Baroque Pop

Classical to Psychedelic by rose field

Uniquely fantastical, intriguingly colorful, and deeply imaginative, baroque pop is an ever-evolving style, rooted within an eccentric pocket of music. Whether it was The Beatles’ fusion of rock and classical elements or The Zombies’ juxtaposition of psychedelic ingredients, classical tradition transformed folk music into a brand new subsection of music. Thirty years later, an emerging and introspective subgenre revived the texture and melody of baroque sound. Known as chamber pop, it reinforced the lush instrumentation and ornamentation of the baroque pop era, mixing conventional rock styles with the intricate use of strings, horns, piano, and vocal harmonies. Belle and Sebastian’s loose melodies and Elliott Smith’s emotional depths helped to mold a distinct channel of music that continues to inspire contemporary genres. The roots of baroque pop extend across centuries, shaping and sculpting its individual space during the ‘60s. The baroque period, a European cultural movement that thrived during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, influenced baroque pop and was heavily inspired by baroque composers. This cultural movement was especially dramatic and as elegant as its colors, stretching its borders further than Caravaggio’s Calling of Saint Matthew or Bernini’s Ecstasy of Saint Teresa. The baroque style pushed musical limits, incorporating all art forms, including music. Antonio Vivaldi’s Four Seasons perfectly encompasses this, displaying a colorful characterization that not only inspired Bach and Handel, but influenced contemporaries through suspenseful mood swings and tensions between light and dark.

In the 1960s, the baroque personality, categorized as baroque pop, was reintroduced to a new generation. Classically influenced pop songs dominated the ears of listeners across the globe, fusing classical and rock elements for the first time. The sub-genre was both airy and peppy, creating whimsical compositions that blossomed from new interpretations of eloquent instrumentation. A foundational example is “In My Life” from The Beatles’ Rubber Soul. While embracing a new- found lyricism style, instrumental sections simultaneously mirrored chord heavy sequences that reflected 1600s tradition.

Released in 1968, The Zombies’ “This Will be Our Year” features piano compositions and playful harmonies that act as driving musical forces throughout Odessey and Oracle, their pioneering sophomore album. The emerging sub-genre utilized baroque and renaissance elements while establishing a new name for pop music. Although it was never a chart-dominating genre, baroque pop’s hidden classical elements encouraged individuality that catered to the orchestral sounds of another emerging sub-genre decades later.

Chamber pop, also known as ork pop, took shape in the 1990s, carrying over the horns, strings, and piano of baroque pop. Chamber pop emphasized a mixture of multi-layered elements and poetic lyricism that distinguished it from other subgenres of its time. Stemming from indie rock and indie pop, chamber pop opposed distorted guitars and the lo-fi aesthetic. Instead, it embraced the introspective sounds of its ancestors and their classically derived melodies. We often credit chamber pop’s origins to Belle and Sebastian, Elliott Smith, and R.E.M, artists that juxtaposed complex orchestral elements with conventional rock music. “Expectations,” from Belle and Sebastian’s debut record, Tigermilk, features whimsical piano, horn, and violin melodies that pay tribute to their predecessors, while also helping to establish their own name in the indie scene. Elliott Smith’s “Son of Sam”’ from Figure 8 utilizes layered vocals, piano melodies, and organ compositions that emphasize chamber pop’s weightlessness and atmospheric qualities. Chamber pop is stylistically diverse, carrying the spirit of the 1960s baroque pop era. How does a noise, sample, or instrument make a song exceptional? In typical baroque fashion, the more eye-catchingly dramatic, the better. Today, indie rock and folk genres continue to adopt the whimsical styles of chamber pop and the textured melodies of baroque pop. Vampire Weekend, Sufjan Stevens, and Radiohead are three of many contemporary bands that emphasize classical roots within their psychedelic tunes. The artists who defined the baroque pop era and its resulting subgenres are the artists we consider to be rock legends today. The emergence of baroque pop marked the beginning of an endless classical scavenger hunt within popular music. ike many individuals my age, I attribute my music taste wholly to the influence of my dad. Riding to my pee-wee soccer games, we would jam out to the 90s grunge and alternative station, nodding my tiny head along to Cake’s “The Distance” and tapping chubby fingers on beat with Smashing Pumpkins’ “1979.” While this makes me seem a lot cooler than I am today (thanks, Dad), this wasn’t the only genre I was introduced to at a formative age. No, come dinner time, the channel was swiftly swapped to Pandora’s jam band radio, where I was exposed to the groovy music of The Grateful Dead, Dave Matthews Band, and– most importantly for the sake of this article– Phish.

For those unfamiliar with Phish, they were formed in 1983 at the University of Vermont by Trey Anastasio (lead vocals and guitar), Jeff Holdsworth (guitar), Mike Gordon (bass), and Jon Fishman (drums). Page McConnell (keyboard) would join them two years later, while Holdsworth left in 1986. The band began seeing success in the mid-90s, quickly collecting a cult following, and despite two brief hiatuses, they are still touring today. Their music festival events helped to inspire Bonnaroo, they’ve performed 72 times at Madison Square Garden (tied with Elton John for the second-most concerts there), and were described by Rolling Stone Magazine as “the most important band of the 90s.” Suffice to say, Phish is one of the most prominent bands of the genre and, in general, a pretty big deal.

Despite this, very few of my peers have ever heard of them, save for those whose parents are also Phishheads, which to me, dear reader, is a crime. So, as a way to further introduce you to the wonders of Phish, I’d like to take a closer look at their most elusive album yet, a magical concept album I implore you to put on the next time you, as the kids say, smoke that zaza (responsibly and legally).

A few years after the creation of Phish, Anastasio would produce his senior thesis at Goddard, a project titled The Man Who Stepped Into Yesterday (TMWSIY), also known among fans as “the Gamehendge saga.” The album is composed of nine songs with narration in between.

“Possum,” the final and only song not written by Anastasio-- instead created by Holdsworth– was added later on. Other songs by Phish, including “Llama,” “Punch You in the Eye,” and “The Divided Sky,” are based on the Gamehendge saga but not included in the original concept album. The story follows Colonel Forbin, a fiftytwo year old retiree with a small, crusty dog named Mcgrupp. While on a typical afternoon walk, the colonel discovered a mysterious door, which, as most sane people would, he proceeded to ignore for several weeks. One day, however, he is finally compelled to enter it and finds himself transported to Gamehendge, a magical land once inhabited by a race known as the Lizards. Now, the evil Wilson rules from his mighty castle using the power of an all knowing text, the

Friendly Helping Book, which he stole from the Lizards.

TMWSIY opens with the pulsing melody of Wilson’s theme, followed by narration from Anastasio that introduces the land of Gamehendge and our ordinary hero. After stepping through the doorway, Forbin meets Rutherford the Brave, a Lizard knight who’s on a quest to save his people by stealing back the Helping Friendly Book. They wander through the forest outside of the capital of Prussia, detailed in the upbeat and jazzy song “The Lizards.” The contrast between such a happy tune, sung from the perspective of Rutherford, and the reality of life under Wilson shows how naive he and the rest of the Lizards are. During the final chorus, Rutherford even jumps into a river fully clothed in his armor, promptly beginning to drown.

Thankfully, another revolutionary, Tela, arrives atop a magnificent Multibeast to save the day. Forbin is in awe, proclaiming her the most beautiful woman he’s ever seen, and a new slower, lighter tune begins. From Forbin’s perspective, we hear a romantic guitar cadence paired with the beating of the high hat and tinkling octaves on the piano. However, when it switches to Tela, the song picks up pace, increasing the intensity of the guitar and drums. Despite her looks, she is fueled by hatred, and does not show interest in Forbin outside of his potential to help the Lizards’ cause. The group arrives at the revolutionaries’ camp, and Forbin is introduced to their leader, Errand Wolfe, a small man who

“seemed to emit a kind of violent energy that sent chills down the colonel’s spine.” He cries out in anguish, cursing the evil dictator of Gamehendge who murdered his 14 year old son, as the song “Wilson” begins. The song has become a staple of Phish concerts, with crowds chanting the man’s name along with the simple yet gut-punching guitar riff. By the end, each instrument has crescendoed into a cacophony of noise, losing all control after the line “I must inquire, can you still have fun?”

Meanwhile, Wilson himself is in Prussia, executing his accountant Mr. Pommer because he had been embezzling funds to support the revolution. Wilson’s arrogance in “AC/DC Bag”-- another Phishhead favorite– evokes the same villainous swagger as Rocky Horror’s Dr. Frankenfurter in “Sweet Transvestite.” You can easily imagine Wilson prancing around the executioner’s block, cocky and sure that he has finally squashed the Lizards’ rebellion, before finally killing his former employee.

Back at the camp, the cold-hearted Tela is revealed to have been the spy that snitched on Mr. Pommer. She is promptly slaughtered by Rutherford as Forbin watches on in horror, the narration stating “In a world that had turned upside down so many times that he’d no longer knew which way was up… good versus evil, and of course he had sided with good, as he had done all of his life.” Brazened, Forbin ascends the nearby mountain of Icculus to confront the sky god who had created the Helping Friendly Book – the cause of all this strife – many years ago. In the end, Icculus complies by sending his mockingbird to retrieve the stolen book. Despite his willingness, Icculus reveals himself to be aware of the immense power of the text, telling Forbin “[t]he sacred creed will be yours to devour, to seize, and to obey.” Thus, Icculus shows his true nature, not as a benevolent deity intent on protecting the Lizards, but rather as an indifferent god of chaos. With the Helping Friendly Book in the hands of Errand, one dictator is merely replaced by another. Colonel Forbin is sent back to his world, where he hears Wilson’s theme played once more, this time the people chanting “Errand” instead.

TMWSIY is a whirlwind of a concept album, replicating the absurdity of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland while highlighting how intended liberators often perpetuate the wrongs of their abusers, creating a vicious cycle of injustice. While knowledge should be shared amongst the people, that doesn’t prevent it from falling into the wrong hands. Anastasio realizes that complete ignorance isn’t the answer, then, but posits that we should wean ourselves from reliance on tools, as dependence aids subjugation. The message of TMWSIY, although somewhat obscured by its absurdity, likely resonates with today’s youth, and, in a climate fraught with divisiveness and inequity, Icculus’ advice to the audience rings even more true.