Math & Melody: The Rhythm-Emotion Duel

There is a beautiful and grossly underrated song in the movie Ratchagan composed by A. R. Rehman. The song, titled Kanavu, starts with kayyil mithakkum kanava nee. For many, it was their first wow moment with the singer Srinivas. What has this song to do with Laptop (movie)’s songs composed by Sreevalsan J. Menon? Let me explain—it is not that any tunes are similar or copied. It has to do with carrying melody with a strict rhythmic structure. As srinivas sings with overflowing emotion and extremely sweet melody in kanavu, we slowly forget the bass-rhythm pattern that sustains throughout the length of that song. There is a point in that song where all this hits a peak-the one that is a feather in the cap or any composer. It is towards the end (right after the crescendo) when srinivas expresses the words ….ennaal thaanga mudiyaathu. I can go on with more examples, but since the album I am writing about is Laptop, let me make the connection.

I can safely say that this is the only album that pleasantly surprised me, and to which I am hearing to continuously, day after day. I liked Sreevalsan J. Menon’s (SJM) efforts to tone down everything and make it palatable to ordinary audiences like us—remember that he is an accomplished classical singer. However, the only thing that I would like to see change is the smoothness & flow of all of his songs. Since I haven’t seen the movie, there might be a mysterious reason why these songs follow the beats so religiously, sometimes even cutting off a wonderfully crafted tune. If SJM reads this, kindly let us know. Let’s go song by song. I sequencing in my order of preference-most liked to least.

Maymaasame (Singer: Amal Anthony)

This song seems to be set in a common raga Aabhogi. The song is extremely melodious, well arranged, and brilliantly sung. The song is a tad bit slow, but makes up for that slowness by the divine voice of Amal. He not only hits the right notes (e.g. etho vishadam, ninnil niranju—listen to the slight gamakams he does with accuracy), but also expresses each word with clarity and feeling. The use of Veena accentuates the raga’s feel perfectly. The pallavi is also richly arranged with santoor, synth patterns and delicate amounts of Tabla.  The first interlude demonstrates what I had mentioned in the opening of this review-melody swinging closely with a structured rhythm. The first charanam is a delight with Amal handling the lyrics with kid-gloves (listen to: Manninte Gandham…). The second interlude follows the loose patterns in the first. SJM has provided us with not only a beautiful song, but also nostalgic memories of a legend in the music direction world: Late Raveendran Master.

Etho Jalashankhil (Singers: Soniya, Amal)

This song is featured in a solo version by Soniya and a duet with Amal. This song again shows that melody is too much under the influence of the rhythm. It is a beautiful core tune sung well by both singers. I personally preferred Amal’s version—but I am biased by his voice. The start is stellar with a solo piano. Then the song flows relatively well during the pallavi. I was a bit disappointed by the first interlude, with too much of a cookie-cutter feel. Charanam has the exact amount of string support (which you don’t see these days). Flute interjects during some lines perfectly. The second charanam has a sweet violin solo. Overall, the song is a good hear, especially if you like slow melodies.

Jalashayyayil (Singers: Kalyani Menon, Soniya)

Without sounding repetitive, I would have liked to hear the song with no percussion, at all. This song has, in my view, the best arrangements during the interludes. Like other songs, this one is also dripping with emotion and sometimes awkward silences (e.g. Jalashayyayil _____ ). During the charanams, the intervening silent spots (in between thalavattams/measures) are nicely filled in by synths. Without that the song would not have sounded good. There is also a nice lost feeling to this song, which might be what SJM was trying to express.

Ilam Neela Mizhikal (Singer: SJM)

Another simple song sung by the composer himself. Arrangement is simple most of the time, especially during SJM’s vocals. SJM is a very well known singer and hence the ease with which he goes through the different sections as though it is a walk in the park. The interludes are, however, misfits. Those take-off in an aggressive way. I got the same feeling when I heard the famous song malargale (Lovebirds). Towards the end the pallavi/anupallavi is repeated with percussion, which was unnecessary and awkward—sounded like a remix version. Although initially I liked the melody, it became a bit repetitive after hearing many times.

Vaathil Chaaraanaay (Singer: SJM)

This is a revolting/sad song took me right to Ravindran master’s days. Ravindran master’s songs, especially the earlier ones used to have an underlying feeling of sadness and anger combined (e.g. Sreelathikakal, Thenum Vayampum-arrangement, interludes) that stuck to your soul. I also feel that this is the only one song where SJM flexes his classical music muscle. The charanam goes through wild scale changes reminiscent of some of Sharath’s songs. The second interlude has choral voices fitting right with the emotions. SJM should try to get out of the same pace though. You’ll notice that most of the songs go at a similar pace. This would have been a good song to change the pace a bit. However, I am sitting in my arm chair—easy to say! Musically, this is the most challenging and innovative song in the album, and might be well liked by music scholars & experts.

Note: The start of the song was un-warranted; it did sound like a video game soundtrack.

To conclude, I would like to congratulate SJM on his entry into film music with poise and maturity which I wish most other composers had. SJM has not tried to overreach, over-compose, or over-arrange any of the songs in the album. He has also not tried to be quirky (except Vaathil charaanay). He has treated the human voice and penned words with respect. He has also given opportunities to some great talent—Amal Anthony being chief among them. I wish Amal all the best and hope that other composers note his talent and the intuition he has demonstrated in singing. As I mentioned before, the only two drawbacks that SJM should correct for the future are: (1) Don’t make the melodies too structured to the rhythm, so much as to cut the singers off at the end of each thalavattam(measure); (2) Think beyond the same pace and out of the box-like what Sharath did between Sreeragamo & Valinmel Poovum in Pavithram.

I wish that SJM’s work is noticed and along with Jaison J. Nair, who unfortunately was not noticed after he churned out amazing melodies in Aanachandam was ignored. I am amazed at the second-grade songs that come out like duplicate watches out of an illegal factory these days. It makes me mad, sad, apathetic, and finally bored. For those Malayalam film industry folks who cry about quality, remember that there are talents like the ones I mentioned above that get ignored routinely. It is not a matter of playing with synths and software, it is also a matter of musical depth, intuition and maturity. For the industry folks, it is also matter of just looking, hearing, & noticing.

Rock'n Roll: Music Review

This review is also cross-posted at http//www.varnachitram.com which has that plus nice articles about malayalam cinema.

My first exposure to a Vidyasagar melody was in 1996—the sublime saranga melody “Thankathingal” (Indraprastham). I felt a unique balance between rhythm and melody in that song and has been a Vidyasagar admirer since. Starting with his entry with the immensely popular “Vennila chandana kinnam” (Azhagiya Raavanan), Vidyasagar is a musician that can change from one genre to another like a chameleon. It is hard to describe his “style”. Lately he has been composing the “Konjam Neram” (Chandramukhi)-style melodies a shade too much for my comfort.
He uses simple rhythms, very little strings, but a lot of synths. But his songs never overpower you with instrumental voices. He gives due credit to the human voice, but occasionally does wander into the Harris Jayaraj-GV Prakash-other ARR wannabes-realm (e.g. Sudum Nilavu; Thambi). Although he is not originally from Kerala, Vidyasagar has a unique ability to use words well inside melodies (e.g. Pinneyum pinneyum, Yaathrayaay sooryankuram), without either the melody or the words sticking out. He is also an exceptionally talented, well qualified, and intelligent MD. Because of all of what I wrote so far, I was a bit disappointed, but not too surprised, with his latest release Rock’n Roll.

Manchadi Mazha (Singers: Madhu Balakrishnan, Sujata): belongs to the collection of “konjam neram”-style melodies that Vidyasagar has been composing a lot lately. I think this trend started with the “Ninakkente manassile” song from Gramaphone. One good thing about this trend is that though many of them sound similar, almost all of them are sublime melodies. Like its very similar precursor (Enthanennu from Goal), the song uses the typical Vidyasagar ingredients—heavy melody, synth sounds, extremely light strings, sporadic chorus and raga. The two singers Madhu and Sujata have sung their hearts out, and this just shows the importance of quality singing. Listen to the subtle gamakams used in the charanam (e.g. thelivaarnnu ni~~lppoo, kadalinte mo~u~nam….). Additionally, I liked the bass patterns, especially the transition during the switch into the first interlude.

Valayonnithaa (Singers: Vijay Yesudas, Geemon, Pradeep Palluruthy, Ranjith): is the jolly-camaraderie-folk song. This reminded me of Vidyaji’s own “Thekku thekku” (Ezhupunnatharakan). The MD has tried to maintain melody in the midst of the informal and often annoying lyrics. Perhaps that’s the goal—to make us feel annoyed. I am sure this would be another one of the chartbusters. The MD has used a lot of percussion as the lead character plays a drummer. Overall, it is a standard-fare item-number.

Chandamaama (Singers: Anita, Rija): This is another buoyant song featuring a new singer. It seems that the song has topped the hit charts. The song has a lot of percussion. The percussion becomes the mainstay especially during the second interlude. The lyrics seemed to be very awkwardly fitted into the rhythms, which is odd for a Vidyasagar melody. From an attention-grabbing perspective, the song might score, but musically, it seemed that the song had vocals as a “third wheel”.

Raavereyaay (Madhu B.): When I first noticed that Vidyasagar is going to score music for this film, this was the kind of music I expected. The dramatic strings/piano beginning is swiftly followed by percussion and synth patterns. The first and second lines (Pallavi) are superbly crafted. Madhu B.’s powerful voice and the bass played very subtly make that part very impactful. However, suddenly, there is a let down in the emotion (hear the lines-Oru yaathrikaneevazhi----pooviral thottu…). I guess, I might have missed the point here. But, when the song reverts back to the pallavi (Raavereyaay) I do feel the impact. The first musical interlude is surprisingly bland, not in tune with the passionate nature of the song. The charanam starts with the same passion as the pallavi. Then it again dampens down with a subdued but melodious last part. Sometimes I do feel that the MD was just playing with (a.k.a experimenting) with the music.

Jiruthana (Singers: Ranjith, Tippu): The song did not interest me at first and I used to skip it each time I heard the album. But I was interested in the rhythm (hear Angel Eyes, Raghav). It sounds like a persian rhythm. I have the same issue with the lyrics specifically in the pallavi and anupallavi as I mentioned in the “Chandamaama” song. However, the charanam (Aakkaraykkaano alle alla) is interesting to hear and lyric flows nicely with the percussion. There is interesting contrast between light pitched sounds and the bass provided by the guitars and percussion.

While some of the songs are moving forward in the hit charts, I feel that this album is a step back for Vidyasagar. Why am I saying that? Listen to “Aazhakkannal”, “Mouname Unnidam” and “Kaatrin Mozhi” (Mozhi). Not only are they melodious, they are deep, and strike your soul. The argument against this premise (that this album is a step backwards) could be that this had a situational requirement that it was about a percussionist. True, but sometimes you do expect a lot from talented MDs.

Sangeeth: Smoothness & Talent Unlimited

I was listening to this performance from the Amrita TV programme: Super Star. I was completely taken aback by this youngster's (Age 19) performance. Not only does he emanate talent, he also makes it look easy. Many times when singing the sifficult note-patterns, even the most talented of the singers "sound" strained. I am not interested in how their face looks, or how they tense their muscles visibly, I am just interested in their voice; the lack of strain in it that is. Anyways, this kid is a future star to watch for. I also noted that he has sung "Poonilamazha" from Chota Mumbai and probably "Aathmaavin Kaavil" from Black Cat. Both seem very well sung and emoted. I wish this talented youngster all the best for the future.

Ahh....Breathing Space, Courtesy Madhu B & Ilayaraaja

I was (and am) feeling terrible and suffocated. In the last few months, there have been just a handful of songs that touched my soul, or worse, just made sense musically. In all fairness, most of those songs are far from being bad: They are just mediocre. That's not a crime, actually. I only had negative thoughts about music, and hence I decided to not write anything.

Now, I just happened to hear a beautiful song, and that's what this post is all about. It is from a new flick called "Sooriyan". Music composed by the living legend Ilayaraaja. ONE song, grabbed me from the start: Vasantha Nilaaven, sung majestically by Madhu Balakrishnan, one of my favorite singers. In the new era where you have to be something more than a good singer to be noticed, Madhu stands as the throwback singer. A classy guy, who can sing most of the tough sangathis handed out by Ilayaraaja with so much ease, Madhu, shows us why composers like M. Jayachandran considers him one of the best. It's so refreshing to hear someone who can SING and not do the "performing"-thing.

Lisen to the smooth rendering of the raaga after the words "ezhuthiri vilakkin..." (Charanam 1). The key word is "smooth". Also, listen how he hits each of the notes with such accuracy, still maintaining the overall emotion in the song (e.g. Kodi chaarthi nilppoo, amma, kodi janmamaayi & Kunju pookkale, thozhuthunaroo). Oh wait, one can (has to) do that? How about shake your hips and dance? No? Attitude? No? Then are you a singer?

Kireedom 2007 Soundtrack: What's Missing?

Well, I wasn't planning to write anything. In fact, this was the last thing I want to do at this point in time. However, I could'nt just resist. I was hearing the song "Kanneer Thuliye" sung by Vijay Yesudas from the "new" Kireedom album (Tamil remake of the 1989 Malayalam classic). While hearing to this particular song, my mind wandered into several important questions that I believe are very important "reminders" to us all music lovers. The first question: Are composers with musical passion losing to composers with technical passion? Why did that question come up? I will tell you why: Listen to the old 1989 version of the song here. No, I am not talking about how the music is different, or how the malayalam-style (in general) is different from Tamil. It's a deeper concept. The old song was composed by one of the least talked about geniuses of malayalam film music: Johnson. A person who can just use some cymbals or no percussion or orchestra at all, but with just one or two instruments evoke heavy emotion in listeners. That's the simple genius of the vocal part of the song. When MG Sreekumar sings the vocals, you don't hear many instruments, except the bass, two mild folk percussion sounds and the occasional harp. But, don't think that Johnson cannot evoke the dramatic scenes pictured in the visuals of the song. Johnson uses a santoor ostinato (rhythm with a melodic instrument), heavy western percussion and heavy strings when he needs it. Instinctively, he stays away from using such heavy orchestra or sounds when the vocals are present. This is called "instinct" or "intuition". The present song "Kanneer Thuliye" is a soft melody, but a lot more rhythm based. It is just the opposite of the old version: technically its aeons ahead, but music-wise aeons behind. Again, remember that "music" is not the same as "high-quality sounds". Of course, a composer can use "high-quality sounds" to embellish good music (ARR; E.g. Thoda Thoda). It's tough to write this about a young up and coming composer, but I am just writing my opinion. Another question: Where is the variety? Does that term even exist? How many composers we know of today (in tamil probably exceptions are Vidyasagar and ARR) can compose a wide variety of songs? How many of them can compose a classical song, a comedy song, a lullaby well? The term is called "versatility". It is non-existent, barring a few potential talents here and there. Again, I am not counting ARR and Vidyasagar, perhaps the only two guys who can compose slow melodies (e.g. Kaatrin Mozhi & Uyirum Neeyae), foot-tapping songs (e.g. Athiradee & Othiri Othiri), comedy songs (e.g. confusion theerkaname & padakaali) etc. with equal ease. Perhaps, its a gloomy moment for music. Not for individual songs per se, but for the industry in general. Maybe we just don't realize it as a collective community...or maybe it's just frustration-laden 20 minutes for a rambler. I personally hope it's the third possibility!

New Malayalam Film Album Releases

Hello
Music: Alex Paul
Lyrics: Vayalar Sharath
Intial Evaluation: Good couple of songs, but starting to get cliched....
Ratings Based on Criteria:
Vocal Melody: 3/5
Interludes: 2/5
Overall Orchestration: 3/5
Singer Selection: 4/5
Lyrics: 2/5


Black Cat
Music: M. Jayachandran (2 songs) & Alphons Joseph (1 song)
Lyrics: Vayalar Sharath
Ratings Based on some criteria:
Vocal Melody: 3/5
Interludes: 3.5/5
Overall Orchestration: 4/5
Singer Selection: 4/5
Lyrics: 2/5

Arabikadha
Music: Bijubal
Lyrics: Vayalar Sharath
Ratings: Haven't listened many times....

Best Musical Interludes Part 1: Wings of Snow

"Manjin Chirakulla Vellarippraave....
Ullinte Ullil, Thirayunnathenthe?
Mounam mayangunna mohangalaano?
Thoovalthumpile sindooramaano?
Movie: Swagatham
Music: Rajamani
Lyrics: Bichu Thirumala

Composed by an oft-forgotten Musician, Rajamani, this song was a moderate hit in the 90s. Apart from the beautiful lyrics (e.g. "Nalinangal neenthunna nayanangalil, nizhalpole ninnu njaan..."), the song transports you into a different realm. There is always a sense of chill in the song. Venu Nagavally, the director, aptly shows us the mist covered mountains (if I remember correctly). The beauty however is in the immaculate use of strings, synths and most importantly, Santoor. Look for choruses and creative vocalizations. My instant attraction when I first heard the song at that time, was (and is) it's first musical interlude. Started by wonderful combination of synth and santoor, the interlude progresses with flute, and waltz-like rhythm from an analogue drum kit (high hat cymbals; probably performed live). The way Rajamani leads the orchestra into the charanam is just picture perfect. This is one of those moments where you hear this and think: How could he think of this?