Phil Thornalley is known as a co-writer (along with Scott Cutler and Anne Preven) of Natalie Imbruglia‘s international smash single “Torn.” The tune reached #2 on the UK Singles chart in 1997, led airplay around the world, and maintained a #1 position on the Billboard Airplay chart for 14 weeks. Thornalley, a UK native, is also known for his early-80s stint as a producer — and for a time, the bassist — for The Cure. In various production roles, he also worked with several other bands, including Duran Duran, Prefab Sprout, Graham Parker, and XTC.
In an interview for Sound on Sound magazine, Thornalley examined his place in the music ecosystem: “My natural inclination has always been to make pop. Having had such success with Natalie, I suddenly was a pop writer and producer, and I’m not unhappy about that at all. The artists that I worked with … all have their own artistic voice, but I don’t think I ever had that. I’m not ashamed to say that. I have always felt that I am a craftsman: I like to make things. Some people know how to make a chair or a table, and if someone comes to me with a request to make something in music, I go: ‘Oh, yes, I know how to do that.’ Of course I respect artists: my biggest influence is Todd Rundgren; but I’m not an artist or protest singer.” Despite Thornalley’s modesty, ArkansasOnline‘s review of his 2018 release (as Astral Drive) suggests that the work indeed rises to the level of art: “Astral Drive feels dreamy and pre-punk, shot through with sunshine with just a hint of melancholy. It’s sonic virtual reality, something you can get lost in. It transports. It connects. And so it succeeds.” The 2021 release, while distinct from the Astral Drive debut, operates on or near the same axis.
The 2021 track “OneBigLove” features a gentle intro built on compelling yet ambiguous compound chords, a regular feature of the Rundgren liturgy. At 0:15, now firmly in A minor, the verse features an insistent eighth-note groove with a prominent sub-V Bb major kick at 0:24, just in case you weren’t paying full attention yet. At 1:03, an early syncopated start to the lead vocal line opens a trapdoor into the next verse, this time in B minor. We can’t locate liner notes, but longtime Rundgren bandmate, Utopia co-vocalist, songwriter, and free-range bassist Kasim Sulton has collaborated on recent Astral Drive tracks and his distinctive tenor seems to be in strong evidence on backing vocals. During a mini-bridge starting at 2:06, the groove falls away, but returns again at 2:17 as the key shifts to C# minor. The long fade, more than 30 seconds, suggests that this track was a party that nobody wanted to bring to an end.
Many thanks to our stalwart mod scout JB for this submission!
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