AR Rahman has been always identfied with pop music.Rhythm is out to
break that notion.Representing the elements is something classical
music often attempts --
"Rhythm"with its mix of vigorous graces and delicately knotted
phrases not just the physical manifestations of the monsoon but
also the emotions that the season seems to mirror -- the aural
beauty of birds calling, peacocks dancing in anticipation, the
gathering of dark clouds, the tumult of thunder and lightning and
the relief the showers bring to the parched earth are all linked to
the wait for the lover, and the swinging moods within the
heart.
Shifting moods represent the river in the opening track by
Unnimenon. It starts with a tarana phrase, joins up with some waltz
beats and chords, and strays into a Karnatak phrase or two. The
tabla/dholak, and thavil carry on in the spate of the river. A
violin plays Celtic folk phrases with a thavil and violin ensemble
as back-up. It leaves you wondering if you've turned on a sax tape
by Kenny G. Heavy drums and heavier violins seem to bring the rain
clouds and the whole sky in its tumultous array of clouds, colour
and light.
It draws on various images and moods of love to evoke the elements.
While the sky is the vast longing for the beloved, water is the
beloved woman in different stages of life. Wind is love, blowing
you off your feet, while fire is the coming together.
All five tracks are long by film song standards, allowing for a
huge soundscape.For all the instruments Rahman uses, one does not
feel this album is rooted strongly in Indian music and then taking
off in creative flights. That is the good and bad part of it. It
does not touch you like intuitive, great music, yet it may
mesmerise you for its strange use of sounds and instruments.