There comes along a song every so often that I can’t stop listening to and I can’t put my finger on why. This song to me is such a great example of having “space” in a song. It has all the ingredients but they are all used so lightly. I marvel at this production every time I hear this song. Massive verb tail, yet it works incredibly well. Is it country? Is it pop? The bass is barely there yet it is has such a big impact. Two acoustics yet both are very clear and distinct. The drums kick in yet still don’t really disturb the mellow effect of the song. Bass line at the end lights up and adds more interest and they a touch of strings. Ending it out is a distant electric with a ton of verb, barely can hear it. The erie verb tails end up with a delay on them. To me this is incredible production. The gentle slow build up through out this song is perfect. It is a great example of “less is more”.
Ahh yes, enjoyed this… a stillness within the busy… clever. I am always somewhat in awe of how producers can use space, the simple yet potent power of it. There is a lot going on and yet the sense is musical simplicity. Similarly the use of silence, the cutting right back and yet managing it seamlessly so that the listener simply doesn’t notice and yet travels along for the audio journey… thanks for reminding me
I think it is the use of the reverb tail that gives the song some of it’s magic. To me what is clever is to take the reverb tail, something that normally we just think of as a sound that just kind of slowly fades away, and they actually not only keep it going, but process it in a way that gives it a soft pad effect. But at the end they add more effects to the tail to give it more dimension and a rhythm. You can hear how much glow the tail adds right after her first verse. Whoever produced this is really sensitive to detail and works sound like an artist uses colors for effect.
I’ve tried for years to put my finger on what makes ‘space’, and also what that sort of formula makes something ‘breathe’ but not sound empty.
To me personally, this was the very first example that came to mind of something that sounds full and empty both at the same time. Maybe what makes both of these (your example, and also mine) sound so perfect in balance is perhaps that both arrangements are really built to maximize the impact of the lyrics. Though I’d be lying if I ever claimed I knew the ‘recipe’ for great space
