'Furthermore, my hats are extraordinary.' ' - using the skull of an elephant, an improbably large mushroom, and one of your very peculiar hats!' 'Well, that one was rather a good guess,' Magnus remarked. The townspeople believe that you and I are performing arcane magic rituals - ' The children now believe there is a sickly monster, half horse and half large mournful chicken, that lives in the lake and calls out to the world to grant it the sweet release of death. The llamas are migrating because of your music, and llamas are not a migratory animal. 'It is worse than you can possibly imagine! When you play, all of my mother's flowers lose the will to live and expire on the instant. Imasu turned on him with eyes that flashed instead of shining.

'Yes, it is!' It was like a dam of musical critique had broken. My own sainted mother begged me, with tears in her eyes - ' Dignitaries of the town have been sent to me, asking me to plead with you to stop. 'I can't live a lie any longer!' Imasu burst out. 'I was simply overcome,' Imasu said in a faint voice. Songs, after all, are musical poetry and what better way to depict emotion than through such poetry? Such usage helps make songs less generic, and ensures that the filmвЂ™s narrative doesnвЂ™t meander.вЂњWhen Magnus looked at Imasu, he saw Imasu had dropped his head into his hands. Almost all of the songs I have referenced in this piece, with the exception of some songs in Petta and Pularaadha, have been featured with montage videos. Filmmakers seem to be responding to this by increasingly moving away from dance sequences. We are, after all, in the midst of a debate on how far songs hamper our narratives. When talking about film music, the effectiveness of how a song is picturised often decides the extent of the trackвЂ™s success. Unlike say Aaha Kalyanam and Marana Mass, where the mood is of complete celebration, Ullalaa is laidback and attractive. It took its time to grow on me, but the variety is quite impressive. The album that takes the cake in terms of percussion usage is Anirudh Ravichandran's Petta. On the other hand, you have the languidly peppy Chinna Machan from Charlie Chaplin 2. ThereвЂ™s the groovy Sarvam Thala Mayam from Rajiv MenonвЂ™s eponymous film. Even here, rather curiously, the tempo seems to have been relaxed. There have been quite a few options for those after rhythms. It has been a few months, and Inaye seems like an exception. This is a constant accusation placed on contemporary composers. Many melodies enchant you quickly, but fade as fast. While on old-school melodies, one canвЂ™t miss Inaye, a lovely number from Thadam, composed by Arun Raj. Music never has language barriers, but songs? 2019 has blurred those lines a bit more. While DhanushвЂ™s forced accent doesnвЂ™t sit easily on this lilting tune, it still instantly manages to bring a smile. Remember what I said about old-school charm? This one has truckloads of it. Another song that passed with flying colours is Engleesu Lovesu from Pakkiri, the Tamil version of The Extraordinary Journey of Fakir. In an era of momentary gratification, this song speaks a language that lingers, like love, even in its most fleeting form, sometimes does. There are few exceptions to this problem, like Pularaadha. Often, songs from dubbed films sound strange with the original tune not always successfully wrapping itself around the new words. Karthik Netha struck gold with one more, Pularaadha, from Dear Comrade (also composed by Justin). вЂњAnthimaalai neram, aathankarai oram, nila vandhade, en nila vandhadheвЂќ is a simple but evocative reminder to times when our rivers still gushed with water, fuelling life and love by its shores. It isnвЂ™t just the pleasantly simple tunes of the composer, but also the vignettes painted by lyricist Karthik Netha in this song.

I am yet to stop listening to Justin PrabhakaranвЂ™s Anthi Maalai from Monster.

Love, as always, has found its way into the 2019 playlist, and this time, brimming with old-school charm. It isnвЂ™t just the wistful tunes that have captured our imagination. There is more embellishment here in this track in which PadmapriyaвЂ™s voice takes centre stage and tugs at your heartstrings. Another melody, KS SundaramurthyвЂ™s Meghadhootham from Airaa, is cut from similar fabric and screams despair too. The wholesome soundscape, resplendent in minimalistic glory, sends waves of emotion crashing into your soul. вЂSethu Pochu ManasuвЂ™, for example, haunts us with its melancholy but ends on a surprisingly hopeful note. There is no better place to start than Yuvan Shankar RajaвЂ™s Peranbu, an album that is an unconventional marriage of hope and despair. Melodies are back and how! Not that they ever went out of trend, but 2019 so far has so much to offer for the old souls who seek musical allies to burn the midnight oil with.

Midnight melodies in tamil