I have to say, I take umbrage to the loose translation 'color me yellow'. I guess Hindi is a hard language to translate to English, but color me yellow is horrible ( esp. if you think about the connotations that ' yellow' carries in English!!). Anyhow, my humble translation, Basanti has more to do with Basant( ie spring) and so basanti carries with it a notion of spring. Color me the colors of spring? it does go better with tag line of the movie ' a generation awakens'.
The music.
It is by A R Rahman. I was quite in love with the mangal pandey music, but with this album the ARR I used to love is sooo back :). The album is strange, almost weird, but boy, do the songs grow on you! It conveys the unrest and indecision of a young generation And he is doing what I love, picking out the right voices to support his songs steering clear of the popular.
Ik Onkar : sung by Harshdeep Kaur, it the authentic rendition from Japji Sahib, reminds of the sunday morning guru-bani in the ye olde days of doordarshan when we did not have ten thousand channels on the Indian TV. ARR didn't mess with it, left it as is. Good.
Rang De Basanti: The title track, sung by, hold your breath, Daler Mehndi (and a cameo by Chitra). It is lovely. None of the brit-panjabi-pop, tunnu-tunnu's. When reined in, the guy can sing! The lyrics are part-patriotic and ARR uses the traditional bhangra instruments, the single strand ektara, plucked with the finger and the dunnalli( the double barrel flute) and the dhol ( the drum). Very dancable, and Daler Mehndi does an amazing job, esp the end, which is a couple, unadorned by music, lines. Chitra's shrill couple lines are note perfect ( with a teensy south-indian accent) and provide a nice dimension. This is my favorite in the album so far.
Paathshalla- This track features twice in the album. Very hip, pop-rock number. A little bizarre with its asymmetric three beat cycle. Sung by Naresh Iyer, Mohd Aslam, ( second version has Blaaze). I could almost see a hiked up car with the immense tires on a dirt track.
Love the lyrics: talli hokar girne se/samjhi hamne gravity,
ishq ka practical kiya/thaab aiye kilarity;
Even uses words like alpha, theta and H2SO4, college kid anthem:D. Hilarious. Uma loves it. My whole car was reverberating with the beats in the song. It was fun!
Tu Bin Bataye: the only romantic song in the album, much different from the 'kho gayi meri gathariaya' song from Swades, thank goodness! Uses some of the same ebb and flow of orchestra tricks. Sung by Madhushree and Naresh Iyer. Background is very subdued, the focus in on the vocals, the full orchestra of violins and some nice subtle touches like ghungaro, church bells and echo effects. The song is nice and mellow with a dreamlike quality to it. very nice.
Khalbali: This is middle-east inspired song, full with arabic lyrics ( Nacim) and the vocal gyrations ( which echo a belly dancers movements). ARR sings, but he is good in this song. The two other voices are Nacim and Aslam. This is one of the places the ARR stamp shows, interweaving themes (including a ‘khaalid’ strain ) give complexity to the song, which saves it from a horrible monotonous death. Not bad.
Khoon challa- Mohit Chauhan, a lead singer from one of the hip new pop bands, apparently. Nice voice, an untrained voice, can't manage complex tunes but does wonderfully well with this very simple tune with minimal music. The voice is reminiscent of Shailendra kumar, the same freshness. This guy loves singing, he puts his soul in the song; and it shows. It is a fragile song and ambient noise is going to distract from it. It shows has the unfinished touch. But it is not unfinished, the attention to the small details surface if you listen to it carefully. Low on layering and orchestration, mainstays are guitar which complements without distracting. Well done.
Luka chupi- It is a funny song, not literally. The words suggest a song sung by mom to call out to her kid, lullaby like… however, and here comes the twist, it plays out more like an amateur jam session. The music is minimalistic, there’s guitar, table and flute and jal-tarang simulation on a synthesizer(weird combo, I know). Lata’s voice is lovely ( and I usually don’t find her voice lovely anymore). ARR sings.
The guys’ been learning classical and practicing, but there are a few things he should leave to others, like singing.
It seems people want to be known for things that they are not very good at, while they take for granted the things they excel at. I have a hypothesis that folks let ARR sing so that he will direct music for their movies, just like folks let MM Kreem direct music just so he’ll sing for the score. ARR should really think twice before singing. Really.
Lalkaar: Aamir Khan recites in guttural tone ( it would sound so much nicer with a baritone like Amitab, but, Aamir does a decent job). Love the words…
Sarfaroshi ki tammana ab hamare dil mein hai …
Good job by the lyricist, Prasoon Joshi. The war backdrop is well done, chorus echoing the voice and the plaintive but subdued taan. Nice!
Roobaroo: Naresh Iyer and ARR. Reminds me of that ‘purani jeans aur guitar ' song, which was the archtypical college-dorm-dreaming-of-your-future-song. Naresh Iyer fits well, not a very well trained voice, but seems to possess raw talent and obviously loves singing. His voice fits in very well with the strumming-guitar-and-singing-along-popular-college-hero that rule the inter-college festivals persona, we all know and love. Minimalistic music, very in keeping with the mood of the song. Like the ‘aye saala’ bit. Nice touch!
It is small touches like this ( and the scatting) which belie the impression of the simple- almost rough edges in the album. It may seem unfinished, raw, but its lack of finish is like the frayed edge tweed coat by Channel. It is intentional and very much a statement.
All in all- love it.
Verdict? typical ARR fare, will not do well… Also, can’t wait to watch the movie… with this much attitude in the music, the movie looks promising.
Another Aamir Khan flick?
I am happy :)
4 comments:
Verdict : fabulous review , Ms music critic
Nice description of the sights,sounds and feelings of the song and ofcourse I liked the debate on "color me yellow" ."Color me the colors of spring sounds tonnes better"
good job:-)
nice review!
here's my take on RDB:
RANG DE BASANTI: THE MUSIC
This is perhaps the only album I have waited so eagerly for this year. This is Aamir Khan’s second release within six months, and Aamir’s films usually have very good music. What’s more it has music by A R Rahman, who of course, needs no introduction. The maestro’s form has been gaining steady momentum after the moderately good Bose, very good Mangal Pandey and the recent chartbuster Ah Aah. Now he needs some commercial success in Bollywood as well. The lyrics have been penned by Prasoon Joshi, who received critical acclaim for Hum Tum last year.
1) Ik Onkar – As the title no doubt suggests, this is a prayer song. Rendered enchantingly by Harshdeep Kaur, it restricts itself to some harmonium notes and double vocals to enhance the effect.
2) Rang De Basanti – Daler Mehndi grabs the mic and renders some throaty vocals for this quasi-patriotic song. Most of us have been expecting a song as rocking as ‘Nach Le’ from Lakeer which had music by ARR. The lyrics are quite enjoyable. Chitra chips in with some peppy lines. The song starts with some scintillating use of the ektara. It then goes on for some traditional bhangra beats. There are of course some electronic beats. But what makes the song so mesmerizing is the un-obvious use of the synthesizer which lends a soul to the song. Very few of us realize that it is this very use of synthesizer by Rahman that makes him so addictive. The background chorus does wonders to improve the song.
3) Paathshala – Reminds one of Hum Se Hai Muqabla days. This is one of the very best college (read: hip, trendy, rocking) songs by ARR. Newcomers Naresh Iyer and Mohamed Aslam do an admirable job. The lyrics are quite catchy and the song lives up to its starting words ‘Lose Control’. The rocking beats are a result of some cool mixing and co-ordination of percussions and electric guitar notes. One of the songs that will attract all those who listen to it.
4) Tu Bin Bataye – The difference between Rahman and his peers is his ability to make a would-be ordinary/soft tune sound really nice. This song follows a simple melody and Madhushree sounds enchanting. Makes you feel as if you are floating in paradise with a care in the world. Restrained use of the synthesizer and acoustic drums makes the listening experience very satisfying. Naresh Iyer is another revelation. He fits perfectly into the song. Double vocals are once again used to good effect. Love the lines “Man ki gali tu phuharon si aa, bheeg jaaye mere khwabon ka ashiyan”
5) Khalbali – One of those typical ARR type different songs, or should I say another attempt at something ‘hatke’. Starts with some disjointed electric and bass guitar chords. The Arabic percussions by Hossam Ramzy fit in perfectly and suit the situation. ARR restricts himself to a few lines which couldn’t have been sung by anyone else. Nacim writes the Arabic lyrics and sings too. Aslam chips in with his bit. The electronic arrangements are fabulous. Reminds me a bit of the ADA song from Garam Masala. But the synthesizer again demarcates the song. Hard to digest at first – especially the overtly tremulous Khalbali – but again becomes addictive after a few listenings. The antara is quite nice, the part where ARR sings “hone hone do nasha, khone khone ko hai kya”
6) Khoon Chala – The most subdued track of the album but perhaps the most musical. Mohit Chauhan (from the band Silk Route) croons a few restrained notes to add effect to what is no doubt a situational track. The synth is again used well. Double vocals enhance the listening experience at places. The selectively used background humming helps. The last part where orchestrations and percussions come into effect and the words Khoon Chala are repeated, remind me somehow of The Sound Of Music.
7) Paathshala (Be a Rebels) – A sort of remix with some great backing vocals to make it different. Blaaze writes and sings for what is primarily a rap song. The electronic percussions are an interesting accompaniment for the rap. String arrangements also restrict the track from going overboard. Aslam and Naresh Iyer sporadically do their Paathshala and Lose Control thing.
8) Luka Chupi – This song brings together Lata Mangeshkar and ARR for the first time ever. Lata hasn’t sounded quite so sweet for a long time. Don’t know how ARR manages it, but his singers give their all for him! Primarily a guitar and synth song with some unique combinations in between. And there’s also tabla. At parts this song somehow reminds me of SD Burman, especially in the antaras. The flute is lovely! ARR does makes a brave effort at some classical vocals and almost pulls it off. One of the best tracks once you get used to ARR’s tricks. (Mom loves the song though!) The lyrics are really good without being as poetic as Gulzar or straight laced as Javed Akhtar.
9) Lalkaar – I was expecting another Chale Chalo track, but had to settle for a narration by Aamir Khan. The only ordinary track of the entire album. Aamir does quite a good rendition in an attempted baritone. However the only reason why this song could be called good is because of the great background vocals. The effect is all the more intense again because of the synthesizer. The lyrics are again superb. Fairly good!
10) Roobaroo – My ‘defending’ favourite till now. (With ARR favourites keep changing within the same album itself). I can’t remember any previous track by ARR where guitars have been used so blatantly. Naresh Iyer continues to delight, as does Prasoon Joshi. ARR chips in to sing ‘Roobaroo Roshni’ in his inimitable way. The backing vocals are again very nice. The overall feel is that of a song by some pop band. Strangely reminiscent of ‘Purani Jeans’. The guitar continues to rule throughout the song. The electric pad is also used well. Double vocals enhance the effect once again! A fabulous track.
OVERALL RATING : ****
And I’m sure this album will do well commercially as well. The sales should pick up especially after the film is released. It looks quite cool as far as I can tell from the trailers being shown on TV.
hey mm, thanks :D ... I am sure you'll grow to like the album, esp. you'll be assaulted:P
Hey shubho, nice :), I see it has gained a half star since. good job.
well, with ARR everything is liable to change incuding likes and dislikes.
(hey, u cud drop by my blog sometime)
http://shubhodeep.blogspot.com
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