http://www.thehindu.com/arts/cinema/article547834.ece
Music to the ears
With its blend of melody, trance and rhythm, “Enthiran — The Robot” sounds like
a winner
It's finally here — the music of the much-awaited Rajinikanth-Aishwarya Rai
starrer “Enthiran — The Robot”. Chennai may have lost out on hosting the formal
music launch event (it was held in Malaysia), but the album has hit the stands
in stores across the city, and it's time to check out what the maestro A.R.
Rahman has to offer the Superstar this time, after their super-successful last
outing in “Sivaji — The Boss”.
The first track of the album, Pudhiya Manidha, truly sets the mood. A
futuristic
trance number, the songis all robotic voices and hypnotic rhythms, and captures
your imagination right away. In typical Rahman style, it's more than just
another trance track — it also has a haunting, invocatory tone, both in the
lyrics by Vairamuthu (the recurring refrain is Pudhiya manidha boomiku vaa)and
in the music itself, which can be goose-bump inducing. A terrific opening for
an
otherworldly sci-fic epic's soundtrack, for sure.
Kadhal Anukkal, the second number, is the perfect contrast to the first, and
opens with a gorgeous guitar intro. A lilting romantic duet, sung with style by
Vijay Prakash (and ably supported by the sweet-voiced Shreya Ghosal), this song
comes as a breath of fresh air, infused as it is with pretty harmonies and
dreamy musical interludes. In an album filled with thumping beats and
futuristic
robotic voices, it provides welcome respite (even if its lyrics are liberally
sprinkled with words such as ‘neutron' and ‘electron' and ‘Newton'). An
instantly appealing number, with Rahman at his melodic best.
And then, it's back to future with Irumbile Oru Irudhaiyam (featuring Rahman
and
Kash n' Krissy), a purely techno track with pounding breakbeats, a mix of
English and Tamil lyrics, and more of the computerised voices and sound effects
and such. It's almost certain to become all the rage at clubs around the city,
along with the next track, Chitti Dance Showcase, which, as the name suggests,
is a hardcore dance number, with virtually no lyrics. Chitti…has such an
eclectic mix of rhythms and styles that only Rahman could have carried it off —
some hip-hop, some heavy metal guitar riffs, and even some symphony orchestra
and konnakol mixed in for good measure, all set to frenetic beats. It's a short
piece, but boy, does it pack a punch!
There are some things you expect from every album of a Superstar movie, and one
of them is His Song. You know, that wonderfully celebratory number to which
Rajini will fill the screen in his inimitable style. For “Enthiran”, Arima
Arima is that song. It has the triumphant trumpet calls and the majestic drums,
the chorus singing praises; just a dramatic piece overall to which you can
picture Rajini striding forward, jacket flying regally behind him.
Kilimanjaro, the penultimate number in the album, is quintessentially Rahman. A
playful and quirky song with an infectious refrain and a thumping beat, it
features some lively vocals by Javed Ali and Chinmayi. It has tribal-sounding
interludes, but manages to be super-modern at the same time, and grows on you
with every listen. Quite likely to become one of the immediately popular
numbers
from the album. The final number, Boom Boom Robo Da with a rap track by Yogi B,
is one of the slightly more forgettable songs in the album, though has its
moments too, with its multiple elements, including a softly Latin interlude,
and
a title refrain that's likely to keep looping your head.
The album is classic Rajnikanth in parts, classic Rahman in others, with a
heavy-duty dash of the futuristic thrown in. The emphasis on techno and dance
might mean it isn't to everyone‘s tastes, but overall, it's unlikely to
disappoint fans of either the Superstar or the Mozart of Madras.
Greater access
It's been craziness and chaos all around, but it's finally done —the
“Enthiran”CDs have been packed and shipped out by Think Music. “We've tried to
set up as many ways as possible for customers to access ‘Endhiran'content,”
says
Priya Krishnan of Think Music.
Those ways include setting up a mini-store online at enthiranthemovie.in, where
you can buy the seven tracks either as singles or as an album, and, in the
process, get access to branded badges, posters, and best of all, first-week
tickets to the movie.
“We've sweetened the deal by making 5,000 tickets available on the Web,” says
Krishnan.
This is to provide people who want to download the music online with legal
alternatives. Anti-piracy planning has been a core part of the process for
Think
Music this time, including a link-up with antipiracy.org, a U.S.-based team
that
specialises in bringing down infringing websites and content on sites such as
youtube.
“We've already caught 300 piracy sites in the space of just 24 hours,” she says.
If the Internet isn't really your thing, you can still have the music brought
to
your doorstep — literally. For the first time, the label offers a home delivery
system, where you can call 044-42244000 and have the CD dropped off at your
home
in Chennai.
