Why I Consider IR Unparalleled

[JamesDap]

I think his use of harmony is unlike anybody else in Indian cinema I have heard. He has a distinctive approach to his chords, like a Western composer, and when he combines it with his mastery of raga, it creates something totally unique in music per se.

Specifically, the way he uses bass as a harmonic layer is just brilliant because that is not something that even a lot of rock songwriters do (they prefer to use bass more for rhythm). There are so many examples of this from his numerous compositions, but Raja Raja Cholan is a particular favourite of mine. There are many places in that song where the bass is singing its own tale instead of simply repeating the notes being played on the other melodic instruments but it also fits seamlessly into the puzzle, which is a hallmark of his music per se.

Another thing I love is the way he builds tension in several songs. Songs like Mandram Vandha or Raja Raja Cholan have a silent, steady intensity which always seems to be simmering under the surface instead of boiling over in a melodramatic way (which is the typical approach many composers use). That is again a very Western trait and he somehow accommodates it in raga based compositions.