Milliblog!

@karthik : Cool... I did not like the way some discussions were going..
just wanted to make sure u continue answering ppl and enjoy this exercise.

Forgot to Add.. that I also agree with mhafeez.

ARR has said in an interview that he has played with songs.. "Charam, pallavi ellam oru madhri irukkum.. Hope ppl like it" was what he said in its music launch..
so ditto of mhafeez

I will let ARR play with my brain which is so used to listening to conventional music..

vettiyappan: I'm completely ok with negative comments - after all it is just an opinion. If you see the thread above I try and answer as many comments as if feasible within the time I have.

Also Karthik, just one observation, in case u r interested :-)

If u r running a review blog, u will get negative as well as positive ones... some will also get personal..
So the fact that some one takes some time out of their life and spends time giving u opinions is something u shud take very well and try to answer properly..

Else disable 'Post Comment' section and just write reviews expecting no answers :-)

Just my 2 cents :-) Since I was running a Cricket related thread and pretty experienced with variety of responses.. just giving u a heads up

Also since i am following u for the first time, i dont prefer taking sides on ur review... I will say what i feel abt VTV.

Hosanna is one of those tracks which instantly clings to u.. eye candy ;-)
Aromaley.. i loved the rendition and the slow BGM. It is great and soothing.
Mannipaya was to begin with irritating to me too, especially Shreya Ghosal who tries to be too cute.. but when ARR starts crooning I just stuck to this one.. his unique style of singing, pitch etc saves this song.. wonderful ARR. kindly keep singing...

Reg. ppl here saying that these songs sound plain , too simple..
I heard Gautam saying he used to ask for some tune and ARR wud give him 4-5 options, gautam used to pick one based on the feel of the picturisation.. So may be most of songs were done to be seen with visual appeal.. Cos music directors go thru a lot with producers and directors.. even actors sometimes :-( ..cos everyone knows that music/comedy is what sells movies..

So maintaining originality, trying something new, making producer-director-actor happy, attending to personal work, doing some other stuff in music industry.. albums ... all this too tuff nowadays ...
so ARR is still doing it .. how come is Mani Ratnam able to get best out of him everytime ;-)

Finally, VTV songs will not be an instant hit like Muqabula.. its one of those ARR which u need to keep listening too.. if u r interested..

first timer here .. so expect a big post :-)
So first a 'Hi' to Karthik and kudos to the wonderful job u have been doing on itwofs. I got good attention by referring ppl to visit ur website. The plagiarism bits shocked and choked everyone.

Also let me broadcast that i am no music guru to find nuances.. genre.. etc.. for me music is plain and something that shud fit my mood and shud be pleasant to me.. It shud make me happy, it shud make me cry, it shud make me feel great abt myself, it shud instill confidence, it shud bring older memories etc...

I haven't read the other 87 rediff-board-ish- comments. I just heard the album yesterday.

My picks, I really liked Hosanna, Omana Penne and Aaoramale. Anbil Avan has a scintillating interlude piece (that wedding tune).

The other AR-Goshal song, Naresh Iyer one - somehow didn't strike a chord with me.

I don't want to get into discussions on whether this is below/above/average AR fare. I think it's one of his 'good' albums.

even though i would have thought innumberable times to blog or comment on a blog, I have hardly done it due to my laziness..but when i saw a 100 word review in milliblog and many users commenting that they dont like VTV and termed it as "amateurish", i just quietly kicked my laziness out of the front door and decided to reply to this review..

Omana Penne - "Benny Dayal’s vocal contortions reach a Whitney Houston’ish level in Omana penne, a lyrically-challenged, plain-by-Rahman-standards tune"

well well..contortions eh? plain by rahman standards? were you sleeping while listening? did you even get to hear kalyani menon's magical non-whitney houstinsh, non lyrically challengedish 24 second pure magical rendition of a terrific tune by AR Rahman? for your information it starts at 2.39 and ends at 3.03..ARR has brilliantly explored the other side of Benny Dayal..we know him for his rap-style kind of singing but to have used him for such a soft melody with astounding results is pure genius by Rahman..at 3.53 starts a fascinating journey into the wonders of the instrument naadaswaram..almost a one minute terrific experience of pure bliss..the nadaswaram actually plays almost throughout in the background but here in this 50 seconds is the most dominant..we never knew that the saxaphone could be used in a stunning fashion until we heard arr making kadri gopalnath simply play with it in duet..the same goes here for the naadaswaram in this song..

i got a visitor at my front door now..and yes..mr.lazy is back..i shall reply to your "review" of all the songs...

you have said that you would "eat your words" , come back and write a re-review if you were proved wrong and i am here to make you do that, karthik...

Sorry, wanted to add one more beauty experimentation ;).
In that song Kannukkul Kannai, he starts off with the Violin and when the Rhythm starts he uses the Electric guitar (muffled notes) along with the Violin notes. Sounds pretty new and fresh.

And most of the songs don't have a structure, he has just played out in any fashion he wants. ;)

Hey vjv, you are right, the blend in Anbil Avan is pretty cool. You need to listen to it closely to appreciate that I guess.

Hello Everyone, you know what. I think Rahman's songs probably might need to treated in a different way than just reviewing it as a good song or amateurish etc. I think Rahman has played around with his experimentation, otherwise how would you explain a composition like "Aaromale". !

I think we should sit back and enjoy the experiments the boss is trying out on us :) and give him the results ;)

VTV at this moment is rocking me out. :)

Baradwaj Rangan on VTV,
http://www.desipundit.com/baradwajrangan/2010/0...

hey Karthik
You didn't review "Passage", a short-film collaboration between Shekhar Kapur and ARR... very interesting music, check it out at http://www.passage-experience.com/....

VTV doesn't sound amateurish or lacking but it clearly is not an album one would keep reverting back to, at a stretch.
I liked aaromale - reminded me of The Doors and their 'tone'..but the song might've to be listened to in context.

The other one thats grown on me is the zappy Anbil Avan, though I find Chinmayi's voice a bit shrill...

Hosanna has an anthemish feel to it but stretches, still likeable. Kannukul Kannai and VV might be contextual sounds, only a viewing would tell!

The ones don't make my cut are Mannipaaya-feels messy and awesomely stretched and Omana Penne- nothing really interesting.

Having written this however, its interesting to see how an ARR soundtrack polarises so many opinions. I do tend to agree his recent Hindi soundtracks (ala Delhi 6 and Jodhaa Akbar) have subtlety and passion, something I attribute more to the aesthetic requirements of a film, its director and the vision.
What VV sounds like is a more casual, youth-appealing attempt. Almost appears as if Gautam was confused with the his options with ARR on board...

I probably won't watch the movie but the soundtrack doesn't seize me enough to go back to it....

VTV doesn't sound amateurish or lacking but it clearly is not an album one would keep reverting back to, at a stretch.
I liked aaromale - reminded me of The Doors and their 'tone'..but the song might've to be listened to in context.

The other one thats grown on me is the zappy Anbil Avan, though I find Chinmayi's voice a bit shrill...

Hosanna has an anthemish feel to it but stretches, still likeable. Kannukul Kannai and VV might be contextual sounds, only a viewing would tell!

The ones don't make my cut are Mannipaaya-feels messy and awesomely stretched and Omana Penne- nothing really interesting.

Having written this however, its interesting to see how an ARR soundtrack polarises so many opinions. I do tend to agree his recent Hindi soundtracks (ala Delhi 6 and Jodhaa Akbar) have subtlety and passion, something I attribute more to the aesthetic requirements of a film, its director and the vision.
What VV sounds like is a more casual, youth-appealing attempt. Almost appears as if Gautam was confused with the his options with ARR on board...

I don't know Tamil or Malayalam, so the lyrics are all gibberish, but Aaromale is amazing - and the rest of VTV impresses as well. Pretty ambitious stuff.

On behalf of the millions of fellow ARR fans around the globe, I would like to set some things straight here. Firstly, I sincerely appreciate the annoyance that has been poured in the form of words in this forum regarding the musical output of VTV, which I must say is quite acceptable considering the fact that ARR fans or to say musical junkies like us weren't exposed to the brilliance of innovative song structuring or abstract forms of musical forms in Tamil music circuit. What ARR has done here is an absolute never-before heard style of structuring that is very new to the listeners, so it takes time to sink in to the brilliance of his work. Moreover the 2 year gap, added to the combo of Gautam-ARR has created a huge huge expectation on the lines of VA or KK. I think that is outlandishly silly. ARR is one who is always on the lookout for innovation and strives to give something new to the otherwise ordinary-run of the mill-listener who gets content with the thumping beats and silly lyrics. When I first heard VTV I was hugely disappointed, a feeling that has never occurred to me after listening to an ARR album. But after repeated hearing, I understood and began to trace out the intricate layering and the shear brilliance of innovative structuring of the genius. This is one of the best tamil film soundtracks ever. I cannot force or preach about the music, it all depends on the individual to embrace it or sink in to the usual. Cheers

Guys, VTV is rocking,,,,, usually ARR music tends to draw you towad it and after you will totally sink into it this wat happens everytime once after his albums are released. Hats Off to ARR.

Thanks Karthik. Yes, Milliblog serves has ensured that every album get it's worth! And thanks to you that, that I have started exploring new talents in the music scene and appreciate their work.

Sandeep was a composer I always used to look at, coz he could attain a certain comparison with ARR even in 90's. But some of his inspired work'd put him in the back seat. But I always believe that he can deliver, in his own way!

Yet to listen to Kedi. Read your review this morning and in office now. Also, the attention has turned to the Solar Eclipse now!

@jeanjohny: Well said! But, we've intense competition these days and that ensues that almost all soundtracks are accorded some attention at least by some people. Sites like Milliblog help in that.

And yes, let's move on - Kedi is worth a discussion too - I'm loving the songs by Chowta! :-)

Guys, there are more things happening in this world than VTV and AR Rahman.. Even Karthik posted 4 other reviews.. Move on!

This album should have been released at a time when the internet was not so accessible, nobody would have cared to spend time reading reviews and there was no free downloads, nor the cds less expensive.. Everybody takes time to listen and create a self opinion rather than looking for what others think of it..

Everybody would have found this album cassette between Goa and Mundhinam Paartheney in the music store shelf.. The would have ignored Goa, coz it is by not so favourite Yuvan and Mundhinam Paarthene, coz it is by a relatievely new MD.. And it boils down to VTV, coz it is by AR Rahman, who is more adorable and fav than others and also there is a certain amount of curiosity to know what he delivers this time.. Then they will buy this cassette, listen to it for a couple of times, the songs will start growing on them, it will become a part of their lives and they just fall for it, find the songs the best..

Now the other two cassettes, they will wait for somebody else to buy it and have a listen or they will listen to it some other day and find them ordinary or just another album comparing to the magic AR Rahman has created.. Thus VTV becomes the best album, the other two would fade into oblivion or increase the count in MD's repertoire.. !!

Karthik, I'm waiting to write the 100th comment for this review!!

@ck_ssn thanks for the DMb ref. DMb fan here! donno how I missed the inspiration. thanks again.

I wonder how many of those who comment here are creative in the each and everywork they do ? As a fan you would have expectations but thrusting that in to a composer's liberty is unfair. Ofcourse they are paid but its all dependent on the circumstances, cant expect a dilse evey time. personally i felt that the album had lot of experimentations and for all who say hosanna is simple,i guess that they would hav missed a cello interlude along with the chords and chorus or the mix of melody and rap...its way ahead of the plain VA songs-which lacked instrumental depth.

Only Rehman can do this. Intially it doesn;t impress..But now..Repeatedly listening to Aromale , the more you listen..it becomes more beautiful..

Oh, and with regards to amul0072003 - if you don't find
Goa's tracks exhilarating then I can understand your taste in music! :)

Me too Karthik.. Am a die Hard ARR fan and i just loved this album.. But every1 has their own opinion.. Initially I dint like Kannukul Kannai that much, but after reading ur review I looped it and its still looping...Thanks for that :) Well talkin of inspirations.. Aaromale is truly inspired from this song..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BgkMvk-5hhA

Dave Matthew's Band :)

I can't believe this review has generated 68 comments in the space of 2 days! Wooww!! Anyway Karthik, stick with YOUR blog which means YOUR opinions! No one is stronger in this world than you! I always visit your site when new tracks are released and even sometimes I don't agree you but I will never vent my anger here!!

Good review and a good soundtrack...definitely looking forward to the visuals! :D

Totally amusing all these comments. All the people want you to write a review based on their opinion! Why is it that people can't accept if someone doesn't rate an ARR album as extraordinary? What would happen, if you write a negative review for an ARR album, let alone a 'NW1W'?
But don't get intimidated and influenced by these guys, please write always what you think! That's why I frequently visit this blog. Btw, mostly agree with your review, this album is quite good and enjoyable but has nothing overwhelming (except for Aaromale!).

Couldnt help, Karthik! My take on it would be that, people need to be able to take a review in an objective way.. A good reviewer gives a reasonable explanation why he or she liked a product.. If a reader doesnt find it reasonable, (s)he should go read reviews elsewhere..

There is simply no excuse for anyone to launch a personal tirade against a reviewer..

@amul0072003: Well, what do I say...I write what I feel and am open to eating my words in this same blog if I do find it better, in the future. But note, I say, if 'I' find it better - not if the world loves it or it fetches Rahman another Oscar.

@Vidhyashankar: Evil glee, huh ;-). But it was a stupid of me to indulge in that and like most things in life, I realize it a bit late!

WOW...simply classic album...a brilliant album from musical storm..omana penne, hosanna, aaromale...pathbreaking tracks...wat else you want..it's as usual a cat on a pan kinda review from karthik.. Just think before u ink and one needs atleast a day before reviewing on arr's album..else they will eat their own words later...If "Goa" is exhilarating stuff to karthik then i can understand his musical sense..Ahem

Oh, and had an evil glee reading the altercation between Karthik and Suresh..

I beg to differ from some of what has been mentioned above.. After 2 or 3 hearings, I have started to like the album actually.. And no, I dont want to compare ARR-GM jodi with the HJ-Gautam combo..

The only song which I cant warm up to is Mannippaaya: the tune is too old-fashioned for my taste.. Especially the beginning sounds like something borrowed from the 80s..
Aaromale is a brilliant number..

@Karthik - Superb songs.....liked them on the first hearing itself..however after listening to Aaromale..first song came to my mind was "After Dark" by Tito and Tarantula...Similar in approach and style...Great songs..both..
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cG0qv9s0VNo

any thoughts ?

@Karthik.. you said that change in partner shows .. definitely agree with you.. but do you think that after Shankar went back to Rahman.. was Sivaji such a great album after all??? .. not at all better than what Harris gave for Anniyan..

Kannukkul Kannai is a recycled version of Anbe Aaruyire.. wonder how many agree to this... still getting a hang of the album...

1. I'm a little confused about what ARR is going for with this album. If there is a musical plan, I don't get it! Karthik, you seem to be pointing the finger for the lack of cohesion at Gautam Menon and I'm sure that's part of it but given ARR's stature I'd expect him to direct the musical identity of the album to a greater degree than some other composers can.

2. That said, ARR in my view usually serves the movie so perhaps these songs play out better on screen. With a visually savvy director who also has a good grip on the narrative content (I think Gautam qualifies), it is possible that this musical mishmash actually "fits". I'll hold off on judgment until I can see the movie :)

3. ARR usually has at least one standout on every album that is a keeper on my iPOD. For the third time since Ghajini, and Blue that is not the case here. For someone who is a huge ARR fan, this is a bit worrisome.

Just remember that Raavan is a modern day interpretation so I'm not really expecting rahman sir to use alot of ethnic instruments.

I do agree lots of ppls that, ARR song needs more time to listen.... considering that fact, still the songs lack the soul to it.. some places are really interesting, but My blood also knows that ARR can give a standard stuff even in sleep, but personally iam expecting a standard which he has set, over 2 decades for now... Aaromale is gud but really has the style of BB King's, The thrill is gone....... rest of the tracks are so so, and i feel the review is more apt and especially the last line......... Expecting for Raavan.................

I think the album deserves some time before opinioins can be stated. As for Manippaya, it's the processing that makes the vocals sound so good. Hence, credit goes as much to ARR as to Benny. Intuitioin tells me this will be at least as good as jillunu oru kaathal. Will take time to grow.

Colossal let down. Shreya Ghoshal recently tweeted about her song in this film, terming it another 'Munbe vaa'. Mannippaaya way below the mark... not even close.

Decent Album.Some new experiments.He is the best in what he does best; mixing and some times awesome tunes.

i found the background instrumental (nadhasvaram types) in the song similar to the end music in the Rehna tu -dilli 6 song .
Also i feel most of the vocals are electronically modified to give that electric-husky tone to them

Liju, ani.nair: I really appreciate your posting positive opinions about the soundtrack here - as I always, there can be multiple opinions about anything, beyond the plain good and bad.

Let me sum up my feeling towards this soundtrack, in a different way than my review above. I like this soundtrack as much as I liked HJ's Anniyan. In my opinion, both are good soundtracks, but the change in musical partner shows.

I think its totally about perception and your personal opinion. To me, this album is as scintillating as any of his previous works. Again IMHO, nothing that I have heard in the past couple months matches the brilliance of this album. The last albums (or rather Artists) that I heard and thrilled me so much have been "Leader" by Mickey J Meyer (not the entire album but 3-4 songs) and some songs by Gomez (Indie rock group from Brit land).
All this when I don't have the original CD yet and I am hearing songs just off youtube.

I think ARR is as clueless these days as to what to come up with that might excite his fans :-).

Karthik - Harris's VA was also repetitive ...I couldn't hear it more than 3-4 times. Couple of songs were inspired - that (Adiye Kolluthe and Mundhinam P) and the only song the truly stood out was the one sung by Hariharan. Again like I said, my opinion :-)

honestly i didn't have much expectations on this album seeing all the hype earlier and ARR didn't disappoint my expectations :)...its a very normal album and not at all catchy..very confusing and unattractive even after repeated hearing. However, when the usual ARR fans went gaga over the songs, I had a second thought. But after reading this review and the comments, I know what i felt was not wrong after all. don't know when ARR will start giving to his earlier standards..can't remember a good work by him in Tamil recently

@nexusone, relax! :D Thalai should hopefully be back in "Avatar" like form in Raavan.

Just heard one song Hosana , that too in FM . This is good enough for Dharan, but good enough for ARR ?

lol @ nexusone

'arooooomaleeeeeeeeeeeeeeee' .. sounds like a war-cry. Btw, what does Aromale mean?

1.The album is pretty much along the lines of Blue. Not a complete stunner like Delhi 6 or JTYJN. 4 out of 7 songs come close to thalai's standard. Thalaivar needs to understand that his target audience is regional and not international. That being said, VTV is still miles ahead of tamil crap being dished out currently.

2. Yuvan's Goa is going beat this commercially for the simple fact that it is more relatable and yet catchy.

3. Pray ARR gets back to brutal form with Raavan and Endhiran.

Karthik, I think your review is bang on except for the Omana penne comment. I think it is a great song and something that you expect from Thalai. Gautam is better off with HJ.

hello, dont talk anything about thalaivar. if arr thalai asks me to jump in the well, i will jump. arooooomaleeeeeeeeeeeeeeee

The album is pretty much along the lines of Blue. Not a complete stunner like Delhi 6 or JTYJN. Thalaivar needs to understand that his target audience is regional and not international. That being said, VTV is still miles ahead of tamil crap being dished out currently. I

I once asked Karthik as to why he doesn't respond to user comments here :-). But this thread is rocking now within a span of 24 hrs :)

I am scared to listen to VTV, I don't have much expectations. Not sure why he would want to produce mediocre albums, anyway.

A few observations after listening to this album

1. The huge gap that Rahman had opened up in the 90s between him and his contemporaries in TFM and HFM has narrowed down considerably now. While Rahman still remains the most saleable and popular MD, his output is being matched by the other MDs. Amit Trivedi with Dev D against Rahman's Dilli 6, HJ's VA against his VTV.

2. Couple of reasons for narrowing of this gap include availability of the same tools and techniques to everyone. The loops, samples etc. Everyone borrows from all genres, from all over the world. Added to it, many of Rahman's juniors have perfected the sound of the early Rahman very well. Nowadays Micky Meyer sounds more Rahmanish than Rahman himself !! (When I heard the Kalyani Menon portion in 'Hosanna' it immediately reminded me of 'Maa Telugu Talli' part in 'Leader' and I must say I like what Micky did better.) The catchy, simple tunes which Rahman used to give earlier are now given by these guys. It is obviously difficult for Rahman to get back to these type of tunes.

3. Composing for a Tamil film was always going to be a challenge after the Oscars. On one hand, the expectation would be for Rahman to match up to 'international standard' (whatever that means) and on the other hand he has to compete with the likes of Vijay Anthony and Devi Sriprasad to give 'mass hits.' Not an easy exercise. In VTV, Rahman takes the first route. In this route, it is not easy to compete with 'miya miya poonakutti', 'nan adicha tanga mata' kind of songs.

4. The generally held view that Rahman's songs grow on you slowly is also slowly vanishing. Albums like 'Blue', 'Couples Retreat' did not really 'grow' over time with the audience. Lets see how VTV performs over time.

I think Ravan will be the work to watch out for. 'Robot' will have a lot of constraints given the requirements of a Rajini movie. As I said earlier, Rahman has to fulfill two very contradictory requirements and winning everyone over is not going to be easy.

wow .. i dont understand why people get so upset over bad reviews. It's all personal preference and liking. A song may be an anthem for you, but it may suck for someone else, and vice versa.

I enjoy reading karthik's reviews, but I don't get influenced by them. e.g. Ghajini (hindi) still plays in my list.

My advice to Karthik: ignore people who personally attack you, and continue doing what you do. You're not answerable to them. Be the bigger person.

Karthik:

this is one of the best reviews i have read

karthik - Me thinks it was the 100 words that started the FIRE. the message wasn't quite clear if you like it or despised it.
I genuinely feel that a couple of tracks are surprisingly fresh to the tamil music scene. it might grow on you in a while.
i haven't given it a complete good listen yet, but it definitely isn't on my fav ARR list.

@suresh/ ursmusically: Forgot to add - its only fair that I add here that I do download from torrent sites. But I have my own way of making it up by buying the CD anyway, even if I don't even open the wrapper in many cases. That's perhaps what you wanted to hear, I suppose - made your day? Go on, proceed with the, 'I rest my case' bit.

@ani.nair: Suggest you try Vaaranam Aayiram again. Its the best by the combo that so unfortunately split. But I do agree that Harris on his own can be mighty repetitive - I so wanted to do a NW1W for Aadhavan, but there were so many requests for a review that I had to tear it apart in 100 words :-)

@suresh/ ursmusically: Yes, I was expecting this question, given the route you're taking - you haven't disappointed me.

And no, I did not hear this on a streaming site since its not available yet in one, but only on illegal download sites. But, having run Milliblog for almost half a decade now, I have built my connections with some of the leading record labels and their PR firms, including Sony Music.

Also, that poor quality on streaming is a perception - I have not 'discovered' any new gem between listening to streaming versions and listening on a CD. If I do, I'd be the first one to post a re-review of what I found, since sharing my joy of good music is what Milliblog is - predominantly - about.

Karthik,
I think I agree with Suresh on this one - I mean the last point he made. U never can appreciate AR's music by listening to some bad streaming sites. Hear quality version
(a CD) and the world seems a better place musically :-).

I am surprised several folks out here talk about the Harris-Gautham combo - when I feel that Minnale was the only album that I feel neared greatness. Every album, ever song since then seems a rehash and indistinguishable from each other (my opinion entirely).

Anyway, I have heard VTV only off Youtube till now - and I love what I have heard. I am waiting for 13th Jan now (when my CD arrives from Amazon). This album IMHO needs to absorbed ..song by song ..bit by bit ..and I am looking forward to it.

Keep writing sire - ur site has introduced me to several wonderful Indian artists n albums (the foremost being Mickey J Meyer - whom I started listening to since ur "Leader" review).

-A
-A

Karthik - Still Angry on me. Huh?

I actually don't listen to music on such sites due to poor audio quality. So, you heard VTV in one such site before writing this review.

Smile,
Sureshkumar.

Its simple Suresh - you just need to apply some thought. The music can be sampled fully via online streaming sites (that claim to be legal, by the way) like Bollywood Hungama, Raaga or Galatta. There are other sites too, which claim to be legal - I don't have to go to their offices and check the veracity of their claims, do I? So, how come you never considered that those 'bad music' reviews could have been done through listening via a streaming site?

And, good strategy of portraying yourself as the underdog here, after having gone personal in a completely unrelated forum.

Hi Karthik,

It is better to bring this discussion here. I wrote

"If you are a regular reader of that site, you must have known by this time that he has always reviewed the albums after listening to cheap quality illegally downloaded songs - once. All the preaching gyaans about "anti-Plagiarism, being ethical and legal" are only for others. It has become such a normal thing, that it is okay to comment on a public platform about something that you don't even own yet."

Your Reply

"Thanks Suresh, for those completely unwarranted kind words.

Downloading illegal music - bad. Purchasing CDs - good. Download is done as a
matter of ease of distribution/ availability. Purchasing CD once it releases -
done as a matter of policy.

I'm touched by your concern, but. Nice way of going personal over a review."

You completely misunderstood what I meant. May be that remark abt Itwofs was personal. But have always been bewildered about that irony and wanted to register it. I am sure you would purchase the CD if the music is good, that is not the point here, but what if the music is bad. Downloading for ease is not a problem and purchasing as a policy is perfectly fine, but writing the review in between the two is what I am against.

It is so simple to understand. I don't have to explain you any further. As you had already mentioned that my comments are 'Unwarranted', and as this is a ‘Petty’ issue to you, I understand that you are stern that you are right. Probably, my comments were also due to a discussion about piracy and such blogs - that I had with the brother of one of the unsung but talented film composers in Tamil films. No hard feelings.

I am alone here. I have no strength to fight. Accept my defeat.

Peace. Long Live Good music
Smile
Sureshkumar.

I know and I responded too. I can indulge in a sane argument and make my stand...any time. But if they choose to get petty and personal, like someone started, I'm sorry, I'd rather stay out and let them continue.

@Karthik - ARR Fans group is venting out it's ire on you !! (probably out of frustration with the delay and the free availability of Illegal MP3s)....time for requesting for z category security ;))....they will shortly start burning your effigies!

@arunm: Err, why so? I'm not selling, anyway.

"Amazed by the comments I'm getting on my review of Vinnaithaandi Varuvaayaa!"
Itwofs sold out!!!!

Forgetful album by ARR's standards. I am really waiting for something of dilli-6 standards once again. Of course his time is split between chennai-mumbai-london-LA, but I'd rather see him in one place and deliver his best instead of him trying to juggle between projects and deliver half-baked goods.


Guess, will have to wait for Enthiran & Raavan to see if things get better.

Also, has anyone listend to the Hindi Sivaji tracks? WTF is with the lyrics??? They're BAAAAAAAAAAAD. I don't know if it was the same with Tamil (I don't understand the language)

Let me be very objective here.Considering I have sparse grasp over Tamil,the tunes,the orchestration and to a lesser extent the singing were the only things I could latch onto.Strangely,considering what I have read here,I really liked the album.Most of them not in toto,though.But I like the way Rahman has dynamited the good bits across all 7 tracks.He sure is getting more arcane with his compositions.They are no longer catchy and massy(No even Blue wasn't save Fiqrana and the theme.You don't hum Rehnuma.It creates an impact.Aids the visuals.)
Considering what I have seen in this portal,I was really expecting a 200 worder.But to each his own!
Now let me get my headphones back on....

cant help but agree with the rest of you who say its a let down; that its not the Rahman type unusual stlye and some parts of track resembling some old tunes; blah blah..
at the same time this is a pretty good soundtrack. (not upto the mark ARR mark of course)

but we need to keep in mind there a certain chemistries that work instantly(ARR-Mani Ratnam, Yuvan- Venkat Prabhu, and of course Harris-Gautham) and certain that take time to grow...

lets hope this is one such considering the fact that there have been a few soundtrack that time(many of ARR's brilliant tracks are not runaway hits, i shud remind u ppl!!) and some that take the screenplay of the movie itself to grow onto you( RDB! is the best example).

so i believe that VTV soundtrack will grow onto all-rather most of us, before the actual movie releases. and that it will be more successful in the long-run (post actual movie release- what we call a SITUATIONAL soundtrack cos the tracks do show promise of that).

fingers crossed. :)

For the fact that Gautham Menon tutored under the other "Menon".. Rajeev.. expected more out of this soundtrack.. where his guru created magic .. Gautham has simply lost the plot.. also believe Kalyani Menon is Rajeev Menon's mom ??

"Gautam and Harris have an incredible wavelength and that seems missing here." I agree with it. What exactly happened between harris and guatam ? guatam was annoyed on harris ??

The album is just like any decently passable work by just another composer these days.I mean,i cannot see the distinctly-ARR standing out anywhere.You can see him in Kandukondein Kandukondein or Rhythm etc.The album is ok.But then, since when has "OK" become a standard for ARR's music.I second Karthik opinion that this album is nothing great.

This is a heartfelt statement - "AR Rahman should stop doing something and that 'something' includes everything that breaks our heart, like this soundtrack!"

I am a huge ARR fan from my childhood and I'm disappointed. The truth is that there is no creativity left in these songs. I feel that this is a leftover stuff. Each song reminisces of another ARR song.

My heart bleeds to see the vintage AR Rahman stuff. Every good part of the songs are spoiled by other part! For instance, Hosanna! We need earthly music, this one is for the creatures of other planets.

I just can't even relate to one song and some compositions are pain invoking!

A mixed bag from AR - GM Combo. Kannukkul is my least favourite. Decent & Pleasant album.

Hosanna is the best and my pick of this album. Araomale gives a strange feel especially the singing. This will be very interesting along with visuals i guess.

If you ask me overall, the album is a let down considering the hype and the "oscars" factor.

Otherwise, typical ARR's Tamil album with some fresh songs, new sounds (especially the nadhas sound) and some boring tunes.

Hosanna will rock the audience.

@Karthik, I agree it is upto the director to extract good tune / music from Rahman.. I have no problems with the basic tunes that he has come up with for his Tamil albums

Compare his Hindi albums (JTYJN, Blue, D6) to any of his recent Tamil ones (VTV, Sakarakkatti, ATM).. The way a song is constructed in his Hindi albums shows a lot of dedication and effort.

Hosanna, by all means starts very promising and then uses a lacklustre humming as the interlude... Where is the creative Rahman that we know? I am not sure whether directors have a say in all these details.

I am just afraid that Rahman is turning into (detached)Ilayaraja of the 90's (at least in Tamil) and I sincerely hope he doesn't..

Loved Aromale

@en_arvind: I do like it and will be on loop too, in my car. But not enough to give it a 200 word review or go gaga over it. I consider this album as disappointing as Harris' work for Shankar, in Anniyan. Yes, Anniyan was good in a way, catchy and massy, but failed to reach the ARR-Shankar combo. Same thing here, is my opinion - Gautam and Harris have an incredible wavelength and that seems (to me, personally) missing here.

Karthik- small grouse...you seem to quibble on the conclusion of this review...do you like the album or not? Is the album good or not?

For all the albums reviewed in the recent past, you have a sentence summarising "Exhilirating stuff..." " Brilliant start to the new year"....here you ARE very vague "Gautam’s fish-out-of-bowl state shows as he grapples with Rahman’s divergently different melodic palette." what does this mean?

I feel that you try to be TOO objective with ARR's albums nowadays trying to pick faults so that you are seen as a very neutral reviewer not as a ARR fan primarily.

Seems from the first listen though that AR didn't have time for this album...gone are the elaborate arrnagements..almost all songs have a electronic rhythm .

dissapointing ....i heard it first ...then read your review ....none of the songs actually made me press the repeat button ........after reading u r review gave it a few more hearings ....trying to figure out all those beautiful pieces inbetween songs ........Frankly cant hear it any more ........

more like a SA Rajkumar Album on a synthesizer.....

Gautam was better off with Harris ...Back to hearing Goa and Ishqiya .....

this is a very very ordinary album .....any other composer and probably this would have gone unnoticed ...

@Youngblood27: Don't you think almost every single album by any composer is a 'Kashtapattu compose pannina album'? That way, no album deserves just a 100 words...no?

Seems like a lazy/rushed review..100 words is not enough...Many things were untouched..Kastapattu compose pannina album, you can just just sum it up in 100 words..Brilliant!

@guruprasad: Thanks!


@vjv: I like Anbil avan too - very uptempo and groovy. Didn't find anything dramatically interesting in that blend you mention, however.


@nv: completely agree on some songs sounding amateurish - may be intentional too, for all you know...accessibility is another word!


@thechordmaster: yes boss, I'm all set. Got practice from my Ghajini review feedback ;-)


@ArFan99: I agree with @nv - too broad to call it a lift. Genre similarities...yes.


@sam: Agree with you on Mannippaayaa, but not the 2nd sentence. Guess it's up to the director to make best use of Rahman!

@Ar Fan99 dont call it a lift. thats harsh. its just a popular blues riff. countless songs have similar sturcture as backing. for eg. peter framptons "Do you feel like we do"'s backing during the solo.

As @sam points out, and even explained by ARR in one of his interviews, ARR doesnt want to go for raga based compositions since it will invariably resemble some song.

still this album is worth buying. lets be a part of ARRs evolution.

Mannipaaya is annoying and the rest disappointing!

Except for a selected few directors, Rahman has been rather indifferent towards tamil film music after year 2000.

Aaromale songs guitar bit is a lift from Pink Floyd's " wish you were here" a popular song of him.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3DXCHa9BYfE

But the tune matches the guitar bit. I think Ar rahman has used it as an inspiration as I heard he likes Pink Floyd's, Peter Gabriel works very much in some interview.
The rest of the songs matches the theme of the film.
Now a days Rahman is trying to go out of the box. He has left behind the traditional pattern of compositions to his colleague composers.

lol... nalla thaana poittu irukku, cycle gappla usuppaethi vidra :D

heh.... brace yourself for some awesome firepower from the readers...

naan thappichen sami

cool review, karthik.

as i listen to it, feels like this is not going to be ARR special. may be we were all expecting this to be as good as dilli-che :p

some songs sound amateurish (dont want to name) and this coming from a huge ARR fan.

@vjv: nothing new about the christian/hindu fusion. and i felt it sounded awkward. may be visuals will make it better.

anyway, there have been several ARR albums that have taken time to sink in. hope this is one such :p

Superb album by ARR...Karthik did u notic how ARR blended Christian Marriage Choir tune and Hindu Marriage Shehnai Tune....in the song Anbil Avan....totally awesome....

Gautam’s fish-out-of-bowl state - i liked that statement, indeed a grt review, :)