Music of Love Story 2050

When it comes to music appreciation, there's a thin line between love and hate. And Anu Malik loves to walk that line. While most of his recent work has had the unmistakable zest of willful mediocrity, "Love Story 2050" kicks it to a different dimension - a mish-mash of second-rate melodies, flavoured with lots of techno-gadget, electronic sounds, because - it's a futuristic movie, no? You gotta have weird electronic sounds.

I guess the big question is - does the music of LS 2050 sound fit for the launch of "new stud on the block", Harman Baweja? Well, it isn't "Kaho Naa Pyaar Hai", if that's what you're thinking. One of the exceptions is the energetic Shaan's "Milo Na Milo" and the catchy sample hook with the Macarena-type dance (Does anyone get what the words are? Sounds like alien-ese to me).

The other two are "Jaane Kaisi Hai" and the theme-like "Meelon ka jaise tha" - two songs on the album where simplicity and grand arrangement work in their favour - barring that the fact that the main string/choral theme heard across both these songs is lifted from the Bond Movie theme, Natacha Atlas' "You Only Live Twice". This may put off many a listener (this reviewer included), but then you have to realise that it's Anu - a victim of habit.

Drastic melodic weakness prevails across the rest of the album, making it all seem extremely "blah". The unenergetic "Aa Gaya Hun Mein" features one of the most unenthusiastic renditions that KK has ever given. "Mausam Achanak" has quite the opposite problem, with overzealous and hyper-sugary efforts by the smiley twosome, Shaan and Alka.

Lover Boy has Alisha "Lover Girl" Chinai trying exasperatingly to pull off a Beyonce Knowles/Pussycat Dolls-type performance, with some Arabic influences thrown in. And truth be told, "Sach Kehna" is so tiresomely repetitive, both melodically and lyrically, that they could've just as easily put Kunal Ganjawala through a loop machine - although it does have a short, albeit awesome, beatbox sequence towards the end.

Balance sheet: While some of the tracks have significant promise, most of the 2050 soundtrack sounds like an electronica-enhanced version of an array of Anu Malik musical flops of the 1970s. While the visuals may go the extra mile to liven up the tracks, the music in itself is weak and cheesy. As Indian audiences are going more "international" in their taste, and growing more mature in their music appreciation, MDs like Malik who revel in the glory of their past successes need to step up and shape up their act, instead of producing minimally melodic, mill music like this. Bottom line - it's time to spin music anew, Anu.