-- Nothing seems to be new; everything seems to be a repetition of something that has happened.
This is a statement from a 1959 interview of renowned jazz trumpeter Kenny Dorham. It’s an interesting view on the emergence of cool jazz, a style of jazz popularized during the late 1940s. Cool jazz—led by musicians such as Miles Davis, Gerry Mulligan and Dave Brubeck—is known to have reshaped the shape of jazz to come (bossa nova, modal jazz, free jazz, etc.). Thereby, it’s uneasy to perceive that that music were, ultimately, products of a bygone era. However, it’s true; the classical elements firmly characterize cool jazz.
This phenomenon came back during the spring of 1966, almost a decade after the interview and the celebrated release of The Dave Brubeck Quartet’s Time Out. This time, it was pop. The Zombies had put out a few successful singles. The Beatles has already undergone some taste tests with the harpsichord in In My Life (even directly referencing Baroque period in one of the accounts). The striking and prominent harpsichords, appreciable use of strings and other classical instruments, combined with the fundaments of rock and roll … with no surprise, when Pet Sounds by The Beach Boys was released, “Baroque Pop” was already an established term to the critiques.
The New Sound was one of the most highly regarded albums of 2024, kudos for Geordie Greep’s excellent songwriting, but mainly due to its Jazz Rock retrospect, covering tropes from Keith Jarrett, Soft Machine to Steely Dan. Baroque pop was also lucky enough to receive such industrial recognitions during the last decade. Artists such as Florence & The Machine, Weyes Blood, and Lana Del Rey roamed the Billboard, and baroque pop remained as a major sub-genre of pop. One may argue, that 2010s has shown the genre’s biggest breakthrough since its emergence.
Odessey and Oracle
Formed by a group of passionate high schoolers outside a pub in St. Albans, The Zombies was primarily a live band. Yet, the band saw a major change in trajectory. A talent contest presenting the band with opportunities to reach out major label deals sparked their sense of determination. With the help of studio arranger Ken Jones, The Zombies got signed by Decca Records.
However, since the successful single debut of “She’s Not There,” the band was not able to seek a bold commercial success. Decca Records was stressing The Zombies to produce hit singles, before they’ve decided to give up on 1967. On the bright side, this led to the band to book short sessions in EMI Recording Studios—where the band used John Lennon’s mellotron—and Olympic Studios. The band quickly ran out of budget, that when “Odyssey” in the album art was misspelt with an “e” instead of “y,” the band was not able to to request a modification. It was regarded as a miracle that the album was out to the public—but who would have guessed that there awaited an even bigger miracle.
Odessey and Oracle can be described as a vibrant mix of influences. There’s the bluesy flavor from Elvis, Chuck Berry and Little Richards, with the addition of the sunshine-pop flavor from Brian Wilson and his hit album Pet Sounds. Care Of Cell 44 is the pinnacle of sunshine-pop, jaunty melodies and spontaneous optimism, while in comparison, the ballad in Beechwood Park feels uncanny and naturalistic. The sugariness of baroque-pop is at most within the instrumentation of Hung Up On A Dream. I Want Her She Wants Me leans into the band’s inert psychedelia, which was then lead by another frequent EMI Recording Studios customer—Pink Floyd. Prog-rock is also present in Changes and Butcher’s Tale. Time Of The Season is the most recognized song from the album, according to reviewer Keith Kawaii, a sound which “doesn't necessarily represent what the Zombies are all about.” It presents a possible resemblance to the use of psychedelic drugs, and the Vietnam war—two 60s hot topics.
Brian Wilson Presents Smile
It’s now a well-known tale of Wilson and his brothers, from performing surf music at the venue of Long Beach, to releasing one of the most pivotal albums of the contemporary soundscape. Colin Blunstone was rightfully obsessed with Pet Sounds before coming up with his own hits, With all the support, Wilson was ready to produce a follow-up: an embodiment of his flooding vision, a proclaimed masterpiece.
On December 23, 1967, “Strawberry Fields Forever” by The Beatles gave Wilson a nervous breakdown. Yet, The Beach Boys were met with even more fundamental issues during the 70s and the 80s. Directorial clashes were prevalent, and the band underwent multiple alterations, before the founding member Dennis Wilson drowned in 1983. Moreover, Brian Wilson was not in a place of mental stability. Under the influence of drug addiction, he was forced to witness the fallouts of his family and band members. In a certain timeframe, his life was claimed to have been consistently manipulated by his psychologist Eugene Landy. The upcoming project’s size grew disastrous. His collaborators were busy with perusing self-interests. Smile was, in fact, in a state better to be left unfinished.
Early 2004, Brian Wilson made the decision to resurrect Smile. It was a surprise to many; Wilson has previously shown noticeable discomfort regarding the uncompleted album. The Pet Sounds tour received positive reviews, often questioning how he’ll be able to “top this triumph.” It's supposed and widely accepted follow-up album, Smile, was a perfect match for Wilson’s new wave.
This time, he was greeted with willing contributors: Darian Sahanaja and Van Dyke Parks. After multiple rerecording and adjustments, Brian Wilson Presents Smile finally saw its official release on September 28, 2004. It contained various fan-favorite singles such as Heroes and Villains and Do You Like Worms? Although the reception wasn’t entirely positive, it became clear that the music fans anticipated Smile, even after its decades of hiatus.
Laughing Cavalier
The style of baroque hit Europe’s 17th and 18th century. So did the luxurious display of London’s Wallace Collection. The paintings wrapped in a golden frame and the baroque compositions share some similarities. Both are bold and extremely detailed but were solely enjoyed by the elite and the religious. Rock-and-roll differs, having originated from African American rhythm and blues (R&B) during the time of oppression.
That’s the irony of baroque pop—and Wallace Collection nailed it. Wallace Collection unintentionally blends into those contradictions. (1) Some of the band members were performers Philharmonic Orchestra. (2) In shows, Wallace Collection were dressed in suit and ties. (3) They booked Abbey Road studios sessions, without disintegrating like The Zombies (Wallace Collection was signed to EMI records, which owns the studio).
Simultaneously, Wallace Collection was popular in its time. Their single Daydream hit Belgium’s charts and is still recalled today (the song has over 7.1 million streams in YouTube, and was covered by newer artists such as Paul Michiels and I Monster). There’s no secret as to why. Wallace Collection was a group of incredibly talented musicians, being able to incorporate multiple instruments. Also, their music is approachable, in a sense that it features a little bit of everything. Outside the usual prog-rock, psychedelia, and baroque-pop hemisphere, the avid orchestration was enough to invoke the familiarity of many casual listeners.
Laughing Cavalier’s track list features a combination of cinematic and catchy melodies. The main reason is the well-polished production. The instruments are mixed conventionally, making Sly and the Family Stone’s Stand! to appear as just another album of that era. Yet, it engraves a crunchy touch. Thus, Laughing Cavalier has the authentic that many listeners crave. Its because the album doesn’t sound like it jumped out of its era, in comparison to, for example, Abbey Road. Moreover, with its melodic contents, the album seems to be the perfect output that the bands like Wallace Collection could release.
Titanic Rising
Natalie Mering (a.k.a. Weyes Blood)’s early works barely resemble baroque-pop. Instead, this classically-trained singer’s first traces gracefully lie on the left-field. Her debut, Strange Chalices of Seeing, starts off with a droning, distorted pedal note. Her voices muffle in the dissonant clutters, and a shallow, warped string of pulse continues. When her works reach The Outside Room, the motions disappear, and the distorted layers slowly peel off. And upon releasing Front Row Seat to Earth, her music returns similar to what she describes of Wise Blood—expressive, acoustic, and in some respects, rudimentary. She once said, “The fact that I ended up making really beautiful, feminine music is a bit of a surprise.”
But Titanic Rising refuses to be inert. Rather, it revolves around growth and the challenges which comes alongside. In A Lot’s Gonna Change, she confronts adulthood’s twisted reality. “Go back to a time when I was just a girl.” Surrounded by the strings, her illuminant vocals picture a theater actress. It feels like the song is submerging underwater, akin to the cover art.
Movies starts off with quiet—almost unrecognizably quiet—synth arpeggios. They gradually invigorate, then Mering blends in with a calm and controlled voice: regular-paced—resembling a ballad. When she sings her chorus, harmonics bear her, and her voice stands momentously under the illusionary batch of notes. Then she recites, “You'll be the star, you know you are.” And it’s loose. Melodies glide disproportionally, showing off vigorous revolutions around the strings and towards the synthesizers. Instruments finally give up their idiosyncrasy and move in unison. Then the key changes: the violins, the drums, and the choir appear one by one. The subtleness disintegrates. The auditory coordination envisions a tangible performance. “I wanna be the star of mine,” then her voice swells endlessly. The strings, once so prominent, sink under the conglomerate. The brass appears, and climbs up note by note. Everything happens all at once.