And the Oscar goes to...

It's that time of the year again; the glitz and glamour on the red carpet, those 45 second speeches, the long list of nominees hoping for that golden statue and of course, Neil Patrick Harris! :D We love everything about the Oscars.

Tanisha's Pick
I didn't come close to finishing the long list of movies to watch this year in time for the ceremony. I did, however watch the movie Begin Again that has an Oscar nomination for 'Best Original Song' for the track Lost Stars sung by Adam Levine.

I totally loved the movie. I've already watched it twice and listened to the soundtrack on repeat the whole week I worked on my portfolio. My favourite song from the movie is definitely A Step You Can't Take Back. 

Ignore the average vocals of Keira Knightly and focus on the production of the song that Mark Ruffalo's character puts together in his drunkenness and depression. Pretty brilliant I think.

Sudhir's Pick
While we both love the Oscars equally, Tanisha and I differ in approaches. I stay as far away from all the Oscar-nominated movies until the winners are announced. I do this mainly to prove the political scientist in me correct by predicting the winners based on what is in the press. I do pretty well most years guessing more than 85% correctly each year.

My favourite song of the Oscar season wasn't nominated, unfortunately. Hero by Family of the Year from Boyhood perfectly defines what it means to be in your early 20s. The lyrics while being incredibly simple bleed with raw emotions. 

"And we can whisper things
Secrets from my American dreams
Baby needs some protection
But I'm a kid like everyone else"

The country- feel for the song, aided by a strong video makes this one of my top finds from last year. 



But this is a competition, after all so I am throwing my support behind 'Glory' from Selma to win the award. Let's see how it goes.

An Evening with PK

We are well-aware that we will not be able to see most of our new finds live. We were however, lucky enough to see Prateek Kuhad in Bangalore last week when he performed in the city as part of his Tokens and Charms tour. In honour of a wonderful night of live soulful music, we are both picking PK songs to introduce to you.

Sudhir's Pick

The first song of his I ever heard of his was 'Oh Love'. The tempo and beat stays with you and is accompanied by memorable lyrics. For example, "Don't worry about me/ I've got a million fix up my sleeve". 

Seeing PK and Nikhil perform reminded me of John Mayer, Jack Johnson, Bruno Mars and Dave Matthews all at once. A versatile musician, with an extraordinary ability to mix Hindi and English lyrics, this guy represents a musical side of India that is so desperately needed, but not often heard.

(side note- the songs we upload are part of a playlist. So that you can keep listening to all our recommends if you've missed out on any.)


Tanisha's Pick
A few months ago I was listening to a playlist of new Indie artists and was pleasantly surprised to find out that one of the artists featured was Delhi-based singer/songwriter Prateek Kuhad. 

Loved the feel of the concert; an amphitheatre setting as apposed to a gig in a restaurant/bar. It made it so easy to get right into each detail of the music- the variety of percussion instruments that drummer Nikhil Vasudevan included and Dhruv Bhola who played the keys, bass and sang at the same time (see above picture)

In terms of the music composition, my favourite from the concert was Into the Night. 
The tambourine adds such a happy feel. Somehow their harmonies remind me of Simon and Garfunkel. Notice the perfect timing of the three instruments 1:58 minutes onward.

To top off the show, we got to meet the band at the end of the concert (even recommended Sudhir's garden as a great gig venue) and got a picture with them. Yay!

(Thanks Asma Tajuddin for all the pictures)

Let's See How Far We've Come

More than two years of music would mean at least 200 songs between the both of us. We've gone through a variety of genres and styles, but it would be way too much effort to scroll through all those Facebook messages to compile all that music. 

Here is a selection of our favourite finds from the past few months to catch you up on some good music.

TANISHA'S THREE

1. Cucurucu - Nick Mulvey 

There are many songs that have the ability to take me back to a fond memory. This is the one of them. As it plays, I instantly feel like I am on a road trip, gazing out of the window watching trees and sign posts whiz by. The video only narrows down the memory to driving along the coast. Read the poem by D.H. Lawrence here.

2. You and I - The Riptide Movement

This is one of those that I listened to so much that I would start singing the line "...we get by-yyyy, you and I..." randomly through the day. Such a fun song!

I read up that they traveled to India in 2012 and played in a few gigs in Delhi. Those lucky people in Delhi. Sigh.

3. Come As You Are - Yuna

This is definitely a favourite because of how she transformed Nirvana's song. Such a smooth voice. 

SUDHIR'S THREE

1. You Make Me - The Colour Compound

Having a large number of friends on Facebook has it's advantages. Found this one thanks to Facebook's mini-feed. It is easy listening at it's best. The song benefits from it's simplicity and hauntingly beautiful lyrics. Here is a sample:

All kinds make the world go round so 

We dont need to agree. 

Don't mean that either is better but I guess I make you you

And guess that you make me

2. Don't Give Up On Us - Menew

The most insanely awesome video I have seen in a very long time. So glad that I have never had a day like this. The song sounds like it belongs in a rock opera. It has the potential to become a universal rock anthem. Let's try to give these guy the credit they deserve.

3. In Any Other World - Mika

One of the lesser known songs by this singing/ song- writing sensation. It automatically draws you in with its soulful lyrics, continuous stream of piano and violin and of course, Mika's fantastic voice.