Great review!!!!!
--- In arrahmanfans@yahoogroups.com, "Anil Nair" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
wrote:
>
> Easily one of the best reviewers of music..suresh and easily one
of the best
> reviews of Yuvraaj. I think even ARR would love to read this
one....
>
> http://ursmusically.blogspot.com/2008/10/yuvvraaj-soundtrack.html
>
> People often say that Rahman's music grow on multiple listening.
Even I had
> this opinion, but 'Yuvvraaj' music made me realize how rubbish that
> statement is. The time one takes to understand and appreciate the
music
> depends solely on person's music sensibilities and the level of
> concentration one pays to the music while listening. With so many
> distractions around, the attention span of people in common has
obviously
> come down. Over a period of time, we tend to become so dumb and
want
> everything to be spoon-fed, we want everything quick and instant
and my
> negative reaction to 'Yuvvraaj' music is a danger signal to my
deteriorating
> concentration when it comes to listening music. I couldn't
appreciate
> 'Yuvvraaj' music on first listening, because I wasn't listening at
all, I
> was just hearing. That is not Rahman's fault. For all the
relentless work
> that Rahman puts in to give us a new music listening experience,
he asks us
> very little in return, concentration and if we are incapable of
that, at
> least a little patience for the songs to sink in. Though I lack
> concentration, I alteast had the patience and didn't jump into any
> conclusion on first listening.
>
> Rahman's music in general or Rahman's music in 'Yuvvraaj'
specifically,
> isn't as complex as everyone claims it to be. The 5th Beethoven
Symphony
> that punctuates the introduction speech of Salman Khan in 'Main
Hoon
> Yuvvraaj' actually misleads a listener. There is symphonic grandeur
> throughout the soundtrack and to strike a balance between the
classical
> roots and modernism there is also the typical synthphony of
Rahman. Ofcourse
> there are lot of layers of sounds which may make it sound complex.
But, in
> music, it is not the sound that adds to the complexity, it is the
layering
> of melodies or as they put it, it is the counter melodies that one
should
> consider to determine the complexity of a song. In that sense,
there are no
> such complex counter melodies here. Also, Rahman has totally
avoided
> acoustic percussions and has used catchy synth rhythm loops to
make it sound
> simple and easy for listening. But it is in the flow of the melody
and the
> structure of the songs where Rahman doesn't compromise.
>
> Rahman has always defied the conventional structure of Indian
movie songs,
> and it is not a big surprise that no song in Yuvvraaj sounds
conventional in
> its structure. Phrase after phrase, the melody makes unexpected
twists and
> turns and that is why I wasn't able to get the overall beauty of
the song on
> first listening. 'Mastam' is one of the most euphoric songs that
we would
> get to listen in this year and yet because of the unpredictable
flow of
> melody I found it difficult to comprehend initially. It keeps
flowing
> without giving us a breathing space for the just-heard phrase of
melody to
> sink in. But I must admit that the melody of 'Aaye jhee baanke
aaye' line
> made me instantly and involuntarily sway my head left and right.
The
> collective euphoria of the sound of Gluzar's word play, Irish
rhythm, the
> taps, claps, harmonica, strings, and choir makes oneself feel
lighter and
> brings a smile on one's face. This is the first song of the
soundtrack to
> become my favorite.
>
> 'Tu meri dost' is intricately layered with brilliant and
appropriate usage
> of acoustic instruments. Though there is a constantly looping e-
beat and lot
> of e-sounds and looping layers, the core emotion of the song is
carried
> through by strings, the piano that peeps in and flute that flows
in at most
> appropriate moments. Like say, when Rahman ends his line
with 'nisa nisa
> sari sari', the flute that takes off, Harp that slides through all
its
> strings and the piano chords that starts and continues to
accompany the
> vocal that follows, sounds scintillating. The way Shreya hits the
low with
> the words 'gungunathi hai' and 'mila thi hai' and that distant cry
of Shreya
> going 'Awaaz hoon main' at the end of the song are heavenly.
>
> Surprisingly, the prelude of 'Tu Muskura' starts with the same
cello piece
> that we just heard in the interlude of 'Tu Meri Dost' and later to
our
> surprise, it indeed is the main melody of the song. Rahman being
aware of
> the fact that the melody in the following stanza is a little
disconnected
> from the main melody tries to connect the stanzas with an
interlude that
> hints the vocal melody of the following line, on strings and so
when soon
> Alka starts to sing the line, it doesn't sound odd or disjointed.
And when
> Alka repeats the same melody again along with the same interlude
piece
> played on strings in tandem, our ears become quite comfortable
with the
> melody. And after when Javed Ali takes it off from where Alka
Yagnik left to
> the main melody, our ears feel at home. It is these cheating
techniques that
> make Rahman's songs work quite magnificently. 'Tu muskara' then
leads to a
> stunning climax with Alka singing the main melody as a counter
melody to
> Javed Ali's classical alaap and the strings playing a totally
different
> melody perfectly in harmony with both the vocal parts.
>
> When 'Tu meri dost' borrows the main melody of 'Tu muskura', and
gives its
> melody in return, when 'Manmohini Morey' slips into the deeply
moving cello
> version of 'Tu muskura' melody, one gets to understand how
thematically
> structured and linked the songs are, by which the songs
beautifully borrow
> melodies from each other to fill in their interludes. Not for
nothing, 'The
> Soundtrack' has been written on the front cover of the lyrics
booklet that
> comes with the CD. It is a movie soundtrack in which music leaves
open ended
> for the visuals to take it further and complete.
>
> 'Zindagi' is Rahman's beautiful tribute to M.S.Vishwanathan.
Srinivas's
> exquisite rendition and the natural serenity in his voice further
elevate
> the melody that was always destined to sound divine. The backing
strings and
> solo cello pieces are so intrinsically woven with the lead melody,
and it
> perfectly echoes the pain as in and along with Srinivas's vocals.
The melody
> sits up conveniently on soft guitar strumming and soft beats. The
beats will
> make people who may otherwise feel the melody tedious, long and
boring to
> sit up and settle with it.
>
> When we listen to a song for the first time, we don't begin to
like the song
> from its very first note. We listen and as it flows, there comes a
takeoff
> point, where we start to like the song. Every song has its takeoff
point. In
> 'Dil Ka Rishtha', which starts with the catchy main piano theme
which we
> heard in the promos of the movie, the takeoff point comes much
later when
> the lines that start in lower octave with 'Dil Dil hain Dil Dil'
suddenly
> moves to a higher 'Jaane de' with immense passion and aggression.
I cannot
> express in the words the kind of exhilaration this 'Jaane de'
gives to me.
> After the song finds its takeoff point, one realizes that this is
one such
> song, where every note and every beat fall beautifully in place.
The most
> innovative and refreshing element of the song is that the western
choir
> instead of singing their melodies in some strange language sings
them in 'Sa
> ri ga ma pa da ni sa'. When Rahman gets exhausted playing with all
possible
> permutations and combinations of many melodic themes of the song,
he takes
> up everything to an exhilarating climax moment where 'door dilse
nehin hai
> hum door' melody takes its most grandest form leaving a listener
in awe of
> the song's overall grandeur, structure, the fusion and the
emotional impact.
>
>
> After the storming 'Dil Ka Rishtha', Rahman baths us in a sweet
gentle
> drizzle of Indian classical music in 'Manmohini Morey'. It
instantly catches
> a listener with its extremely catchy rhythm loop, the hooky 'Thom
Thom Thana
> na', the soft strings, the soothing vocals of Vijay Prakash and the
> rendition that walks on a thin line between heavy classical and
lighter
> filmy feel.
>
> Shano Shano is an ultra cool disco song that traverses through
different set
> of melodies and grooves and hits it right with the main Shano hook
line. The
> remix version by Krishna Chetan is equally good.
>
> The day I bought 'Yuvvraaj' CD, unexpectedly I had to travel 400
Kms in a
> very uncomfortable means of transport and I can't think of
surviving that
> journey without 'Yuvvraaj' music. Rahman helped me in reaching the
> destination through a scintillating musical journey in 'Yuvvraaj'.
Only a
> person in love can understand how it feels to be in a Romantic
mood, and
> only a Rahmaniac can understand how it feels to be in a Rahmantic
mood.
> Rahmantic is the mood which a Rahmaniac gets into when a new
Rahman album
> releases and especially when it turns out to be as beautiful
as 'Yuvvraaj'.
> I don't know if it is will become a classic, but by seeing
everyone having
> different list of favourite songs covering all the songs in the
soundtrack,
> which is an earlier indication of a soundtrack that has the
potential of
> becoming a timeless classic. But for now, let us immerse ourselves
in this
> musical downpour of Rahman.
>
>
> --
> -A
> http://viewsnmuse.blogspot.com
>
