in transit

watna ve

This song is from the movie Pinjar, which was released a few years ago. There's nothing new in the arrangement, or the instruments used, or the production, or the song structure itself; they've been making songs like this in Bollywood for decades. But it's rare that I hear one so beautifully and skillfully done, with such amazing lyrics and melodies and singing, and it makes me think that the reason they've been making songs like this for so long is because when done properly, they can be utterly heartbreaking.

The singer's voice is low and smooth, soft and resonant, and the lyrics are beautiful in a very simple and poetic way, some of the saddest I've heard. There was this one line in particular - murkhe hum na dekhain ge/ aur tu bhi yaad ana aa na - I won't turn back to look/ don't come in my memories - that caught my heart.

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AR Rahman move over. I think I've found someone new to put on my pedestal.

Sanjay Gupta is a strange, somewhat delusional character. He claims his movies are highly original, calls them works of art that push the envelope when in fact they're nothing more than pale knock-offs of western movies. Maybe this was why it took me so long to listen to his songs - I figured his music would be just as derivative. But, ohman. Gave the soundtrack to Zinda a listen yesterday, then Musafir, and. His stuff completely blows my mind.

There're two versions of each CD - the lounge version and the club version, and usually designations like this put me on guard, because most Indian club songs and remixes I've heard aren't very good. Indian music producers have this tendency to throw random western elements in their songs to try and make them seem hipper and cooler (MORE WID IT KAY), with the result that the whole thing sounds tacked on and stupid. But whatever the producers here are doing, more often than not it works, in such a way that it seems, at the same time, both completely natural and revolutionary, and then they do it again in the next song, and then again in the next. It's amazing.


These two songs are from the soundtrack of the movie Musafir.

Saki (Psychedelic Insomnia Mix)

Lyrics by Dev Kohli, produced by Vishal-Shekhar, sung by Sukhwinder Singh and Sunidhi Chauhan. A mix of traditional and techno and rock IN A WAY THAT WORKS. *still kind of blown by that* sakis were what they called women that served drinks in wine houses. This song has lyrics that I adore (in no small part because I'm a huge proponent of the "to love is to be at war" school of thought). This is no sappy love duet - both the man and the woman can be hard and cutting, and the atmosphere of the song reflects that.

( lyrics )

I love the beat, the guitar riffs around two and a half minutes into the song, the back and forth that immediately follows between the woman and man (ishq ke galiyon main na jana... ishq to mera khuda hai aashiq mera naam hai), especially the way the guy draws out the last syllable, his voice spiralling up. It works so well, and the only place aside from hindi songs that I've heard that done is in operas.


Rabba (Lounge Version)

Produced by Anand Raj Anand, lyrics by Dev Kohli, sung by Richa Sharma. There are traditional vocals, a steady techno beat and ambient backtrack. Rabba means god, and the girl is saying, in the first verse:

let no one come into my life
if someone comes don't let them leave
if they're going to give me tears
then don't let them make me laugh before


Will do his album Zinda next.


*ishq: passionate love
**aashiq: passionate lover

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A couple of indian remixes.

Britney Spears - Me Against The Music (Rishi Rich's Desi Kulcha Remix)
The original song is nothing to write home about, with repetitive produced beats and lyrics that stand out more for their awkwardness than their poetry. But then UK Bhangra producer Rishi Rich got his hands on it, turning it inside out by eliminating the melody, creating a killer backbeat, and adding bhangra elements, all of which combine to make this one of the catchiest dance tracks ever.


Rock U vs Mundian
A mash-up of Five's We Will Rock You and Punjabi MC's Mundian to Bach Ke (Beware Of The Boys). It's rather hilarious how well this works.

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Lhasa is a Mexican-American singer who draws from various modern and folk styles, including jazz and french chanson. Her songs have a moody tone and intriguing lyrics, a sound that's rich and seductive and weary.

These two song as from her second album, The Living Road, where she sings in French, Spanish, and English.


La Marée Haute (High Tide)
Sung in French, accompanied by the piano and bass clarinet, and then later strings.

My Name
A stark, melodious song - one of the album's more haunting tracks.


Also, if you ever have a chance to see her live show, you shouldn't miss the opportunity. It's completely amazing.

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