Archive for October, 2008
Music Review: <i>Everything That Happens Will Happen Today</i> - David Bryne & Brian Eno
Sunday, October 26th, 2008The fab team of David Byrne and Brian Eno team up for the first time after 1981’s My Life in the Bush of Ghosts. Byrne does the rich lyrics and vocals, while Eno produced the music. Although each has a stellar reputation in their own right, the duo were behind many of the excellent Talking Heads records in the 1970s, and seem to have lost little of their verve in the intervening years.
The opening track, “Home”, gives a multi-dimensional perspective to the common term, looking at it from a distance, remembering, yet appreciating - even the negative stuff
Home- where the wheels are turning
Home- why I keep returning
Home- where my world is breaking in two
Home- with the neighbors fighting
Home- always so exciting
Home- were my parents telling the truth?
Home- such a funny feeling
Home- no-one ever speaking
Home- with our bodies touching
Home- and the cam’ras watching
Home- will infect whatever you do
The vocals are rather unemotional, as one might expect from David Byrne. This is not to say the song is unemotional or shallow. Rather, the singer lets the lyrics and orchestration create the illusion of home, without layering it with the sentimentality a lesser singer might impart.
“My Big Nurse” seems a geriatric ode to life and to the things that protect and care. The song is deathly slow, creating a languid afternoon mood. The quest is for “all the possibilities/For dancing on this lazy afternoon”. This is something one might do, interestingly enough, “When he shakes the stars above/When we lose the ones we love/When the seasons lose their grip/When the tightrope walker slips”. The security one needs for this kind of carefree, Sufi-ish dancing is derived from being “In the comfort of the world/In the arms of my big nurse.” This is perhaps a song best appreciated in the evening, or even, afternoon, of one’s mortality.
There’s a whole lotta stuff going on in “I Feel My Stuff”. This is as much a vehicle for Eno’s masterful orchestration as for Byrne’s out-there imagery, combining Lebanese Sailors with Christian crimes and fast-paced fretwork with staccato electronica notes. Let the song wash over you, give into a ‘fatafat generation’ vibe and “stuff it, step it, pick it, going bye”.
The title track “Everything That Happens” might be just a build-up to the chorus. Then again, it seems to evoke a post-9/11 vibe, from the very beginning, with the ‘neighbor’s car explode’ on a ‘perfect highway’. There is hope, asking, “Oh my brother, I still wonder, are you alright?/And among the living, we are giving, all through the night”. The signature lyrics are perfectly apt for our times, “Everything that happens will happen today/& nothing has changed, but nothing’s the same/and ev’ry tomorrow could be yesterday/& ev’rything that happens will happen today”.
Algebra - Purpose [2008]
Friday, October 24th, 2008
Price: $1.12
Size: 81,25 Mb
Tracks:
1: At This Time
2: Halfway
3: Run And Hide
4: U Do It For Me
5: (ABC’s 1,2,3’s) Happy After
6: My Pride
7: (Holla Back) Simple Complication
8: What Happened?
9: No Idea
10: Tug Of War
11: Can I Keep U?
12: I Think I Love U
13: Come Back
14: Now And Then
List : The Definitive Geeta Dutt
Monday, October 20th, 200820th July 2008 marked the 36th Death Anniversary of Geeta Dutt. A small tribute to the memory of this enchanting songstress.
It is difficult, almost unsettling to think of Geeta Dutt as a shriveled septuagenarian(what she would have been if she were alive). Time stopped aging her voice long before she actually passed away in 1972. Even today her voice represents a youthful joie-de-vivre that can lift anyone out of the bluest of blue moods. Her sad songs have an aching vulnerability that makes one want to weep for her and with her. And her richly-layered bhajans are strangely soothing. No other singer could traverse such a complex range of emotions with the ease and spontaneity that Geeta Dutt did. In addition to the richness in expression, her was voice was rich in tonal quality, robust and sweet quite like a juicy Dasheheri mango!
Despite all these qualities, today she is merely a memory in the history of Indian film music. Slotted early in her career as a ‘club song’ singer, Geeta unfortunately got stuck in the very mold that she created for herself with such blazing individuality. Couple this with her own battles with the bottle, failing marriage to film-maker Guru Dutt and a lackluster approach to her career, Geeta Dutt faded away, much before her times.
Yet, her small repertoire is dazzling to say the least. This list more than amply strengthens the belief that God sends all good things in limited editions.
Note : Click on the link to view the video of the song
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1. Tadbeer se Bigdi hui Taqdeer Banale (Film : Baazi(1951); Composer: SD Burman; Lyrics : Sahir Ludhianvi) The seductive and persuasive strains of the guitar, SD Burman’s path-breaking western treatment of Sahir Ludhianvi’s ghazal, Geeta Bali’s energetic screen presence and Geeta Dutt’s vibrant singing, the dice had no option but to roll in favour of this ‘Baazi’. ‘Tadbeer se Bigdi’ was the greatest attraction of Baazi and the audience went to see the film in repeat mode only to witness the magic of the two Geetas.
2. Thandi Hawa Kali Ghata (Film : Mr and Mrs 55(1955); Composer: OP Nayyer; Lyrics : Majrooh Sultanpuri) Raju Bharatan, the much maligned film music critic, summed up the effect of Geeta Dutt’s voice in a rare moment of clarity- “‘Geeta Dutt was thandi hawa and kaali ghata rolled into one. The moment she came, you got the refreshing feeling of aa hi gayi jhoom ke. There was a rare swing in her voice. She hit you like a thunderclap“
What more can one say to recommend the freshness in this song other than to say that the effect on yours truly is without fail ‘….naache jiya ghoom ke’ .
3. Aaj Sajan Mohe Ang Lagalo (Film : Pyaasa(1957); Composer: SD Burman; Lyrics : Sahir Ludhianvi) Guru Dutt’s innovative idea of using a vaishnav bhajan to depict the purity of the romantic situation in the film, was ably supported by his wife’s singing. Geeta brings a very human yearning to her rendition and yet keeps it sublime and other worldly like a true bhajan. Geeta Dutt’s interpretation of bhajans was very distinctive. Whether it is ‘Tora manwa kyon ghabraaye’ or ‘Na mein dhan chahun’ or our chosen ‘Aaj sajan mohe ang lagalo’, she blends the sensual with the sublime seamlessly. This is true to the sufi tradition whose texts abound in erotica that couples with spiritual fervour. It can be argued that if Meerabai made a time-travel trip to the 50s and 60s she would have sung in the voice of Geeta Dutt!
4. Ankhiyan Bhool Gayi Hain Sona (Film : Goonj Uthi Shehnai(1959); Composer: Vasant Desai; Lyrics : Bharat Vyas) The classic Geeta chutzpah brims over in this duet with Lata Mangeshkar. The coy and docile heroine being teased mercilessly (or praised to the heavens) by a bunch of giggling sahelis is one the staple daal-roti situations done to death in hindi film songs. Yet, Geeta’s sweet and wicked take of the situation makes this song a standout. Note the way she sings ‘Sona’ in the first line. This song also represents the female-female genre of songs of which Geeta has many memorable examples like Bachpan ke din, Jaanu Jaanu Ri, Thandi Thandi Hawa , under her belt.
5. Koi Chupke Se Aake (Film : Anubhav(1971); Composer: Kanu Roy; Lyrics : Kapil Kumar) The soft, romantic type of songs flowered in Geeta’s melodious and expressive voice. Geeta’s singing in Anubhav demonstrates how much she still had to offer even at the fag-end of her life. In the chosen song, she is soft, teasing, whimsical, romantic all at once and the ever so slight tinge of pathos in her voice highlights the enigma that was Geeta Dutt.
6. Babuji Dheere Chalna (Film : Aar Paar(1954); Composer: OP Nayyer; Lyrics : Majrooh Sultanpuri) The slow and sensual club song is Geeta’s comfort zone. She could sleep-walk through those kind of songs. Yet, this one stands out for hitting all the right notes at once. The measured sensuality, a hint of vibrancy, a slight edge in the voice and a full throated bass-heavy tone all combine to make this OP Nayyer composition into a classic club song. OP Nayyer composed a slew of such songs for Geeta and later Asha Bhosle. Aayie meherban could be considered the successor to his body of work with Geeta.
7. Mera Naam Chin Chin Choo (Film : Howarah Bridge(1958); Composer: OP Nayyer; Lyrics : Qamar Jalalabadi) This irrepressible upper is arguably Geeta’s signature song. The swing in her voice can get even the most languid of people out there up and jiving. It is high energy, peppy and brimming with the joie-de-vivre that is the quintessential Geeta Dutt.
8. Nanhi Kali Sone Chali (Film : Sujata(1959); Composer: SD Burman; Lyrics : Majrooh Sultanpuri) From the seductive to the soothing - the transition is as smooth as butter. The synergy of the Majrooh-SD Burman combination and the nurturing vocals of Geeta Dutt make this lullaby from Sujata as one of the most memorable loris created for Hindi films.
9. Waqt Ne Kiya (Film : Kagaz Ke Phool(1959); Composer: SD Burman; Lyrics : Kaifi Azmi)A brooding film-maker, his honey voiced wife, the beautiful actress and the inextricable mess of their liason - Life was a pre-scripted tragedy for the Dutt couple. Kagaz Ke Phool was Guru Dutt’s semi-autobiographical magnum opus that immortalised his personal situation. Kaifi Azmi’s lyrics are poignant, SD Burman’s tune wistful, but it is Geeta’s singing that stirs up the storm of emotions. The songs aches with nostalgia. The travesty of time and the indelible stain that it leaves on the soul is universal. Rare is the person who looks back at his life and does not wistfully discover…. ‘hum rahe na hum’ .
10. Na Jao Saiyan (Film : Sahib Bibi aur Ghulam(1962); Composer: Hemant Kumar; Lyrics : Shakeel Badayuni)
The character of Chhoti Bahu in Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam is undoubtedly one of the greatest written for mainstream Indian cinema. Meena Kumari immortalised the tragic Chhoti Bahu with a stellar performance. Anguish, devotion, desire, self-disgust, rebellion and a repressed sexuality every little facet that constituted the complex character of Chhoti Bahu comes to life in this song. When Geeta Dutt poignantly mentioned that this song represented her own emotions rather than that of the film’s character, Chhoti Bahu, Meena Kumari and she all fused into the same person. This song is a fitting finale to the list.
See Also
Upperstall Profile : Geeta Dutt
Note: This is an edited version of a longer article. The complete article along with some pictures can be found here
puget sound energy : David Grubbs, An Optimist Notes the Dusk (Drag City)
Is Jeff Back? Call for Speakers - Social Media Event
Sunday, October 19th, 2008Very interesting post from Jeff Pulver on Friday. I’m not alone wondering about what Jeff is planning next, especially now that the VON brand has officially changed hands.
It’s also interesting that I’ve got two posts today about calls for speakers. No sure what to make of that.
Anyone following Jeff knows he moved on from VoIP some time ago, and even a casual read of his blog shows that his focus is mostly in social media and video. However, Friday’s post is the first public statement I’ve seen about any type of conference and event beyond Jeff’s ongoing series of social media breakfasts.
As you’ll see from Jeff’s post, this is a modest one-day event, but it’s definitely got all the makings of a mini-conference - a call for speakers, registration for attendees, and yes, an appeal for sponsors - and helpers to organize it. Part of the event will be broadcast live from the PulverTV studio, which tells me that he’ll be staging this from the Pulver.com office in Melville.
It’s hard to know what to make of this, but I know Jeff is passionate about social media, and the topics he’s addressing are important - and need community-building. And given all Jeff has been through this year, you have to tip your hat to him for getting back up and into something he knows how to do - build communities.
I’m not really connected to his circle these days, so it’s hard to know how well this will be received. We’ll just have to watch for news on his blog.
Interested? Jeff would love to hear from you!
Technorati tags: social media, Jeff Pulver, Jon Arnold