Let's Drop Some Bass. Let's Do Something Different.

Discovered these guys in an Apple commercial and boy, they are GOOD. Made in Heights' Murakami is an interesting combo of good lyrics, great vocals and some trippy beats. When Sabzi, the composer of the group drops the bass the sheer intensity serves as a wonderful contrast to the thoughtful lyrics we hear before. Go have a listen yourself and nod thoughtfully about how even a song named after the great Japanese writer Murakami reflects his poetic genius.

Is Ambition Overrated?

Marcus Mumford was raised near Wimbledon. He chose to sing as if he was raised on a farm in rural Wyoming was his call. He and his band Mumford and Sons would be good folk rock was their fate.

Mumford and Sons are possibly the biggest name in folk rock. Their music is so integral to the genre that they have bought new fans to the genre. But that wasn't good enough. Suddenly Marcus Mumford decided he hated the sound of the 'banjo' and the 'tambourine' - two instruments they heavily relied on. Now a lot of bands try to reinvent themselves, go in the search of new sounds and reinvent their own personal brand. All that is respectable and often, refreshing.

What Mumford and Sons want to do it seems that they don't want to be a successful indie rock band. They'd rather be a successful mainstream band. They want Billboard chartbusters, fully packed stadiums and a lot more. If that comes at the cost of alienating their original fan base, missing a Grammy and sounding like a mediocre Snow Patrol cover band, then so be it. Think I'm being too aggressive? Do give a listen to their new album Wilder Mind. The lyrics are good if not better but the the arrangements and the electronic guitar backed compositions sound something Snow Patrol must be doing in the demo recordings.

I don't mean to be caustic but I see so many artists pulling this trick. Consider Maroon 5 for a moment. They put the pop in pop rock but man, Adam Devine could write the hell out of a song. Now he writes gooey lyrics and every song they make sounds like stadium pop. Where are those ballads, Adam? Where are they?

It makes sense for an artist to want a bigger stage and a bigger paycheck but must it always come this way? A lot of artists experiment, release independent albums, rotate in other bands. Now, that sounds better than just aping bands (read Snow Patrol) whose music makes more money than yours. 

Listen to a 14-year-old Give Sia a Run for her Money.

Sia has a voice with enough throw and depth to make you think she's been through pain all her life. The over the top lyrics of Elastic Heart provide the perfect showcase for her songwriting and singing. Although it also serves to show that at 39, which is slightly older for a pop star, she actually has a greater well of experiences to draw from. And then comes in Jannina Weigel - a 14-year-old South Asia who doesn't just nail her cover but with her own operatic but childlike voice lends this new found elegance to the song. It's almost Sia talks about hard-won wisdom and Jannina talks about a teenage love gone sour. Give this a listen. She is one to watch for. The next big stars won't be found by music producers. They will rise from YouTube.

Showing Character Growth In 2 Simple Shots.

I recently saw Adam. An obscure love story about how the eponymous Adam (Hugh Dancy from Hannibal) despite having Asperger's Syndrome manages to learn how to love and also overcome some drawbacks of his condition. Now on paper, it sounds like a standard love with a dash of diseaste type of story but it translates well on screen.

A lot of credit goes to Hugh Dancy's acting chops. He wins our hearts over by making Adam's social anxieties relatable. For example, there are a bunch of times in the movie where Adam doesn't know how to react to his girlfriend Beth's (a subpar Rose Byrne) emotional needs. Now even if you are the most well-adjusted human being out there, I'm sure you too have found yourself at odds while dealing with a loved one. Dancy presents Adam's anxieties with a mix of social awkwardness and a nonchalant bemused demeanour. Just like us he wants to help but isn't sure on how to do it.

So every time he comforts Beth, it shows that he's managed to come closer to her. To loving her in the way, that makes him for the lack of  a better expression, a more integrated person in our world. As a director, Max Mayer had several ways of showing this. Instead he chooses this neat trick.

This is one of the opening shots of the film. Adam is about to attend his father's funeral. This is his last goodbye to the man whose support saw him lead a comfortable life. He's at the dining table, passively eating his cereal. No signs of discomfort. He's alone here but there's no hint of loneliness. 

Then, there's this shot later towards the end. Adam is again at the dining table with cereal. Except this time, things have changed. He's broken up with Beth. He is really alone now. Without his father, he found a way to get by but he didn't grow out of his shell. He didn't try to make new friends or create his own simulacrum of family.When Beth came along, he learnt to love. He saw how good could life be and now that he's lost her he's a little worse for the wear. He knows that the people who enable him love him but enabling someone isn't the same as loving someone. Spoiler alert - Beth leaves him because he wants her to move with him to California for a job. All his reasons are practical, he needs her to help him out. He loves her alright, but mostly because she enables him. And this simple truth prompts Adam to turn his life around. To see that he needs to live without Beth to possibly show Beth that he can love her unconditionally and in some way, learn to love himself. Using a near identical shot and juxtaposing it with the inner journey of a character is a real smooth move. And, Adam, dear readers is a real nice watch. 

Special Delivery - Watch Ritesh Batra's Short Film 'Cafe Regular, Cairo'

Ritesh Batra's 'The Lunchbox' is easily one of the most assured debuts of our times. Not only do the performances seem natural, but the way the camera closes in and captures every moment is amazing too. I never really get how so many filmmakers ignore what the real Bombay stands for - they forget, no, ignore Mumbai's filled-to-the-brim-and-spilling milieu.

Thankfully Ritesh knows what he's doing. You remember that scene when Irrfan gets bugged with the traffic and takes a rickshaw home - how he has to bend himself just to get off the bus? Well, when that scene was over, a friend sitting next to me said, 'I do that sometimes.' I could only wonder why wasn't this little moment captured on film before? Ritesh Batra is a man who carefully listens. To our world. To the stories we tell in whispers. Oh and he can use sound well too.  Did you listen to the loud thumping of the leaky tap when Saajan (Irrfan) goes to the washroom to check his shave? Did you notice how with each passing interaction, we show Ila and Saajan eagerly await the lunchbox.

Wait, hold on. 

There's so much about 'The Lunchbox' that needs to be lauded. But I am writing to you because I wanted to share this little gem with you. Cafe Regular, Cairo is the short film Ritesh made right before he made The Lunchbox. So if you were craving for more of his stories, this is the perfect little treat for you. Granted it's tad different from The Lunchbox. But even here the performances are just as assured and the role reversal between the man and woman is both entertaining and refreshing. Just hit play to watch. Add salt, sugar and compliments as per taste.