Neethane En Ponvasantham | Yeto Vellipoyindhi Manasu | Assi Nabbe Poorey Sau

[Bala (Karthik)]

a Gold status of a song is achieved by the layers of a composition and IMO this sometimes contributes more importantly than the mainstay melody

Agree. Of course, melody is the core/soul and i do love songs with great melody/little orchestration but then my general preference is towards "the layers" as you put it


Completely agree that it's not a race and the output is what matters.
However, we enjoy first and unearth later. We fall in love first and then wonder about some qualities later. What would have been awesome even if Raaja had taken a month to compose, becomes "awesomer" when you realize he added the layers/harmony/polyphony in his mind, (almost) spontaneously. More than the time, it is the fact that he sees it all in his mind.
[Note: I have a feeling we (IR fans) may be romanticizing/over simplifying this notion but still, we can safely say this is loosely the framework in which he works]
After all, we are not QA specialists, we are (trying to) appreciate and enjoy works of art, right?

Since when did writing music become a race I'm still not 100% about the face value notion. What seems so simple at first, ends up being so complex that unearthing becomes endless. However, are we here to enjoy or unearth? Both Raaja Saab and Rahman Ji always have enough scope in their material that enjoying and unearthing are equally satisfying. The bottom line is that, a Gold status of a song is achieved by the layers of a composition and IMO this sometimes contributes more importantly than the mainstay melody. Melody is "anything" and layering is "everything"!

Knowing the sad person I am, I had to go look up in the dictionary

Anything

any thing whatever : any such thing

Everything

all that exists; all that relates to the subject

Many songs have overlapping melodies e.g. raagams but it is the ambiance and additional instrumentation that gives a song its true UNIQUENESS

Sorry for getting carried away



Indeed, but passing the test of time is the optimus prime (not the one from transformers)

[venkkiram]

சந்தேகம்.. லண்டன் இசைக்குழு இந்தப் பாடல்களுக்கான இசைக்குறிப்புக்களை வாசிப்பதற்கு முன்பே குரல்களின் பதிவு (சென்னையில் முடிக்கப்பட்டு) தயாராக இருந்ததா? இசைக்குழுவினருக்கு குரலோடு பாடல் எப்படி பயணிக்கிறது என்பது தெரிவிக்கப்பட்டதா? இல்லை குரல்கள் வரும் இடத்தில் வேறொரு இசைக்கருவி வாசிக்கப்பட்டதா அவர்களோடு ? குரல்/குரலுக்கு பதிலான இசைக்கருவி எதுவேயில்லாமல் வெறும் இசைக்குறிப்புக்களை மட்டும் வாசித்து முடித்தார்களா? லண்டன் இசைக்கோர்ப்பு முடிந்தபிறகுதான் சென்னையில் குரல் பதிவு செய்யப்பட்டதா?

[Bala (Karthik)]

Plum
Extremely glad that you loved the album

[Bala (Karthik)]

And that dated is about Retro feel EVV song had. Its almost sure that its wantedly done. May be something like the old song in VA where surya simran dances! And also a old vintage synthesizer called Yamaha DX7, sounds which can be generated with that, similar sounds are used in EVV. Thatswhy some ppl comment so. But again its only instrument! the Tune, and every other thing cannot be called Dated!

SKV
There's a little problem with this explanation. The synth sound is being heard in Raaja albums till today and it's not like he is using something in his song that he only used ages back. Of course, i don't mean to join the bandwagon of the people who just make fleeting comments like ('80s music with modern orchestration', 'ennodu va va gives an 80's feel', etc)

[musiukunit]

Why is the process of creating music more important than the outcome?

I think the process of creating music determines the outcome...
The outcome manifests the whole process of creation..

[Bala (Karthik)]

I am just wondering - is this whole dated thing more about the feeling one gets by comparing with other songs in the album?? Probably it is a case of poor articulation compared to shock value in other songs? ! For me, I feel Mudhal Murai & Satru Munba to be extremely modern, from Raaja's offerings context. those songs are very different from what I usually expect from him. From that perspective, I might feel Ennodu Vaa to be dated - no negative label attached to the word here. Or to put it more clearly, I can imagine Ennodu Vaa coming out of Raaja's stable in 80s also, but I cannot imagine other songs like that. If I take a time machine, I can very well imagine a SPB singing Ennodu Vaa with those expressive smiles/laughs (like he does in Eppadi eppadi or Paattu thalaivan). In that imaginative sense, it is song that is slightly dated.. where as.. no matter what time machine I take, it will take me to 2012 only.. if its Mudhal Murai.

Completely disagree with this over simplification of 80's Raaja. How can you box 80s into a single easy categorization? If anything, the (early) 80s Raaja was the epitome of extreme experimentation. I'm not sure if you intended it that way, but your post implies that this is the first time Raaja has 'surprised' or done something unexpected

[V_S]

Why is the process of creating music more important than the outcome?

Because it is art, not science or programming. This is not coding, debugging, bug fixing, unit testing, integration testing and giving a final product. This is also how we differentiate between mortals and immortals, as simple as that. First of all there is no creation here according to Maestro, which I accept. It is already inside us which is brought out by Maestro. As we are listening a composition, we marvel his fascinating mind/brain how he is conceiving such an idea. This interest unintentionally asks us to explore more about his composing skills and style. When we come to know that it is all written by Maestro at that instinct in-front of the director, without he even hearing it by playing. Does it not surprise us? Does it not create a huge regards and respect towards his music? Does it say, it is THE pure and original form of music? Do we not feel proud that we are listening to pure and original music? Does it not take away any compromise with which we are listening to others? Do we not feel embarrassed if we come to know that music is shared among others when composing? That's why it is important to know all the aspects when listening to music (especially nowadays) not just the output to gauge a true composer. Otherwise, we are putting a "composer" tag to everyone, which takes the credibility of the term composer. Maestro is only true composer who depends only on himself when composing, which makes every listener of his music to have a big relief that we are listening only to the music given by him and him only. According to many of us here, this transparency is very very important. And mind you, I am saying all this for a serious music listener who takes music as an integral part of life, culture, tradition, purity and truth with which we also follow in our life. I hope you understand the sentiments.

[musiukunit]

Ok after lots of hearing wanted to note down some interesting interesting surprises that raja usually has in many of his songs
There are lots of twists and turns in NEPV that makes it a treasure of an album
Just mentioning those interesting tit bits rather than the main portions

Kattrai Konjam

***The violin at 1.07 (en kadhal nalam endru) is a stunner
***In the first interlude at 1.42 the one heavenly guitar(?) note

***The orchestration for charanam is Phd stuff
where the sax actually reiterates the melody and strings bringing the mood initially
Just listen to strings at thalli thalli ponalum..
When it comes to sathi vaitha..the strings are replaced by chords to represent the mood
mind boggling!!!!!!

Pudikala Mame

The rock portion..What guitars for the prelude and interlude...Rocking rock

That kuthu portion is full of surprises
When it comes to tamil adi pattu i guess raja enjoys it like anything..(annatha adurar,karakattakaran etc)
Look how cleverly he uses that jingu cha sound at 5.01 at padikira padam pothathuda
That is Raja-rasani for you..i just laughed at that instance

And that freaked out trumphet at 5.22 is perfect when you think of
represnting youth with boundaryless careless attitude

[Hulkster]

Plum and bala, regardless of how ARR was brought in and who is trying to stir trouble here, can we just move on to the songs? The songs themselves have so many points to discuss about that all these jujubee matters can be ignored and thrown away.

[brigs]

I think the process of creating music determines the outcome...
The outcome manifests the whole process of creation..

Seriously, for a movie music? Once the music is created, it enters to the world of digital and plastic.

Over-analyzing kills the fun & that's my opinion.