Melody itni chocolaty kyun hai?
Some music recommendations
Lately, I've been reading and hearing more about how discovering music has become increasingly difficult. In the era of endless streaming and second screens and background playlists, I'm experiencing this challenge first-hand.
During the pandemic and lockdown, one of my best friends created an Instagram account and started doing these nightly radio sessions. He would play his personalised mix of songs from his favourite composers. Some days, he would ask us to send one song, and the small community of 12-15 listeners will listen to each other’s picks. Instagram would naturally flag and forcefully shut the live video every few minutes for copyright concerns, and we would return a few seconds later to the next one, picking up from where we left off. It was beautiful, the shared experience of listening to music. It was also a great way of discovering music.
So in an effort to bring back that personal experience, here are a few songs I've been listening to, a sort of pick-me-up from me to you.
MGMT - Loss of Life
It has been a while since (I shamefully admit) that I heard an album on repeat, and went back to listen to the whole thing from start to finish because I wanted to enjoy the experience all over again. I used to do this a lot during the lockdown, go on long walks and listen to albums and re-listen to those I loved. Anyway, MGMT’s Loss of Life was such a wonderful companion on the long drive back to New Delhi from my parents’ place. I was surprised to find out that this album was released in 2024! How did I miss it?1
The album starts with ‘Loss of Life, Pt 2’ and closes with ‘Loss of Life’ where the instrumentation from Pt 2 fully blooms, as does the album. On my second listen of the full album, I heard the last track first and then went back to the first song. It was an even better experience! Give it a listen. It is a slow burn. The album is moody, instrumentally rich and it is really hard to recommend a single song because it should be enjoyed as an album (not sure when I said that last). If I had to pick one based on my three listens of the album, I’ll go with ‘Bubblegum Dog’ but I urge you to listen to the album from start to finish.
Highly recommended on a drive.
KAROL G - Si Antes Te Hubiera Conocido
I came across this song when I was in Dominican Republic last year. An Argentinean colleague played this on our short drive back from the stadium to the hotel and introduced me to the sensation that is Karol G. To the best of my knowledge, the Colombian singer is one of the biggest Latin American stars, arguably in the top three, alongside Bad Bunny and Shakira at present.
Si Antes Te Hubiera Conocido loosely translates to “if I had met you before”. This song is an homage to the merengue genre that originated in the country in the 19th century. Serendipitous that I discovered this song in Dominican Republic where I was also lucky enough to experience a live merengue band performance (video below). It is such a groovy style!
Karol G’s 2024 hit deserves all the views and attention it has got. I’m trying to find the words to articulate it better than just say it is a proper banger! I fully endorse Barack Obama (or his intern) featuring it on his list of 2024 music recommendations.
Highly recommended on a run.
Tom Misch - It Runs Through Me (feat. De La Soul)
“She told me, add a bassline, and everything will be all right." Words to live by.
I’m not sure how I discovered this song, maybe on a TV show? Or a film? Or some curated playlist? Anyhow, it has been on loop for a while. Even if I couldn’t commit to listening to the whole album, this jazzy, R&B, soulful song has been on loop and multiple personal playlists (sunset, flows, Sunday morning)
Highly recommended on an evening walk.
Yuvan Shankar Raja - Idhu Varai (from the film Goa)
This recommendation came to me through my aforementioned friend. I haven’t heard a lot of great film music recently (mostly Hindi) and automatically gravitate towards the familiar Indian film music. So I was particularly happy to get a new song for my rotation and it came in ‘Idhu Varai’ from the 2010 film Goa. It is a melodious track and a perfect addition to my Melody Itni Chocolaty Kyun Hai playlist (exclusive for Indian-language songs).
Highly recommended with your mid-day chai/coffee.
Thank you for reading! Hope you enjoy the music. If you have a recommendation for me, please share it in the comments. I need more personal music recommendations.
Happy listening!
I have been putting my head in the sand a little bit when it came to discovering music, or giving music recommendations because of the painful closure of A Humming Heart, and the loss I felt. Maybe I’ll write more about it one day.