Neethane Enthan Pon Vasantham.

Somewhat old, but still interesting to know that vikatan reviews music albums

இளையராஜா - கௌதம் வாசுதேவ் மேனன் - நா.முத்துக்குமார்... பிரமாண்ட எதிர்பார்ப்புக் கிளப்பியிருக்கும் ஆல்பம். 'வழக்கமான தொனி இருக்கக் கூடாது... இன்றைய தலைமுறை ரசிகர்களையும் கவர வேண்டும்.’ இந்த இரண்டு நிர்பந்தங்களையும் கவனமாகக் கடந்திருக்கிறார் இளையராஜா.
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இந்தத் தலைமுறை ரசிகர்களுக்கான ராஜா ஆல்பம்

@Senthil - awesome (but why did you leave the wand out ?) , You and V_S (with SRJ) are pretty much doing the same thing. You use multi-media and V_S mostly uses text. Both of you are number one fans and commentators on IR's music. I wish, if you both did it in tamil, much of TN would appreciate as well (then our other state friends may not get it). Anyways, my disappointment for IR is - not that he did not get Oscar or something, but a lot of our own people in towns, villages and even in cities do not understand his grammar/style. Folks like you all and other posters in this forum, can help take his music to every kuppan, subban or suresh whatever. The saddest thing for an artiste is not about missing awards but people not getting what they are doing.
@app - Re: itwofs review - Of course, you agree with me these reviews are nothing but very very superficial analyses compared to reviews in our forum here, say for eg from V_S or Senthil. IR does not do music without understanding the genre. IR does not think of some genre, like a topping for a pizza. Be it the orchestral beauty in saRRu munbu or the well-integrated celtic rhythmic gait through out in vaanam keezhirangi. With other music directors, you recognize this is this genre or it sounds like this band or artiste. I do not see that with IR - every note is intricately woven into the composition. Inspite of all titles and awards IR is still an under-appreciated artiste. What a pity !!!
again @app - I know you just posted that link for fun, but I wanted to use this opportunity to take a dig at these sort of music review blogging to my hearts content Now that I got it off my chest , I feel better

Kiru,

Thanks a lot. I pick up cues from all of you, so this not entirely my own effort. Love to do it in Tamil. Let me know think about it.

But you are absolutely right, very few ppl are aware of Raja's grammar and style. But I think Raja has already taken to Kuppans, suppans They may not consciously realize it but I'm very sure subconsciously they feel it. They can "taste" the difference between great and good even if they don't know what is in it! This is the core theory I adopted and borrowed from Raja when making films. One has to narrate and distill ideas in such a way, it is subconsciously felt by all audience. Shakespeare said something like "Give something to the balcony(elite) but I always speak to the pit (thara ticket)"

I do wish, Directors know a bit more of Raja grammar though It is better for a director to have okay knowledge in Iyal, Isai, Natakam. If not, artist like Raja, Kamal, Sivaji will suffer!

Thanks Kiru for your compliments. I wanted to do in thamizh, but first I need to collect some musical terms/grammar in thamizh which I keep postponing. For example, I really don't know the difference between 'thaaLam' and 'thaaLakkattu'. Don't want to give some false ideas. Will try to start one day. Thanks for your consideration.

Very nice post Senthil. Raja is the only composer who has touched the roots of our people and thereby it is easy for any layman to understand and appreciate his music despite all the complexities. I recall plum's recent post about how one can easily distinguish Raja's songs and others, just by listening.

V_S wrote:
Raja is the only composer who has touched the roots of our people and thereby it is easy for any layman to understand and appreciate his music despite all the complexities. I recall plum's recent post about how one can easily distinguish Raja's songs and others, just by listening.

Not sure about only but he definitely got a deep Tamil cultural touch and captured Kupan, supan's heart. Going by anecdotal evidence. It is almost like the Kannadasan reach with lyrics. I lived near a small kupam, when the guys get drunk in the night, they mostly tend to sing Kannadasan philosophically songs! When it comes to cultural occasions and Temple festivals in the area and around the villages, it was predominantly Raja songs.

Did the movie get released ? How is it doing ? Caught a few seconds of a song on TV. Does not look anything special ? Afraid, romance, may not be GVM's forte.

kiru wrote:Did the movie get released ? How is it doing ? Caught a few seconds of a song on TV. Does not look anything special ? Afraid, romance, may not be GVM's forte.

It got released in both Thamizh & Telugu...didn't do that well in Thamizh BO but a decent success in Telugu, as per reports...

I watched the movie both in cinema and computer (already 2 times) and liked it...as expected, songs are better heard on audio (than seen on screen). However, to Gautam's credit, he had presented all songs as background score, with totally normal (i.e. everyday kind of) scenes.

Definitely an achievement!

Regardless of the BO performance of NEPV, I have deep respect for Gautam for getting the London facilities for IR & the great launch event, bringing a western orchestra to Chennai!

So, whether he works again with IR or not does not matter! indha aLavu sameepaththil (or may be at any point of time idhu varai) yArum rAjAvai ivvaLavu kushippaduththiyadhAka enakkuththeriyavillai! Gautam deserves a "pon ezhuththil poRiththal" in IR chronicle!

(Actually, he did another small service earlier with minnalE - that of thrashing the mistaken belief that it needs great composers to create "soundsu / clarity" etc...adhukkum sEththu ippO oru thanksu )

@app - thanks for the update. I hope he comes back to IR for non-romance/serious subjects because I feel he does well with those.
Seasons greetings and Happy New Year to all of you.
(I do agree with you. GVM did provide a good canvas/opportunity for IR and IR did use it well)

I was listening to NEPV on my main system through Spotify. Sound/recording quality is excellent. I wish I could get the CDs online or anywhere soon.
Re: the music - initially it sounded very fresh and new. It still does but the style is inimitably IR. The strings, they dynamic constrasts and complexity all scream IR. It takes lots of guts to make something fresh with very classic and already used/extant techniques. IR keeps talking about "music is nothing but permutation/combination of 7 swaras". He proves that with this album. He did not resort to electronic sounds (except in half a song) or modifying the sound of real instruments with post-processing. Still, the album sounds cool, fresh and modern. He keeps talking about a university etc. Meanwhile, every song is a lesson for young/new/upcoming composers.
hmm.. when is the next major experiment gonna happen ?

kiru wrote:I was listening to NEPV on my main system through Spotify. Sound/recording quality is excellent. I wish I could get the CDs online or anywhere soon.
Re: the music - initially it sounded very fresh and new. It still does but the style is inimitably IR. The strings, they dynamic constrasts and complexity all scream IR. It takes lots of guts to make something fresh with very classic and already used/extant techniques.
hmm.. when is the next major experiment gonna happen ?

100% agree. It is fresh and new still the system/treatment was same. Signature IR. Don't know how he accomplished that. IMO, Mudhal murai, Sattru Munbu, Pengal Yendral are all in new direction.

I wonder what kind music we will get if he changed the system and treatment itself!

Just wanted to know. Did any of you see NEP being sung in Super singer shows?!

Nope

Bad! Hope someone sings a song from the Album of 2012, soon!

P_R, there

What an excellent, marvelous, monstrosity of an album. A towering achievement. Thoroughly captivating. maanE, thEnE pon maanE.

Thank you P_R! Always liked his honest comments.

V_S wrote:Thank you P_R! Always liked his honest comments.

Interestingly, he didn't just stop with that brief mAnE thEnE ponmAnE...

Look at this and this :

padam ellAm pArkkalai. nallA illainu sonnAnga.

No considerations handicaps like for youthu booth etc.
It is the best album I have heard in ages. Period. My comparison point was Nandhalala when I started. It's like he has laughed me off and just hit this one out of the park.
Thoroughly captivating.

Vadivelu in EllAmE en RasA dhAn having fish = Me listening to sAindhu sAindhu second interlude

It is the best album I have heard in ages. Period. My comparison point was Nandhalala when I started. It's like he has laughed me off and just hit this one out of the park. Thoroughly captivating.

This! Wow! Even better. Vadivelu analogy was excellent. Thank you App for sharing.

Sakalakala Vallavar wrote:Bad! Hope someone sings a song from the Album of 2012, soon!

Sakala, am not sure about super snigger. But in college bands, I see NEPV being played with fervour.
On Dec 29 2012, PSG Tech Coimbatore commemorated the Golden jubilee of our college music band
called the "TekMusic" . The current batch band were asked to open the show with "ONLY" 5 songs.
True to their teen spirits, they chose to play majorly ARR songs like "kaadhal sadugudu",
"mannipaayaa","aaromale" from VTV ,"taxi taxi" , for which they got the routine "OK OK" response from the
crowd that mostly comprised of PSG Tech students, professors, lecturers. Surprise of all surprises was when "mudhal murai" of NEPV started blaring and the students
gave a rousing reception. It is a different matter that the student screamed her lungs out and sunitha saradhy
sounded honey sweet in comparison. Aanaa, the mad raja fan inside me got quenched , konjam mildaa.
//suyapurAnam starts ....
Apram naanga alumni lateA vandhaalum latestA vandhOme. Need I say further that we stole the show with
mostly Raja songs and few MSV songs from 70's ?. The crowd went delirious when we alumni opened with just the
prelude music of "hey unnai thaane", followed by "mandram vandha","madai thirandhu","kavidhai paadu kuyilae",
"andhi mazhai"[adiyEn paadinEn ],"pAda vandhadhOr gAnam"[idhuvum naan pAdinEn]... rounding off with the new year benchmark "iLamai idhO idhO".
Oh man!!! The thundering applause and excitement among the students caught on us, performers too and we were transported to those footloose student days.
Who ever said Raja cannot connect with youthu... u better eat your words, I say.
I must confess that we were fortunate to have professionals playing for us.
We had amongst our alumni band , a guy named Ramesh who is a master keybord player.
He shirked off his engineering career and is a full time musician with his own troup in Coimbatore.
When he plays those lovely bass lines of Raja songs, I am reminded of our own Vicky playing the bass on his keys.

Nice post, mythila!

Happy to know that IR is quite popular among current techie students

PSG Tech team was the most popular in "light music" (i.e. TFM) during my college days (81-85)!

They had the best crowd response in Festembers at RECT...

Nice to see you guys all active here. Thanks Nerd and Groucho for showing me the new place. Hub was like a ghost town after you guys moved on. Great to be back among like minded and passionate IR fans.

rajkumarc, Happy to see you here.

Thanks VS. It would take a while to catch up on all the threads here. Currently glued on to the NEPV thread (both the movie and music). Will post more soon.

ippO theriyudhaa yEn yaarumE choose pannradhillainnu. Mudiyumaaa? (Mudhal Murai by Sooper Singer)

Nerd wrote:ippO theriyudhaa yEn yaarumE choose pannradhillainnu. Mudiyumaaa? (Mudhal Murai by Sooper Singer)

It is very difficult to even reproduce 20% of this - the music that was recorded with hundred musicians - even at live performance of the NEPV audio launch they couldnt do it .