tracking sounds

I long ago gave up any pretense that I knew enough about anything about movie soundtracks to be able to review them at all.  Mostly, I like what I like, and often I can't make a decision about anything until I hear it in the context of the film, anyway.

But I was having this conversation with Vanessa, and in the course of it I mentioned I had this theory about soundtracks.  I thought that I could probably decide how I felt about a soundtrack based purely on the number of remixes on it (and, perhaps, too, there's some relationship between the total number of tracks versus number of remixes but that's starting to sound distressingly like something out of a stats course, and since what I learned out of my one mandatory stats course at university was that you can manipulate any number to make it fit your theory, I don't much see the point).

Anyhoo.

"Theory" is probably also kind of a strong word, something that might make you think I've actually put more thought into this beyond just throwing out this vague idea, which is pretty much all I've done so far.

But then, I thought, theories need to be tested, so, why not?  So I've looked at a few of some of the more recent soundtracks to see if anything can be revealed.

1.  Aisha

 
 
Music Director:  Amit Trivedi

Lyricist:  Javed Akhtar

Number of tracks:  8

Number of original tracks:  6

Number of remixes:  2

2. Lafangey Parindey 

 
Music Director : R Anandh

Lyricist:  Swanand Kirkire

Number of tracks:  7

Number of original tracks:  6

Number of remixes:  1

3.  Once Upon a Time in Mumbai

 
Music Director:  Pritam

Lyricists: Irshad Kamil, Nilesh Mishra, Amitabh Battacharya

Number of tracks:  9

Number of original tracks:  6

Number of remixes:  3

The reason I chose these three soundtracks is that they're all very recent, and they're all films I'm interested in seeing (yes, even Lafangey Parindey).  I'd not listened to the soundtracks yet, and had only heard the music in the trailers for the films.  So this morning, I took a listen to all three of them, and then got thinking about what I'd said to Ness, and wondered if it made any sense whatsover.

Of the three soundtracks, the one for Once Upon a Time in Mumbai is the one I most want to reserve judgement on.  I like some of the tracks, but not all of them, and as a whole, I don't really want to say much about the music until I've seen the film.  At this point, based on one listen, nothing has caught my attention enough to want me to throw it on my iPod.  But, it's interesting enough as a soundtrack that I want to see how it works in the film, and since part of the point of the music is to add to the overall film experience, I can't see that as a bad thing.

With Lafangey Parindey, there are two tracks I quite like and could see wanting to listen to on the iPod.  I do like the music's funky, quirky, pop/rock feel, though I'm not sure it manages to sustain it consistently throughout the whole soundtrack.  I get the feeling that Yash Raj Films is trying to aim for a kind of Vishal Bhardwaj feel for this film, without knowing quite how to be edgy like Bhardwaj does.  (It *is* Yash Raj Films after all, and "edgy" is not normally a term I'd apply to the House of Sparkle.) 

And then, there's Aisha.  I love this soundtrack to bits.  I love every track on it, even the TWO remixes (which I can't say for the other two soundtracks, as I don't like their remixes at all).  I want to put this soundtrack on my iPod and listen to it over and over and over again.  And I find it interesting, because Amit Trivedi's most well known soundtrack til date is probably the one for Dev.D, which, frankly, I did not love on first listen, but grew to adore.  I just discovered that Trivedi also did the music for the film Udaan, which has been getting a lot of good reviews, and I almost threw the soundtrack for that film into this mix to see how I felt about it before even realizing that it was one of Trivedi's, too. 

That's a long way of getting around to saying that the Aisha soundtrack fits my theory:  two remixes is kind of some Golden Number for soundtracks.  Two and the soundtrack is perfect.  Any more, or any fewer, and the soundtrack suffers for it. 

Oh, well, of course, all this might just mean that I really like Amit Trivedi's music, and that would not be wrong, either.

(Yes, yes, I know that someone is now going to tell me about a soundtrack that, in fact, blows my theory right out of the water.  I'll take the risk.  I see this as an ongoing investigation, so the more data in the pool, the better.)

(And yes, I also know I said I was taking a break.  I did.  I am.  Three days seemed to be enough to get me back thinking about writing for the blog, for better or for worse.  Likely for worse, based on my crackpot "two remix theory" of filmi soundtracks.  I think I'm still going to be spending more time off the interwebs than on it for the next while, just to think about some stuff and maybe clear out some cobwebs.)

Comments

[Asimburney]

funny, I just got my hands on the same 3 soundtracks. I love Pe loo from OUTM coz it has that qawali sounds i love and Amit Trivedi is awesome in everything he does.
I think the main culprit for remixes are some of the music directors esp Pritam who use it as a crux to promote movies. For me, I usually avoid anything dancey, I do like the acoustic versions though. You made me laugh with the YRF and edgy line...

[katherine]

Asim, what I find quite interesting about the OUTM soundtrack is that contrast between qawali and then the very 70s inspired tracks. It's not what I might want to listen to at the gym, which is where most of my music listening happens, but I do think it bodes well for the film.

As for the remixes, well, again, the gym is the standard I'm looking for: do they make me want to move, or are they just trite and annoying? If someone makes the effort to do something a little interesting so that it inspires my workout, that's cool. More often than not, though, the remixes are lazy, and they occasionally are a lazy and cheap way to pad a film's soundtrack (you know what I mean: two original songs and 6 remixes of them. Oy.)

Mostly, I prefer a remix where they've got someone who actually knows something about putting one together to do it.

[Asimburney]

oh right, i wasn't thinking of Gym music but speaking generally.( i actually listen to podcast when I work out, I find music makes me fidgety and breaks my routine as I play Ipod DJ too much :-))

You do know who we have to blame for this whole remix thing though? Sanjay Gupta...

[katherine]

And if I just think about remixes in a general, non-gym sense, I'm pretty much of the mindset that maybe, unless the remix is pretty spectacular, then really, there isn't much point to them?

Do you suppose Gupta's ears are burning, now that the blame has been placed on his doorstep?

[Ness]

OOH YOU'RE BACK! Obviously, I've only heard the Lafangey Parindey s/t so far but I'm about to find me the Aisha one based on your ebullient squee, and also, because, duh, AMIT TRIVEDI - how did I not know this earlier?

I think, based on my limited knowledge/ experience, I agree with your remix theory. I kind of hate most remixes as a rule anyway. They are usually abominations. USUALLY.

[katherine]

Oh, Ness, I am *so* pumped for Aisha. I can't believe I waited this long to listen to the soundtrack, and I can't *believe* I missed out on the fact that it was Trivedi. Mind you, lots is slipping in one ear and out the other these days.

If I'm back, it's because you keep making me THINK about stuff, and I have to put it *somewhere*.

:-)

[Ness]

I'm nothing if not...persistent :)