Poongatru Pudhidhaanadhu - Entranced Trance!

There are some compositions which are very hard to decipher and "Poongatru Pudhidhaanadhu" from Moonram Pirai (1982) falls in that esteemed category. The song has always haunted me with the way it's been structured. It probably could be classified under the genre of 'Trance' but irrespective it's a number that has always entranced beyond imagination.

It gives the impression initially of being a hard hitting number with the fast paced beats opening up the prelude and then the actual Pallavi kind of takes a pause and goes in a slightly slower trajectory but the eeriness continues unabated. The second stanza slows down majorly and has a beautiful melody interlaced crooned by the incomparable KJ Yesudas. If you split the song in parts, you wouldn't think the pallavi and anupallavi are from the same number based on the construction. It becomes even more hard to fathom when the opening prelude bit is played.

In effect, the song follows a pattern and yet portions of it go on in it's own individual patterns but the unison generated is perfectly synchronised and falls in place nonchalantly. The composition appears to be largely set in the Sindhu Bhairavi ragam and can be described as a mystical composition transcending the magic across waves of intricate layers.

I just gave a stab at this masterful composition as I've always been fond of wanting to try that opening bit which tends to reach a crescendo with the beats gushing in full furore. Tried a portion of the opening portion and also the middle part which lowers the tempo of the melody and gets backed by the beats of the Tabla. It's just a basic try but more of an exploration unravelling the beauty of this musical wonder. The composition is over 40 years old but continues to enthral.

Malarendru Mugam Ondru - Yodel along with Rock 'n' Roll

This is your quintessential Rock 'n' Roll in groovy style brought to you by the inimitable musical duo of Vishwanathan - Ramamurthy. It's also perhaps the first of it's kind in this genre in Tamil cinema and the movie Kadhalikka Neramillai happens to be the first ever to be shot in Eastman colour. 

Just the way the flow of the song is structured and the manner in which it waltz away is simply spell binding. The yodeling and La La phrases are of pure gold standard. You cannot but not shake a leg listening to this lurking lavender. 

I always have been wanting to try this especially due to it's eye catching arpeggios and spinning swings which keep gyrating in an up and down cycle with effortless ease. Just happy to attempt a glimpse of the magic this song is gleamed upon in all it's glory. 

The entire soundtrack is loaded with studs aplenty and each track is worth lavishing encomiums. Malarendra Mugam Ondru was rendered by LR Eswari & MS Raju and penned by the incomparable Kaviarasar Kannadasan. An evergreen composition and truly one for the ages.

June and the Music connection!

June is the month when the International Music Day is celebrated which falls exactly on Jun 21st. It also marks the summer solstice and said to be the longest day of the year. In the Tropical Zodiac the month of June consists of both Gemini & Cancer whereas as per the sidereal zodiac it includes the month of Taurus and Gemini coined locally as 'Vaigasi' and 'Aani'. 

From a constellation perspective the Sun traverses the 3 Nakshatras of Rohini, Mrigashira and Arudra during the month of June. Rohini happens to be the Nakshatra of Lord Krishna and everything associated with beauty comes under the ambit of this star and is there anything more beautiful than music? Mrigashira is said to be a soft & tender star and as per muhurtha it's said to be ideal to start learning any new activity like music on this day. Arudra or 'Tiruvadirai' as it's termed in the South is denoted itself by the symbol Veena, hence music and this star tend to blend really well. 

Apart from all the astronomical gazing, taking a cursory glance of some of the finest musicians many of them incidentally happen to be born in the month of June. Some all time favorite names that pop up include Maestro Ilaiyaraaja, SP Balasubramaniyam, Mellisai Mannar MS Viswanathan, Kavignar Kannadasan, Rahul Dev Burman, Madan Mohan, Paul McCartney, Brian Wilson etc. Though the Music Day was just chosen to be one of the days in the year, the fact that it's in June seems to bear exemplary significance and relevance. 

The song dedicated for this music month happens to be a partnership of two legends who formed an irreplaceable musician cum lyricist duo churning out some of the most memorable hits from the bygone era. And the one who rendered this number has a repertoire of the greatest ever songs to be sung on celluloid running into plenty of '0000 multiples. And all these 3 legends were born in the month of June - Kannadasan (24th June), MSV (24th June) and SPB (4th June). 

Just tried attempting a small portion of this song. The way swaras alternate adds a diminutive touch giving it an extra zep. This jewel is almost half a century old and still lingers on merrily as ever in it's own dashing style. A truly evergreen number from the golden era of Tamizh cinema.