Thoughts on Rockstar

Karthik of Milliblog wrote that Aur Ho reminds him of Dil Se Re, it reminds me of the film (Dil Se) alright, but a different song, Satrangi Re. I like Satrangi more though (that wicked middle-eastern hook that plays throughout is unforgettable).

Rahman's voice is really suited to some songs, people say. To Naadaan Parindey, definitely. He really shines singing the chorus "Naadaa(n) Parindey ghar aaja" in that trance-like semi-monotonic voice. The layered guitar + percussion buildup from 2:30 ending at 2:52 (comes once more in the song, 4:12 to 4:41) ROCKS. The portions right after, sung by Mohit Chauhan, especially 4:55 to 5:10 are saccharine, for the lack of a better word. They remind me of some old song, can't remember which.

Tum Ko, and Tum Ho, as Karthik said, remind me of Yuvvraaj definitely- the mild percussions of Tu Hi Mera Dost and the violins of Dil Ka Rishta. I didn't like Tum Ko much, but Tum Ho because of the very haunting hum 'Ooo oohohoo.. Tum Ho'. Mohit Chauhan really nails it.

Like everyone, I thought Sadda Haq would be anthemic after addictedly listening to the promo, with a lot of verses that go with 'O eco-friendly' and 'Kyun sach ka sabak'. But it turned out to be anthemic in a different way, by being free-flowing, completely unstructured, with no verse-chorus-verse template except for the Sadda Haq part (which builds up amazingly each time!) and power guitars by Orianthi (what the hell does her name mean?).  Phani Kalyan (a composer and ARR fan) and me had this discussion about the same.

Having fallen deep in love with Aaromale, I wished and wished and wished - why won't Rahman produce ten more like these? Prayers answered. Jo Bhi Main is one. Start to end psychedelic. What I like in the song:

• The roving guitars which kick in with the percussion at 0:48 and lurk far in the background, only revealing themselves when listened to intently (preferably in headphones).
• The simple yet haunting tune
• The flawless lead guitar
• The "O yeah yeah" chant that lends the song its psychedelia.

I was certain I was going to dislike Kattiya Karoon right from the time I heard it in the promo. It had no business being in a film with rock in its title. After a couple of listens, I changed my mind. The last variation of the 'Sari ratein kattiya karoon' was nice, and when the guitar kicks in, the song takes a turn to goodness.

I didn't like Sheheir Mein initially as songs that try to be funny/satirical/cool generally suck tunewise. This one too didn't seem to be any different, with Karthik trying to be overtly 'correct' and Mohit Chauhan trying to sound cool and rebellious. But it has grown on me.

Kun Faya Kun is fine and gets better when the guitar kicks in. Hawa Hawa and Phir Se Ud Chala are, well, ok. Suresh here explains why he loves the latter.

All said, the killer tracks for me are Jo Bhi Main, Sadda Haq and Naadaan Parindey. They make the album.

- Dhruv