I’m quickly writing this short post as Steve checks his quote engine (I program for him)
These days I’m constantly listening to FM stations while working. This is because I’m mostly coding and doing promotional and administrative work; most of the writing work is outsourced.
About older songs: I mostly like pre-90s, or rather pre-80s songs, as they contain less of musical noise and more of vocal expression. For me, a song is always about expression, mood and language. The newer songs have no depth, although musically (it’s an illusion) they seem more evolved. They either tilt towards western music, or totally folk, rustic style. They are rarely easy going, relaxed expressions. I mean, today’s musicians, and even lyricists, sadly, don’t have enough depth to create something like “ye nayan dare dare” or “tum gagan ke chandrama”.
Another thing I like about older songs is that they didn’t have to depend on facades in order to be creative. Take for instance, “tasveer teri dil mein”, two normal looking people (who might have just purchased vegetables from the corner) sing and enjoy on the roof while there are lots of clothes hanging for drying. It’s dark, there is just one night bulb, the guy is wearing shirt and pants (Dev Anand) and the girl is wearing a patternless, dark-colored saree with her hair tied into a juda (Mala Sinha).
It’s not that I don’t like complicated singing and lavish surroundings, it’s just that, contemporary compositions seem too desperate to “create” something.
