Andrew Belle and Poldark
Today I have some music for you which airs a bit more on the bittersweet side. I have always been a huge fan of Andrew Belle. He has a talent and a gift for creating incredibly introspective songs. But what makes them so beautiful is that we know he is speaking from his heart, yet we end up looking at ourselves during the song. In this case, we don't take a moment to step into the artist's shoes. Instead, his music allows us to take the same journey of discovery that the Andrew Belle went through. Our outcomes may be different, and what we discover will vary, but we still go on this introspective journey which is universal.
Andrew Belle recently wrote this song, and it had me absolutely spellbound. There is something so enchanting and mesmerizing about this song. And the thing is, most of Andrew Belle's music follows the same stylistic elements found in this song. What I think gets me though, is the lyrical quality found in this song. This song is all about rediscovering who and what matters. At the end of the day, we will all pass on, but this song asks and implores us to think about whom we would share our last few moments with. It can be so easy to lose sight of who and what matters to us, but this song is a beautiful and moving reminder to always think about those people. At the end of the day, few things really matter, and this song serves as a messenger, telling us to keep those rare items close. The lyrical content of this song left me so moved the first time I heard this song. Even the song title had me gripped. The story that the song tells is just such a powerful and emotive reminder of who matters to me.
The musical composition behind the song offers a poignant and transcendent support for the lyrics. Andrew Belle does this hauntingly gorgeous thing, where he layers his vocals at different starting pitches. Often times, the highest layer is his falsetto, a strong falsetto at that. It is very similar to the way Imogen Heap used a vocoder to create an echoing vocal effect, one that spanned multiple notes. And combined with his softer and more vulnerable vocals, the falsettos settle like a feather on top of the other layers. Andrew Belle purposefully made this a haunting piece. It is that enchanting kind of ghostliness, the kind that brings up the happiness of the past and the anticipation for the future. Andrew Belle is able to do that with the way his synths and drums work in harmony. The drums tend to take a bit more importance during the main verse. The synths are much more subdued and calm, playing the same line of notes over and over again. And that simplicity helps create this sense of consistency and allows the song to ooze into this ambiance all around. When the chorus hits and all the pieces fall together, it becomes magical. You feel like your soul is being taken to another state of being. It feels like you are in a state of ecstasy. And that incredible sense of an almost melancholy freedom is what makes me love this song so much.
Today's instrumental song comes from a show I have recently really started getting into. Poldark is one of the BBC's newer shows, and I am quite hooked. It follows the story of a soldier who returns to England after fighting during the American Revolution. So for a time reference, think 1780's and onward. In the spirit of that time period, the theme for Poldark employs musical elements and characteristics from the era. Namely, a late classics and early romantics style of orchestral performance. Both styles have some distinct characteristics to them, but together, they come together to form a beautiful and wonderfully historic kind of sound. Part of what makes this a blend of styles lies in the way the melodies are crafted. The piece shifts between chromatic and diatonic scales, which creates this feeling of emotional restraint and self-expression all at the same time. The lack of a piano solo gives the piece a classical flavor, while the use of intense vibrato is lent to the composition via romanticism. The Poldark theme seamlessly combines the two styles, allowing us to hear a gorgeous blend of older and new - an idea which the show thoroughly focuses on.
Andrew Belle recently wrote this song, and it had me absolutely spellbound. There is something so enchanting and mesmerizing about this song. And the thing is, most of Andrew Belle's music follows the same stylistic elements found in this song. What I think gets me though, is the lyrical quality found in this song. This song is all about rediscovering who and what matters. At the end of the day, we will all pass on, but this song asks and implores us to think about whom we would share our last few moments with. It can be so easy to lose sight of who and what matters to us, but this song is a beautiful and moving reminder to always think about those people. At the end of the day, few things really matter, and this song serves as a messenger, telling us to keep those rare items close. The lyrical content of this song left me so moved the first time I heard this song. Even the song title had me gripped. The story that the song tells is just such a powerful and emotive reminder of who matters to me.
The musical composition behind the song offers a poignant and transcendent support for the lyrics. Andrew Belle does this hauntingly gorgeous thing, where he layers his vocals at different starting pitches. Often times, the highest layer is his falsetto, a strong falsetto at that. It is very similar to the way Imogen Heap used a vocoder to create an echoing vocal effect, one that spanned multiple notes. And combined with his softer and more vulnerable vocals, the falsettos settle like a feather on top of the other layers. Andrew Belle purposefully made this a haunting piece. It is that enchanting kind of ghostliness, the kind that brings up the happiness of the past and the anticipation for the future. Andrew Belle is able to do that with the way his synths and drums work in harmony. The drums tend to take a bit more importance during the main verse. The synths are much more subdued and calm, playing the same line of notes over and over again. And that simplicity helps create this sense of consistency and allows the song to ooze into this ambiance all around. When the chorus hits and all the pieces fall together, it becomes magical. You feel like your soul is being taken to another state of being. It feels like you are in a state of ecstasy. And that incredible sense of an almost melancholy freedom is what makes me love this song so much.
Today's instrumental song comes from a show I have recently really started getting into. Poldark is one of the BBC's newer shows, and I am quite hooked. It follows the story of a soldier who returns to England after fighting during the American Revolution. So for a time reference, think 1780's and onward. In the spirit of that time period, the theme for Poldark employs musical elements and characteristics from the era. Namely, a late classics and early romantics style of orchestral performance. Both styles have some distinct characteristics to them, but together, they come together to form a beautiful and wonderfully historic kind of sound. Part of what makes this a blend of styles lies in the way the melodies are crafted. The piece shifts between chromatic and diatonic scales, which creates this feeling of emotional restraint and self-expression all at the same time. The lack of a piano solo gives the piece a classical flavor, while the use of intense vibrato is lent to the composition via romanticism. The Poldark theme seamlessly combines the two styles, allowing us to hear a gorgeous blend of older and new - an idea which the show thoroughly focuses on.
Comments
Post a Comment