Lullaby (EP) by This Chord (Critical Analysis and Dissection)

Ningombam Captain *

'Lullaby (EP)' : Cover Illustration

Lullaby (EP)
Artist: This Chord
Genre: Indie pop
Length: 15 mins 21 secs
Release date: 10th June, 2018
Rating: 3 out of 5

It is a thing of nostalgia and pride for Mizoram on the very fact that their indie music scene has been considerably active ever since the last decade, witnessing a surge of various artists and rock bands. Some became popular outside the state and went on to garner more audiences and recognition. Artists like Mami Varte, Apples, Magdalene etc. were introduced to Manipuri audiences from time to time. The newest invasion was made by This Chord, an indie pop band from Aizawl.

Formed way back in December 2015, the quartet is quite active at live music events in Mizoram. Their debut EP was released in 2017 with the support of a local production house called ScreenFarm Productions. The remastered edition of the EP is then licensed and released under Meraki Studios, Imphal on the 10th of June. The CD's of this newer edition was released with an extravagant live show at the Manipur Trade & Expo Center as a part of Ground Zero: Youth Festival. That music event served for This Chord, as the official introduction to Manipuri audiences.

Lullaby (EP) consists of five tracks which were all recorded, mixed and mastered at the aforementioned ScreenFarm Productions. You can listen to the whole EP in one sitting, whether you're having a bad day or starting the day afresh. The overall mood is light and has an "easy-listening" nature, and reminiscent of the clear air and the aromatic soil after a heavy rain or simply an early morning coffee ritual while thinking about the day ahead.

This Chord's sound with respect to this EP can be described as a slight stir to a mixture of Jason Mraz and Owl City (without the heavy synthesizers). Their lyrics possess attributes of lightness and optimism, similar to that of Owl City. The theme ranges from unrequited love to nostalgia and are presented in soft-spoken (rather soft-sung) words, with an emphasis on "syllable-play" in lieu of complex vocal delivery.

The vocals are the actual integral parts of the songs since the instrumentation, which are all ukulele-driven and comprised of the same tone of the instruments throughout, will almost be indistinguishable from each other without the vocals. MP's vocal is of the tenor register and can hit significant low notes. His vocal suits perfectly with his staple ukulele.

The first track in the EP is Run and Hide. The main ukulele riff is accompanied by the guitar fillers perfectly. The lyrics delivered by the contemplating vocals, in which the protagonist tells his love interest not to run and shy away from him, make the song an anthem for unrequited love.

Angela, the second track is This Chord's take on a ballad. The song narrates how the brown-eyed girl Angela loves a man after acknowledging his pain. This seems to be a fitting response to the first song.

The third song Caffeine is like coffee (no, seriously). It talks about chasing our dreams even when we are tired of the scheme of things. Isn't that what a "cuppa coffee" tells you to do? Considering the lyrics, originality and the moderately complex make-up (or simply the diversion from the "soft-sung" style), it is the best song of the EP. The chorus starting with the line "All I want is caffeine in my head", is quite catchy and the song is much likely to get a fair audience reaction if performed live.

This Chord performing live

The penultimate song, How I Wonder What You Are is the shortest. But don't underestimate it, because the track list (not the songs but the track list order) would suck if this track were not included. The listener is given a moment of relaxation from the almost similar ukulele strumming patterns of the other tracks with a much-needed variation. After listening to this song, you will realize why the EP is named Lullaby.

You might probably get sleepy after listening to this one, and the trick is done in the instrumentation, which significantly features the keyboards as the sound of a music-box. And by the way, is the song name familiar like a déjà vu or something? Well, it is the line from the popular 19th century English lullaby and nursery rhyme, Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star. This Chord also sings How I Wonder What You Are in a tune strikingly similar to this rhyme.

In fact, the tune of this famous English rhyme was originally borrowed from the French lullaby Ah! vous dirai-je, maman, later made popular by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's composition Twelve Variations on Ah vous dirai-je, Maman. The inclusion of this fourth track in the EP compliments to the childlike attribute of its cover design (shown above).

The last song Nostalgia is a bittersweet escapade on the recollection of memories of lost love embedded in mundane things. The strumming pattern however, is similar to the first song. We have seen how Noel Gallagher uses the same set of chords with "not-so-variant" strumming patterns but making a whole lot of difference with his vocal delivery and melody, haven't we? Such is the case here. MP's vocal saves the song from being indistinguishable from each other in the first listen.

This Chord is currently working on their debut music video. Let us hope that they have got much more surprises in store to offer. Moreover, their genuine indie pop sound has high potential to gain audiences from English speaking countries. All they require is the right exposure, for talent and originality are already in abundance. It is promising for the band that their simple songs find their relevance in our daily life, like, this is the last sentence of this article and strangely enough, all I want right now is caffeine in my head.

Personnel:
MP - vocals, ukulele
Rinzauva - bass, keyboard
Chhanhima - guitar
Jonathan - drums

References: https://youtu.be/oZMMScCWxVQ