2010s

Leveret | Ricer II

“In the close-knit world of English folk music, Leveret boasts an impressive pedigree,” (NPR). “The trio’s Andy Cutting is renowned for his mastery of the melodeon, a type of accordion with a push-pull mechanism for intonation that imbues it with a wheezy kick. The band’s fiddler is Sam Sweeney, of the flamboyant nu-folk band Bellowhead, and its concertina player is Rob Harbron — both are deft and expressive musicians in their own right. (The concertina is yet another variety of squeezebox, a small hexagonal specimen with a pure, invigorating honk.) Within its respective milieu, Leveret might be considered a supergroup were the term not anathema to the band’s entire ethos: introspective, understated, minimalist.

… Leveret’s members have stated on multiple occasions that their music is not so much arranged as felt, operating without predetermined parts — a jam session. So profound is the trio’s communion that its players seem telepathic, charting a rippling musical terrain visible only to each other. Leveret’s (2017) effort features exclusively original material and is aptly titled Inventions. In an album overflowing with lovely melodies, ‘Ricer II’ is the most baldly euphoric. (The tune was composed by Cutting, who named it after a potato ricer, presumably one that brought him especially great joy.) The happy-go-lucky number skips along in accelerated triple-time; about halfway through, it even goes so far as to change keys, modulating triumphantly with the gusto of a Broadway finale. ‘Ricer II’ is neither difficult nor complex, just two short parts that circle round and round like a kitten chasing its tail.” The two keys in question are C major and (after 1:04) D major.

Eric Nam | Ooh Ooh

“Eric Nam might not be a household name to every pop fan in the Western World. And that’s kind of the point for him (as he talks) about his atypical start on the path to stardom, and what it means to navigate the K-Pop industry as an American,” (Rolling Stone Australia). “The Atlanta, US-born artist of Korean heritage found a voice in a country where he barely spoke the language (Korea), in a market that favors teenage groups and ballad-heavy rock bands. Then, he exported his sound to one of the most populous nations on Earth, and wound up on the cover of Rolling Stone India.

‘They wanted me to do power ballads and I can’t even do power ballads. Then I wanted to be in a group and [was told] I was too old. I was 23, and [they said] you’re way too old to be in a group,’ he says. ‘Then they said try to be in a rock band – rock bands don’t really work in Korea — or you could go and be a solo power balladeer … I can’t force you to think of me as not K-Pop. Whatever you want to think of me, just go for it, but I really want you to understand that there is a complexity within K-Pop where it’s not just these massive groups with massive numbers.'”

Nam’s track “Ooh Ooh” (2014) begins in G minor. Combining Korean and English lyrics, the tune shifts up to Ab minor 2:30 — just before a rap-driven bridge. Many thanks to our UAE-based contributor Ziyad for submitting this tune!

I Believe (from “Book of Mormon”)

“The Book of Mormon was developed by Matt Stone, Trey Parker, and Robert Lopez,” (Broadway World). “Trey and Matt infamously created the South Park animated series, and Robert Lopez helped conceive the puppet comedy Avenue Q. They took eight years to develop this one (small workshops that progressively grew larger), which finally opened on Broadway in 2011, launching the careers of Andrew Rannells and Josh Gad. These sublimely brilliant guys crafted an insanely fast-paced book that whips out impressive songs bordering on Sondheim in their narrative complexity and density of words.

But the twist is the lyrics and plot points are peppered with F-Bombs and jokes about Africa, AIDS, gays, Mormons, Christians, and pedophilia. The combination of well-sung songs about inappropriate observations is the genius of the show. And much like their other ventures, the material has smart things to say in an ultimately heartfelt way. That is why we are talking about this show as a ‘legacy musical’ today: at the core, it is a wonderful friendship that is incredible to watch.”

“I Believe,” one of the show’s best known tunes, states a laundry list of tenets of the Mormon faith with even more earnestness than you’d expect — and varying levels of sarcasm. The tonality shifts up from F major to F# major at 3:33.

IU | Good Day

“Arguably the country’s most popular singer-actor of her generation, IU steadily gained recognition after kicking off her career in 2008, but was still finding her musical footing at the start of the 2010s. Then came 2010’s ‘Good Day.’ Upon first listen, it’s a bouncy, sweet tune, bolstered with orchestral instrumentation and synths. Then the production shifts into funk-inflected pop, as bold horns and dulcet, layered vocals emphasize IU’s bright, bold, and candied sensibility. ‘Good Day’ glides along key changes and soars with the momentum of confessed love — hitting a three-note jump in IU’s voice so singularly spectacular that it instantaneously launched her into the realm of legendary Korean singers.”

Rolling Stone Australia rated the 2010 tune #3 in its collection of The 100 Greatest Songs in the History of Korean Pop Music. Many thanks to our contributor Ziyad for sending in this distinctive track!

Starting in E major, the tune shifts to G# major at the chorus (2:05). At 2:52, we land in the original key for the next verse. At 4:14, there’s a shift up to A major as the chorus repeats. The orchestration fireworks that take us from section to section are not to be missed!

Reflection (from “Mulan”)

” … (Mulan tells) the classic story of a Chinese peasant girl who disguises herself as a man so that she can take her ailing father’s place as a soldier in the emperor’s war against the Huns,” (TheaterMania). “After years of successfully concealing her true identity, her secret is ultimately revealed and Mulan is worshipped for her courage and loyalty. This legendary story finds even more relevance among audiences today with its message of bravery, leadership and the importance of family.”

Alan Menken wrote “Reflection” for the 1998 Disney release of Mulan; an off-Broadway live theatre production also ran from from 2012-2013. “Menken has collaborated with such lyricists as Howard Ashman, Tim Rice, Glenn Slater, Stephen Schwartz and David Zippel,” (Mulan Wiki). “With eight Academy Award wins (four each for Best Score and Best Song), Menken is the second most prolific Oscar winner in the music categories after Alfred Newman, who has nine Oscars. He has also won eleven Grammy Awards, a Tony Award and other honors.”

Starting in F major, shifting to Ab major at 0:41. At 1:45, F major returns, but not for long: 1:55 brings a return to Ab, along with a quickening tempo and a burgeoning instrumentation. This performance features Lea Salonga, who sang the title role for the film.

One Day (from “Groundhog Day”)

“In the role that won him the 2017 Olivier, Drama Desk and Outer Critics Award for Best Actor, Andy Karl plays Phil Connors—a disgruntled big-city weatherman mysteriously stuck in small-town America reliving the same day over and over and over again—with no consequences, no regrets, no tomorrows, and no hangovers,” (Broadway.com). “But once he starts getting to know associate TV producer Rita Hanson, he discovers it’s a day of second, third, and fourth chances.

“Tim Minchin, with too many credits to mention, perfects the music and lyrics for Groundhog Day,” (New York Theatre Guide). “Minchin’s score makes a joyful noise, to be sure, but it is not unalloyed hoopla. As one of the shows recurring lines underscores — for all the toe tapping mania — ‘there’s a sense of sadness’ (and, I would argue, of substance). While there is a nod to Leonard Cohen and another to Jerome Kern … this is an original score that will endure. The sometimes dense lyrics, by turns funny and poignant — in the mode of Sondheim — leave you stretching to sort it all out at times. It’s more than worth the effort.”

Starting in Eb major, the piece shifts to G major after the solos and as the chorus enters at 1:52. The footage is from the rehearsals for the 2023 return of the show at London’s Old Vic Theatre.

Piranhahead feat. Carmen Rogers | The Beauty of Life

“Carmen Rodgers has graced a wide assortment of independent R&B recordings since the early 2000s,” (Qobuz.com). “Known for lively and soothing vocals and unreserved songwriting covering a broad spectrum of emotions, her solo work includes the albums Free (2004) and Stargazer (2015), and the EP release Hello Human, Vol. 1 (2021). For the majority of her career, she has been a close associate of the Foreign Exchange and that group’s Lorenzo ‘Zo!’ Ferguson.

Exemplars of progressive R&B and hip-hop, the Foreign Exchange use the neo-soul idiom as a mere jumping off point for an evolving sound that draws from sophisticated funk, quiet storm, deep house, broken beat, and much more. An early and prime example of the Internet facilitating collaboration, FE began in 2002 as a strictly online dialog between North Carolinian rapper/singer Phonte (of Little Brother) and Dutch producer Nicolay.” The two initially worked together from opposite sides of the Atlantic.

The Foreign Exchange, in collaboration with Reel People Music, compiled a 2017 collection of tracks, Hide & Seek, by various artists they’ve worked with in one capacity or another. A tune form the album, “The Beauty of Life,” features Rodgers and Detroit-based producers Piranhahead and Divinity. Infused with a latin-inspired groove, the track spends must of its time in F# minor. But at 3:54, the tonality smoothly moves half a step upward to G minor for the balance of the track.

Astral Drive | Parallel Universe

“Astral Drive, aka (the UK’s) Phil Thornalley, is a lot of things. Producer (The Cure, Prefab Sprout, Pixie Lott), one-time member of aforementioned Cure, and co-writer of Natalie Imbruglia’s mega hit ‘Torn,’ with loads of other credits under his belt,” (PickingUpRocks). “He is also completely infatuated and crushing hard on Todd Rundgren. On his self-titled album (2018), the Todd influence is so overt, so brazen, so unabashed in its love and reverence that it’s nearly impossible to cast a critical eye … delivered so earnestly, so heart-on-the-sleeve, that complaining about them seems nonsensical.

… The entire LP is just melodic to the core, full of pretty glorious, un-cynical piano pop-soul, and hooks, hooks, hooks (of course). Want to mention that things get even more meta on tracks like ‘No One Escapes’ and the fab lead single ‘Summer of ’76,’ where the respective choruses brush shoulders with those of another wondrous artist who himself was openly influenced by Todd, namely New Radicals’ Gregg Alexander…and so if you dig that stuff at all, you will very likely be susceptible to the charms on display here.”

“Parallel Universe” is set in a fast but gentle 6/8, accompanied by a soft yet insistent clock-like ticking on the weak beats. Replete with a poignant hook and dense textures, the track seems like it might have fallen from the sky millennia ago, fully formed. Built in F# minor overall, the tune moves through two verses and two choruses before an unprepared shift up to A minor (2:08) for an extended hook-driven instrumental outro.

Aldous Harding | The Barrel

“In October (2019), Aldous Harding’s song ‘The Barrel’ claimed the 2019 APRA Silver Scroll Award. It’s a groovy little folk number, containing whimsical imagery through its lyrics and video, each of which are ambiguous enough to support multiple interpretations.

In a recent NPR interview, Bob Boilen quizzes Harding on the meaning of both the video and music. Boilen reminds us that Harding is not known for talking about the meaning of her songs, but states that in this case, the video (described by Boilen as having Amish/futuristic/sci-fi tendencies), is not intended to be any visual representation of the content of the song – it is intended to keep it loose. Furthermore, Harding then rejected the notion of expectation and purpose with regards to songwriting in general. (Boilen, 2019).”

“The Barrel” starts with a verse in B major, while the chorus (1:10 – 1:26) is in C# mixolydian. Adding to the feeling of running-on-fumes life force from this New Zealand-based artist are Harding’s clipped syllables, her relaxed enunciation, and the nicely performed but barely-there bassline played with EQ levels better suited to a soprano guitar. Finally showing a faint proof of life at at the 5:00 mark, the band executes a tiny but precise ritardando as the tune ends.

If you thought the live video was interesting, check out the “studio” version, also posted below. But please do not operate any heavy machinery for at least two hours after viewing.

Little Steven + The Disciples of Soul | Gravity

“The vintage Born To Run wall of sound towers like the Empire State Building over Steve Van Zandt’s first album of original material since 1999,” (2019’s Summer of Sorcery), with New York City’s beleaguered multi-racial spirit crackling under its foundations,” (LouderSound).

“Of course, Van Zandt’s been busy these past 20 years – as Bruce’s E Street Band lieutenant, Tony Soprano’s consigliere, and star of Lilyhammer, in between activities as DJ, producer and larger-than-life rock’n’roll activist. Back in the saddle as bandleader, his tangible labour of love defiantly captures old-school New York’s cross-pollinating melting pot … “

The sixth track of the album’s collection of twelve, “Gravity” begins in C major. The tune is full of short sidesteps into other keys (first heard at 1:03 and 1:12), but C major’s gravitational pull always seems to win out (first heard at 1:21).