The song teams who participated in the 5th version of Blogswara would love to hear your comments. Please do put in your comments in this comments space. Thank you.
Thursday, December 11, 2008
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
The song teams who participated in the 5th version of Blogswara would love to hear your comments. Please do put in your comments in this comments space. Thank you.
Zona Cerebral | WP Premium Blogger Template | Original WP Premium theme by WP Remix
Copyright 2008. R.Bhavesh. All rights reserved
94 comments:
Jo,
Thanks for your commendable efforts in keeping this going.
Mux
Mux I love your song the best. Very cool compo and arrangement. Its very good as it stands, a carnatic guitar track would make it even better.
sunny, awesome achievement man.. cybercapella.. very cool indeed
Awesome work, BLS group!! Kudos on yet another version release..
Commendable continuity and consistent quality. BLS is a phenomenon. Great work guys !
Great going...! Congratulations to all the participants to make this event a success:)
Loved songs from Sindhuja and the solo by Jo very much:)
Great work once again guys! Kudos to the whole team.....
Was counting days to listen to the songs. Great team work by all participants of Blogswara V5.
The rocking song in the release
'Azhaithadhu Yaaro'. Loved song renedering by Sindhuja and Jo.
Great orchestration.
Even the kannada entry was worth pricing. Great lyrics. Even singers were good. But felt the pronounciation of kannada could have been improved on couple of lines!
Kudos to the entire Blogswara team
azhaithadhu yaaro -- Hey Zainaba... twas wunderful... nethra
great work guys.
Love,
Thulasi
Hats off to all of you, great work.
Loved the song Azhaithadhu Yaaro, superb.
-Dona Mayoora.
Hats off to all of you, great work.
Loved the song Azhaithadhu Yaaro, superb.
-Dona Mayoora.
Wonderful effort by the team. Amazing to see wonderful new artists!
Briefly listened to all the songs. Very well done.
Will have to listen more to comment on individual songs.
Great work Blogswara team.
Azhaithathu yaaro is very nice.. Well sung by jo and sindhu..
Good work..
Yet to listen other songs..
Good work BLS Team..
"Manadali Aekae Mouna" is superb! pade pade kelbeku ansuthe :)
My hearty congrats to Surya, Arun, Krishna Unni and Sowmya for bringing out such a wonderful and melodious composition :)
The Kannada diction could have been better.. I would be glad to sing for blogswara in the future :)
Nicely done.
Jo great job once again.
Best wishes to the new comers and looking forward to listen to your new compositions as well.
Brilliant! Vijay, incredible. is it your voice. wow. keep it up. proud to be your friend.
Prakash Ramamurthi
I'm entralled by this adventurous venture,which depicts the new heights we can scale on net!
awesome track.. best track of the album..
Congratulations everyone involved. All the songs are very well made and sung. My personal fav khoye khoye. Very nice singing and most of all very beautiful composition and the lyrics.. Great job the team of khoye khoye. Kudos ! Outro amazing..
Team,
Its a great work.A big salute for all of you..!
Sharing some comments from the malayalam blogworld while giving an update about the release of this album.
Comments follows..!
ശ്രീ|Sree said...
ആശംസകള്‍ - Best wishes.
Thursday, December 11, 2008 5:07:00 PM PST
------------------------------
പാമരന്‍ | Paamaran said...
thanks!
Thursday, December 11, 2008 5:50:00 PM PST
------------------------------
മയൂര | Mayoora said...
hats off to everyone.
thanks kiran :)
Thursday, December 11, 2008 6:35:00 PM PST
------------------------------
കാന്താരിക്കുട്ടി| Kaanthaarikkutti said...
ആശംസകൾ ഉണ്ട് ട്ടോ ! -Best wishes.
Thursday, December 11, 2008 6:42:00 PM PST
-------------------------------
മാറുന്ന മലയാളി | Maarunna Malayali said...
ആശംസകളും പ്രാര്‍ത്ഥനകളും........ Best wishes and prayers.
Thursday, December 11, 2008 7:43:00 PM PST
------------------------------
പൊറാടത്ത് said...
ഇത് ഇവിടെ ഷെയർ ചെയ്തതിന് ഒരുപാട് നന്ദി മാഷേ..
ന്നല്ലൊരു സംരംഭം. “ഖുശിയാം” അടിപൊളി. പ്രത്യേകിച്ച് അതിന്റെ വിവരണങ്ങൾ വായിച്ചപ്പോൾ.. വായകൊണ്ടുള്ള ഓർക്കസ്ട്രേഷൻ..!! പരസ്പരം കണ്ടിട്ടില്ലാത്തവർ ചേർന്നുള്ള ഒരു സംഘഗാനം!! പല സ്ഥലത്ത് പല സമയങ്ങളിൽ റെക്കോഡ് ചെയ്തത്...!! വൗ.. ഗംഭീരം
എല്ലാ അണിയറ ശില്പികൾക്കും ഒരുപാട് അഭിമാനിയ്ക്കാം.. ആശംസകൾ
Thanks for sharing this news.A good effort. "Khushiyam" is amazing."Vocal orchestration",a group song from those who'v not met before,recorded from different places at different timings..wow..its simply great..!
Proud moment for each and everybody who's behind this effort.Best wishes.
Thursday, December 11, 2008 7:58:00 PM PST
--------------------------------
ഭൂമിപുത്രി | Bhoomiputhri said...
ആദ്യമായിട്ടാണിങ്ങിനെയൊരു സരംഭത്തെപ്പറ്റി അറിയുന്നത്.നന്ദി കിരൺ,നോക്കട്ടെ
Hearing about this effort for the first time.Thanks.
Friday, December 12, 2008 7:50:00 AM PST
----------------------------------
ഡി പ്രദീപ് കുമാര്‍ | D Pradeepkumar said...
ഈ ധീരമായ സംരംഭത്തിന്‍ അഭിനന്ദനങ്ങള്‍.ഇതിന്റെ നിര്‍മ്മാണം സാധിച്ചതെങ്ങനെ എന്നറിയാന്‍ താല്‍പ്പര്യമുണ്ട്.പ്രത്യേകിച്ച് ശബ്ദലേഖനം,മിക്സിങ്ങ്....
Best wishes for this brave effort.Curious to know about its production,especially about the recording and mixing.
From one of the comment query,it would be highly appreciated if you could breif about each songs' recording,mixing process along with the songs.
love the biganing good song keep it up brother :)
thanks Ali for visiting.
All, Great line up of songs once again.. Congrats to all.
Dear Sindhu & Jo,
Please include the name of raagam and most frequently used emotional attribute (and purpose) of it on the respective pallavi, anupallavi, charanam 1..N, to repeating pallavi.
I mean, the raagam should evoke emotions as expected or planned by the ones who invented/discovered/derived it.
Let us try to rationalize a sample song composed of any spoken language around the world.
Our_Song{
attibute-1: quality of melody {rating 7/10}
attibute-2: quality of harmony (including co-ordinating non-vocal instruments): {rating 6/10}
attibute-3. how suitable the rhythm is: {rating 7/10}
attibute-4. how the dynamics of each line of song can move the mood of the listener and still make it unpredictable on every song: {rating 5/10}
attibute-5. raaga-bhaavam (in terms of Carnatic or Hindustani):?? (yet to be analyzed to reach a rational definition)..the western music guys may not appreciate this..still this 5th attribute got a spiritual&emotional&social&cultural impact on the reaction to the song from the respective local-culture-audience.
also please share the notes (S R G M P D N S) with specific lows or highs or each swaram used per raagam per stanza of the song for the music instrument lovers to try out.
Thank you all (with due respect to Rashmi&Rajkumar for introducing me to blogSwara) for the enthusiastic, location-independent and visionary initiatives.
regards,
Rajesh Sulabha
rajesh.sulabha@gmail.com
Over the 5 versions, this is the most professional of all the 5. I guess the introduction on the first page must be changed now, I wouldn't call anyone involved in this version amateur :)
Azhaithadhu Yaaro has come out really well. The interludes were soft, and didn't take away too much attention from the melody. Very nice.
Achhamillai is my Fav, followed by Azhaithathu!! NIICE! Achhammillai;s got a good tempo - lively rythm and orchestration. Ayathtatho is a nostalgic number for the listeners from the 80's!
Dear Rajesh,
I am not sure I understood much of what you've written. Is that an analysis of azhaiththadhu or a "sample song"? Not sure what you mean by that.
Thanks a lot for your analytical feedback though. The ragam is Amrutavarshini.
It is defined by: S G3 M2 P N3 S, and same way back.
I don't know much about the feeling this raga evokes, other than that traditionally it is considered to have the power to cause rain ("varshnini"). Of course one can question the credibility of such theories. Personally, I think it is in the hands (or the mind, rather!) of the composer to make the raga bring out the feeling intended by him/ her. (As u may know, Amrutavarshini has been used in a romantic song earlier by the one and only Ilaiyaraja in "thoongadha vizhigal rendu" from the movie agni natchaththiram)
Thanks to Srividya, Sahana, Dona, Boons, Nethra, Ajit and anonymous for your appreciation for azhaiththadhu.
Thanks also to Srividya and anonymous for feedback on khoye khoye.
Divya Menon, your rendition is simply superb! What a melodious composition! Hats off to the entire team :)
Hey dj.........awesome work....
Dear Jo,
Good one, "etho oru pookaalam", semi-classical light-music melody.
its composed with raagam "HamsaDhwani (S R2 G3 P N3 S)"..right?
from my list of movie songs in the same raagam..
1. Sree vinaayakam, "Bharatham"
2. Naadangalay nee varu ,"Ninnishtam ennishtam"
3. Raagangale Mohangale, "Thaaraattu"
4. Manathaarilennum pon kinaavum, "Kaliyil alpam kaaryam"
5. Raagini raaga roopini, "Iniyum katha thudarum"
6. Paaduvaan marannu poy,
7. Vaathaapi ganapathim..
If your team study the patterns of hit songs in Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and Malayalam of last some decades, you may find some snap shot of patterns about which all raagams have got more potential to make the song an ever lasting hit irrespective of the lyrics quality.
Pls request ur composers to try out some songs in the following raagams...
I am not generalizing the observation..still the response from listeners of these movie songs were better during the respective periods when movies released and many songs are still hit after so many years/decades.
There could some common factors which make them so special right..!
One major factor shall be: common "raagam" and its extended "raaga-bhaavams"
and then the creativity of the composer and in-depth knowledge of the singers about visualizing and presenting concepts of the composer.
raagam: "Jog"
------
1. Pramada vanam veendum, "movie: His highness Abdulla"
2. Parayaan maranna paribhavangal, "Garshom"
3. Iru hridayangalil, "Oru May maasa pulariyil"
4. Pon meghame salabhangale, "Sopaanam"
5. Vaar mukile vaanil nee vannu, "Mazha" (i guess, its a variant of Jog)
SindhuBhairavi
--------------
1. Hari muralee ravam, "Aaraam thampuraan"
2. Paadaam namukku paadaam, "Yuvajanotsavam"
3. Aalila kanna ninte, "Vaasanthiyum Lakshmiyum pinne nhaanum"
4. Swarna gopura narthakee silpam, ""
5. Enikkinnoru naavundenkil,"Oomapenninu uriyaadaa payyan"
...
--------------
Neelaambari,
1. enveetu thottathil poovellaam kaettuppa, "gentleman"
2. Kilukil pamparam, "Kilukkam"
3. Mynaaka ponmudiyil Mazhavil, "kaavadi"
4. Soorya naalam ponvilakkay, "Thacholi Varghees chekavar"
--------------
Naatta,
------
1. Swaami naatha paripaalaya, "Chitram"
2. Gopaangane aathmaavile, "Bharatham"
3. Vigneshwara janma naalikeram, "(Album)"
4. Sreeraama naamam japa, "Naaraayam"
5. Mahaa ganapathim, "Millenium stars"
Kaapi
-----
1. Mouna sarovaramaakeyunarnnu, "Savidham"
2. Anuraaga lola gaathri Dhwani
3. Chandanacharchitha neela kalebharam Mayil peeli, "(Album)"
4. Orupoo viriyunna sugamarinju, "Vichaarana"
5. Varamanjalaadiya raavinte maaril, "Pranaya varnnangal"
6.Vaarthinkaludikkatha vaasantha, "Agnisaakshi"
Let us try to extend this list...cheers:-)
Best wishes for your visionary initiatives.
regards and well wishes,
Rajesh
--
Rajesh Sulabha
Dear Sindhu,
Thank you for the info about "Azhaithathu Yaaro".
Congrats to you and Jo. this song came out well..for me its the best in V5. then.."acham illae"..
in light-music melody solos category, "etho oru", "manadali"...
Is "manadali" componsed in raagam "Kaanada". correct me if its not.
about my proposal on quantitative rating (N of 10) of quality of songs was not directly related to "azhaiththadhu yaaro"..it was a general suggestion about all the songs in blogSwara.
My intention was to suggest make a table to help listeners/audience rate every song in blogSwara. I understand it may be ridiculous to quantify quality of art forms with numbers!!..still for relative judgements..its may be good.
It may help track the progress of albums in each new version release.
in the rating table,
column-1: {name of song},
column-2: {"quality of melody" in rating (0..10) out of 10}
column-3: {"quality of harmony" in rating (0..10) out of 10}
column-4: {name of song}, {"how suitable the rhythm" in rating (0..10) out of 10}
column-5: {"how the dynamics of each line of song can move the mood of the listener and still make it unpredictable on every stanza" in rating (0..10) out of 10}
column-6: {"raaga-bhaavam", i mean, the emotional& spiritual, social, and cultural impact of the song planned by its original creator/designer of the raagam"} in rating (0..10) out of 10}
For instance, "acham illae", invokes a sense of relolutionary or "induce energy to make social change" to the listner even though the meaning of lyrics is not known to the listener.
I am not generalizing the points because the reaction of the listener of songs sometimes may be biased to social & cultural origins (parents, province & mother-tongue) up to some extent.
Let us try to make a sample table in blogSwara website and analyze the draft version on some songs.
Have a nice week.
regards,
Rajesh
--
Rajesh Sulabha
Dear Rashmi_Nair and team,
congrats for "Khushiyan", a creative one using the location-independent potential of web (a WebMusic.2.1!) an extension of Web.2.0.
Songs of socialism and shared minds..cheers to all.
You may add a vocal introduction about a particular song..how it evolved..the new concept your team trying out in the song...and then followed by the song.
thanks for the text info provided at the bottom of the page; also the lyrics. Still a 30 seconds vocal introduction about song may make much more inviting attention from audience.
Once again congrats and best wishes.
regards,
Rajesh
--
Rajesh Sulabha
All
Thank you so much for the comments. Am glad you have loved the songs of this album.
I also would like to thank personally to everyone who appreciated "Azhaithadhu Yaaro" and "Etho Oru". Thank you so much for the encouraging words. My thanks to the team mates of both the songs (Sindhuja, Vijay S, Vijay N, Praveenkrishna etc).
Kiranz, a write up on the musical experiences of the individuals will eb posted in this blog shortly.
Rajesh Sulabha, thank you so much for your detailed comments!
To the blogswara team hats off on the album and website. even though this is the first time I'm interacting with blogswara its one of the most organized sites I've seen. great work u guys!
every song in version 5 sounds really fab. i would like to congratulate to all the composers and their crew for their efforts.
to all the listeners who have appreciated ACCHAM ILLAI i thank you from the bottom of my heart.
keep going u guys.
cheers
ramprasad sundar
well done Jo.. keep up the good work...
Congratulations to the entire team of Blogswara 5. It is a great concept to showcase the creativity of new artists. The album sounds very professional. Congratulations to each and every person involved with the songs! I hope that you all do very well in your future musical endeavors. Good luck!
Wanted to point what I liked with each song:
1) Khushiyan- Loved the energy in the song. Also commend the co-ordination (esp.in doing acapella) among the singers considering that this was done over the internet.
2) Chembaka poo virium- Liked the composition and orchestration. Divya Menon's voice sounds beautiful!
3) Manadali - A very soothing composition. Great job by Arun and Soumya on the vocals.
4) Azhaithatu yaaro- This is one of my favs from this album. Loved the tune. Great vocals by Jo and Sindhuja. I also liked the orchestration. In particular how the beats were interspersed.
5) Missing - Another good composition. I liked the harmony between the sitar and the vocals.
6) Lage re- A very pleasant composition to listen to. Liked the concept. Chandana Dixit's voice sounds wonderful!
7) Etho Oru- Jo sounds very pleasant in this composition. Loved the tune. Liked the incorporation of water drops falling in the orchestration.
8) Aadum Theyo- I loved the compostion. Lot of complex interweaving of swaras. Neat! Orchestration was also very nicely done in the whole song.
9) Silent Mind- The whole concept of finding internal peace amidst chaos is brought out very well in the composition. Good job!
10) Acham Illai- Again another song full of spirit and energy. Loved the composition and the vocals (a lot of energy in singing). The flute bits in the orchestration were nicely placed. The scale change and the swaras at the end were also neat!
11) Sahil- Another masti filled song. Liked Devesh's distinct style of singing.
12) Poothadum Poongavanam- Yet another soothing composition. The beauty in the tune was its simplicity. Good vocals and orchestration added to it. The chorus followed by Meera's aalap sounded awesome.
13) Smooth- The music was very pleasant to listen to. Neat composition!
14) Khoye Khoye- Amazing vocals by Sindhuja! Really nice composition and orchestration. The whole effect of thunder and rain was great (brought out the essence of lyrics well).
Have a question for BLS sound mixing department
Do BLS Sound department do additional mixing/remastering after the final mix is submitted by the composer?
The reason I am asking this is one of song Lage Re, Jay swami’s song on blogswara sounds very fudged but his personal version is pristine.
Azhaithadhu Yaro
Wonderful Melody
Superb Lyrics
Jo - Very well sung, especially the lower notes. Tamil is good. A few places...noticed some Sruthi issues. Overall Fantastic!
Sindhuja - Sweet voice, very well sung...a rare Sruthi issue that I noticed. Fantastic.
Orchestration - I felt the into piece before the actual song was too long !!
Mixing - Very good. Could have reduced BGM a little bit to enhance the singers voices.
Vijays - Fantastic effort..Keep it up !
Lovely work Nish.. The music is jus so great.. And great singing by Divya too.. So very happy to see that you are still continuing your passion
- Lini
In spite of all the good things written here, I would entirely differ in my opinion. Blogswara is still full of amateur music directors who are stuck up in a world that is in the 80-90's. Esp the Tamil songs. Guys you are stuck in the rut even in this version. Most of you are only trying to show off the abilities of their samplers and rhythm composers. All of you are doing something just for the purpose of doing it. There is not a single genuine inspired song which can stand up on it's own without the orchestra backing. Music has to be inspired. This is just music without soul. singers cannot be blamed. they get to sing what you compose. Here you find only people who have worked in this album or their friends raving about one another just like the older versions. Who knows about blogswara outside your world? Guys compare your work with the professional work outside and you will know where you stand. there is lot to improve. many singers have been camouflaged by excess reverb so that it's not clear what they sing. Is this the modern way of hiding your weak points? do take my comments positively. hear a lot of music. that's the only way to get rid of repeatedly falling into the same style that you like ex. the yuppie like tamil songs here. its a wrong notion that these are the songs that people will like. think differently guys.
Arun Jain
This is to Arun. I completely agree. There are songs that do not convey a sense music at all. On the top of my head is Khoye Khoye, something that seems to be composed using Fruity loops and lots of inspiration from all over and an amateurish zeal to recreate the inspiration using Fruity loops and such. However, these guys are trying to lap up the current trend in Music. 80's was the golden era, at least for Tamil music with a lot of importance given to lyrics, the actual arrangement and the music played a significant yet subtle role in itself. Todays jarry heads just are DSP experts more than musicians. This version is a huge let down for BLS.
And yes, when you process voices sooooo much IT IS NOT AN ACAPELLA. It using vocals as they are, not process them with load of techno and claim there were no instruments. Cheap stunt.
That said, I must say that I am impressed by Azhaithadhu Yaaro. The song has a simple feel to it, a certain quality. While one can argue about the lyrics, overall it makes it very pleasant to listen to. Vijay(s) and Sindhuja have indeed done a good job. I have always had one favorite in each BLS, like Mella Mella, Kaathirundhen and this..All of them have OK lyrics, but the simplicity of arrangement and the elegance in the tune have set them apart. Thanks to Vijay for giving us music the Raja way: simple, elegant and rich at the same time.
"Manadali" is awesome track. Hope to hear more kannada songs in next release.
Thank You.
To Anonymous and NamelessNerd,
Looks like you have misunderstood the concept of Blogswara.
Blogswara is an internet music community which acts as a common platform for musicians (a majority of whom are amateurs).
Blogswara musicians (majority) do NOT make a living through music and are NOT sponsored by or made contract with any organization in the producer capacity and hence are not obliged to create music of any particular style or liking.
Blogswara does not compete commercially with any other similar entities and the songs are NOT intended for commercial publication. Hence, it is assumed that the output is purely hobby oriented. (In other words, do not expect commercial grade music free of cost here, irrespective of whether blogsara can deliver it or not; if you need commercial music please go to music market and buy them)
This platform is for amateur musicians to try out their talents/learnings. That includes trying out new instruments, synths, software plugins, mixing techniques etc. which may or may not be in par with commercial studios.
Blogswara, being a publically hosted website, does not ask for any form of obligations from the listeners and does not impede the listeners freedom to walk away from the site.
The amateurs musicians at blogswara are happy with what they could accomplish inspite of them being part time hobbyists, not backed by commercial music industry and not making any profit out of it. Blogswara only calls for support in the form of encouragements and feedback in the form of constructive, educative and specific suggestions.
Another Anonymous.
i wonder why posts uncomfortable posts are almost always anonymous :). Arun Jain at least u had your name in the end :)
i agree with most of jain's observations. though i cannot comprehend his perception about a song(and its soul, inspired ghost whatever) being disjoint from the orchstration.. i question the premise of the commonly accepted indian arguement that only a strong melody can be the basis of a song. but this is a totally separate issue. All in all I do agree that blogswara 5 is the weakest of the 5 blogswaras so far. And i do hope that everyone takes the critical feedback in a positive way, and improves their own mindset and skills for their own personal good if not anything. But one should also keep in mind that opinions are like assholes, everyone has one.
I would agree with some of the points here on the quality of the album...I also understand what 'another anonymous' is trying to say...but it could help, to put more quality control to attract listeners...
Two things i could think of:
1) There is a selection process in blogswara, however, there is a disconnect between what the public says (at least a few) and what the selection panelists selected for this album. May be strict quality control?
2) Professional/experienced members of Blogswara does not seem to be helping the budding artists much with their knowledge dissemination. I would expect at least the technical side to be well taken care of.
Nisman.
I am happy that my comments have actually helped even some of the Blogswara members to speak out their heart. That's exactly what I wanted. What I said will not be tolerated by those who still want to stay in the protective cocoon called "amateurs". I know that many of them are, but many are not. So as every time do not try to hide behind this "amateur" cover. Talent, variety and application only counts. Amateur is a word used when you are not willing to give 100% and defend yourself saying that I have a job and that's why I did like this and like that. Music is only of two types good or bad. If the creators and their friends are the only ones for whom Blogswara is intended, please make it clear. Or have the heart to accept criticism if you want to grow up. Don't chill when you hear negative things.
Today the world is over filled with music. If you want your music to stand out and be heard and be appreciated by those outside your "well" then you have to be very very good. There your amateurism is not going to help you. Let my criticism help you to search within your selves and think differently. Not copy what has happened or what is going on, but set a new path yourself. Otherwise the so called amateurs will remain amateurs for ever.
Arun Jain
Arun Jain,
I understand what you are trying to say, that the album did not meet the standards of a good song which can compete with the other songs out there. My point is that since there are lot of amateurs here, they need criticism that is constructive, educative and specific so that they can concentrate on it and improve. What we are getting here are just some generic statements.
I'm not trying to defend the quality of blogswara here, but letting you know the state of it. Those who take the feedbacks and grow with it, will grow out of the amateurism and many may move out of blogswara or be just the advisors/panelists to it. Meanwhile, new budding artists will join here and they too go through the same evolution (if they work on the feedbacks). So, drop the tone that suggests that we assumed ourselves the best; in fact we understand our limitation and showcase this in front of you people in expectation that we get objective feedbacks. So, at any given point, the blogswara will definitely contain those amateurs. Not sure whether you can understand that.
(still anonymous).
Great work buddies!!! Kudos to the entire BLS Team... Jo, You are an ultimate talent! Proud to be a part of this team! :)
Arun
Hey Arun Jain,
There is a point in what the other anonymous said about the commercial impact. I had listened to ARR album released before he became famous in film industry; that was quite a normal one, but just 2 years later the Roja made a big hit and it was more than 2 years of difference in quality between them. I think if it wasn't for the stringent quality requirements from the mass media industry, ARR wouldn't have made many of those good songs just by himself. Blogswara does not have such requirements, no monitory motivation too. It is just the sheer passion for music here I guess. I appreciate that they do this much. Some of the songs have interesting parts in it, while some others are quite normal. Frankly, I'm very passionate for music, but i couldn't reach this far. That way, I appreciate blogswara.
watch this interview with CEO of magnasound...interesting..
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TMFl8eF1gvk
To all the critics out there.
I have to agree that Blogswara is no match for commercial songs in terms of production quality and it will be that way in the foreseeable future also. The reason is very simple; to produce a commercial quality song, it takes lots of resources (read money). Film songs are not put together by three people emailing each other and mastered on Cubase. It might be originally conceived by a few , but during production it involves a lot of professionals with state of the art tools. Trust me, any of the songs you hear at BLS can be made into a commercial sounding piece provided we have the dough, but then BLS will become another commercial venture where you will have to pay to get the song or do a illegal download.
Also, where in the world will you get a bunch of people creating new songs and allow it to be downloaded for free and also answer your comments. I believe in constructive criticism, but any comments without knowing the facts will add no value to the process.
Prem A
hey,
I just heard the azhaithathu song fully. pretty tight arrangement. good performances by both the vocalists, though i felt it was slightly lower key for jo.
I think you tried to replicate IR's treatment of amrutavarshini from agni nakshatram, and u have done a good job if that was your aim. But personally I feel it could have been better with a more contemprary arrangement. Pretty sure even IR wont arrange thoongataha vizhigal in the same way if he were to do it today.
This is my complaint with all the south indian songs in this album other than Mux's song and acham illai. They sound as if they are stuck in a time warped south india from the 80s.
anyways thats just me. people who loved that era and despise todays crappy popular music will sure love them.
Hey folks, how about if we stop trying to 'brand' Blogswara or comparing it other genre of music ?
When Blogswara began as a concept and I added the songs to my WMP Library, I searched for a genre of music to associate with. I found none among the 700+ defaults displayed in the tag editor. So I went ahead and added Blogswara as a genre...:-)
If I were to critically examine each and every song (12,348 at last count) in my library, I'd probably stop listening to Pink Floyd and The Beatles, cos they are a unique form of music.
Come on anon folks, come out of the closet. there is a bigger and cooler world out here.
I feel the need to clarify about my previous comments. First, my intention was to only point out the growing trend of orchestration outshining the composition itself. I just used Khoye Khoye as an example. I did not mean to say that it is a bad song or anything. I am very sorry if that impression was conveyed. I have personally forwarded BLS to atleast 100 people and I commend the effort and contributions. I know lot of people well here and have very high regards for their skills.
While I still stand by what I said earlier, I am very very sorry if I ruffled a few feathers. I do hope that I will, like always listen to out of the box indie music here.
I agreee with Jayswami on most of the Tamil songs feeling as if from the 80's. I also feel that repeating the same singers like Jo and sindhuja when there is so much of other talent available could have been avoided. Mixing of some songs songs are not up to the mark. Jo's Tamil song is well mixed. Malayalm song has too much echo effect on his voice that makes it difficult to hear how and what he has sung. His voice does not reach the lower notes properly too. The next version should give opportunity to new singers than using the same singers every time.
Sainoj
Very very nice! keep going, Blagswara team! I liked both songs.
@ Sainoj
I am not sure that you understand the way that Blogswara functions. We do not have control over whom to choose or include in the albums. Blogswara invites people to submit entries and accept only songs in the complete forms. It is up to the song teams to choose the lyricist, singer, composer or orchestrator. Once they are done, they send the song to us and we choose the best among them. We understand that there is so many talented people out there but it is up to them to approach Blogswara. So what you can individually do is to spread the word, ask musicians you know to send their entries for next version of Blogswara and spread the word around about this venture.
About your comment on my singing - I agree with what you said about the lower notes. Will work towards improving it. Thanks.
sorry, this whole interface is very confusing- I thought this comment page was just for the two songs I'd heard - khoye khoya and azhaitadhu, that I got pointed to, and they were gr8! I just realized this page was for all blogswara songs. I'll listen to the others too shortly...
Joe, what I meant was that you should have a rotation policy where those who have been part of this previously keep away and give chance to new comers. I heard the previous versions and see that you were a part of every version. You can voluntarily keep out. That only will force the music directors to search for new singers.
I also found some music directors being repeated and some of them writing and even singing their own songs! Have some policy. Then groups will be formed on the policy. No one should think that they are inevitable. That only will help to bring variety. Otherwise BLS VI will again feel the same as BLS V. Even 20 songs will not make it different. Just 7 will do if it is strikingly fresh. I also feel that the comments section should be limited to those from outside to comment and not for those who are a part of it. Those who are a part of it will only try to defend their actions and speak high of every one else and it will remain a family affair every time.
I also disagree with Prem. Today every musician can do what AR Rahman can do as everything has migrated to the home P.C. A basic MIDI keyboard a decent sound card and oodles of sample CD's and software are all you need. But one thing. You should have the dedication and most important is a musical brain which thinks differently. Otherwise whatever big gadget you have is useless. It is the talent and way of thinking that seperates every musician. And Prem, CUBASE, LOGIC and NUENDO are used by every home studio geek today whether it is in bollywood or in tollywood.
Sainoj Mathew
sainoj dude,
blogswara aint a reality tv show or a awards ceremony
Sainoj
I have no problem backing out IF that will help promoting other singers. But suppose a composer comes to me and say it is my voice that he/she wants to use for that particular song, I cannot deny, because it is not personal relationships that count when a composer comes to select voices for their songs. And if you have been frequenting to Blogswara site, you would notice that my own composition was given to another singer in the last version (song: Aanakal Ompathu). Many friends of mine who are composers also, do not ask me to sing songs for Blogswara or for their other projects, UNLESS they think that they want to use my voice in particular. It is their choice to select singers.
About the music directors repeating - Like I had mentioned earlier, we are not an album trying to sound different. We are a "platform" (I repeat) that promotes independent musicians. It is up to the song teams to do what they want. We cannot instruct "do this" or "do that". There is no such model here.
Sorry guys ! I had high hopes from this version, as I had listened to your earlier versions and liked them. But this one is a huge let down.
I really wanted to like it but could not.
its so lovely n' superb!!!!..
Joe, you yourself said now that BLS is a platform. I read that you are the founder of it. If so your views are terribly wrong. You are promoting yourselves by saying that you do not have the voice to withdraw or say no. Why should not you say no and ask them to select other singers? That's the spirit dude and not saying that they want me, so i "have to sing". Being the founder you have the responsibility to keep out so that the others get a platform too. You do have a blog where you can show your talents. Let those who do not even have one get a platform. You have to take the first step. That's what I meant by policy. Otherwise be warned that it will just be a family affair where the platform is repeated again and again for some of you but still you find yourselves on the same platform but not growing out of it. If it is a platform it should have new people and those who already had a platform should volunteer to keep out esp the founder members.
And Jayswami,sad to see you guys shutting out opinions. It's for you to decide whether BLS remains to sound like average stuff or whether you guys wanna grow up. Choice is yours. If you do not want others to listen or comment then make it a private blog where you guys can say wah wah to each other over a drink and say the world dont exist for you. This is my sincere advice. You know I am right but your ego will not accept the truth. You are all talented, but have to change your line of thinking to come out of your shell.
Sainoj
Sainoj
Evidently, you still have not understood what Blogswara stands for. Because EVERYBODY gets a chance in Blogswara if they have something good to showcase, regardless of whether there is someone who have participated in blogswara participating again or not. And if you truly care about Blogswara as you pretend yourself to be, be specific in your criticism. Anybody can say merely that "it doesn't sound good".
Secondly, if you were establishing that I sing in Blogswara just to promote myself, you are terribly wrong. I have a personal blog which has about 400 visitors everyday (250-280 feed readers alone, 63 email readers and the other daily # of hits). So if it was self promotion that I was after, I could easily do that with my own personal blog. So please hold off such silly arguments.
And about ego and all that, I would suggest that you ask around the music blogging world and see how many singers I have introduced to the music blogging and promoted through my personal blog. Many of the popular music bloggers are proof for that. Ever since 2005.
Now you have clearly said what I meant by policy."EVERYBODY gets a chance in Blogswara if they have something good to showcase, regardless of whether there is someone who have participated in blogswara participating again or not." If this is the policy then it will remain where it is now. It's not an argument but my opinion and prediction. BLS will not advance to any greater levels with this policy.
Regarding specific comments about songs, jo, see my first comment where I have already said about your singing and the mixing parts.
I never said generally that "it does not feel good". Dont put words into my mouth. I also did not like the old style and treatment of all the tamil songs. Even your mallu song is old styled. Your singing defects are covered up by over emphasising the effects on your voice.
1) Khushiya: Good song with a modern peppy tune and good singing though struggling with the fast paced words at some places.
2) Chembaka poo: Very good orchestra arrangement and excellent singing by Divya.Mixing was also very good. Deserves repeated listens.
3)Manadali: Very average tune like an old Kannada film song, very bad and amateurish arrangement,very average singing by Arun though he has a good voice.Does not deserve a second listen.
4)Azhaithathu : Very old fashioned tones, arrangements. Resembles any other song from the 80's. Singers are the saving grace esp Sindhuja's voice.
5)Missing: Nothing much to speak of the electronic sitar. Tried to do a la anand shanker but fails miserably.
6)Lage Re: Feels just like a time pass instrumental on the go than a planned serious effort.esp the piano parts were so weak.female singer though has a good voice has not put any serious effort to sing perfectly. lapses in pitching end notes evident at many places esp in the alaap.
7)Etho oru: Joe's voice fails in the lower notes also ending notes dont hit the correct pitch at many places. Tune is just average. Too much of effect on voice. Very bad and average keyboard programming and playing.Hamsadhwani notes require more subtle handling.
8)Aadum Theeyo: Another old fashioned tune from the 80's. This is what I meant about thinking differently.Mux should have left the singing part to a better singer.
9) Silent Mind: An advice. Guys before playing the keyboard by pushing at the keys with the fingers do learn it from a good teacher. Good music is not kid's play.
10)Acham Ilai: Again another badly sung song sounding like from the kamalhasan films of the past times.Terrible one.
11)Sahil: Evidently "fruity looped". Just another horribly sung boyish miserable effort.Hindi is tortured in this song like anything. Should not have got in here any way. Most disgusting song of the whole lot.
12) Poothadum: Again and again a fossil from the past times. The most horribly sung (male- totally out of pitch at every part)after Sahil. Female singer was wasted in this song.
13)Smooth: The best of this lot in terms of using the keyboard to its full potential and applying the brain to compose music. Innovative.The fretless parts were a treat.Holds very good promise.
14)Khoye Khoye: A very good one in comparison to the other vocal based songs though again the concept is old fashioned. The female voice is very good. The arrangements are also decent esp the wah wah guitar parts.
So you see Joe, I know what I speak about and I speak sincerely and not in vague terms. Its very evident that you are the only -singer- here and you do have your limitations of low notes and pitching. So imagine how BLS is going to grow if you are the only -singer- in the years to come. I have made my point and every intelligent person reading my comments would know what I exactly meant. This is my last coment here as I have expressed myself quite explictly and sincerly this time and dont wish to speak more.
Sainoj Mathew
Sainoj
Music is very subjective. There are people who told me offline that they like V5 the best and there are people who said V5 is the least interesting. The thing is we all have our own personal tastes in music and we look at everything we don't like with a tinted glass. Let us take "Lage Re" for example. You said it is a "pass time instrumental" while another person, who happenes to be a music composer, who heard the same song said it is an excellent example of blending Jazz piano (I hope you have heard about Jazz music) with a Bandish. But you failed to appreciate that point. Same with me too. It was the melody that captured my attention and in a personal conversation Jay has rightly pointed out that it is our lack of exposure to world music that we fail to indentify and appreciate other genres of music.
However, I thank you for taking time to put comments on each song this time. I appreciate it. You are right about my vocals, and I identify that I better concentrate on the mid-range songs with regards to the shruthi.
And about your suggestion about Blogswara, it is up to the participants to raise the quality levels for themselves. What Blogswara does is giving them a platform to open up their music to the world (and there we try to bring out the best of the lot). And finally, if you have something to contribute to Blogswara or would like to refer some singer/lyricist/composer to Blogswara, feel free to do so. We are open to everyone who has something good to contribute Always.
Hi Sainoj
With due respects I appreciate your effort to give comments to individual songs..good work. Constructive criticism is a gentleman thing and civilised,but your criticisms lacks the qualities of a true constructive one. At times your comments looks like they have written out of desperate moments.At times your criticism looks like another TP Shasthamangalam.
joe i could not help myself from dropping a few lines here after reading your comment. I have been hearing jazz right from my childhood. chick corea, dave weckel,herbie hancock, pat matheny, frank gumbale and recently jay oliver and the later guys.what i said was about the quality of keyboard playing and arrangement of notes and phrases.even when you put on a rhythm pattern on a sequencer like the triton or the kurzweil and you just play some notes in a pattern without false notes, it sounds musical but there is a difference when somebody emphasises what he plays and some one who just discovers that he knows to play the keyboard too. the musical quality sounds different in both cases. i have heard real jazz. lage re is not jazz. just a fusion experiment. please take time to listen to all those greats and then come back. you will know the difference.
Sainoj
Dear Sainoj,
I do not see any amount of constructive criticism in your writing. Critical is fine but the tone suggest some animosity with some of the existing blogswara members. What do you really want? Do you want these guys at Blogswara to just pack up and go?
If you really know what it takes to be a pro why don't you open up more and send in links of your compositions or singing to this blog rather than being this anonymous Sainoj Mathew?
It takes courage to put up a composition online and collect feedback especially the negative ones. I think these guys are doing a terrific job of keeping all feedback online including yours. Looking forward to links of your singing or compositions.
Dear Sanoj
You should show the guys here the perfect way of making a good composition without flaws with your own rendition or your own composition. A good critic should also be a good guide too. If you have internet and if you know how to google you can easily find some names of great artists of a particular genre and you can even say that you have been listening to that stuff from the very first day of your life. Show the guts to put your works here or atleast remove your mask (anonymous). Anyone can criticise but to take it the critic should be genuine, knowledgeable, and a master of the art, otherwise what you are writing here is humbug. After Idea star singer and other reality shows every Mallu is familiar with landing notes, sharp, plans, flats......
So be genuine. Come out of the curtain to the main stage and be a guide and contribute to the growth of BLS.
As for the song:
Excellent instrumentals. Pitching could have been better. Otherwise, good effort. Breath factor in recording could have been eliminated too for a better quality.
I don't agree comments about lage re. I felt it was refreshing to hearing the lounge mix with the piano (amazing to my ears) filling in a raag. It is known that music is subjective, so whatever beauty I see in some form may not be seen by others, so it is ok to disagree.
I would like to say something that director Balu Mahendra quoted from someone else in a TV singing competition (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B4pllYK61uc time: 2:33). I think it also applies to all trying to be composers. (Translating. Hope I capture the meaning right). It says "If only birds with sweet voice are allowed to sing, the forest will become silent". Everyone has some talent, and through this platform they are exposing it in a small way they can.
Lets take the comments positively without getting into commentator's knowledge or intent. At the same time, I would request the commentator to get his/her point across without any personal remarks. Said in the right way, the composer will take it in the right spirit. The "defensiveness" you see is a result of choosing the wrong tone.
Hi Sainoj, Really appreciate your time and effort to listen all the songs and give a detailed comment on each. Faults will be with everyone as you may know. Yes, there are lots of improvement areas for Blogswara. Please guide the team with your expertise and we would be Thankful to you. And as some one commented, even I would like to listen to your creations. Please share with us if you don't mind. Thanks a lot in advance. :-)
Arun
Oh My God! I'm in love with this song - Khoye Khoye. Thousands of kisses to all those who are behind this beautiful song. Keep it up guys.
Subin / subin.co.in
What a pleasant surprise to stumble upon this site ! I just love music, any kind.. I am enjoying some of the songs. What a great site.
Hey, sorry to do this! But, please check out the link below and post comments! He is a friend and I think he is a very promising singer! Please do check it out!
http://bosesings.blogspot.com/2008/12/mayamanjalil-ottayal-pattalam.html
This is wonderful. Best wishes...!!!
Beautiful song. Amazing ragam. I like the depth in the voices of both singers. Orchestration is smooth and superb. Overall, very very good.
Overall, this version does have some very nice songs. My comments on the songs follow.
1. Khushiyan (Hindi) - very innovative! a feel-good song on life. all the different effects in the song are excellent.
2. Chempaka poo (Malayalam) - Divya Menon has a lovely voice. She has rendered the song very well. Beautiful song.
3. Manadali (Kannada) - Superb song, simply because I love the Kalyani ragam. Whenever I listen to this ragam, my mind is filled with peace. The inherent beauty of the ragam is brought out very nicely in this song. Arun's voice somehow reminds me of Yesudas. Sowmya has also sung very well.
4. Azhaithathu Yaaro (Tamil) - Beautiful song. Amazing ragam. I like the depth in the voices of both singers. Orchestration is smooth and superb. Overall, very very good.
5. Missing - The tune is good but I felt the instrument used was not apt and did not bring it out very well.
6. Lage re (Hindi) - I just swayed when I heard this song. The pianist's hands seem to simply fly over the instrument. Nice use of the tabla. The santoor piece is very nice. The singer has done a wonderful job, no doubt.
7. Etho Oru (Malayalam) - This transported me to a different world, the reason being the Hamsadhvani ragam. Simply superb! Hats off to Jo for his beautiful and soulful singing. Keep it up, Jo! All the best! One of the best songs in this Blogswara version. The use of the water-dropping sound is the highlight in the song, I feel.
8. Aadum theeyo (Tamil) - Nice song. Has a melancholic feel about it.
9. Silent mind - Nice theme-based song.
10. Acham illai - Nice beat. Good fusion music!
11. Poothaadum - Pleasant song. Meera has done a better job than Vijay, I would say.
12. Smooth - lovely instrumental piece, among my favorite compositions in this version of Blogswara.
13. Khoye Khoye - I started clapping along with the song 'coz the beat is good. I liked the guitar pieces in between.
Hey..awesome song! very lively and charming voice! Soothing music n spectacular lyrics!!! Hats off to all behind the curtains! :)
"Azhaithathu Yaaro"
I am sure not going to be able to stop humming this song for a week or two.
Best song I have heard in the recent past. Lyrics is wonderfully penned. Maestro like composition.
I wish Jo/Vijay and their team the best of everything.
Lovely collection of songs...was a pleasure listening to them all. In particular Khoye khoye, Poothadum, Azhaithathu yaaro, Lage Re and Smooth.
The music still keeps humming in the ears...
Vijay, good composition and rendering ...keep them coming!
Commendabe effort by the team!!!
Splendid! I was spellbound! Nice lyrics, well sung, great orchestra!
Azhaithadhu" - has a beautiful melody but its sung by bad singers.female voice is not too bad.just ok.
hey i think jo lacks the qualities of a good vocalist that he is posing himself to be.i feel his bass notes doesnt touch where it should.its offnote when it comes to low keys and his voice keeps shivering.if he proclaims to be the "every composer wants me" guy,im sorry to say that he continue with his IT work and stop tryin to put his head into music(which is not his forte)
pinto
Hi i like this song very nice thanks for this songs
Guys.. very good
You guys are simply phenomenal.Such a brilliant concept and yet producing some spectacular music. I only wish some movie producer or director listens to them and uses them in films.These songs deserve more audience.
I am mesmerized by the Amritavarshini raagam based "Azhaithadhu". phenomenal.
Wishing the whole team my best wishes and i wish you continue to create more music, for the sheer passion of it. I will keep spreading the word around.
The song tunes are really amazing. Hats off to you Vijay S :) Keep rocking! :)
wow cool !
yeh hamen pasand hai..
didnt notice it before.
-Ammu
Post a Comment