Aggressive energy and seriously funny

Album: Black Clouds & Silver Linings
Artist: Dream Theater
Price: Rs395
Rating: ***

In true Dream theatre style the CD opens with a long 16-minute-long A Nightmare to Remember — an instant Dream Theatre classic, intense and completely up your alley if you are someone who roots for untainted progressive rock. And the aggressive energy lasts from start to finish. While this song is more your classic progressive rock, A Rite of Passage is more for the typical metal fan — hard and in your face — with lots of ‘guitaring’.

Wither slows down the proceedings. It’s a ballad and has more melody than you would expect from DT. The Shattered Fortress is definitely a relatively weak song in here and The Best Of Times gets on track only once the vocals start. From there on it’s a traditional DT journey. The Count of Tuscany (again over 19 minutes) holds you with its amazing highs and lows and interesting twists. 

The album overall is not too heavy and not too light. Aggressive moments and melodies are thrown in, in good measure. But despite all the good things it can’t be counted as one of the best from the band. The album, produced by drummer Mike Portnoy and guitarist John Petrucci, and mixed by Paul Northfield, doesn’t take you one level up. Yet, take this one along whenever you hit the road next!

Album: Quick Gun Murugun
Music and lyrics: Sagar Desai
Price: Rs160
Rating: ***

“You blink before I shoot, I say. This is Murgan, Quickgun Murgan!” The movie is a spoof and so is the music. The movie is corny and so is the music. The movie is meant to be funny and this album is seriously funny. The dialogue mix which comes first up sets the tone. The dialogues are ridiculous and crazy (case in point: “remove your guns I say”, “If you are lightening I am 250 volts current, I say”, “Veg cowboy”) weaved together with some South Indian-style dhols and shehnai. 

Mika’s ‘Tamil Bhangra’ Mind It has all the makings for a hit. Mika exchanges Tamil Punjabi Mauja mauja for sambhar-idli. Raghu Dixit’s Murgun Superstar is good fun though his vocals somehow don’t do justice to the number. It’s a totally awesome track to laugh at rather than just listen to. Chat Magni Lover starts off nicely in that old-Hindi-filmi style and is quite amusing and so are the Kyon Keeda Hai Aapko and Ek That Murgan with a 50s-style musical arrangement. 

And amongst all these old-style songs, the one that stands out apart from Mika’s song is Naam Mera Mango Dolly a classic cabaret number sung by Geeta John who reminds you (in style and in voice quality) of Asha Bhosale’s popular cabaret renditions. 

Sagar Desai lost out on the credits but he does full justice to the ridiculously different album topped by some cheesy dialogues and Ankur Tewari’s cheeky words like lolly and jolly, dishoom-dishoom and dishkyaun!

Don’t expect excellence, just enjoy!