Tamilselvanum Thaniyar Anjalum - the music

Maya O Maya

• Catchy number that hooks on the moment it starts , thanks to the thumping beats and the familiar whistling which lead into the Pallavi through the pleasant piano filler.
• Chorus catch line has a good zing to it and sets up an nice little finale to the pallavi.
• The trumpet portions evoke deja vu of hello hello from joota hi sahi ( the fact that the latter had Karthik crooning might have been the catalyst )
• The transition to a gentler and more melodic anupallavi aided by  karthik's soft vocals is a delight.
• The mild manner in which the tune reaches an off note in the unnodu pesamal line gives it a distinct feel
•  Oru velai aval maruthal line was a perfect blend of mood that the lyrics and tune try to convey.
• For all the pep and pleasantness its interludes could have had more depth and flavor.
• Catchy and pleasant , although familiar.

Kalakku

• Trance elements and riffs in the kalakku kalakku catch line backed by celestial synth sounds set up a unusual mood for what seems like one of those million songs about girls and booze (a subject usually  conveyed  Only with kuthu music).
• Gains a fair share of momentum from the resonating techno beats  that are improvised well in the end  .
• Not a lot to savor tune wise , something that's restricted to a few lines, only to be spiced up by variations in background music .
• Simple tune colored with some interesting instrumentation and unusual mood.
  
  

 Venmegangal

• The abrupt ending lines at the start sound Harris-like but the song gets past it with the super catchy Vellai lines. 
• The soft beats , crisp guitars and quick changing chord progressions add more sweetness to the song that already pleases with its Hamsadhwani-ish scale. 
• Turning off the chords at the start of the first stanza and bringing them back in the middle enhances the impact. 
• The vocal loops ending in the same word (here its Vellai)is not uncommon in tamil film songs - New title song, No problem (Love Birds) to name a couple. And the tool works well here too.
• Easy on the ears.  

Genuinely peppy , pleasant and unassuming. Karthik keeps it simple ,short without over experimenting at the same time not dumbing it down for the "crowd".

Urumeen - the music

Hey Umayal

• The vulnerability and innocence of the hey Umayal line (with its haunting harmony) gives it a refreshing feel and made me want to listen to it over and over again .
•  Ore oru theneer sandipal enna izhuthuvittal immediately reminded me of aathu meenuku kulir adikkum line from kuchi kuchi  rakkama, I was however able to get past that familiarity due to its contrasting feel compared to the previous line.
• The song's Anupallavi is a breeze, with beautiful arrangements of the strings and guitar section superimposed with  the swift vocals. 
• The  starting guitar section sounds groovy at first but then gets repetitive as it plays over again as an interlude.
• The gentle way in which the first stanza joins back to the Hey Umayal line is captivating to say the least.

Hey Umayal unplugged 

• Achu Rajamani's unassuming singing of this unplugged version charmed me more than the original did.
• The string section that is selectively played at key portions of the song comes like a breeze.

Siru nadai reprise

• Roshni's sujatha-isque expressions and the ease with which she glides through the complex sangathis is mesmerizing .
• The beauty of the song comes from the subtle variants that Achu rajamani infuses in an otherwise straightforward composition. Sometimes all you need is a simple song handed over to a brilliant singer!
• The gentle touch of the electric tremolo guitar from time to time creates a very warm soundscape. The resounding veena portion whose tone carries the nostalgia of 90 s rahman (the awesome veena interlude in En Mel Vizhunda)  is an apt addition.
• Song ends too quickly, a complaint that is not specific to this song alone.

Siru nadai 

•  'Jessie's land' BGM from VTV.... was all i could think of when the song started... This surprisingly continues throughout the song as a background. The addition of strings is not going to hide the striking resemblance. 
• Karthik does a neat job and adds some rustic flavor with his aalaps, but doesn't come close to Roshni  in offering anything more exciting. 

Baby Baby

• Oodha Coloru ribbon meets Gana Bala& Santhosh narayanan in this pretty ordinary composition made slightly more interesting with some fun guitar layers and interludes.  
• Pure folkish vocals sung over accoustic guitars and soft drums is an interesting idea, and its a saving grace that the composer did not resort to the regular crass and heavy kuthu beats for such a song. 
• The additional arpeggios and chords in the second half of the song kept me hanging on to it without skipping to the next track.

Yaadhum oore 

• The soft vocals (with the mild electric guitar sounds) at the start building up to the wild and explosively sung catch line  produces a nice contrast.  The coarse vocals, drum rolls and the heavy metal music give the song some rawness.
• The trumpet-like music sounded okay at the start but got jarring when it was used again as an interlude.
• Achu Rajamani's forte is clearly his usage of guitar and the versatility with which he evokes different emotions in each song with the instrument.

Urumeen made me look forward to Achu Rajamani's next and revisit his earlier malai pozhudin mayakathile. If only the songs had been longer and more elaborate..