The latest addiction

Hmmm, addictions... mine vary in phases, especially when it comes to songs. i'd listen to a song so compulsively until i jus couldnt feel the difference from hearing it the last time.

there are two such now... both from a recent tamil movie - kanda naal muthal. which two, it s obvious !

when i first heard to merke merke, i was listening to the tune, but i was more closely following the lyrics. the singers start off "the sun rises in the east... this season, that season", and i go... uh ???
then comes the captivating part "why did the lightning leave me yest ? is it just to unite again today ?"

from there on, it just gets better. two people who were constantly on each others nerves discover there are deeper emotions hidden, and the song is an expression of this unrequited love to each other. the longing to see each other at every instant; the rush of joy, the joy of touch, the touch of love.

the lyrics are quite commendable on another level as well... it has nothing to do with the beauty of the girl. it describes her expression when angry, when tranquil. it describes the complete surrender of their hearts to love. "there is no need for veils any more". it describes the new interpretation of all that around them "will the wind stretch itself like a wing, will the hands immerse in poetry?"

the song is shot on a beach. no skimpy bikinis, no wet saris, no shirtless arnold-wannabe.

the music, during all this, really lets the emotion sink into the mood. no fast beats, no racy guitar riffs. YSR's careful selection and pace of the strings tells that this a special moment for the duo on screen. thank god, the singers were right for the song. else it would have a jarring flow, akin to ghazini (the female lead in suttum vizhi sudare is a classical singer, u can tell it in her intonation, the way she drags the word... signature of a classical singer. also karthik's high pitch voice in oru maalai is a tad bit out of place.)

the beat is slow, not sleepy. the initial stringed chords are a good opener to wats abt to follow. the bass is there, at the same time not there (im not a genius, i have no idea how he did it !) the soulful arrangement is touching. the soft keyboard in the background is a good filler. overall, the song really makes me miss that chemistry !

song two...pani thuli.
now that the couple have found they are more than jus "friends", the relationship gets to other levels ! somehow, had the lyrics been madrasi tamil, no music could have captured the magical essence of that accidental brush between them in the hallway. the lyrics are straightforward otherwise. it openly articulates the raging hormones "lust and shyness are battling"

lost in thought, hit by a strange wave of feelings, searching for each other in the crowd, feeling like in a lonely planet despite being amongst others, having a conversation between hearts, and ending it with an all-revealing silence... i hope it makes the normally prudish "abhishtu-abhistu" cases realize that a breeze of lust running through one is not bad, it is merely human, and sometimes divine. (it's bad when the lust is stranded alone, without even a hint of love, affection, and respect)

the music... mindblowing. except for the occassional chanting of female chorus about the expectant girl. the other vocal chords sensuously set to the context is wow !!! you cant help but wonder at the creative brilliance of the composer in ensuring that the listener is mystified by the aura around the song. the singers again, great choice. KK's high pitch is breath-taking, as was Shankar Mahadevan's in the previous song. Apt. Not desperate.

well, that s my addiction for now. it wil probably last another month. im already hooked to stevie nicks' edge of seventeen. le's see when it takes over.