The waltz-like rhythm, the violins and the fact that Sangeetha Sreekanth is handling the vocals impart Paaripparakkum Kili something of a Theliveyil (Maheshinte Prathikaram) hangover. Wouldn’t take anything away from this song though, the melody is imaginative (one that Sangeetha delivers with finesse) and composer Bijibal does an exceptional job on the arrangement, particularly the interludes. Aby’s leading man Vineeth Sreenivasan and Saritha Ram sing Onnurangi. It’s one of those cheery ditties we tend to associate with Vineeth and turns out as likeable, even if Vineeth sounds a tad repetitive. Once again the composer’s fine job in the backdrop lends the song a lot of its charm – the accordion (melodica?) and flute are brilliantly employed in the two interludes.
The bluesy guitar and kuthu beats that kick off Leysa Aleysa evoke memories of Vaa Machaaney (Irudhi Suttru) but the song quickly moves past that. Engaging song, largely owing to that kuthu base, and a confident singing debut (I think) by Kochi prog rock band Blank Planet’s frontman Niranj Suresh. The anthemic Puthen Sooryan is passable fare; the grand orchestration is effective but the melody not so. Good singing by Arun Alat nevertheless. Guest composer Jaison J Nair contributes a poignant devotional piece Parudeesayile that is beautifully handled by Soumya. The composer matches Bijibal’s adeptness at arrangement, making particularly good use of sitar and violins.
With two good (albeit multi-composer) soundtracks under his belt, the year is already looking good for Bijibal. In Aby he also has a little help from Jaison J Nair.
Music Aloud Rating: 3.5/5
Top Recos: Paaripparakkum Kili, Parudeesayile, Onnurangi
Lyrics for Leysa Aleysa and Puthen Sooryan by Santhosh Varma. Rest of the songs by Rafeeque Ahammed.