Independence – Neil Brannigan Tyrrell (reviewed by Dave Franklin)

I love the deliberate false start that opens the video. It is a reminder of the difference between just singing a song and building a track, between busking and songwriting, and between first drafts and studio development. Now, I’m not for one moment saying that using the studio to enhance, evolve, and elevate is in any way cheating; in fact, quite the opposite. There is an art to building the sonic landscape around, beneath, and behind a song, one that is all about subtle inclusion and supple blends of sound, knowing what will build on what already lies at the heart of the song.

Now, it would be cheating if you used all of that skill and studio technology to change or cover up the core sound. But as is proven as the song properly starts, Neil Brannigan Tyrell’s vocals are the same in both versions, retaining the passion, honesty, intimacy, and authenticity throughout. Any additional instrumentation, poise, and polish add is done to frame what already exists and nothing more.

As chiming pianos flit through, as the spacious, unfussy beats tuck in underneath, as the melodic bass line and rhythmic guitars build this sensual and seductive soundscape, they create merely a platform for his vocals to deftly dance over and nothing more.

But there is one aspect that often gets overlooked when writing such balladic music, something present here in no small amount. And that is the use of space. All of the sonics arrayed around his voice and guitar are laid out deftly so that they ebb and flow in and out of the song. And between them, as one note fades out or the end of a vocal line lingers tentatively, what is found between is space. In these spaces, additional sounds, atmospheres, and anticipations are allowed to pool and percolate, unplanned and speaking volumes, ironically.

And it is good that they don’t hide or change the voice, message, and sentiment, the actual humanity behind the song, as Independence is an intimate and passionate plea of a song coming from a very personal place but one which we can all relate to.

It is a gorgeous piece that bathes in understatement, revels in heartfelt passion, and feels like a timeless classic. Even on the first hearing, it sounds like something you have been listening to all your life. And that is the very definition of a classic. Don’t you think?