Tim: In English, this is Eva (We Sleep On Forbidden Skin), and blimey is it a builder. I was almost quick to dismiss it, but don’t do that.
Tim: Isn’t that just glorious?
Tom: Good grief, yes. That’s a textbook build; instrument after instrument slowly, beautifully layered on top of each other. You scarcely notice what’s going on until the percussion kicks in. Something I’ve never done before: I started to mock-conduct during that middle eight, and my jaw actually dropped a little when that final triumphant chorus arrived.
Tim: Quick background to the lyrics: it’s a generic ‘you’re the only one who understands me’ type song, with a twist of ‘no-one else approves’ and then an oddity or two thrown in for good measure – the repeated line at the end of the chorus, for example, talks about braiding each other’s hair. The buildup in the middle eight repeats the main message: you see everything that no one else loves, basically.
Tom: Aww, that’s lovely.
Tim: Isn’t it just? And that music, well, like you say, plays a blinder. Yes, it starts off slow and a tad dull, but that’s only natural and proper when it’s destined to build up like it is, because otherwise it would blow out the speakers and that’s not right for a song with this sort of message. She has a lovely voice to send it out, and whoever he is he’d do very well to heed her advice and ignore other people’s views, and just sit there and listen to her sing. Whilst braiding her hair.
It’s not flawless: the middle eight goes on for one repetition too long, I reckon (although if they’d added another layer of instrumentation on the fourth go that would also be fine).
Tom: I think there is one – there’s some extra percussion that comes in, but by that point it’s busy enough it’s difficult to notice.
Tim: Perhaps, but what I’d really like is a repetition of the final triumphant chorus – somehow even at four minutes long this song doesn’t overstay its welcome (and that’s high praise indeed from me).
Tom: Agreed: and I’d almost like to hear it stepped up one more notch, just to see what a wall of sound that extra chorus would have been. Can’t ding it any points for that, though – it’s beautiful.