ALBUM REVIEW: TILTING WINDMILLS’ NEWEST SINGLE, “MY LIFE WITH YOU”.
It could be easily argued that a pop song is meant to convey the sound of a group in the most relatable way possible. Based on this assertion, one could propose that the mark of a good pop song lies in its success at exposing a group to the broadest set of listeners available. Most times, this entails the production of a bland, monotonous, and predictable sound, held together by an earnest belief in musical precaution. We all know this sound when we hear it. It’s overtly-produced and highly refined, to the point that it becomes very obvious to the listener that more time was spent on post-production tinkering with a bunch of switches, than with an acoustic guitar or other instruments engaged in actual composition. Yet for as many plastic and ready-made songs as saturate the market, one can still find some that occasionally meet the industry standard for being widely marketable, while retaining some aspects of the particular creative element that separates the good from the easily forgettable. Tilting Windmills’ newest single “My Life With You” falls under that category.
A safely-composed four-and-a-half-minute acoustic ballad, the song could be dismissed as just another ready-for-pop-radio type-of-thing at first listen. It possesses a crisp sound that reveals the work of an excellent and assiduous producer, as it lacks the flashy flairs of musical dexterity such as guitar solos or instrumental breaks that are often associated with a “more artistic sound.” It contains plain-spoken lyrics about a man’s realization about the person with whom he wishes to spend his life, all while keeping it under the five-minute mark. These are all pluses, at least as far as pop music is concerned. What this song contains, however, is a refreshing quality of rhythm that feels organic enough, and which lends it the necessary flair to set it aside from its more banal counterparts.
Grounded on the fluid but steady beat of an attentive drummer, the song demonstrates its sense of longing via an incessant bass drum that refuses to yield to anything other than the intermittent and subtle breaks achieved by soft and lulling snare rolls. This, in turn, both encapsulates and enhances the beauty of the moment celebrated in the lyrics remarkably. Complemented by a soothing bass line, it seems as if the loving and understanding relation about which frontman Darnell Miller sings with soft-spoken honesty, is being played out earnestly by the backbone of the band itself. This ability to live out the artistic message which the group is presenting is a crucial marker that serves to separate this song -as well as this band- from any other fame-chasing “artistic ensembles” too quick and willing to dilute their sound with salient displays of over-production. It also makes the song, and the feeling invoked in the vocals provided by Miller, that much more believable and, consequently, that much more marketable.
If entailed in the process of writing popular music is having to appeal to the most basic and common artistic denominator, then at least let bands do so with a mix of artistry and class. In “My Life With You,” Tilting Windmills gets to roll away with this just fine.