Yuvanum GVPrakashum

Suddenly, it feels like Yuvan Shankar Raja has become this under rated composer, at least in the online music related forums or maybe I am not in those forums where they discuss Yuvan’s music. With Aadhi Baghavan and Moondru Paer Moondru Kaadhal, Yuvan does some interesting things. Yuvan creates these melodies that takes unpredictable turns phrase after phrase but never once loses its melodic grip and the melody almost always reaches finds its sweetest destination – catch the brilliance in Oru Thuli Vishamaai. At the same time, he cares for an Aahaa Kaadhal which is simple, straight, conventional melody that gently caresses the listeners’ hearts. However, sometimes, Yuvan takes this unpredictability aspect of the melody a little too far; he stretches it to an extent that you forget where it all began – say, the charanam in Mazhai Mazhai. It becomes like a sentence formed with too many punctuations and conjunctions, the core idea is lost somewhere. Further, in some such songs in MPMK, he is audacious enough not to add even a gentle rhythm layer that could help a listener catch the overall skeleton of the melody as and when it unfolds. Of all things, I like Yuvan Shankar Raja for he is probably one of the very few composers in Tamil Film Music now who cares to compose long instrumental interludes, which are more fascinating and musically richer than the song itself.

Composers of now are very good at composing sweet, sprightly romantic melodies, but fail miserably when asked to compose melodies for somber or dark moods. None of these songs are impactful, effective and doesn’t at all invoke the intended emotions in a listener. I used to go into this specific somber zone and remain dull for days together on listening to Naan Kadavul songs. Only such song I liked of G.V.Prakash is Or Mirugam from Paradesi. May be it is too early for G.V.Prakash to work in films of Bala or Bharathi raja. Even in Aadukalam, that En Vennilavae was such a bore. In Annakodiyum Kodiveeranum, I like Nariga oranga, though it reminds Rahman’s Kaattu Chirukki a lot. Aavaarankaattukkulla is lovely. Ghatam is the code Rahman cracked in Usilampatti Penkutty to invoke folk feel without ever entering Ilaiyaraaja territory, and everyone since then seems to be following the same code. And there are some parts of Annakodiyum Kodiveeranum that beautifully invokes Ilaiyaraaja – sample the soothing section that starts with Anji kuyil Koovaadho in Poththi Vechcha song.