Tag: rock

Owsley | I’m Alright

“Audacious musicians are the best,” (Harvard Crimson). “They’ve been all over the map with their talents and tastes, they’ve been a part of power-pop band The Semantics, they’ve toured with Shania Twain, Pat McGee, Amy Grant and Janis Joplin to get a foothold in the music industry, they’ve jammed with Ben Folds for fun. And then they retire to their living rooms in Alabama to craft their solo pilot over four meticulous years, which they subsequently drop off at the major labels with a rakish take-it-or-leave-it attitude until Giant Records snaps it up. As a result, they make music that’s informed and intelligent, yet independent and fresh.

That’s Will Owsley, recommended by his history and spirit and supported by a very strong debut album of 11 rock gems … The songs here don’t address urgent issues or bleed hearts and even have a tendency to sound like one another, but they do serve blissful, slightly off-center rock with consistent crunch. They make you shut your eyes, nod emphatically and belch, ‘Yey-ahh. Thank god for audacious musicians.'”

The meticulously produced “I’m Alright” is a track from Owsley’s eponymous debut album (1999), recorded in his home studio, which went on to receive a Grammy nod for Best Engineered album. The track starts in E major, shifts to E minor for the first chorus (0:40); the pattern continues until 1:34, where an instrumental verse arrives in Eb major. At 1:51, we’re back to the original E major/minor pattern.

Utopia | Style

Popshifter‘s review of Utopia’s final album, P.O.V. (1985), muses about Todd Rundgren’s “musical twitchiness,” stating that he “jumps from style to style, from Philly white-boy blues to synth-pop, from down and dirty rock and roll to salsa. Never knowing what he’ll do next is exciting for some, laborious for others.

In the late Seventies, Rundgren formed a band called Utopia. It was designed to be his big foray into progressive rock, exploring grand concepts and incorporating deep philosophical lyrics. As it gradually shrank from seven members to four, Utopia became one of the sharpest New Wave bands of its time, delivering perfect three-minute pop songs, deliciously textured with soaring, shifting harmonies. Utopia was never as gritty as The Cars or as raunchy as Blondie. It’s feasible to consider them as a bridge between New Wave and the New Romantics, with their ‘Shape of Things to Come’ fashion sense and lyrics ranging from sweet to snappy.”

“Style,” features wall-to-wall everything: layered vocal harmonies, shiny synth work by Roger Powell, crunchy guitar from Rundgren, and a few brief shuffles through keys of the moment. Keeping Kasim Sulton very busy with both lead vocal duty and a rangy syncopated bass line, the track starts in F minor and shifts up a whole step to G minor at 2:36.

David Crosby + Graham Nash | Guinnevere

“David Crosby, a founding member of iconic 1960s rock bands the Byrds and Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young and one of the most celebrated musicians of his generation, has died at the age of 81,” (Spin). A tribute on Facebook from Graham Nash: ” … what has always mattered to David and me more than anything was the pure joy of the music we created together, the sound we discovered with one another, and the deep friendship we shared over all these many long years. David was fearless in life and in music. He leaves behind a tremendous void as far as sheer personality and talent in this world. He spoke his mind, his heart, and his passion through his beautiful music and leaves an incredible legacy. These are the things that matter most … “

“The early 1970s BBC series In Concert featured some of the greatest performers of the folk rock / singer-songwriter era, including Joni Mitchell, Carole King, James Taylor, Cat Stevens and Neil Young in front of intimate crowds at the old BBC Television Centre in London,” (Dangerous Minds). In the case of each of the artists featured, the BBC sets are probably the very best records we have of these performers in their youthful prime. This is almost certainly the case with the gorgeous Crosby & Nash performance linked here. It’s a stunner.

After the success of their monstrously popular Déjà Vu album, Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young,“the American Beatles” as they were often called (never mind that one was a Brit and another Canadian) broke up in the summer of 1970, with all four members of CSNY recording solo albums. Crosby’s If I Could Only Remember My Name and Nash’s Songs for Beginners appeared the following year. In the fall of 1970, the two toured as an acoustic duo previewing tunes from their upcoming albums and singing fan favorites.”

Written in E minor overall, there are several short passages in G minor (for instance, 1:59 – 2:07).

Blitzen Trapper | Don’t Let Me Run

“It has been a challenge keeping up with Portland, Oregon’s Blitzen Trapper over the past two decades,” (American Songwriter). “From their indie rock beginnings through a catalog that includes twisted folk, laid-back West Coast vibes, art-pop, country-tinged sounds, a rock opera and even a children’s album — all with a handful of label changes thrown in — it has been a head-spinning yet never boring ride.” Their album Holy Smokes Future Jokes was released in 2020.

Contributor Galen C., who unearthed this track for us, adds: “Blitzen Trapper has blended genres like rock, folk, blues, country, and psychedelia. Their genre bending is on full display with this song, ‘Don’t Let Me Run,’ which takes the listener for a spin as the song switches style and key from folk-rock to a slight jazz vibe.

At 2:00 the song switches from F major to A# minor for a few seconds; around 2:06 the key changes to G# minor; finally, at 2:11, there’s another shift to E minor, where it remains for the rest of the song.”

The Beach Boys | ‘Til I Die

‘Til I Die” from The Beach Boys’ 1971 album Surf’s Up was “one of the only songs written by Brian (Wilson) for which he wrote the lyrics as well the music, (American Songwriter). “Usually other lyricists, such as Mike Love, Van Dyke Parks and Tony Asher, wrote the words to his songs. This one was inspired by Brian’s confrontation with the immensity of the universe. ‘The ocean was so incredibly vast,’ Brian said, ‘the universe was so large, and suddenly I saw myself in proportion to that, a little pebble of sand, a jellyfish floating on top of the water; traveling with the current I felt dwarfed, temporary. The next day I began writing Til I Die, perhaps the most personal song I ever wrote for The Beach Boys.’

Don Was, (the noted producer), said that Brian told him the chords for the song were created by the way they looked geometrically. ‘He essentially created this masterpiece by contorting his fingers into really groovy shapes (on the piano),’ said Was.”

“‘Til I Die’ is the most personal and revealing track he ever wrote, depicting the troubled young songwriter as … an isolated, helplessly adrift person who will be at the mercy of others ‘until I die,” (Sputnik Music). “Surf’s Up represents desolation and despair, not visceral in nature, but rather submissive to fate and the hell it will bring. Anyone with a basic knowledge of Beach Boys history can connect the dots regarding what this album is representing: the woes of Brian Wilson as his struggles with addiction and depression spiraled to some of their lowest points.”

Dropping right into the first verse without so much as a note of introduction, the tune shifts tonality often, meandering among several keys but never quite finding a home in any of them. At 1:40, a prominent repeating bass vocal part finally provides some grounding for the outro, which is an extended one given the tune’s overall length of only 2:33.

The Police | Message in a Bottle

“‘Second-album slump’ is one of the most dreaded phrases you can foist upon a new rock artist, as it can often equate to another unpleasant label – ‘career killer,'” (LouderSound). “But this didn’t seem to cross the minds of The Police trio of singer/bassist Sting, guitarist Andy Summers, and drummer Stewart Copeland when they began thinking about a follow-up to the band’s hit debut album Outlandos d’Amour (which had spawned hit singles including ‘Roxanne’ and ‘Can’t Stand Losing You’).”

One of the band’s best-known tracks, “Message In A Bottle,” was a single from the its second album, Reggatta de Blanc (1979). “As with all of The Police’s hits, Sting is listed solely as the song’s author. But according to Summers, he and Copeland helped shape the final track, which Summers cited as his favorite from the band’s entire catalog. ‘We all had ideas. It was very collaborative. I think we had already found our way. The thing between Sting and I, we grew up listening to very much the same kind of music, which was a lot of jazz – a lot of Miles Davis, a lot of Thelonious Monk.’ With these shared musical tastes, Summers quickly realised that he had found the perfect songwriting partner. ‘I could play these more off-the-wall voicings on the guitar and he wouldn’t flinch – he’d just sing right through it … It was the right melting pot for the guitar skills that I had, with a singer who had the ears for it. So that’s why it was so unique. There’s no formula for it.”

Perhaps it’s Summers’ inventive, often oblique guitar voicings or Copeland’s constantly shifting cymbal work and syncopated kicks that de-emphasize the change between two already closely-related keys. But after a start in C# minor, the tonality slips down into A major for the chorus (for the first time at 0:31) before reverting to C# minor for the next verse at 1:00; the pattern continues from there.

Garbage | I’m Only Happy When It Rains

“Garbage are an iconic, eclectic band that is anything but what their name implies,” (Consequence). “With the music scene awash in a sea of grunge {in the ’90s], Garbage went a different way — and to great effect. This all-star band — with world class producer Bruce ‘Butch’ Vig (Nirvana) at the production helm — has released hit after dynamic hit with an infectious pop sound that belied frequently dark lyrics. They’ve scored a number of Top 10 hits and were even chosen to record a James Bond theme.

Fronting the outfit is the charismatic and irrepressible Shirley Manson from Edinburgh, Scotland. Manson first met up with her three future [American} bandmates in Wisconsin … their self-titled debut came the iconic hit ‘Only Happy When It Rains” (1995) [is] a record that feels as fresh today as it did nearly 30 years ago.”

Starting in G# minor, the track shifts at 0:41 into a chorus that seems a bit off-kilter. On closer inspection, it’s built completely from major chords and (colorless) power chords: C#, G#, A, and B, touching on F# before moving on to the next verse.

Boz Scaggs | Lido Shuffle

“Whoever you are, wherever you are, as you read this sentence, a used vinyl copy of Silk Degrees is sitting in the closest record store to you,” (Pitchfork). “It is not in great condition, and it is not expensive, and it was first owned by someone at a time when a lot of people owned vinyl records—and a lot of those people owned Silk Degrees. There are certain albums that go down so smoothly — inhaling the busy sounds of pop radio and exhaling their own cool, irresistible blend — that they seem to open a permanent slot in the greater public consciousness, sailing like a ship into a harbor in the clouds. Some albums belong to everybody …

If you know Silk Degrees but don’t know much about Boz Scaggs, it is at least partially by design. Before its release, he was largely a critical favorite, first for his contributions to an early, underrated iteration of the Steve Miller Band, and later for the solid if slightly anonymous albums under his own name. Within five years of the release of Silk Degrees, he would retire from the music industry … ” But during its moment, the album secured Scaggs’ place in the varied mix that was late-70s top 40. ” … as it has aged, the album feels increasingly divorced from its moment in pop culture, and its more mysterious qualities—the abstract melancholy of Scaggs’ voice, the late-night twinkle of the band—are what pull you in, making it feel like your own, no matter how many people owned the LP before you did.”

“Lido Shuffle” was recorded in 1975 but not released as a single until 1977. Members of the backup band included David Paich, Jeff Porcaro and David Hungate, who later became founding members of Toto. The track did well on the pop charts worldwide: #2 in Australia, #5 in Canada, #13 in the UK, and #11 in the US. The verses are in G major, but the choruses shift to Bb major (for the first time at 0:55 before reverting to G for the next verse at 1:31). The layered synth solo (2:47 – 3:14) could be seen as an unlikely tip of the hat to prog rock textures, given the tune’s more traditional horn-driven arrangement — but serves the relentless shuffle groove so well that it all fits like a glove.

The American Breed | Bend Me, Shape Me

“Bend Me, Shape Me,” was originally recorded in 1966 by The Outsiders, who were known for their hit “Time Won’t Let Me.” The tune was written by songwriters Scott English and Larry Weiss, who later wrote “Rhinestone Cowboy,” made famous by Glen Campbell. In 1968, a band called Amen Corner took the tune to #3 in the UK (Songfacts). But in 1967, The American Breed took the definitive version of the song to #5 on the US pop charts and #24 in the UK.

The American Breed’s big break was quite unusual: “On January 20, 1967, a freak snow storm that dumped twenty inches on Chicago changed the fate of Gary & The Knight Lites,” (the band’s initial name) … “when Kenny Myers, former Senior Vice President of Mercury Records, found himself stranded and met with producer Bill Traut in his studio at Universal Recording. After Traut played Meyers some of the band’s tapes, Meyers was impressed enough to sign them to his new record label … and suggested they change their name. ‘They told us Gary and the Knight Lites sounded a little dated, so we put a bunch of names in a hat and pulled out American Breed.’ The band’s first single was ‘I Don’t Think You Know Me,’ written by Carole King and Gerry Goffin.” (Billboard).

Two of the four members of American Breed that played on “Bend Me,
Shape Me” — bassist Chuck Colbert and drummer Lee Graziano — formed a new group, which included newer AB members not on that hit, keyboardist
Kevin Murphy and singer Paulette Williams. That new group became “Ask
Rufus”. Eventually, AB guitarist Al Ciner joined. Three of the original four AB members were in Rufus, though only guitarist Al Ciner stayed through that group’s fame with vocalist Chaka Khan.

Key changes are the main ingredients here. The tune starts in C minor; the pre-chorus (0:27) shifts to A minor; finally, the chorus (0:41) is in A mixolydian. After a percussion break, the cycle repeats.

Switchfoot | Hometown Christmas

Switchfoot, a Grammy-winning band based in San Diego, CA, have released twelve studio albums. “Hometown Christmas,” which also features the rock band Needtobreathe, is the final track on the group’s first Christmas record, This is Our Christmas Album, which was released last month. The tune begins in C, modulates up to D at 1:59, and returns to C at 2:44.