Lootera and Explosions in the Sky

Today I have some music from you that comes from the world of Bollywood. We are seeing an interesting shift in the musicality of Bollywood cinema. On one hand, we have an evolution of music towards a more electronic and EDM based dance style. Many of the popular dance numbers today have that EDM base or some kind of electronic music base. And then we have music which takes another route entirely. This song is one of those. We are now seeing a new kind of music movement within Bollywood, which includes the use of guitars and typical rock band instruments. Lyrics are also becoming simpler, but convey the same kind of meaning. I will say, in the past, many romantic songs had lyrics that would simply take your breath away. I can't say the same for today's music, however, the overall musicality of the songs is what leaves you breathless. This evolution is very interesting to see because of how vastly different it is from the rest of Bollywood's music. I like this newer and emerging style of music. There is something so much more raw and emotional about the music. This song especially shows that simplicity is what gives the music more emotion. This song is relatively simple when it comes to instrumentals. A guitar, violin, and a drum. Those are the main instruments we hear, and the rest of the song's beauty comes from the way the voices are all layered together. Having this more rock based kind of sound gives a lot of the lesser known Bollywood playback singers the chance to really showcase what they can do. This song starts out with a really nice electric guitar melody, which then gives way to the gorgeous vocals of Mohan Kanan and Amit Bhattacharya. Both of these vocalists have softer and gentler voices, however, there is a little bit of a rougher and deeper sound. That works so beautifully with this melody because it is a slower kind of rock song. If I had to compare this sound to another kind of band, I would say it sounds like something we would hear from Explosions in the Sky. The entire melody and tone of the song takes on this lovely alternative rock jam. It is one of those slower and more magical rock songs which leaves you feeling more emotional than you initially realized. And the vocals provided by Mohan Kanan and Amit Bhattacharya are stunning compliments for the song. There is one point in the song where they layer their voices at different harmonies, and it comes together so beautifully. The most climatic and heightened part of the song is where these melodies and harmonies weave their way through, and it works like magic. This song has such an enchanting character to it, and even if you cannot understand the lyrics, the music clearly tells a story about love. That is what I love so much about this kind of music. Language is not a hindrance. In fact, I think the language kind of enhances the song. Despite the fact that you may not understand, you can still feel the rhythm and mood of the song, and the vocals offer a warm and soothing comfort. This song is absolutely beautiful and I have to say it is one of those precious and hidden gems which you don't want to let go. The intimacy and simplicity of this song make it a touching and heart warming song. The song comes from the film Lootera, which is a story about love and the power it has in overcoming self-destruction. This movie in itself is so off the main path of Bollywood, it is no wonder that the music accompanying the film does just the same. In this film, set in the early 1900s, the music does so much justice to the cinematography. That secret magic is something that I can still feel even when just listening to the song. Whether or not you watch Lootera, I think you will really enjoy this piece. Now earlier, I mentioned Explosions in the Sky, and I thought they would be a great way to continue today's post. So today's instrumental song is from the band which oddly understands the style of Bollywood music I have come to love. This song is more guitar based than some of their other songs, but I kind of like that. There is a gentle melancholy to this song which makes it stand out to me. I love that the subtle musical hints points us in this emotional direction which actually makes us understand the music even better. I hope you enjoy the music and please feel free to comment!