Behold our King – AR Rahman :Kadal Music Review

Chitirai Nila

The album starts with a musically and lyrically inspirational “Chitirai Nila” rendered soulfully by Vijay Yesudas. It’s the genesis, a great start to the album. The song is irrefutably positive, thanks to the enlightening lyrics by Vairamuthu.

Adiye

Wow, we have another Aaromalesque song from Rahman. The tone of “Adiye” is almost preposterous, in a good way, obviously. The song is one of the most alluring songs of the album, personally. The song is crooned faithfully by Sid Sriram, an amazing talent. Proof, as soon as the album released Sid Sriram was trending on twitter, enough said. Two thumps up!!

Moongil Thottam

A heart-warming tune almost an instant classic, you might presume that it’s another simple melody, wait, listen again. The instrumentation is nominal yet magical. Vocals by Abhay Jodhpukar and Harini are serene, to foster into a soulful melody. In classic Rahman style, the song culminates with an impulsive duet.

Nenjukkule

You will only like the song more!

PS: AR Rahman’s voice is only a scrumptious icing on the cake.

Elay Keechan

A light hearted country song, it immediately gets you on the feat. Rahman’s rendition is reminiscent of the “Mustafa”, “Urvasi” days. The tune is explicitly carefree and so is the befitting lyric by Karky. Elay Keechan, a joyous song, which is sure to rock.

Anbin Vasale

The grandeur of this religious song is inimitable. The chorus is instantaneously mesmerising, I found myself humming the chorus after the first listen. I wish all songs sung in the church were as good. Rahman effortlessly pulls off a grand chorus piece. Anbin Vasale, another elevated tune from Rahman.

Magudi Magudi

Magudi Magudi, I never liked the idea. I mean a song like this in Kadal seemed implausible. However, I see myself liking it involuntarily. A foot tapping number like ‘Dol Dol’ from “Ayutha Ezhuthu” electrifying and galloping beats dominates this song. Looking forward to the clubs rocking with M-A-G-U-D-I!

Verdict: In Hollywood style, Rahman undoubtedly delivers “the” album of the year at the eleven hour.

LYTRO Camera – Can it remain in focus?

A Lytro camera basically is a Light Field Camera (LFC) which is quite different from conventional cameras in a way. Let’s leave aside the technical stuff, primarily a Lytro camera allows us to capture first and focus later. The technology that it uses is futuristic and also available to the consumers. (Lytro 8GB Light Field Camera – Graphite -$ 399 CAD)

Specs

• 11 ‘Megaray’* sensor
• 8x 43-340mm equivalent, constant F2 lens (limited to 43-150mm range in Everyday mode)
• 8GB or 16GB internal memory (depending on model)
• 1.46″ (33mm) touch-screen ( I don’t see the point here)
• Instant power-on.

So with a Lytro camera you can capture a moment without worrying about the focus. So does it guarantee a good picture regardless of how I take the picture? Yes and no.  Of course camera does try to eliminate the problem with blurry pictures. However, you also have to get the ISO and shutter speed right (of course the frame as well). To an extent the Lytro camera does what it promises. It lets the focusing part to the end user, quite impressive.  The demo below is kind of ironic and fascinating! Check it out for yourself. (Click on the picture to focus)

My thoughts on the Lytro Camera

• Today in the world of digital cameras with auto focus features, advanced face recognition technologies, the causes for bad pictures are mostly the ISO and the shutter speed. Focus is very rarely the problem.
• Lytro is not focused at photography enthusiasts (If it was, the price tag would be above $699. Trust me). So it is mainly for people who want to take photographs with less effort from their side. (An equivalent of making a 2 minute noodles, when you can prepare a 7 course meal. Of course it depends on their appetite)   
•  It’s a fad in every sense; I tried browsing through the Lytro gallery. First I was very fascinated by it, as clicked the next arrow and then the next, I found myself bored. The law of diminishing utility definitely works for the Lytro pictures. Check out for yourself? https://pictures.lytro.com/
• Here is the big ONE! As of now, you cannot share the Lytro pictures on Facebook. The Lytro camera does not capture images in conventional formats like jpeg, PNG .etc. it’s mainly due to its interactive functionality. However, I could see that they may come up with a way to accommodate it into Facebook. ( These pictures can definitely can spark a new level of interactivity with Facebook )
• It’s Cylindrical! I don’t see Lytro cameras making a fashion statement in anyway, not in the present and not in the immediate future.

As an amateur photographer, I believe the Lytro camera cannot cater to my appetite for photography. However, I would definitely love playing around with photos which are interactive. It definitely provides a distinctive perspective.