It starts with a tsunami. Some drive, some emotion, some event, something bigger than you, more overwhelming than you can take, happens .. at least in your own mind. But without that happening, there is no song. You can't say "I should write a song." there are no shoulds.
Starts soft and slow, in the same part where your conscience lives. That same still, small voice speaks up, but in rhyme. Or music. Or just a beautiful turn of phrase. And then you know it's begun. You can keep about your everyday life or go to some quiet place and let it take over.
I write in the car sometimes. I don't know how safe that really is. When I wrote the song below, I had music on that I will probably never listen to again, for fear of my heart breaking. And I wrote my own lyrics, based on the events of twenty minutes prior. The whole world changed as the song took form. South became North and large buildings shifted to the other side of the street.
You wake up after the song is in form, at least in its first form. Then your conscious self takes over and you fix the details. The rhymes, the little tweaks to the melody, the variations.
But none of this would be possible without those semiconscious moments when you "switch off the mind and let the heart decide" ... without the ability to let go and let yourself truly immerse yourself in the present moment and the past catalyst moment both at the same time, let them wash over you and let the music come from a place you rarely access.
I wonder when I will let myself write again.
Monday, November 23, 2009
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
i had forgotten about this one
untitled as of yet.. but lyrics are finished. this song only needs one verse, and lots of music.
Under a blue sky I walk alone
Searching for the only home I've ever known
The music's on the paper
The song waits for my voice
And as I sing I waver
I know that I have the choice
But the one thing that sets me free
Is the one thing entangling me
You want me to stay forever
Part of me wants to believe
So I sit here and sing in wonder
Till I leave....
Under a blue sky I walk alone
Searching for the only home I've ever known
The music's on the paper
The song waits for my voice
And as I sing I waver
I know that I have the choice
But the one thing that sets me free
Is the one thing entangling me
You want me to stay forever
Part of me wants to believe
So I sit here and sing in wonder
Till I leave....
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
Jashnn
I am not easily moved by music these days. The beauty of Maula Mere Maula (Anwar), sorrow of Bheegi Bheegi (Gangster), fun of Pyar Karke (Pyar Ke Side Effects), hope and joy of Nachle (Aggar), glitter of Ishq Samundar (Kaante) and Pyar Aaya (Plan) - where has it all gone? Hindi songs do not make me FEEL anything anymore. They're getting as slick and emotionless as American top 40 and hipster wannabe music.
But every once in awhile, there's something worth writing about. Gangster was the last soundtrack that I had in my car, really. After that, it's just been a mix of this good song and that good song from this film and that. No one makes a really solid soundtrack anymore - at least not one that has that feel, that sound, that something about it that brings me back again and again.
Delhi 6 could have been it. It's truly a joy to listen to - but kept coming in second in my playlist to only two tracks from Ghajini on repeat. It's perfect in many ways - new, interesting, original, French rap... and yet, it did nothing for me. I liked it, but I didn't love it.
Dev.D tried. Really, it did. But that was its problem - it tried too hard, to be something for everyone. Eighteen tracks, each one in a different musical style. Call it experimental if you will - I call it messy. Some tracks stood out among the mishmash (Pardesi, Payaliya, Dhol Yaara Dhol) - but every time I looked at it when sorting through the CDs in my car, I chose something else.
And when Mithoon released his solo pop effort, I really thought I had found my CD of the year. Everyone knows how I feel about Mithoon and his songs - I shall not gush about it in yet another blog entry. Only problem is, I'd heard it all before. It was like getting last year's Valentine. What came through in Bas Ek Pal, in Javeda Zindagi, was repackaged and overproduced and somehow, whatever it was that made those songs worth listening to got distilled out and thrown away as a byproduct. I really think this album would have had a better impact if Mithoon had gone back to the source and taken advantage of the skills he used remixing Atif Aslam songs instead of packing an Indipop song full of slow to mid-tempo ballads.
And then, there was Jashnn. I heard a clip of Aaya Re and knew in one second. THIS is my album of the year - so far. It is the first soundtrack since Gangster that has had me this enthralled. These are NOT perfect A.R. Rehman compositions. The music directors are new to the industry, and they, like Mithoon when he made his debut, are pretty much kids. Sharib Sabri is 21 and Toshi is not much older, I presume. There are mistakes in mixing, uncorrected pitch problems, moments when the music directors pretty much directly channel their inspirations, and I love it despite, if not for, its blemishes. It has something about it - that je ne sais quoi, that umami of sound, that just makes it RIGHT.
The soundtrack starts out with its strongest song - Nazrein Karam, basically a solo by KK with some help from Shreya Ghoshal. The beat brings me back twenty years to 1989, turning on Energy 96.5 in Houston and listening to dance music for the first time and knowing that this music would be the soundtrack of my life from that point on. Listening to this song, I can hear traces of Depeche Mode and Enigma, and I feel the same sense of wonder I felt listening to them for the very first time. Yet it's not early 90s music - it has a thoroughly new feel, and the energy stays up well throughout its 5:32 - thank KK for this, as he gives this song his 120%. Sometimes he pushes too hard on this one, and pitch problems are evident even on a first listen, but it doesn't detract from the song at all for me.
Aaya Re - this one will be on the dance floors as the weather cools down. KK sings this song of soaring hope. And soar it does - just like the first song on the album, it's got a driving beat and an uplifting melody. It's not complicated - just constantly moving. I haven't seen the picturization of this, but the sound effects make it sound like it will be an item number or performed on stage a la Dhoom Machale or Rock On. This song makes my Treadmill Playlist.
Dard-E-Tanhai - This song is actually by Nouman Javaid, the guy singing the song. He wrote it - lyrics, music, and all. I'll be honest, I have not really been much in the mood for sad songs recently, and this song doesn't start out very strong - the piano seems awfully soulless - but when I got past the first 30 seconds and the guitar comes in, it evens out some, and then by the time they introduce the beat at 0:50, I knew this would be a must-listen as well. Everything just mixes and meshes well. At times it sounds a bit like a Mithoon song, but I'm not complaining :)
Tere Bin - This track from Sandesh Shandilya is the most 'filmi' track on the soundtrack and probably for that reason, my least favorite. Yet it is simple and elegant, with swooping strings and again, a beat that won't quit (with a little Kuch To Hua Hai feel to it). Shreya Ghoshal and Shaan do this style well, so good for Shandilya being smart enough to get them to sing it. The piano in this one has more feeling in it, but I still can't tell whether or not it is real piano or computer piano. The ending of this song, where the male/female vocals are cut one into another, is probably the weakest part of the whole soundtrack, but again, I kind of don't care. Love covers a multitude of sins.
Main Chala - I absolutely love this song, also composed by Noumain Javaid. It's ballad and rock and blues and has Hindi lyrics that work and it's melodramatic and filmi and real all at the same time. It has real instruments, including a HARMONICA. And the strings at 4:18 rock my world.
Aish Karle reminds me of a Punjabi song I heard once, a song that I know the musicians and singers LOVED singing in the studio. The joy just came through the microphone and couldn't be hidden. This one's a bit more reserved than that, but the essence remains. Toshi and Sharib give this one all they've got. Their influences are also most apparent in this song - I hear the echoes of Himesh Reshammiya and Duran Duran loud and clear, and I swear one of them sounds JUST LIKE Beto Cuevas of La Ley - it's a long shot that they would know who that is, but La Ley's music is also reminiscent of Duran Duran and Depeche Mode, so it follows. I don't mean Pritam-style influence though - I'm 99% sure this is all original stuff, but I think that as Toshi and Sharib mature as music directors, their influences will be more subtle than they currently are.
And I hope they stick around for a long time!
The Kilogram mixes are pretty sweet, and sound like I could have turned on Energy 96.5 back in the day and heard them - Nazrein Karam is freestyle souped up for the 21st century, and the Dard-E-Tanhai remix sounds like New Order with a better voice. Only complaint is that damn Coldplay "Clocks"-esque piano part. Other than that - loving the remixes.
We finish up with "Main Chala - Unplugged" - a quick little acoustic remix of ... Dard-E-Tanhai? ... Anyway, it's a nice ending to the album and makes me want to hear more of all three music directors. I just hope that they can continue making music that sounds this fresh and is full of feeling, even after they perfect the art of production.
I would say I can't wait until their next soundtrack... but I think I'll just listen to this one a few hundred more times.
But every once in awhile, there's something worth writing about. Gangster was the last soundtrack that I had in my car, really. After that, it's just been a mix of this good song and that good song from this film and that. No one makes a really solid soundtrack anymore - at least not one that has that feel, that sound, that something about it that brings me back again and again.
Delhi 6 could have been it. It's truly a joy to listen to - but kept coming in second in my playlist to only two tracks from Ghajini on repeat. It's perfect in many ways - new, interesting, original, French rap... and yet, it did nothing for me. I liked it, but I didn't love it.
Dev.D tried. Really, it did. But that was its problem - it tried too hard, to be something for everyone. Eighteen tracks, each one in a different musical style. Call it experimental if you will - I call it messy. Some tracks stood out among the mishmash (Pardesi, Payaliya, Dhol Yaara Dhol) - but every time I looked at it when sorting through the CDs in my car, I chose something else.
And when Mithoon released his solo pop effort, I really thought I had found my CD of the year. Everyone knows how I feel about Mithoon and his songs - I shall not gush about it in yet another blog entry. Only problem is, I'd heard it all before. It was like getting last year's Valentine. What came through in Bas Ek Pal, in Javeda Zindagi, was repackaged and overproduced and somehow, whatever it was that made those songs worth listening to got distilled out and thrown away as a byproduct. I really think this album would have had a better impact if Mithoon had gone back to the source and taken advantage of the skills he used remixing Atif Aslam songs instead of packing an Indipop song full of slow to mid-tempo ballads.
And then, there was Jashnn. I heard a clip of Aaya Re and knew in one second. THIS is my album of the year - so far. It is the first soundtrack since Gangster that has had me this enthralled. These are NOT perfect A.R. Rehman compositions. The music directors are new to the industry, and they, like Mithoon when he made his debut, are pretty much kids. Sharib Sabri is 21 and Toshi is not much older, I presume. There are mistakes in mixing, uncorrected pitch problems, moments when the music directors pretty much directly channel their inspirations, and I love it despite, if not for, its blemishes. It has something about it - that je ne sais quoi, that umami of sound, that just makes it RIGHT.
The soundtrack starts out with its strongest song - Nazrein Karam, basically a solo by KK with some help from Shreya Ghoshal. The beat brings me back twenty years to 1989, turning on Energy 96.5 in Houston and listening to dance music for the first time and knowing that this music would be the soundtrack of my life from that point on. Listening to this song, I can hear traces of Depeche Mode and Enigma, and I feel the same sense of wonder I felt listening to them for the very first time. Yet it's not early 90s music - it has a thoroughly new feel, and the energy stays up well throughout its 5:32 - thank KK for this, as he gives this song his 120%. Sometimes he pushes too hard on this one, and pitch problems are evident even on a first listen, but it doesn't detract from the song at all for me.
Aaya Re - this one will be on the dance floors as the weather cools down. KK sings this song of soaring hope. And soar it does - just like the first song on the album, it's got a driving beat and an uplifting melody. It's not complicated - just constantly moving. I haven't seen the picturization of this, but the sound effects make it sound like it will be an item number or performed on stage a la Dhoom Machale or Rock On. This song makes my Treadmill Playlist.
Dard-E-Tanhai - This song is actually by Nouman Javaid, the guy singing the song. He wrote it - lyrics, music, and all. I'll be honest, I have not really been much in the mood for sad songs recently, and this song doesn't start out very strong - the piano seems awfully soulless - but when I got past the first 30 seconds and the guitar comes in, it evens out some, and then by the time they introduce the beat at 0:50, I knew this would be a must-listen as well. Everything just mixes and meshes well. At times it sounds a bit like a Mithoon song, but I'm not complaining :)
Tere Bin - This track from Sandesh Shandilya is the most 'filmi' track on the soundtrack and probably for that reason, my least favorite. Yet it is simple and elegant, with swooping strings and again, a beat that won't quit (with a little Kuch To Hua Hai feel to it). Shreya Ghoshal and Shaan do this style well, so good for Shandilya being smart enough to get them to sing it. The piano in this one has more feeling in it, but I still can't tell whether or not it is real piano or computer piano. The ending of this song, where the male/female vocals are cut one into another, is probably the weakest part of the whole soundtrack, but again, I kind of don't care. Love covers a multitude of sins.
Main Chala - I absolutely love this song, also composed by Noumain Javaid. It's ballad and rock and blues and has Hindi lyrics that work and it's melodramatic and filmi and real all at the same time. It has real instruments, including a HARMONICA. And the strings at 4:18 rock my world.
Aish Karle reminds me of a Punjabi song I heard once, a song that I know the musicians and singers LOVED singing in the studio. The joy just came through the microphone and couldn't be hidden. This one's a bit more reserved than that, but the essence remains. Toshi and Sharib give this one all they've got. Their influences are also most apparent in this song - I hear the echoes of Himesh Reshammiya and Duran Duran loud and clear, and I swear one of them sounds JUST LIKE Beto Cuevas of La Ley - it's a long shot that they would know who that is, but La Ley's music is also reminiscent of Duran Duran and Depeche Mode, so it follows. I don't mean Pritam-style influence though - I'm 99% sure this is all original stuff, but I think that as Toshi and Sharib mature as music directors, their influences will be more subtle than they currently are.
And I hope they stick around for a long time!
The Kilogram mixes are pretty sweet, and sound like I could have turned on Energy 96.5 back in the day and heard them - Nazrein Karam is freestyle souped up for the 21st century, and the Dard-E-Tanhai remix sounds like New Order with a better voice. Only complaint is that damn Coldplay "Clocks"-esque piano part. Other than that - loving the remixes.
We finish up with "Main Chala - Unplugged" - a quick little acoustic remix of ... Dard-E-Tanhai? ... Anyway, it's a nice ending to the album and makes me want to hear more of all three music directors. I just hope that they can continue making music that sounds this fresh and is full of feeling, even after they perfect the art of production.
I would say I can't wait until their next soundtrack... but I think I'll just listen to this one a few hundred more times.
Friday, March 20, 2009
the circle
We all return
To where we've been
But don't you know
A new day begins again
You'll return to the snows of your youth
I'll return to my longing for truth
But we find that the place is the same
From where we came, though it's today
And the circle begins again
A circle without an end
The circle begins again
On and on without end
Don't you know
That what we hide
Is what we hold
Closest to us inside
My old dream of moving away
Came true, but in a different way
Looking back, I can see that the pain
Brought me to where I am today
And the circle begins again...
We are the same but ever new
There is a thread that pulls us through
We are the same but ever new
What is this thread that pulls us through?
And the circle begins again...
To where we've been
But don't you know
A new day begins again
You'll return to the snows of your youth
I'll return to my longing for truth
But we find that the place is the same
From where we came, though it's today
And the circle begins again
A circle without an end
The circle begins again
On and on without end
Don't you know
That what we hide
Is what we hold
Closest to us inside
My old dream of moving away
Came true, but in a different way
Looking back, I can see that the pain
Brought me to where I am today
And the circle begins again...
We are the same but ever new
There is a thread that pulls us through
We are the same but ever new
What is this thread that pulls us through?
And the circle begins again...
Sunday, March 15, 2009
What's playing, March 09
This has not been a month where I have had a lot of time to play around with new music, so this playlist may be a little stale to some. There are reasons for some of the songs (performance) and I've been listening to a lot of old music just because I can.
So here goes .. what's been in the car this month:
Dev.D soundtrack
Mere Khwabon Mein Jo Aaye soundtrack
Ghajini soundtrack
Delhi 6 soundtrack
individual songs:
Kuch Khaas - Fashion
Ye Tumhari Meri Baatein - Rock On
Manmohini Morey - Yuvvraaj
What's on the workout playlist the most:
Ae Aa O - Billu Barber
Aye Bacchu - Ghajini
Behka - Ghajini
Nachke Dikha - Rishi Rich (this is a classic for me, so stop laughing now, i love this song, it is sooo 2001.. or was it 1998?i forget, i wasn't there.)
Nakhre - Barsaat (I run to this song)
Talli Hua (Jay Dabhi Remix) - Singh is Kingg
Teri Naganee - Kaash Mere Hote
So here goes .. what's been in the car this month:
Dev.D soundtrack
Mere Khwabon Mein Jo Aaye soundtrack
Ghajini soundtrack
Delhi 6 soundtrack
individual songs:
Kuch Khaas - Fashion
Ye Tumhari Meri Baatein - Rock On
Manmohini Morey - Yuvvraaj
What's on the workout playlist the most:
Ae Aa O - Billu Barber
Aye Bacchu - Ghajini
Behka - Ghajini
Nachke Dikha - Rishi Rich (this is a classic for me, so stop laughing now, i love this song, it is sooo 2001.. or was it 1998?i forget, i wasn't there.)
Nakhre - Barsaat (I run to this song)
Talli Hua (Jay Dabhi Remix) - Singh is Kingg
Teri Naganee - Kaash Mere Hote
Sunday, February 22, 2009
2008 in review
Long overdue, here's my list of favorite songs and not-so-favorite songs for the year.
This is the only awards list compiled this year that does NOT contain any references to Slumdog Millionaire.
Song I love to hate : Billo Rani (Goal)
Song I hate to love : Hey Ya (Kidnap)
Best Guy Song : KK, Haan Tu Hai (Jannat)
Best Girl Song : Shruti Pathak, Mar Javaan (Fashion)
The WTF Award for mismatch of singer and song: classically-trained Monali, Zara Zara Touch Me (Race)
Best Song To Rock Out To: Bandya (Khuda Kay Liye)
The "I Predicted This in 2007 But Thought It Would Be Akon" award for Best Hip-Hop Crossover : Snoop Dogg, Singh is Kinng (Singh is Kinng)
Most Interesting Music : Kabhi Kabhi Aditi (Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na)
Most Egregious and Possibly Unintentional Use of a Foreign Language : Tu Hai Meri Soniye (Kismat Konnection) - ay papi!
Smartest Egregious Use Of A Foreign Language : Dil Dance Maare (Tashan)
Song That Indians Understand That Americans Never Will : Pappu Can't Dance (Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na)
Worst Subtitles -Guzarish (Ghajini) - no, I do not want to hear about your "spewing pearls of love", thanks.
Most Experimental Album That Worked : Aamir
Best Overall Album : Fashion
Best Song : Manmohini Morey (Yuvvraaj)
This is the only awards list compiled this year that does NOT contain any references to Slumdog Millionaire.
Song I love to hate : Billo Rani (Goal)
Song I hate to love : Hey Ya (Kidnap)
Best Guy Song : KK, Haan Tu Hai (Jannat)
Best Girl Song : Shruti Pathak, Mar Javaan (Fashion)
The WTF Award for mismatch of singer and song: classically-trained Monali, Zara Zara Touch Me (Race)
Best Song To Rock Out To: Bandya (Khuda Kay Liye)
The "I Predicted This in 2007 But Thought It Would Be Akon" award for Best Hip-Hop Crossover : Snoop Dogg, Singh is Kinng (Singh is Kinng)
Most Interesting Music : Kabhi Kabhi Aditi (Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na)
Most Egregious and Possibly Unintentional Use of a Foreign Language : Tu Hai Meri Soniye (Kismat Konnection) - ay papi!
Smartest Egregious Use Of A Foreign Language : Dil Dance Maare (Tashan)
Song That Indians Understand That Americans Never Will : Pappu Can't Dance (Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na)
Worst Subtitles -Guzarish (Ghajini) - no, I do not want to hear about your "spewing pearls of love", thanks.
Most Experimental Album That Worked : Aamir
Best Overall Album : Fashion
Best Song : Manmohini Morey (Yuvvraaj)
Saturday, December 6, 2008
mg road
Funny how days make memories fade
From colour to black and white then into grey
Miles, they do the same first one,
Five, ten a thousand and time and space have their way
I could call, you'd never answer
I could write, you'd never respond
So all I can do is close my eyes and think of you.. and I do
Then half a world away, you open your eyes
You'd say I was dreaming, I was, wasn't I?
I don't remember the start
I'm not afraid of the end
I just remember the road
And I remember the wind
I remember the music
And the song that you sang
And in the end this world doesn't have to change
We're gonna be the change
Was it a night like this
The full moon lighting my path as I make my way home
It was a night like this
When I looked up at the moon and I said here I am
Here I am, where will this moment take me?
Where will it take me?
I could start, I'd never finish
I could write, you'd never respond
And so all I can do is close my eyes and be here.. and I do
Then half a world away you open your eyes
You'd say I was dreaming but this is life
This is life
I don't remember the start
I'm not afraid of the end
I just remember the road
And I remember the wind
I remember the music
And the song that you sang
And in the end this world doesn't have to change
It's you and me who changed
I don't remember the start
I'm not afraid of the end
I just remember the road
And I remember the wind
I remember the music
And the song that you sang
And in the end this world doesn't have to change
From colour to black and white then into grey
Miles, they do the same first one,
Five, ten a thousand and time and space have their way
I could call, you'd never answer
I could write, you'd never respond
So all I can do is close my eyes and think of you.. and I do
Then half a world away, you open your eyes
You'd say I was dreaming, I was, wasn't I?
I don't remember the start
I'm not afraid of the end
I just remember the road
And I remember the wind
I remember the music
And the song that you sang
And in the end this world doesn't have to change
We're gonna be the change
Was it a night like this
The full moon lighting my path as I make my way home
It was a night like this
When I looked up at the moon and I said here I am
Here I am, where will this moment take me?
Where will it take me?
I could start, I'd never finish
I could write, you'd never respond
And so all I can do is close my eyes and be here.. and I do
Then half a world away you open your eyes
You'd say I was dreaming but this is life
This is life
I don't remember the start
I'm not afraid of the end
I just remember the road
And I remember the wind
I remember the music
And the song that you sang
And in the end this world doesn't have to change
It's you and me who changed
I don't remember the start
I'm not afraid of the end
I just remember the road
And I remember the wind
I remember the music
And the song that you sang
And in the end this world doesn't have to change
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