Thanks, Srini!

--- In arrahmanfans@yahoogroups.com, Srini Santhanam <saint.si...@...> wrote:
>
> Nice review Chord & Wiredbeats... Reading your reviews is also a learning 
> experience for me :)
> 
> Thanks,
> Srini
> 
> 
> On 03-Aug-2010, at 7:54 AM, AJ wrote:
> 
> > Enthiran Music Review
> > 
> > I decided to write this review sooner than I thought due to the songs 
> > having a more instant impact and having listened to the whole album at 
> > least 15 times since it came out. Further time is not going to change my 
> > opinions. My comments are only on the music, not the lyrics.
> > 
> > I wonder if we really understand and appreciate the difficulty of Rahman's 
> > job, no matter how musically brilliant he is. He is human after all, and 
> > not a robot. He has to keep in mind so many expectations and demands, esp. 
> > when you have a leading film-maker and superstar with his own fan 
> > following….Rajinikant. Post Oscars, the expectations for Rahman have only 
> > grown and I truly wonder how he manages to rise to the occasion each time, 
> > whether we ourselves like an album or not. With Shankar and Rajinikant at 
> > hand, boy, Rahman must try to keep a lot of people happy all at once, yet 
> > creating music fitting for the movie that's supposed to have sci fi, robo 
> > themes! If there's anyone who can do justice to these demands, it's Rahman. 
> > The hype around the music release of this album is one of the biggest I've 
> > seen in a while…..touted as one of the finest films, most expensive films, 
> > etc.
> > 
> > Pudiya Manidha whisks us away to a land of robos and futuristic sci fi, and 
> > man, does it ever leave a mark! One of the sleekest masterpieces Rahman has 
> > ever come out with in my opinion, this song oozes with etherealness, 
> > groove, punch, mystery, intrigue, and trance. This track takes me to 
> > another world truly with Rahman's sweet touches….crystal, progressive synth 
> > sound effects, warm ambiance, loopy synths, and the ever soothing and 
> > captivating string arrangements. Post Khatija Rahman's soulful singing and 
> > bleating goat sounds, the song picks up speed with rhythms and SPB's 
> > spritely singing. Notice how the strings mimic the synth loop melody, only 
> > adding depth and character to an already richly bestowed track. Based 
> > loosely on raaga Bhimpalas, the song takes a soaring route during the 
> > heavenly string interlude. Beautiful choral additions are appreciated, 
> > adding a stark spirituality and sonic texture along with SPB's split octave 
> > singing, creating a very balanced and satisfying bass/treble aural 
> > experience on all frequencies. This track will likely go down as one of my 
> > favorites in ARR's entire repertoire for the reasons outlined above and for 
> > reasons I just can't put into words, but can only feel and experience. For 
> > a techno/trance number, it's very spiritual in feel! A complete masterpiece 
> > from start to finish, what a way to kick off!!!! 
> > 
> > A contrasting, more acoustic, upbeat and happier track follows as Shreya 
> > and Vijay Prakash please us with lilting singing and joy in Kaadhal 
> > Annukal. Rahman's use of rhythm acoustic guitar layered with the sweet 
> > accordion and mouth organ/harmonica is extremely appealing aurally with 
> > incredible sweetness! Beautiful interludes highlight this earthy and 
> > charming song with a Scottish/Irish style using piccolo and accordion in 
> > the first, and a very unconventional, out of the box mysterious and ambient 
> > synth section in the second, showcasing ARR's brilliant creativity and 
> > craft. The second interlude is truly outstanding as it gravitates away from 
> > the usual flowery mood and organic sound and serves us something more 
> > electronic and spacey, but never distracts the groove and momentum of the 
> > whole track! I just love how ARR uses the strings so tastefully and 
> > craftily throughout the song creating a very lush aural landscape, esp. in 
> > the end when Shreya's counter melodic line joins in. A really sparkling 
> > track from start to finish for me and this song just radiates freshness and 
> > innovativeness for an Indian film song. The melody itself is very sweet 
> > with many hooks, though unconventional for an Indian duet film song and at 
> > times hard to remember, but with repeated exposures, I can't get this song 
> > out of me!! The whole song is beautifully supported by a fresh, rhythmic 
> > groove that mostly unwavers alongside haunting and unique chords and chord 
> > progressions. 
> > 
> > Following the very techno and synth heavy first track, how beautifully 
> > contrasting we hear a very earthy and acoustic one in the second…..truly 
> > showcasing ARR's versatility and genius in the first 2 tracks alone!!!
> > 
> > The third track, Irumbile Oru, is techno to the core, but sounding like an 
> > ordinary remix to me! Marked by some sexy grooves and female rapping along 
> > with ARR's metallic tinged voice, this track has not yet impressed me much 
> > musically. Maybe if I understood the lyrics, I would appreciate it more, 
> > but I did notice how the lyrics and words seem to flow quite well. I don't 
> > know why Rahman did not do more musically with this track, esp. using a 
> > kind of outdated techno sound that has been used over and over! As my 
> > friend put it, "this track is a lost opportunity for Rahman" in terms of 
> > sound, but I can see how the youngsters are enjoying it for its sheer 
> > rhythmic groove, lyrics, word flow, and ARR's voice. Nothing more to write 
> > here!
> > 
> > ARR has a little fun in the next track, Chitti Dance Showcase, which begins 
> > as a cheesy robotic voice…………………come on Rahman! You can do better! Why 
> > choose a clichéd, stereotyped robotic sound that we've heard over and over? 
> > Once again, Rahman using a very outdated sound! I can understand Rahman's 
> > attempt to be obvious and literal as he needs to cater to the masses, but 
> > still….there is no elevation of taste using these outdated and hackneyed 
> > robo sounds! But, on the plus side, this track has its interesting and at 
> > times brilliant moments, esp. with the beautiful and sweeping string and 
> > choral interlude, but alas, only lasts about 10-15 seconds! We hear all 
> > sorts of genres here….symphony, heavy metal, Indian tarana, but with 
> > jarring transitions. Oh, and I also like that little whistling, jazzy 
> > insertion that he put in there towards the end….showing the more humorous 
> > and playful side to ARR! Nice touch there! 
> > 
> > We switch gears to a much more heavy sounding number, Arima Arima, with 
> > Hariharan and Sadhana Sargam, 2 singers we haven't heard in a long time in 
> > a Rahman's song! This track is full of valor and majesty, showcasing brass 
> > and pomp with militarized drumming and a dose or distorted rock guitar to 
> > add exclamation! I love Rahman's use of the symphonic strings in this song 
> > using them to accent rhythms and intertwining them delicately at times in 
> > 16th note fashion creating a beautifully crafted and intricate rhythmic and 
> > textured backdrop to Hariharan's and Sadhana Sargam's passionate singing. I 
> > love some of the operatic voices that are also used as transitional pieces. 
> > I also loved that little 16th note synth insertion during one of the song's 
> > transitions, adding energy to an already vibrant and punchy track! Did you 
> > notice how the trumpet interlude totally changes the mood of the song as we 
> > go into major scale? I love that part of the song!!!! The singing is semi 
> > classical at times, esp. during the antaras, which I really appreciate. The 
> > track both begins and ends with synth, creating an interesting contrast to 
> > the much more acoustic and earthy majority of the song.
> > 
> > We go light in mood again with an African twist!!! Kilimanjaro is a real 
> > treat with extremely catchy lyrics and spirited singing by Chinmayi and 
> > Javed Ali! What a track! I love the mood of this whole song and the 
> > beautifully authentic African vocal tribal interludes add only icing to the 
> > cake! I don't know how Rahman created such an authentically earthy sound to 
> > the tribal choral parts! This song is just brilliant and so crafty! I love 
> > how the crisp tablas are used at times and the naughty singing by Chinmayi, 
> > who doesn't sound her usual self, but very convincing! This raaga Malkauns 
> > based track is punctuated by some very wholesome and crisp drumming, 
> > catapulting this track forward with every step! Check out the rhythmic 
> > variations during many parts of the song with added maracas (or another 
> > instrument) in double time, esp. during the second tribal part. Let's not 
> > forget the playful "click click" sound either, which is just perfectly 
> > placed! Rahman's versatility is simply mindblowing!!!! 
> > 
> > The final track begins with Yogi B's "Boom Boom Robo Da" bit which repeats 
> > kind of annoyingly through the rest of the song. I could have enjoyed this 
> > song without that part, catchy as it is!!! Brass hits and funky techno 
> > beats characterize this very rhythmic, colorful and varied track with 
> > multiple musical genres in jazz, latin, rap, heavy metal, hip hop, etc. For 
> > a change, it's nice to hear Yogi B, another rapper besides Blaaze, though 
> > no hard feelings towards Blaaze! The antaras are quite melodiously sung as 
> > the singing takes on a more semi classical turn in raaga Abhogi and 
> > occasionally Bhairavi. I very much appreciate the second interlude 
> > Latin/Spanish sounding section with the soothing female chorus and nice but 
> > brief acoustic Spanish sounding guitar. There are more acoustic elements to 
> > this song too as what sounds like a bright santoor plays an old fashioned 
> > melody in the beginning and acoustic guitar plucking briefly as the other 
> > musical flavors melt away for a brief bit during some later transitions. A 
> > patchwork track of sorts, much like its predecessor in Chitti Showcase, 
> > it's quite entertaining to the core with some splashes of sweet melody 
> > thrown in. Rahman's talent as a musically genius craftsman really shines in 
> > this track.
> > 
> > So, another milestone in ARR's career if you ask me with heavyweights 
> > Pudhiya Manidha, Kadhal Anukkal, Arima, and Kilimanjaro totally carrying 
> > this soundtrack on all four of their shoulders. These 4 songs to me embody 
> > some of Rahman's finest musical work to date in terms of composition, 
> > innovation, sonic creativity, and mass and class appeal. This album would 
> > be worthy enough with only these 4 songs on the table. The other 3 tracks 
> > have bright moments contained within them, but seriously, the outdated and 
> > cheesy and cliched robo/electro sounds of the 1980s are a big turn off for 
> > me and I am quite disappointed by Rahman's choice here, also likely 
> > influenced by Pravin Mani. I really wish that similar sound templates of 
> > the ambient textured, progressive and futuristic sounds of Pudhiya Manidha 
> > would have been in more abundance in the rest of the songs, but perhaps 
> > Shankar had a big say in this to cater to more of the masses and Rajinikant 
> > fans and what fits in with the film…..I don't know. As an album overall, 
> > it's qualitatively very inconsistent to me and very gimmicky in parts, but 
> > with 4 brilliant songs in the mix, I will surely be playing this very 
> > entertaining CD as well as the Telugu and Hindi counterparts in heavy 
> > rotation for a long, long time to come!
> > 
> > Numeric Values:
> > 7/10 – Compared to other Rahman albums (mostly for the 4 amazing songs I 
> > talked about above)
> > 9/10 – Compared to contemporary Indian film albums
> > 
> > Copyright by iChord 2010. No part of this writeup may be reproduced without 
> > the sole written consent of this writer.
> > 
> >
>


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