Weekly Earworm (24/10/2020)

Ghibran's spiritual series (Tamil): Ghibran: Saraswathi Dayai Nidhi: Ghibran's spiritual series moved away from heavily orchestration based arrangements and throws in lovely veenai solos by Haritha Raj in this composition. The innate beauty of the Saraswathi Raga based composition by Papanasam Shivan is complemented by serene arrangements and delightful singing by Pragathi Guruprasad.

Soorarai Pottru (Tamil): GV Prakash Kumar and Thaikkudam bridge: Aagasam: GV Prakash reused Thaikkudam bridge's composition Urumbu from Navarasam. The singer Christin Jose is retained while Govind Vasantha enters towards the end and finishes the punchy composition in crescendo. The motivational lyrics written by Arunraja Kamaraj blends well with the lively tone of the song.

Arijit Singh: Ore Nutan Juger Bhore: The serene composition by Rabindranath Tagore is propped up by stunning Sarod played by Soumik Dutta which complements more like another singer throughout the song and watch out for the lovely solo in the interlude. Arijit Singh aces the soulful rendition effectually and it's good to see Arijith's independent composition come up with the English subtitles for the lyrics. Wish others also follow suit.

Bhoomi (Tamil): Imman: Kadai Kannaaley: Imman strikes a chord once again with Shreya Goshal and Thanks to the beautiful tune and singers impeccable rendition. The melody turns more interesting in the charanam portions with the phrase 'vizhiyai imaiyai virithae unai'. Overall the vocals and Thamarai's alluring choice of words make this one an engaging listen.

Taish (Hindi): Govind Vasantha, Prashanth Pillai: Re Bawree, Roshni Si: Bejoy Nambiar's another multi composer soundtrack where Govind Vasantha easily scores the best with the effective Re Bawree. The song comes in two versions as a duet sung by the composer himself along with Prarthna Indrajith and another one with Sona Mohapatra in the lead vocals. The progressive rock and semi-classical tune blend well together and the duet version too works beautifully while the more serene Sona's version is propped up by the lead vocals. Prashant Pillai's hypnotic trance Roshni si with Josi Alapuzha and Sriram Sampath's intermittent flute solos is another enjoyable track in this multi composer album. Though Bejoy Nambiar's Taish is not as intriguing as the director's solo or David, these couple of tracks stand out.

Halal Love story (Malayalam): Bijibal: Muttath: Bijibal's Muttath, a simple heartwarming melody backed by Sandeep Mohan's guitar is soothing to listen in the vocals of Soumya Ramakrishnan. 

You can listen to the songs as a Youtube playlist

Weekly Earworm (12/09/2020)

Venmaniye Venmaniye (Tamil): 4 Musics: 4 Musics, Malayalam group of 4 composers who composed few Malayalam albums, come up with the lovely semi-classical single Venmaniye sung stupendously by Aadil Anzar. The beautiful tune in the young singer's voice aside, the serene gentle arrangements makes it a soothing listen.

Saajan Bakery Since 1962 (Malayalam): Prashanth Pillai: Thora Mazhayilum: Prashanth Pillai wins over with the simple warming melody Thora Mazhayilum and the lovely Sax by Josy serves as a beautiful companion to Vineeth Srinivsan's vocals. Preethi Pillai comes for a brief time and mostly overlayed vocals while one wishes that her portions could have been more, nevertheless lovely listen from Prashanth Pillai.

Aananda Sagaram (Malayalam): Ranjith Meleppatt: Ranjith Meleppatt favorite album is definitely his Tamil debut Thirundhuda Kadhal Thiruda (My Review) which featured the brilliant Salaigal and Ranjith pulls off an equally enjoyable semi-classical song in Aananda Sagaram. Harisankar behind the mic, the rendition hardly can go wrong and the singer aces this one effortlessly.

Mayuram (Malayalam): Ajith Nair:  KS Harisankar featured in another semi-classical single composed by Ajith Nair. The track is an excellent listen and the lovely sargams by the singer make this one enchanting listen more than its melody.

Vaazhl (Tamil): Pradeep Kumar: Aaha:  Aaha is a quintessential Pradeep Kumar song with the lingering strings and the calming atmospheric soundscape makes it for a compelling listen in lines of Agam Thaanai. Pradeep Kumar utilizes Thereminist Carolina Eyck (TIL Theremin- an instrument played without any physical contact) and supported by lovely orchestration especially scattered oboe cues are lovely to listen.

Kaasuran (Tamil): Pranav Giridharan : Ennodu Kadhal: Another scintillating semi-classical melody based on Dharmavati raga, Ennodu Kadhal/Jotheyalli (Kannada version) sung by Shibi Srinivasan and Maneswini. The beautiful tune easily accentuates the song backed by thumping rhythm and string sections.

Ka Pae Ranasingam (Tamil); Ghibran: Alagiya Sirukki: Ghibran strips away his nuanced layered music away in recent times and started churning out simple more easily accessible melodies. Here in Alagiya Sirukki sounds more like Imman's composition with the thumping percussions, however Balaji's violin solos stand out, and definitely tune is likable stuff as always from Ghibran. 

Pick of the week: Aananda Sagaram, Venmaniye Venmaniye Thora Mazhayilum

P.S You can listen to the songs as a playlist in Youtube

Music Review (Tamil/Malayalam) : Solo

Music Review (Tamil/Malayalam) : Solo
Music Composer: Assorted Composers

Roshomon's buoyant and lively tune has the Russian folk music flavour and Alok Kulkarni's jaunty guitar is undeniably star of the song. The underlying programming by Sreerag Saji brings out the accordion sounds quite effectually. Overall, Prashant Pillai opens this multi-composer soundtrack with a highly infectious stunning track crooned by the string of singers led by Ashwin Gopakumar. Filter coffee selects Jog Raag based classical song Sajan More Ghar Aaye and builds the fantastic atmosphere around it with Swarupa Ananth's brilliant Konnakol and Jhanvi Srimankar's splendid rendition. The unconventional musical structure accompanied by Govind's solo violin cues make this one an engaging song till it lasts. Sooraj S Kurup of Valleem Thetti Pulleem Thetti fame delivers the song of the soundtrack in this multi-composer soundtrack. The classical song crooned in a splendid manner by Renuka Arun after Endaro in Telugu and she aces the classical rendition brilliantly. Hope composers utilize her vocals frequently. Sooraj's minimal sounds in the background accentuate the reverberating vocals.

World of Siva opens up with Masala Coffee's Aal Ayaal and the track is synchronous with the band's signature sounds rooted in Malayalam folk. Sooraj Santosh aces the vocals part as usual while adorning the track with magnificent arrangements topped by Krishnaraj's violin and awesome bass guitar work by Paul Joseph. The song's reprise version is done in a more stylish manner with much emphasis on Preeth P S's guitar strums and Sooraj's vocals. Thaikkudam Bridge reproduced the famous Aigiri Nandini and gave the haunting treatment to the track and the Govind's gloomy rendition and vocal texture gel perfectly with the arrangements. The arrangements turned towards the expected rock genre but the violin and guitar solos make this one easily works despite the overall familiar sound. The track has predominantly the sound of Thaikkudam bridge's latest brilliant album Navarasam. Govind presents his another adapted classical track Shiv Taandav composed by Raghini Bhagwat and the energetic arrangements sung in an effectual manner by Saylee Talwalkar works seamlessly. The drums rhythm and the singer's vocals amalgamate well and make this one wonderful listen.

Madras Kuthu meets the rap in Singa Kutty in the track composed by Sez on the beat. Though the track is less intriguing compared to other tracks in the album, Chinna Ponnu's vocals and Balasubramani's Nadhaswaram keeps the song afloat amidst other sounds.Thoovanam is the conventional mainstream sound in the album composed by Abhinav Bansal and the tune is a cakewalk for Vijay Yesudas. The tune didn't work for me except for the brilliance of the lead singer. Harish Sivaramakrishnan effectually recreated their hit boat song and the pulsating rock fusion easily works and the thittithara is the highlight in this highly effectual song while Agam brilliantly infuses the serene version of boat song in Uyiraagi especially the way Thittithara is incorporated. Shashaa Tripathi gives life to the song with her mellifluous vocals.

Separation is led by Ashitha Ajit's brilliant vocals and Gaurav Godkindi's serene arrangements topped by solo violin intermittently.Karaiyaadhe is another sing-along soft rock song crooned by Siddharth Basrur splendidly. The arrangements are dominated by typical English pop sound but work beautifully till it lasts. You is an English version of Karaiyaadhe and Siddharth owns the song with his pitch-perfect vocals.

Verdict: Extraordinary soundtrack for an anthology film and Bejoy Nambiar extracted another brilliant album from the multiple composers after David.

My Rating:9/10

Pick of the Album: Just listen to the whole Album and you won't regret.

Music Review (Malayalam): Sakhavu

Music Review (Malayalam): Sakhavu
Music Composer: Prashant Pillai

Madhumathiye is a melange of retro, semi-classical tinge and techno beats in the background while the real stunner piece is the classical strings in the second interlude transitioned into mappilai paatu styled second half. Sreekumar Vakkiyil and Preethi Pillai's gorgeous vocals make this one an engaging piece of work till it lasts. Lokam Ennum sounds anthemic tandem to the movie genre, but Prashant Pillai's background work with the string make this one worthy listen although the tune stays true to the template of songs of this genre. Vaikom Vijayalakshmi's idiosyncratic vocals fit the bill perfectly for Udichuyarnne retro stage drama kind of song and the brilliant usage of harmonium is the highlight. Theyyum Thindaka is an another upbeat song and the soundscape is strictly situational and anthemic one which may gels well with the visuals but not as a standalone song. Prashant Pillai always teases the listeners by delivering the best song in the soundtrack with the shortest duration Do Naina in Angamaly Diaries and Aarariro in Sakhavu. The song's show stopper is undeniably Preethi Pillai and her resonating vocals makes this one an enjoyable one.

Verdict: Though not as exquisite as Prashant Pillai's previous soundtracks a couple of songs are enjoyable.

My Rating: 7/10

Pick Of the Album: Aarariro, Madhumathiye

Music Review (Malayalam): Angamaly Diaries

Music Review (Malayalam): Angamaly Diaries
Music Composer: Prashant Pillai

Lijo's penchant for brass is evident with brilliant PamPara Paa in Amen and Angamaly in Angamaly Diaries. Angamaly's high octane brass band arrangements mixed with native folk vocals of Angamaly Pranchi is foot tapping at best, though it falls a tad behind the Amen track. Ayalathe is a most interesting composition by Prashant Pillai with the melange of sounds from the Rajesh Cherthala's Pan flute,Prakash Ulleri's Harmonium and deftly placed knocking and other assorted sounds throughout the song. Theeyame is another folk traditional song brimming with native flavour while both arrangements and singers stay true to the tune. The exuberant brass sections and Angamaly Pranchi returns back in Thana Dhina and the result is alluring as the previous song. The charming melodic track Do Naina's 5 versions seems to be overkill, however, the beauty of the tune and exquisite waltzy arrangements highlighted by piano makes up for the grouses. Preethi Pillai and Shreekumar Vakkiyil nails the beautiful tune with the vocals in their respective versions.

Verdict: Lijo- Prashant Pillai combo continues to enchant the music lovers with their curious soundscape after Amen and Double Barrel.

My Rating:8/10

Pick of the Album: Do Naina, Angamaly, Ayalathe

Music Review (Malayalam): Anuraga Karikkin Vellam

Music Review (Malayalam): Anuraga Karikkin Vellam
Music Composer: Prashant Pillai

Manogathan Bhavan's enticing classical melody in the fore delivered with absolute finesse by both singers Mathangi and Haricharan while at the background Prashant Pillai employs pop sounding cues throughout the track. Apart from all this eargasmic ambience, Prashant topped up the song with fantastic Josy's Sax in the interludes. Vaikom Vijayalakshmi's idiosyncratic vocals in Neeyo Njano hooks up the listeners while Prashant incorporates the upbeat sounds in the background in sync with the song's tone. The lovely Prakash Hariharan's Mandolin base amidst the punchy percussion is the highlight of this track. Poyimaranjo's resonant tune evokes the memories of Mosayile Kuthira Meenukal title song, however composer upped the ante with brilliant string progressions. Govind Menon's wonderful violin solo is enough to enjoy the foot-tapping melody of the title song which Peethamabaran Menon and Govind menon renders earnestly.

Verdict: Prashant Pillai is one of the composers I always look out for and he never disappoints and Anuraga Karikkin Vellam is also top-notch work from this brilliant composer.

My rating: 8/10

Pick of the Album: Manogathan Bhavan, Poyimaranjo, Anuraga Karikin Vellam

P.S You can listen to the soundtrack in Youtube

Music Review(Hindi): Wazir

Music Review(Hindi): Wazir
Music Composers: Shantanu Moitra, Prashant Pillai, Advaita, Ankit Tiwari

In Tere bin, Shantanu Moitra throws us back into his Parineeta while Shreya Goshal and Sonu Nigam's rendition are delightful as always especially Shreya's lovely sargams throughout the song. Shantanu's pleasant tune is complemented well by soothing arrangements with minimal violin and tabla. Tu mere pass is a typical Ankit Tiwari song with stretched prelude portions followed by breezy guitar laden track sung earnestly by composer itself. Maula is a standard qawwali affair where the instrumentals follow a templatized song with Javed Ali behind the mic being the only silver lining in this seven-minute song by Shantanu Moitra. Prashant Pillai's Tere Liye Mere Kareem is the most effective song in the soundtrack which starts as an earnest prayer kind of vocals whereas the song shifts in the midway into an adrenaline pumping string sections with quite an enticing vocals of Gagan Baderiya. Next best song in the album belongs to Advaita band's Khel Khel main and the song is mostly intriguing instrumental with reverberating vocals of Amitabh Bachanr. Loved especially Sarangi solos in the song. The theme song of wazir although three minutes long makes less impact and the theme may make an impact with visuals.

Verdict: Bejoy Nambiar's Wazir soundtrack features again multi-composer, but this soundtrack falls behind when compared to the effectual diverse sounds in David.

My rating: 7.5/10

Pick of the Album: Tere Liye Mere Kareem, Khel Khel main, Tere bin

You can listen to the songs in saavn.

Music Review (Tamil): Andhra Mess

Music Review (Tamil): Andhra Mess
Music Composer: Prashant Pillai

Aana Oona has captivating tune build around the tribal sound ambiance accentuated by percussion elements and occasional tribal cantillation. Particularly second interlude is quite enticing and the thumping sound is complemented well by Amrit Rao's exuberant singing. Orey Oor is a haunting tune and the gloomy mood is bolstered further by Prashant Pillai's minimal orchestration especially those whistling sound in the background and brilliant ghatam usage along with chimes throughout the song. K S Krishnan behind the mic has done apposite rendition of Kutty Revathi's thoughtful lyrics. Sittham, too treads the soundscape of the previous track, eerie tune and the effect is actualized with assorted sounds in the background. Song rides mainly on the Mathangi's brilliant vocal range, however languorous pacing of the tune is the minor grouse of the song which makes this one may work well with visuals but not as a standalone track. In Sittham's Hindi version, orchestration is kept intact as in original version while Mathangi, Hafiz Khan and Preethi Pillai rendition remains top notch in this one also. Sittham's remix version is surprisingly seven minutes long loaded with electronic sounds but still the song is underwhelming compared to the original one.

The loot plan instrumental, brilliant concoction of punchy percussion along with brilliant guitar strums towards the end and Prashant Pillai brings out heist flavor very well in this two minute instrumental theme. The Loot ride theme also sound mixed in an intriguing manner with occasional brass and harmonica sounds peppered generously throughout the song. Two liberated soul is catchy among the three instrumental theme especially for its brilliant guitar usage and this one also carries the same atmosphere like other two instrumentals. 

Verdict: Prashant Pillai delivered an unconventional partially engaging soundtrack in his first full fledged Tamil movie debut and the songs may not become chart busters given its thematic soundscape.

My rating:7.75/10

Pick of the Album: Aana Oona, Ore Oor, Loot plan and Two liberated soul

Music Review (Malayalam) : Mosayile Kuthira Meenukul

Music Review (Malayalam) : Mosayile Kuthira Meenukul
Composer: Prashant Pillai


Opening title is more like Islamic hymn with divine Beheja hook and Prashant Pillai goes with minimal guitar riffs at the background but the song came to an end before we completely savour it. Another reprise version of the song starts with ambient sounds along with Preeti Pillai vocals is also enticing. The highlight of this very short soundtrack is Aikbareesa.This song is in the line with Solamanum soshnayum from Amen with minimal enticing sounds at the background. Preeti Pillai handles this capella like melody dextrously. The picturisation of this song also done in aesthetic way. Illahi, comes with two version, one is Alex Chases Aikbar with puchy percussion and rocky guitary orchestration and another is Aikbaar escapes with Prakash sontake in vocals is also almost sounds same. But the concern is again track is very short.

Verdict : Prashant Pillai, marks his presence with melodies in the album but very less number of songs in the album makes us to crave for a lot. Waiting for the solid album like Amen from him.

My rating: 7.5/10

Pick of the Album: All songs nevertheless only 3.