The 10 best Soundtracks of 2008

This post is a part of 2008: The Year That Was, a feature of Opinion Matrix and Review Matrix, to round off the year in style.

2008 has been a great year for many spheres, and while films are one of them, the quality of the albums (quality, not popularity) has always been playing catch-up with the films. (This may be due to movies like A Wednesday and Aamir, which were great films that didn't concentrate on music.) Irrespective of that, we do have some fabulous music this year and so here goes:

10 best Soundtracks of 2008

10. Karzzzz
Composer: Himesh Reshammiya
Yes, the guy whom everybody likes to hate has come up with only one album this year, and it finds itself in the list of the best albums of the year. Although 9 originals and 10 remixes are enough to try anyone's patience, the good tracks in the album: Lut Jaaon, Tandoori Nights and Ek Hasina Thi, are so good that you have to give this thing a hear only for these songs. As for the rest, if you like them hear them, otherwise do whatever else you like to do!

9. Bachna Ae Haseeno
Composer: Vishal-Shekhar
Vishal-Shekhar have come up with quite a score for this Ranbir - Deepika - Bipasha - Minisha movie (phew, that was quite a starcast!). The big track here is of course, Khuda Jaane, sung by KK, in his own style, and Shilpa Rao, in a most brilliant manner. It was, not the very least, supported by scintillating visuals and an awesome remix. Besides, we have its title track, which is a reprise of the '70s Bachna Ae Hasseno track. That is not all, though; Lucky Boy is quite a dance track, and Aahista Aahista is a unique fusion of a lovey-dovey feel along with groovy beats. This album surely packs a punch!

8. Dostana
Composer: Vishal-Shekhar
From one Vishal-Shekhar to another. The movie that grabbed a lot of headlines for being 'gay' also had a great soundtrack going fot it. Desi Girl has been a favorite of DJ's for quite some time now, and will continue to be so for some more. Jaane Kyon was very good; again mellow with a dash of dancability. Shut up and Bounce has quite a carnival feel to it (need better lyrics though), and Maa Da Laadla is an above average original with an even better 'Mummy Mix' doing the rounds. All in all, worthy of this spot!

7. Rock On!!
Composer: Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy
When this album hit the stands, the critics found it good, but too niche, fearing if it would get a decent audience. The film went on to be one of the biggest hits of the year, and with it, proved the critics' fears baseless. The title track and Pichle Saat Dino Mein are carved out of a similar mould, slowish tempo rock with rather interestingly good lyrics. Then again, Socha Hai and Sindbad The Sailor are similarly uptempo, with similar lyrics that tell the listeners something. However, the best track in the album has to be Ye Tumhari Meri Baatein. Dominique Cerejo delivers, and how! This track has such an ethereal feel, time seems to slow down when this thing is on. Perfect for love-struck couples!

6. Jannat
Composer: Pritam
No sooner did the music of Jannat release than Lambi Judaai was all over the place. As of now, this song rendered by Kamran Ahmed is one of the biggest hits of the year. It is also featured in a 'Kilogram Mix', which is again, one of the best remixes of the year. However, Jannat is no one-song-show. In fact, if anything, Zara Sa is extremely tough competition to Judaai in the best-of-the-year department.

5. Fashion
Composer: Salim-Suleiman
This soundtrack is going to go down as one of the most unexpected hits in recent times. Salim-Suleiman deliver a soundtrack that has two brilliant dancable tracks (Fashion Ka Jalwa, Aashiyana) alongside an utterly unconventional love ballad (Mar Jaawan), and an utterly conventional one (Kuchh Khaas), which is superb all the same, and a great Theme of Fashion for the discerning ears out there. Remixes by DJ A-Myth only add to the album.

4. Singh Is Kinng
Composer: Pritam
A total masala soundtrack for a total masala Akshay Kumar movie; this doesn't disappoint you in the slightest if you know what you're looking for. (If you don't, God help you.) All kinds of mindless-lyric dance numbers (Jee Karda, Bhootni Ke, Bas Ek Kinng, Talli Hua), and Snoop Dogg added for good measure (title track) make this one for the dance floors. Fantastic remixes by Hyacinth, A-Myth and others only add to the pleasure, while Teri Ore is for balancing the influence (and the target audience).

3. Race
Composer: Pritam
And then, some more Pritam. The title track rocked the proceedings along with Zara Zara Touch Me and Khwab Dekhe, both of which have a dynamite of a new talent Monali gracing the proceedings. Dekho Nashe Mein was slightly better than passable. However, the best song has to be (no points for guessing) Pehli Nazar Mein, rendered by the soulful voice of Atif Aslam. DJ Suketu has given fabulous mixes of all the tracks, which is all the more reason to go for this Race!

2. Golmaal Returns
Composer: Pritam
And, Pritam again. Like Singh Is Kinng, this one is not for the ones looking for soulful music. We have fantastic dance tracks here like Tha Kar Ke (rendered by Neeraj Shridhar and others, and superbly remixed by A-Myth), Vacancy (great remix by K&G), Tu Saala (great work by Anushka Manchanda, okay-ish remix by Bunty Rajput) and Meow (Suzy Q and Monali rock; fantabulous remix by Nikhil Chinappa). For a night out in the club, expect to hear this. For a candle-lit dinner, see #1!

1. Jaane Tu... Ya Jaane Na
Composer: A. R. Rahman
In a year that saw 5 albums by the great A. R. Rahman, it would be a great surprise to not see a Rahman album on #1. A great set of mellow tracks: Kabhi Kabhi Aditi, which also turned out to be quite peppy, and is, according to many, THE song of the year, Nazrein Milana Nazrein Churana, which creates a fantastic atmosphere with soft guitar strums and all, Kahin To Hogi, which is the definitive track for couples recently fallen in love, and also Jaane Tu Mera Kya Hai, which puts forth the film's topical question very effectively: "So when do you know it's love?" Plus, for dance aficionadoes (and the general campus crowd), we have Pappu Can't Dance (which also appears in a good remix).
Not only that, but JTYJN served as a great launchpad for two great talents (no, I'm not talking about Imran and Genelia): Rashid Ali (Kabhi Kabhi Aditi) and Runa Rizvi (Jaane Tu Mera Kya Hai). Moreover, the phenomenal success of the film only helped the album further. There's no real way this can't be Number 1!

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10 Remixes in 2008 you missed

This post is a part of 2008: The Year That Was, a feature of Opinion Matrix and Review Matrix, to round off the year in style.

We faced an avalanche of songs in 2008: mellow originals, hardcore rock numbers, and of course, remixes. Lots of them. However, it was only a few of them that made the most noise, and not all of them were necessarily good. A few very good mixes simply slipped into obscurity because of many reasons: The film wasn't promoted well enough, or it bombed, or the mix was simply too unconventional, but one thing is clear: The remixes were grossly underrated. I therefore post:

10 Underrated Remixes of 2008

10. Jaane Tu Mera Kya Hai (Remix)
Remixed by: Unavailable
Album: Everybody On Dance Floor Groove 6
The premier reason for the apparent overshadowing of this track (besides the obvious fact that it doesn't appear in an OST) is the aversion people generally have to listening to such songs being remixed. However, this track largely succeeds in its endeavor of keeping the soul of the original intact along with providing pretty decent beats and echoing vocals that enables the song to cater to both audiences: those liking originals, and those liking remixes. But under-promotion has turned out to be the main culprit...

9. Bandeya (Remix by DJ Suketu) and Allah Ho (Remix by DJ Aqeel)
Album: Khuda Kay Liye
I'm not surprised I have to put both these songs in this list. In fact I feel hardly any of you readers may have heard of even the movie. KKL is a brilliant Pakistani movie, and both these songs, even more so. For Bandeya, DJ Suketu goes about in his own style and brings to the table (turntable, as it were) an awesome remix that can light up any party. Allah Ho, on the other hand, is an extremely dark and haunting mix by DJ Aqeel, albeit with a fairly high tempo. However, both these songs are not Hindi, which may pose some problem for listeners that like lyrics.

8. Meow (Remix)
Remixed by: Nikhil Chinappa and Naved
Album: Golmaal Returns
You may have got a load of remixes of Vacancy and Tha Kar Ke (both of which are very good, no doubt), but in the noise surrounding these mixes, the voice of Meow got drowned out. This remix features outlandish arrangements by Nikhil Chinappa (yeah, it's the very same MTV VJ) and Naved along with very good escalating beats. It may not be as full-on as Vacancy, but that is no reason to not give this track a good hear!

7. Kahin To Hogi (Remix)
Remixed by: Unavailable
Album: Everybody On Dance Floor Groove 6
Similar mix to Jaane Tu... (see #10), similar merits, same problems. Only difference being the merits and problems have double the intensity... Jaane Tu... was a sad song, while Kahin To is an out-and-out romance number, all the more appalling for most to see it in the mix. Give it a chance at least, and you won't be disappointed. (An idea: If you liked Kuchh Khaas - Remix from Fashion, then you will surely like this one).

6. Fashion Ka Jalwa (Remix)
Remixed by: DJ A-Myth
Album: Fashion
The title track and flagship number of Fashion finds itself mixed in a zany way by A-Myth. Be it the atypical arrangements or a BPM (Beats per minute) of only 110 (even the 'slowest' remixes usually have a BPM of 120, but this isn't even close to slow.) It's probably the thing that led to its undoing, since DJs found it difficult to beatmix the 'conventional' 125 BPM tracks with this one. Otherwise, it rocked.

5. Karle Gunaah (Remix)
Remixed by: DJ A-Myth
Album: Ugly aur Pagli
This has been described by many people in different ways: "Too fast", "Barely Passable", and so on. I describe it as thus: "Potentially Game-changing". This was a remix in which A-Myth combined a host of elements which made his mixes (Billo Rani - Goal, Aa Khushi Se Khud Khushi Kar Le - Darling, etc) successful, and presented them all in a single mix. This could have been one of the most overused mixes of the year, but again, the same problem reared its head: This song killed the original rather brutally. As a result, this remix stayed underground. Irrespective of this little hitch, though, this mixing style has made waves in the days to come, courtesy largely of the soundtrack of Fashion.

4. Theme of Fashion (Remix)
Remixed by: Harsh Kale and Midieval Punditz
Album: Fashion
The only non-A-Myth remix in Fashion was of Theme of Fashion. Both original and remix received heaps of critical acclaim, but that's all they managed. Who listens to instrumentals anyway? Besides, the over 6 minuite length and the slightly repetitive nature of the track worked against this otherwise pacy remix.

3. Masha Allah (Remix)
Remixed by: Akbar Sami
Album: Karzzzz
If I tell you that the makers of Karzzzz have been guilty of underpromoting a deserving song, you won't believe it. But that's exactly the case with Masha Allah's remix. I had to do a double-take to confirm that the man behind this was really Akbar Sami, this was so unlike him. Full-on electronic arrangements along with an innovative 4-beat rhythm for half a stanza really meant this was a first-rate remix. But, as I said, it was underpromoted, and you see the result.

2. Mann Tu Talbat (Remix)
Remixed by: Nikhil Chinappa
Album: Superstar
However, if you do want high-voltage mixing, look no further than this one. This is my third-best mix of the year, behind only the Number 1 on these charts and Judai (Kilogram Mix) - Jannat. It's so vibrant that I bet you'll be catching your breath after giving a hear to this crazy remix. The major card played by Nikhil Chinappa comes right in the beginning itself with so much of vocal scattering that you'll be riveted, on your toes trying to expect what will follow next. The response it got was slightly okay, but it ended up being a bit too much for most ears...

And Number One...

1. Khuda Jaane (Revisited)
Remixed by: Abhijeet Nalani
Album: Bachna Ae Haseeno
And if you want a truly ethereal feel, go for this. I repeat: GO FOR THIS. I couldn't stress this enough. Abhijeet Nalani (yeah, new guy) approaches this song without any presumptions and it takes up its full pace within the first 10 seconds itself. Keeping the feel of the original largely intact, he procceds to fill it with a mix of racy music arrangements, digital echoes, and the works, set to a BPM of 140, all of which truly make the feel of this track alluringly haunting. Once you have had a hear, you'll keep coming back to it. The only problem being that people will have heard the original by now (unless they have been living under a rock this August), and approach this track with apprehension.

So, that was it, return for the 10 best soundtracks this year!

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