going in a
random direction, yet it gives me some nice feeling of achievement,
especially this last statement !

Category [ _Unfiled_ ]