Tag: UK

Yola | Faraway Look

Many thanks to Jonathan “JHarms” Harms for submitting this knockout tune!

UK-born singer/songwriter Yola (Yolanda Quartey) has performed as a backup vocalist with a wide range of artists, including Massive Attack, James Brown, and The Stax Band. AllMusic.com states that as she pursued session and touring work, Yola fronted the country/soul band Phantom Limb and “began crafting a set of deeply personal songs that pulled stylistically from Muscle Shoals-era country-soul, old-school R&B, countrypolitan, and classic singer/songwriter.”

The album Walk Through Fire (2019) and its single “Faraway Look” garnered three Grammy Award nominations: Best Americana Album, Best American Roots Song, and Best American Roots Performance.

Previewed briefly during the verse, the shift from the B major of the verse to the C# major of the chorus at 0:59 pales in comparison with the sheer power of the vocal and wall of sound production. At 1:27, the next verse reverts to B major. The composition style, reminiscent of Bacharach’s writing for Dusty Springfield, is belied only by the 21st-century audio production. According to Songfacts.com, Yola explains that the track “makes me think of a time in my life where I was encouraged to stay in my lane and be thankful for my lot…In a world that questions a woman’s every objection as well as every ambition, the faraway look is king.”

XTC | Wrapped In Grey

AllMusic.com calls XTC “one of the smartest — and catchiest — British pop bands to emerge from the Punk and New Wave explosion of the late ’70s. From the tense, jerky riffs of their early singles to the lushly arranged, meticulous pop of their later albums, XTC’s music has always been driven by hook-laden songwriting of guitarist Andy Partridge and bassist Colin Moulding.” In an interview with Popdose, Partridge described 1992’s “Wrapped in Grey” as “ersatz Bacharach” and one of the “perfect songs” of his career, feeling that he had “exorcised a lot of those kind of Lennon-and-McCartney, Bacharach-and-David, Brian Wilson-type ghosts out of my system by doing all that.”

Drenched with harmonic tensions from its opening, the tune starts in B minor, transitioning to F# major for the chorus from 1:19 – 1:57; the cycle then repeats. The “everything but the kitchen sink” arrangement of saloon-style piano, sweet strings, varied percussion, wide-ranging backing vocals, and a chaotic, meter-shifted tag at 3:31 make this waltz a true “Exhibit A” from the later output of this singular band.

Annie Lennox | Why

A long-overdue MotD debut for Scottish native Annie Lennox: The lead single from her debut non-Eurythmics solo album Diva (1992), “Why,” was a global hit. The striking video featuring the uncommonly versatile Lennox was comprised of footage which served double duty as a photo shoot for the album cover. From AllMusic‘s review of the album: “The enigmatic vocalist who made a career toying with different notions of gender plays on the concept of fame here — Lennox dresses up in the persona of a solitary Diva trapped by counterfeit glory.”

Starting in C major, the tune shifts to D major at the pre-chorus (1:25), then falls back to C major for the chorus at 1:46; the cycle then repeats.

Sergio Mendes and Brasil ’66 | The Fool on the Hill

1968 saw a distinctive cover of The Beatles‘ “The Fool on the Hill” by Sergio Mendes and Brasil ’66. Like the original, the tune modulates from major to minor as the verse shifts to the chorus (here at 0:47) and back again (1:03).

According to The Sydney Morning Herald, Mendes was enamored of the tune and thought “‘Wow, I think I can do a totally different arrangement.’ He said Paul McCartney later wrote him a letter to thank him for his version of the song.”

Cat Stevens | King of Trees

Cat Stevens​’ “King of Trees” is from his 1974 album Buddha and the Chocolate Box, whose focus AllMusic​ describes as “the spiritual nature of his creative quest…the songs littered with religious imagery.” In 1977, Stevens rejected his pervasive music stardom, changed his name to Yusuf Islam​, converted to Islam, and later questioned whether music has a role whatsoever in that religion. During the 1990s, Yusuf returned to songwriting and performing.

An impassioned plea for full recognition of humanity’s inextricable connection with nature, the tune begins with church-like pipe organ and choral flourishes but then shifts to the rich contemporary instrumentation for which Stevens’ music is well known. Primarily in C major, there’s a modulation to Eb at the bridge at 2:28 and a few quick pivots before returning to C major at 2:59.

The 1975 | I Couldn’t Be More In Love

UK band The 1975 met while living in a council flat as teens. Lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist Matthew Healy describes the group as “a post-modern pop band that references a million things. I don’t even know what my band is half the time.”

“I Couldn’t Be More In Love,” a languid ballad from the band’s 2018 album A Brief Inquiry Into Online Relationships, fits squarely into the breakup anthem category. Soul-infused harmonies pivot back and forth throughout, further underlined by a growing choir of backup vocals. Just as it seems that the tune is tapering to an end, a late half-step modulation hits at 3:12 as the chorus comes roaring back.

Elton John | I’m Still Standing

1983 found Elton John in a period of re-invention after riding out the Disco and Punk eras. He came back strong with a rock-fueled single, “I’m Still Standing,” from his platinum-selling album Too Low for Zero. EltonJohn.com reports that the video’s opening shots “were an homage to a popular movie series…the establishing shots of Elton driving through southern France were a tip of the martini (shaken, not stirred) to the 007 movies’ opening sequences…”

Starting in Bb minor, the tune shifts to Bb major for the verse (0:12), back to minor for the chorus (0:39), back to major for verse 2 (1:11), etc. The booming 4-on-the-floor groove is rivaled only by the strong sense of tonality: the pedal point Bb repeats throughout much of the tune while a variety of chords change over it.

Trial Before Pilate (from “Jesus Christ Superstar”)

From seasoned mod collector JB comes “Trial Before Pilate” from Jesus Christ Superstar. The show started as a rock opera concept album (1970), then debuted on Broadway in 1971.

“The UK’s Andrew Lloyd Webber has always been a sucker for hyperbole, but this has got to be the MotD version of ‘more cowbell’: I count at least two dozen mods, including at least 10 gratuitous half-steps in the ‘Crucify Him’ chorus. The only time the song stays in the same key for more than two bars is when Pilate is counting out 40 lashes.”

Jacob Collier | All Night Long

Vocalist/arranger/multi-instrumentalist and overall musical wunderkind Jacob Collier released a cover of Lionel Richie‘s 1983 hit “All Night Long” this month, featuring a cappella legends TAKE 6 and the cutting-edge Metropole Orkest.

Starting in F major, a bridge at 3:16 lands us in Ab major at 3:54; lastly, we transition to A major at 5:58. But modulation is really the very least of the special effects here. The rollercoaster bridge, saturated with quick key-of-the-moment progressions and exotic harmonic tensions, illustrates Collier’s any tone/any time practice (not just those in a diatonic scale). The sheer variety of the lush arrangement is striking — and worth every second of this seven-minute listen.