The second zombie film of the year, Go Goa Gone, is a reunion of sorts for co-directors Raj Nidimoru and Krishna DK, along with music directors Sachin-Jigar after their sleeper hit, Shor in the City.
The film immediately has us hooked with its wicked dialogues, addictive score, and Saif as the bleached Boris. If the trailer had us salivating for more zombie kills and wisecracks, then the promos for Slowly Slowly and Khoon Choos Le have us amped to see these songs in action. Sachin and Jigar are coming off a very strong year with their songs as the redeeming feature in I, Me, aur Main and along with their fantastic album for ABCD. Sachin and Jigar display their versatility and sense of play on a crazy album like this where they let loose on the dubstep and electronic loops. The duo always seems ready for a challenge, and this album works brilliantly as a concept album to make this zomcom alive!
The album kicks off with the irresistible, Slowly Slowly, which pushes you right into the action with the intense dubstep-beats and heavy reverb that open the track. Talia Bentson is astonishingly good here, keeping up with the frenetic and spitfire verses at the beginning, while the autotune does make her sound a tad like Anushka Manchanda, she comes into her own throughout. Jigar lends ample support and makes sure to enunciate the risqué, “Raat hai ek whore, hai maange more, Tu lut jaa slowly slowly,” which immediately sticks with you. As I’ve mentioned before, I do love some risqué and edgy lyrics that don’t try too hard, the lyrics by Priya Panchal are apt for the rave scene in the film. The references to weed and rolling a spliff come thick and fast throughout, so do be warned if that isn’t your cup of tea! Often, rave tunes can just pile on the trance and spaced out beats, but Sachin and Jigar make sure that this tune has the right pace and addictive quality that makes you sway along. Try this one out!
The anthem to the Monday blues is up next, Khoon Choos Le, pays its punny respects to the blood-sucking Mondays and zombies. From the snippets of the “Main nahi jaana,” and rolling “rrrrrrrs” I was already excited, since nothing could convey the gritting annoyance of getting up to go to work or to uni on a Monday. It’s a credit to Arun Kanungo, Suraj Jagan, and Priya Panchal for voicing that anger and pulling off all that tricky wordplay with Amitabh Bhattacharya’s witty lyrics. Bhattacharya has a wicked sense of humour here, and unleashes all our festering rage at leaving our “Sunday ki dildaar” for a “Sukoon ke shikaari, Somvaar.” Sachin and Jigar arrange the track superbly, letting the heavy drums and guitar riffs to kick in around the chorus. It’s an innovative and imaginative tune where the arrangements complement the witty rendition of this rant against Mondays.
We’re back to toking up and coughing our lungs out with, Babaji ki Booti, where Sachin and Jigar let loose over an original and hilarious tune concerning the ultimate high. Sachin and Jigar arrange a very sprawling melody of claps, spare guitar riffs, and drum kicks along with the female chorus in the back, to enhance the spaced out mood. The conversational lyrics like, “Woh dekh woh kya hai, Panchi hai kya? Na re pagle..plane, Arey dekh underwear bahar hai, superman Na..that is babaji” give it a hilarious spin as they walk us through their hallucinations and goofing around. The duo lend the track a very Cheech and Chong vibe, with the speechy digressions and easy chemistry between the two. While the song may seem a bit goofy, there’s hardly a song out there that goes this far in bringing the stoner vibe and sound to film music. Try this one.
One of the surprises is the gentle and breezy, Khushamdeed, which is gorgeously rendered by Shreya Ghosal. It’s not a stretch for Ghosal, but she gives the track its requisite breathiness and sweetness to an otherwise intense and goofy album. The pulsating guitars and drums create a honeyed melody that gives it that Goan authenticity, and the solos in the bridge are lovely. The song makes a nice and pleasant diversion from the crazy antics that we’re anticipating from these previous songs. Definitely listen to this one if you need a bit of a break!
Closing up the album is, I Keel Dead People, which opens with heavy and jagged riffs, coupled with loud dubstep beats to give it that menacing sound. Looping the great dialogue from the trailer and more words of wisdom from Boris, the track works to establish the horror and intense mood of a traditional zombie flick. Using the screams, and high-pitched dubstep sounds to act as screams, Sachin and Jigar are definitely one of the best duos to utilize the music and dubstep in the best way. Perhaps the instrumental sections of the song might be used for one of the many shootouts in the film, which makes this track work in that sense.
Go Goa Gone should be treated as perhaps a concept album that establishes the setting and personalities of the film and its characters. Sachin and Jigar go out on a limb to create consistently inventive and versatile albums that transcend the film’s release dates. It’s a chaotic, crazy, and witty album, which begs to see how they are picturized onscreen. Curiosity may just kill this zombie!
