In Divine melodies ~ Pop-music moments of bliss (Part I) I describe what it is I’m doing in this type of entry. In case you missed it, I’d like to refer you to the intro of said post.
“Music gives a soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination and life to everything.” ― Plato
Thank you Spotify for suggesting similar sounding tracks whenever a playlist or previously selected track ends. This next gem of a song fell into my lap very recently and oh does it hit all the right buttons. The intro is strong in its simplicity; stand-alone piano chords with vocals only. Lotta captures my attention from the start with her soulful voice (sounds like Adele?). In the second verse (0:22) quick-paced percussion is introduced and anticipation builds. It is during the third verse (0:44) that she increases vocal volume and pitch and starts layering her words with crystal clear falsetto bits, which hmm… are just lovely.
And then comes the line (0:54):
But if it is love,
doesn’t matter,
there’s nothing to discuss,
and I think you know…
Oh woah
which caught my full attention, because there’s so many delicate things happening within that one single sentence – it sure is something special alright..
The falsetto of ‘love’ alone could be that oh-my moment just there (0:55). It’s a shot of concentrated sound-beauty straight to the heart. She falls back into head-voice, and listen carefully to how she breaks off the word ‘matter’ halfway, almost as if her breath falls short (0:57). This has a somewhat dry- feel to it, which is in contrast with the amount of life exerted earlier when singing ‘love’. Subtle use of echo gives it power. This discrepancy in sound-color ups the versatility and adds intrigue to the verse. And she’s not done yet.
In ‘to’ she blends in a very subtle vibration while dropping in tone (0:58). She then follows up with the word ‘and’ which interestingly seems to miss the power and volume I believe was intended there (1:00). This almost sounds like tiny mistake, which only brings so much humanity and humility to her sound. Mistake or not, if this (missing) sound was recognized by artist/producers, and was still deliberately decided to be kept in the song, that to me is a call of utmost brilliance. I have a strong sense of completeness with this verse.
As icing on the cake, she then transitions out of the verse by breaking into a beautiful falsetto ‘ooh-oooh’ (1:07). But man-oh-man, that last sentence of the third verse; what a spectrum of sound, and strong but delicate display of vocal technique.
Gorgeous track.
It ain’t me – Kygo (with Selena Gomez)
Cool track. Classic Kygo with nice pop vocals by Selena. Unfortunately there’s no official video or live performances of this track, which would have been cool… The chill-down-my-spine-moment of this song occurs near the ending. It is the last chorus, and concerns the backing vocals. As Kygo re-introduces the bass-synths, Selena initiates the backing vocals with a sweet tender long stretching “Awhoo”, which she repeats 3 times (starting at 2:55). It is the fourth segment of those backing vocals (3:10) in which she changes her tone and phonetics and has this warm, beautiful, almost moan-like falsetto sound part from her lips. A sublime musical moment which brings to mind the image of curling up under a blanket in front of a fireplace of a cozy cabin on a cold snowy winters night.
I don’t care – Ed Sheeran (with Justin Bieber)
Give Justin some love, there’s a Belieber in all of us. I still get weird looks when I tell people I’m a fan of his work. Purpose is such a great pop / r&b album. Nothing but bangers on that record. In this collab singer-song-writer magician Ed Sheeran, it’s especially JB’s falsetto in the backing vocals of the last chorus that are unlike any pop-song I’ve ever heard. He builds the suspense by raising the pitch on his head-voice on singing “disappear” (2:59). With the second half of the chorus, he then chimes in with his classic falsetto “me near”, “anywhere, anywhere”, “I’m loved by somebody, yeah, yeah” (3:15). The succession of his choice in melody of these his backing-vocals is special. It works so well with the minimalist tune of the track, and propels the song towards his final high phrase “Oooh-a-oohw” – such a delicate and special ending.
Dark and spooky pop-track by Ariana. I Love the deep bass of this song, reminds me of Italian techno duo Tale of Us. The sound of the children’s voices repeatedly singing “Ari-chan” and “Aha”, give this song a feel as if it belongs on the Japanese Street-art and Fashion scene of Harajuku, Tokio. During the bridge she commences a delicate, beautiful hum in falsetto, with no lyrics (2:13). The string-instruments swell, and then, to counter this sweetness, when the bridge ends and the music drops, Ariana throws in a powerhouse backing vocals, so pure, so strong, and also somewhat scary, as it almost sounds like a terrified cry for help through the night: “Iv’e got a bad idea!” (2:28). A very clear reminder that’s she’s vocally capable of so much more than just bubbly melodies.
This is a somewhat eccentric song, but oh so beautiful. It has made a neurological connection in my brain, through which it instantly reminds me of a close friend who I’ve shared a beautiful friendship with for years. So besides its beauty, this song serves also a trigger for gratitude to me.
South-African collective Beatenberg is not widely recognized in my circles (that is, I’ve yet to encounter someone else who knows about them). Fortunately however, this song has been with me for several years. The song title Scorpionfish is so very fitting, for the sound-spectrum of this track transports me into an lagoon-like underwater-world of coral and bright colors and clarity, brimming with life. Lead singer Matthew Fields vocals gently navigate the listener through the clear waters; a paradise of reef and fish. As I’m writing this (while listening to the song) I thankfully embrace it as a pick-me-up during these dark and cold months of winter. I think the whole of the song pretty grand, but there is that oh my ~ feeling in a specific part too.
After the verse, the song transitions into a warmer sounding pre-chorus (0.32), and the bass-line becomes playful. It’s a very joyous listening experience:
Water, hundreds of colors
But I’d be better of blind
You have several intentions
in your
And then, in sync with the singing of the (beautiful) phrase:
“labyrinth mind”
the song thus changes into chorus (0:47), while another background guitar lick is introduced, which in combination with the vocal pitch that goes up, lifts the song into heavenly state. This chorus is just so kind, sunny and light. When as a final addition a high-pitched guitar melody chimes in, the chorus flows into a very satisfying ending. Especially the combination of music and lyrics “many impressions” (0:49), makes me just want close my eyes, rock my upper body gently from side to side, softly raise my shoulders and let go, as I sigh in musical bliss.
