acoustic

Plush | Soaring and Boring

“Liam Hayes is an accidental perfectionist. In hindsight, the Chicago-bred/Milwaukee-based songwriter’s disjointed two-decade trajectory — under his nom de pop Plush and, now, his birth name — was pretty much spelled out in the title of his early signature “Soaring and Boring”: high expectations followed by agonizingly long periods of inactivity,” (Pitchfork). “On the surface, Hayes’ backstory boasts all the hallmarks of a contrarian eccentric genius, whether he was answering the orch-pop promise of Plush’s splendorous 1994 debut single “Three-Quarters Blind Eyes”/”Found a Little Baby” with 1998’s starkly somber solo-piano effort More You Becomes You; tinkering with the symphono-soul follow-up Fed so much he had to release it in two different versions; or issuing certain albums in Japan only. But the uncommon lags between albums have mostly been a factor of Hayes losing his money rather than his mind, and trying to find sympathetic label backers to support a vision of tastefully constructed, soft-focus pop music that’s always been out of step with both mainstream and underground orthodoxies.”

“While it’s hip for contemporary pop acts to toss out Burt Bacharach’s name as an influence, few even remotely approximate the master’s melodic savvy, emotional resonance and simple elegance; Plush’s Liam Hayes comes much closer to the mark, with his debut More You Becomes You — an intimate, often gorgeous collection of piano ballads — recalling the handful of solo records Bacharach cut during the late 1960s,” (AllMusic). “Gentle yet disarming, the record’s only hint of irony is in its title — Hayes smartly favors a less-is-more approach, stripping his music of virtually everything but piano and vocals; both are more than adequate to convey the somber beauty which lends the album its seductive powers.”

Starting in A minor, “Soaring and Boring” (1998) drifts down to Ab minor at the 0:17 mark before rebounding at 0:26. The alternating pattern continues until 0:44, when the track settles into a longer patch of G minor during the chorus. More harmonic shifts continue from there.

Many thanks to regular contributor Ari S. for yet another distinctive submission to MotD!

Jacob Collier | Summer Rain

“Now five albums into his career, it’s clear Jacob Collier is a once-in-a-generation musician,” (Undertone). “For anyone that’s been following him since he broke out via harmonically complex a capella covers on YouTube, that’s old news. In reality, it was clear from that very first album – Hideaway, toured solo with Jacob jumping around stage from drums to keys to double bass with the help of a loop pedal – that Collier isn’t like your average singer-songwriter, not even your average jazz musician. He plays everything brilliantly and effortlessly, all with Herculean powers of humility, and has an immense grasp of musical harmony in all its nuances. His insatiable urge to learn new instruments is matched by his appetite for a dizzying array of genres and a rare respect for music in all its nebulous forms: Djesse Vol. 4 (2024) has everything from choral ambience to cinematic pop and oppressive death metal – and that’s just track one. As a result, Djesse Vol. 4 is in turns awe-inspiringly virtuosic and discombobulating, as has Collier’s entire career up to this point.

‘Summer Rain’ is the pick of the ballads, Collier showcasing the depths of his lovesick tenderness before a soaring, delightfully uncomplicated finale that evokes Coldplay in ‘Fix You’ mode. It’s more proof that when Collier can successfully harness his immense talents into developing a single strong idea – like the Hulk trying not to smash everything he holds – the result can be stunning.”

Collier is joined by mandolinist/vocalist Chris Thile (best known for his work with Punch Brothers and Nickel Creek) and singer/songwriter/guitarist Madison Cunningham on vocals. Beginning in D major, the tune runs along a largely uncomplicated course for its first three-plus minutes. At 3:30, a bridge shifts to D minor before dropping into an unexpected C minor (3:58). By 4:29, the tonality has been pulled gradually back to its ultimate resting place — a return to D major.

Many thanks to Ellie D. for submitting this memorable track to MotD — hopefully not her last!

Joni Mitchell | My Old Man

“Joni Mitchell’s ‘My Old Man’ is quintessentially Joni: whimsically metaphorical, groundedly realistic, and fiercely independent with its laissez-faire approach to long-term, committed relationships,” (American Songwriter). “She wrote the iconic track, which she included on the 1971 album Blue while living on Lookout Mountain in the Laurel Canyon neighborhood of Los Angeles. At the time, Mitchell was in a whirlwind relationship with Graham Nash—a relationship that, although doomed from the start, produced other enduring tracks like ‘Our House’ and ‘A Case of You,’ the latter of which is also on ‘Blue.’

A definitive musical power couple, Mitchell and Nash’s relationship was bigger than either party and, as the song clearly states, antiquated ideas of legal domesticity through marriage. Within the context of Joni Mitchell and Graham Nash’s relationship, the opening lines of ‘My Old Man’ paint a clear picture of the creative duo: My old man is a singer in the park; he’s a walker in the rain; he’s a dancer in the dark. Almost immediately, Mitchell asserts the fact that neither party feels the need to validate their bond through traditional means of marriage. We don’t need no piece of paper from the City Hall keeping us tied and true, she sings in the chorus. “

The intro and choruses are built in A major; the melody soars to Mitchell’s legendary high range as she details times spent together with her partner. From 1:17 -1 1:42, a verse (bridge?) cycles through several keys, all providing vivid contrast to A major! After another chorus, the verse/bridge (which returns at 2:17 – 2:42), which recounts the couple’s time apart, features a lower melody and more complex, darker harmonies.

Stan Getz | Crazy Chords

“Saxophonist Stan Getz came up at the very end of the swing era, a star soloist with Woody Herman’s orchestra in the late 1940s,” (NPR). “From the start, Getz was known for his rapturously beautiful ballad playing, much admired by peers like John Coltrane … It’s hard to overstate what a terrific tenor saxophonist Stan Getz was because there’s nothing dated about his style. He had a light, gorgeous tone that might convey great tenderness. He made swinging sound utterly natural and necessary. And he had an enviable melodic imagination as an improviser. His inspiration Lester Young famously said a good solo tells a story. And Getz could spin a tale.

Stan Getz fell into a lucrative career as the American standard bearer for a new musical fad, Brazil’s bossa nova, even before he scored big with “Girl From Ipanema.” Suddenly, Steaming Stanley really was out of step, replaced by his own more laidback self. He still improvised solos like a poet. But with so many tenors and others jumping on the bossa nova wagon, now everyone was copying him. So much for being old-fashioned.”

Well before Getz’s fame as an interpreter of bossa nova, his track “Crazy Chords” was released in 1951. After a short intro, the tune starts in earnest at 0:07. The 12-bar blues blazes by so fast that the second chorus hits at 0:17 — and the third at 0:28 and so on. Each chorus brings the tonality up by a half step, but Getz’s ideas (and those of his pianist, Al Haig) routinely bridge the borders between each chorus.

B+B Project | Cheremshyna

“B+B Project” is a Ukrainian ensemble named for its instrumentation (button accordion and bandura, an instrument which combines qualities of the zither and the lute). “The bandura is a traditional Ukrainian instrument … the B+B Project is bringing back the popularity of this fine instrument!” (EthnoCloud). “The group was created (in) 2015. They play a diverse repertoire: original songs, cover versions, rock, classical music, dubstep, Ukrainian music, and many others … The collective has toured extensively in Ukraine and around the world.” The B&B Project is now one of the most famous instrumental groups in Ukraine.

The group released “Cheremshyna” in 2022. After beginning in A minor, there’s a shift up a full step to B minor at 1:53. At 2:27, the tune returns to the original key.

Gabriel Kahane | To Be American

Composer/singer/songwriter Gabriel Kahane’s “To Be American” is a track from his from his 2022 album, Magnificent Bird. “Kahane both mines and interrogates nostalgia in the song, which he wrote during the roiling, national tumult of October 2020,” (Nonesuch.com). “‘It’s fitting,’ he says, ‘that a song preoccupied with the past would feature musicians who are some of my oldest friends. This song, as much as any on the album, is a showcase of my musical community.’ The elegiac anthem features an all-star band of Andrew Bird, Caroline Shaw, Punch Brothers’ Chris Thile and Paul Kowert, and percussionist Ted Poor.

Magnificent Bird, Kahane’s fifth solo LP … chronicles the final month of a year spent off the internet … Kahane revels in the tension between quiet, domestic concerns, and the roiling chaos of a nation and planet in crisis … In October 2020, the final month of his tech sabbatical, Kahane set out to write a song every day. ‘I wanted to create an aural brain scan at the end of this experiment,’ he explains, ‘and to give myself permission to write about small things, rather than trying to distill the enormity of the moment into grand statements … My internet hiatus grew out of a belief that at root, our digital devices reinforce the fiction that convenience and efficiency have intrinsic value. That has implications with respect to climate crisis, to inequality, to our (in)ability to see ourselves in each other, to build the kinds of coalitions necessary to make a more just world. I wanted to leave it all behind not as a further expression of techno-pessimism, but rather in search of a positive alternative.’

… Hailed as ‘a stunning portrait of a singular moment in America’ by Rolling Stone, the album chronicled an 8,980-mile, off-the-grid railway journey in the aftermath of the 2016 presidential election. ‘I wanted unmediated interaction with strangers, so I took that trip without my phone. Somewhere in New Mexico, I remember thinking, Wow, this is really transformative. I should do this for more than thirteen days.’”

“To Be American” begins with an intro and verse in Bb major, but shifts up to C major at 0:26; at 0:39, there’s a return to the original key. More key changes follow throughout. For all of Kahane’s skill in creating inventive textures as a classical composer, as well as his second career walking a complex line between classical and pop-adjacent contemporary music, this video sheds light further downstage — on his melody lines and lyrics.

for Steven

A video overview of Kahane’s cross-country 2016 rail journey:

Ross Ainslie | Threads Live

“Ross Ainslie is one of Scotland’s finest traditional musicians and composers, playing pipes, whistles and cittern,” (artist website). “He is renowned for his highly acclaimed solo material, and as a skilled performer and prolific collaborator who performs regularly with bands Treacherous Orchestra, Salsa Celtica, Dougie Maclean, Ali Hutton, Jarlath Henderson, Charlie Mckerron, Tim Edey, Hamish Napier, Brighde Chaimbeul, Duncan Chisholm, India Alba and has performed with Kate Rusby, Blue Rose Code, Zakir Hussain, Trilok Gurtu, Capercaillie, Shooglenifty, Carl Barat, Papon, Karsh Kale, Flook, Breabach, Soumik Datta and Patsy Reid.

Born in Perthshire in 1983, Ross began his career as a member of the Perth and District Pipe Band before joining the Vale of Atholl Pipe Band, where he was mentored by piper Gordon Duncan. Hugely influenced by Gordon’s fearlessly innovative spirit and groundbreaking compositions, Ross began exploring his own abilities as a composer and writing his own tunes; in 2002 he was a finalist in the prestigious BBC Radio Scotland Young Traditional Musician of the Year competition. Ross has six solo albums to date: Wide Open (2013), Remembering (2015), Sanctuary (2017), Vana (2020), Live in the Gorbals (2022) and Pool (2024).“

“Threads,” from the 2022 album Live in the Gorbals, begins in D minor but shifts to C dorian by the 0:46 mark — followed by several other harmonic shifts, further enhanced with some metric shifts as well.

The Indigo Girls | Reunion

“The Indigo Girls … have been friends singing together since they were kids in 1970s Atlanta,” (New York Times). “They make a good living as working musicians, touring regularly to delight a loyal fan base … But their music — songwriterly, acoustic-forward, aggressively emotional — hardly seems a good fit for our strange and cynical times. They are, as the kids would say, cringe … Cringe: the ultimate insult of our era. It implies a kind of pathetic attachment to hope, to sincerity, to possibility.

I asked (film director Greta) Gerwig why the Indigo Girls were in Barbie. ‘The Indigo Girls were part of my growing up … ‘Closer to Fine’ is just one of those songs that meets you where you are, wherever you are. It has spoken to me throughout my life, like a novel you revisit,’ … This is what the Indigo Girls are all about. Sincerity coupled with wisdom, which is a recipe for something durable: solidarity. A sense that we are in this together. The Indigo Girls are great. Cringe but true. That’s because the kernel of who we are is cringe. That is what it means to be open to the world. To be open to the possibility of a future different from who you are now.”

“Reunion” is a track from the duo’s fifth studio album Swamp Ophelia (1994). Tim Paul, a first-time contributor to MotD, explains that “the song is in A major until the instrumental interlude around 2:21; they modulate to B major, then back to A major at 2:51.” Many thanks, TP, for this wonderful submission — doubly good because it marks the Indigo Girls’ (long overdue) MotD debut!

Rob Harbron | Besinox

“Rob Harbron is a uniquely skilled player of the English concertina, described by The Guardian as a ‘concertina wizard’ and renowned for his highly individual and harmonic style of playing,” (artist website). “He is a member of Leveret (alongside Sam Sweeney and Andy Cutting), with whom he has toured extensively and released six landmark albums.

Known for his work with a wide range of artists including Jon Boden and the Remnant Kings, Emily Portman, Emma Reid, and The Full English, he has also worked with the Royal Shakespeare Company. His debut solo album Meanders was released in 2019 and was followed by a tunebook of original compositions.”

“Besinox,” from As the Days Begin to Lengthen (2024), begins in Bb major. At 1:20, a less stable middle section is announced by a prominent F minor chord. 1:53 brings a resounding shift to G major, which then falls in and out of focus a few times via compelling but fleeting harmonic sidesteps. The tune ends on a D major chord, with the key of G major clearly in effect.

Tim Minchin | Three Minute Song

“Tim Minchin is an Australian musician, comedian, composer, actor, writer and director,” (artist website). “He has toured extensively in the US, UK and Australia, performing solo, with bands, and with symphony orchestras. He’s released five DVDs, the most recent recorded with the Heritage Orchestra at the Royal Albert Hall. He is the composer lyricist of two hit West End / Broadway musicals, Matilda and Groundhog Day, both of which won the Olivier Award for Best West End Musical and garnered nominations for Best Score and Best Musical in Broadway’s Tony Awards.

Minchin wrote, produced and starred in the Sky Atlantic / Foxtel TV series, Upright, in 2019. Other screen-acting credits include Atticus Fetch in Season 6 of Californication, a Logie Award-winning Smasher Sullivan in the ABC’s Secret River, and Friar Tuck in Lionsgate’s Robin Hood reboot. Stage highlights include Judas in the UK / Australian Arena tour of Jesus Christ Superstar in 2012, and Rosencrantz in the Sydney Theatre Company’s Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead the following year. He has published two books: the graphic novel, ‘Storm,’ and the illustrated childrens’ book, ‘When I Grow Up’. He is a member of the Order of Australia, a philanthropist and a mediocre juggler. ‘Simultaneously an excellent stand-up comedian, a purveyor of physical comedy, an accomplished musician and a lyricist of diabolical ingenuity. Witty, smart, and unabashedly offensive.‘ (The Age, Melbourne)”

Minchin’s “Three Minute Song” needs little description, as it tells its own story. This 2011 performance of the tune was composed specifically for the BBC program Ruth Jones’ Easter Treat. 2:28 brings a whole-step key change, shoe-horned in among a huge number of syllables per minute and plenty of fast piano riffs.