acoustic – Page 2

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.

Sharon Shannon | Bag of Cats

“Irish President Michael D Higgins called her ‘A National Treasure’ and after 20 of her own albums, countless DVDs, filmed concerts, musical collaborations and a career that has spanned 40 years, Sharon Shannon in 2024 is still breaking new musical ground,” (artist website).

“… Sharon continues to redefine and re-imagine the boundaries of Irish traditional music, elevating the genre through her experimental collaborations with reggae, rap and classical musicians. Her list of collaborators is as extensive as her musical repertoire. She has recorded and toured with Bono, Willie Nelson, La Bottine Souriante, Shane Mc Gowan, Nigel Kennedy, Steve Earle, Justin Adams, Johnny Depp, Linton Kwesi Johnston, The Waterboys and Dessie O’Halloran, and the RTE Symphony Orchestra, to mention just a few.

… The genre-defying star has achieved multi-platinum album sales and has had several chart topping albums, singles and DVDs in her home country. Her album Galway Girl went 4x platinum in Ireland, with the title track winning her the Meteor award two years running for the most downloaded song. She also celebrates being the youngest ever recipient of the Meteor Lifetime Achievement Award.”

MotD regular JB adds: “Irish dance tunes are often played in sets of two or three tunes, where each tune is in a different key. Because each tune is distinct, however, these mixed-key sets don’t really qualify as modulations. This tune has a very similar feel to a mixed-key set, but because it was composed as a single tune, the mods are fair game.”

Starting in D major, “Bag of Cats” (1997) by Shannon’s Big Band shifts nearly seamlessly to A minor at 1:07, A major at 2:43, then finally E major after a measure’s pause (3:47).

Dougie MacLean | Ca’ the Yowes

“Technically, Dougie MacLean is a ‘Scottish singer-songwriter.’ But that minimal moniker doesn’t tell half the tale … the Perthshire native can look back on a hugely successful recording career with more than 15 albums,” (Seven Days). “MacLean toured as a member of the rocking Scottish folk supergroup the Tannahill Weavers in the 1970s and was briefly a member of Silly Wizard, another legendary traditional band from Scotland. But his popularity was assured in the early 1980s with his solo album, Craigie Dhu. This recording contains MacLean’s ballad ‘Caledonia,’ a love song to his homeland that has become a veritable Scottish national anthem.

… MacLean sings and plays his own pretty compositions as if each song were a lullaby for a loved one, or for his own pleasure, as if he doesn’t have a care in the world. His vocals are silky and crystal-clear, his guitar work unhurried and graceful. His is not music for the cynical. If you dislike the texture and sentiment of, say, James Taylor’s ‘Sweet Baby James’ or Cindy Kallet’s ‘Working on Wings to Fly,’ MacLean’s sound may not be for you. He has a deep sentimental streak, which seems indigenous in Scotsmen who write folk songs — or folk ballads, or something more acoustic-music specific than just ‘songs.’ But to his fans, that sweetness is one of the reasons so much of his work is memorable. His recordings could also function as master classes in how to accompany a voice with acoustic guitar.”

“Ca’ the Yowes,” from 1995’s Tribute, indeed features a gentle lullaby feel, starting in C minor. At 1:59, the tonality shifts to D minor underneath an instrumental interlude. At 2:58, the tune passes back into C minor in advance of more vocal verses; the beginning of the D minor section seems more difficult to discern than its end. According to the Scottish Country Dancing Dictionary, ca’ the yowes tae the knowes means ‘drive the ewes to the knolls.’ The tune was based on a poem written by Robert Burns in 1789.

Stan Freberg | The Yellow Rose of Texas

Bandleader Mitch Miller (“follow the bouncing ball!”) scored a #1 hit with “The Yellow Rose of Texas” in 1955. Actor and comedian Stan Freberg couldn’t resist taking aim at such a plump and corny target and released his own parody version soon thereafter. Freberg wrote many such goofy song parodies, and recorded comedy albums lampooning American culture. To this writer, his crowning achievement was the “Great American Soups” commercial for Heinz, done up as a Busby Berkeley-styled extravaganza, featuring dancer Ann Miller.

In Freberg’s parody, also released in 1955, the “Yankee drummer” drowns out the rest of the band and his singing. In fact, the session drummer was Alvin Stoller, who played on Mitch Miller’s hit version. Stoller was primarily a jazz drummer, playing with many prominent artists during his career; in particular, he backed Frank Sinatra for much of the 1950s. The session banjo player also gets in on the overplaying. There is a half-step upward modulation at 0:40.

America | I Need You

“The first half of the 1970s was the heyday of introspective songwriting and close-harmony singing,” (AllMusic). “The band America lay at the commercial end of this movement, releasing a string of singles that earned radio play for years.”

“Gerry Beckley, Dewey Bunnell and Dan Peek formed the band America in 1970 when two of them were still in their late teens,” (EntertainmentFocus.com). “Their eponymously-titled debut studio album was released the following year, and they were immediately established as a highly popular and successful folk band. Their acoustic sound captures the spirit and time of the early 1970s, and their soft, soulful vocals and haunting harmonies give them an output a little similar to Simon and Garfunkel, but more rural to their urban.”

After a start in A major, a quick and compelling cycle into C major (and back) happens twice during the the chorus (0:12 and 0:26). The chorus, first heard at 0:37, is in G major. At 1:09, we’ve moved on to verse 2, where the pattern repeats. The contrast of the verses’ wistful solo vocal with the tight three-part vocal harmony of the choruses is central to the enduring appeal of this track.

Deb Talan | To the Bone

“The Weepies’ Deb Talan … has been writing songs since she was 14 years old,” (MountBakerTheatre.com). “Granted, her style has changed a bit since writing the forever-unknown song, ‘Through the Window’ about feeling numb, like life was going on somewhere out there but not accessible to her. Talan learned to play the clarinet, wrote songs on piano, and later taught herself to play guitar in college.

I Thought I Saw You, Talan’s newest album released in February 2025, maps her journey into a new life, love, longing, and letting go. The collection of lush, folk-pop gems is enriched by Iowa musicians Dan Padley on the keys and guitar and Jay Foote on the bass. Talan’s voice and writing urge the listener to lean into the whole range of feelings involved in making and accepting big life changes. Talan’s voice has been described as ‘intoxicating’ by NPR, ‘sugary and sultry’ by Paste Magazine, and ‘inimitable’ by the Boston Globe. Her songwriting, whether as half of the folk-pop duo The Weepies or as a solo artist, has earned her recognition on multiple ‘Best Of’ lists over the years and numerous placements in movies, TV shows, and commercials.”

Starting in F minor, Talan’s “To the Bone” features a lyric-dense chorus (2001) which shifts to Eb minor for the more spacious chorus (0:38) before reverting to the original key for the next verse (0:54). The pattern continues from there.