Milliblog Weeklies – India’s only multilingual, weekly new music playlist.
Week 125: On JioSaavn | On YouTube
13 songs this week. YouTube has 12 of them, and is missing one song from Raat Akeli Hai. Saavn has 10 songs, and is missing the 2 songs from Maniyarayile Ashokan (which has released under Dulquer’s own label… that has a history of releasing music only on YouTube, like Varane Aavasyamund, and on other platforms much later), and Sooraj Santhosh’s new single.
Aadhe Aadhe Se & Ghoom Charkheya – Raat Akeli Hai (Sneha Khanwalkar) – Hindi: Aadhe Aadhe Se is almost a Vishal Bhardwaj composition! And Mika seems like a severe misfit in this song, even though he sings well – his voice sounded to me like the male version of Rekha Bhardwaj, in a not so interesting way. The tune though, and Shilpa Rao, keep the song very engaging. Ghoom Charkheya picks up the pace after the first minute and gets progressively better, with its frenetic energy. Sukhwinder Singh is perfect for the tune.
Ezhara – Tea Kada Pasanga (TKP) ft. Kaizer Kaiz (Tamil/Sinhala): That frenetic background kuthu rhythm could easily make you sit up. The tune is simple and catchy, and gets a superb high when the rap portions start, first in Sinhala, and then in Tamil. Pulsating mix, and a beautiful blend of languages.
Ranga Rangeli – V (Amit Trivedi) – Telugu: Now that the film is releasing on OTT, the soundtrack finally releases fully. The 2 additional songs are no patch on the earlier 2 songs. But yes, Ranga Rangeli has a pulsating sound that keeps it engaging.
Hey Idi Nenena – Solo Brathuke So Better (Thaman S) – Telugu: The Thaman-Sid Sriram magic continues! Thaman seems to have cracked the formula for Sid’s vocals, in Telugu. This is not Samajavaragamana-level, of course, but a thoroughly fun track, nonetheless.
Tharagathi Gadhi – Colour Photo (Kaala Bhairava) – Telugu: M.M.Keeravani’s son, Kaala Bhairavi, who made his composing debut with Mathu Vadalara last year, gets to compose and sing Tharagathi Gadhi. The gently lilting song’s highlight is the Tharagathi Gadhi hook that reminds me a bit of DSP’s musical style. Very listenable song.
Thani Malayalam – The Gypsy Sun (Sooraj Santhosh) – Malayalam: The first single from Sooraj’s debut (after his moving off the band Masala Coffee) solo album. The music is oh-so-gorgeously Kerala and the second the nadaswaram (by Rajkumar) ends, the guitar by Sandeep Mohan starts, leading Sooraj to do his magic with the beautiful melody. His voice is delectable, as always!
Peyyum Nilaavu & Olu – Maniyarayile Ashokan (Sreehari K Nair) – Malayalam: Sreehari, who sang Seetha Kalyanam from the Telugu soundtrack of Ranarangam (in Prashant Pillai’s music), makes his composing debut in this film produced by Dulquer Salmaan. In Peyyum Nilaavu, he has a really alluring bird call as a persistent backdrop and that’s a lovely layer on top of what is already a very pleasant melody. KS Harisankar singing is the icing on the cake. Olu, on the other hand, is another level, thanks to Sid Sriram’s singing! In both tunes, Sreehari shows enormous promise!
Eadanin Madhu – Varayan (Prakash Alex) – Malayalam: Prakash Alex, who had an impressive soundtrack in 2018’s Kalyanam, returns with a very-Vidyasagar’ish song! The sparse backdrop reminded me me so much of Vidyasagar’s style. Sanah Moidutty’s singing is, as always, fantastic, particularly the chorus’ish line.
Kathorthu Kathorthu – Karnan Napoleon Bhagat Singh (Ranjin Raj) – Malayalam: I picked up strains of Reetigowlai, so I’m totally inclined to love the song instantly – it’s that beautiful a raaga 
Haritha Raj’s veena expands on the Reetigowlai magnificently all through the song, and Unni Menon’s singing too is a fantastic addition. Composer Ranjin Raj is on a consistent run, after a blank 2019, but good music in 2018, with films like Nithya Haritha Nayakan and Joseph.
Maley Maley – Ninna Sanihake (Raghu Dixit) – Kannada: A soulful melody that is handled in Raghu’s own inimitable voice. Vasuki Vaibhav’s rain-soaked lines make an additional impact too, but it is Raghu’s tune and singing all the way that aces the song.
Relentless – Passages (Pineapple Express) – Indipop: Pineapple Express’ new EP, with 4 songs, is a great listen overall, even if all the songs didn’t work for me uniformly. There’s a lot to like, the sound is extremely interesting and the Indian elements work beautifully. My favorite is Relentless, with the lovely ‘Kitna haseen hain yeh manzar’ refrain amidst blazing sitar. The twist at 2:43 is stunningly handled, with a superb guitar in the backdrop!