While I do appreciate that many MDs today are experimenting with different sounds and juxtaposing seemingly aural incongruities (like what VS did in Tashan mixing harmonium and dholak with rock and club), I find myself longing for stronger melodies. I hardly listen to albums these days other than ones from ARR, SEL, Bharadwaj, Moitra, and occasionally VS. I know it's the times we're in. Popular music today worldwide is mostly hip hop, dance, trance, club, house, etc. Even ARR has trended with this in many of his recent albums, but he's always kept strong melodies in the forefront. I don't have to mention here other brilliant aspects of ARR's music in addition! Of course, each film demands a different kind of musical treatment.
What I do like is the mixture of styles seen today in music......everything from Latin, Folk, Classical, Jazz, Club, Rock, you name it...it's in India! I just wish more composers would infuse stronger melodies into their compositions, like what ARR does most of the time. I also like the sonic improvements that technological pioneers like ARR have paved. I'd much rather listen to strong sonic and weaker melody than stale, monotonous boring sonic/arrangements (from the 1980s) and stronger melodies. This is why as much as I like to hum the strong melodies from decades ago, play them on the keyboard, and see them played on screen, I can't pop in a CD from the 1970s and listen repeatedly due to sonic and arrangeement issues.
