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MUSIC:
MUSINGS
Poetic Rendezvous
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It's
a new trend in music: it's not individual singers who matter but the team
that is putting together an album. Sony Music, for one, has experimented
with this idea of getting together some creative minds-singer, composer,
lyricist and video director-and left the product in their hands. In Sunset
Point, Gulzar is the fulcrum of the team. It has seven songs in the
rich voices of Chitra and Bhupinder Singh. Music is composed by Vishal
Bhardwaj of Maachis fame. How is this album different? It's a poignant,
45-minute musical love story narrated by Gulzar in his inimitable style.
The poetry flows mellifluously alongside images of a girl who runs away
from home on the eve of her marriage to meet her beloved at a rendezvous,
Sunset Point, but finds herself betrayed.
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HOT
TRACK
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Mission
Kashmir
(Tips; Rs 45)
Refreshing fare by the musical trio of Shankar Mahadevan, Eshan
and Loy.
Taal Yatra
(Ninaad; Rs75)
Powerful rendering of tabla and drums, including oral percussion.
Bacardi ...
(ME2; Rs 80)
Like its prequels, this one too is a collection of foot-stomping
numbers-19 of them.
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Bhardwaj's
music is refreshing, the arrangement and orchestration very rich with
the likes of Ustad Sultan Khan on the sarangi and Rakesh Chaurasia on
the flute. But at times it leaves one with the feeling that Bhardwaj is
becoming repetitive. While Chitra's vocal skills are outstanding, the
folk number Pakya ve does not suit her voice. Bhupinder manages
to evoke the pathos first evident in his famous Dil dhoondta hai in
the film Mausam. The hummable songs include Aasmani rang hai
and Aa chal doobke dekhen. The video for the lead track was
directed by Gulzar, a first for the filmmaker-poet, and shot in picturesque
locales around Manali and Rohtang Pass.
If the way
to measure the success of a song is to see if the words still ring in
your mind long after you have slept over it, then the album certainly
scores.
-S.
Sahaya Ranjit
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OFFBEAT
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It's
Diwali and time for lamps and fireworks, gambling and worship. Add
one more thing to do. Listen to festival-specific classical music.
Music Today has two composite albums by Shubha Mudgal and Pandit
Rajan & Sajan Mishra entitled Mangalswara (Rs 75 each).
From Ganapati Vandana to Dhanteras - the custom of buying gold,
silver and utensils to symbolise abundance and celebration - the
albums have them all. Tips has also released Shri Laxmi Poojan
(Rs 30) while T-series has come out with Deepawali Pooja
(Rs 32). Besides the traditional invocations, these provide tuneful
information about the various rituals. Enjoy the rhythm of light.
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SCREEN
N SURF
 For
all those who are busy and have no time to shop for music albums, check
out these two sites for online shopping: www.fabmart.com and  www.saregama.com.
At Saregama you will only find HMV products, but Fabmart has a wider choice
plus reviews of latest releases, exclusives, fortnightly picks, etc. The
shipping charges are Rs 5 per item at Fabmart and Rs 20 at Saregama. Fabmart,
however, ships only in India. The two sites also have discounts and fast-search
categories. For all music buffs, there is a treasure waiting to be discovered.
-S.
Sahaya Ranjit
Hot
track
They've
been around for most of the 1990s, but Fool's Garden are relatively unknown
in India. They've got all that it takes to endear them to the post - MTV
generation though: they sing about life and love; if you can get past
their unpronounceable names (Peter Freudenthaler, Volker Hinkel, Roland
Röhl, Thomas Mangold, Ralf Woch-ele), they're rather cute; their
songs are much better written than many of their pop contemporaries can
manage. And though the lack of melody or variation in some of the songs
hardly does justice to the very obvious vocal talents of this group from
Germany, some numbers will keep playing in your head. Like Monday morning
girl, Noone's song and Happy. Don't need to ask them who their influences
are. The answer is screaming out through these numbers: the Beatles. These
guys could do so much better than For Sale.
-Anna
M.M. Vetticad
Top
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In
India, youth is marked by impetuosity and prevented from getting ahead.
Elsewhere, of course, the young rule the world, says INDIA TODAY Deputy
Editor Swapan Dasgupta in 
