DANDELION HILL by T-SQUARE

Featured as the sixth track in T-SQUARE’s 1992 album, IMPRESSIVE, DANDELION HILL caught my ear right off the bat. Glorious and beckoning, the intro had an astounding affect on me. It sounded familiar. Imagine the look on Alex the Lion’s face from Madagascar 2; That time when he first saw the African savannah and he stood there, repeating that it felt like déjà vu.

0:00

I was stunned for a second or two, but a billion possibilities were fleeting through my cerebral noodle when it hit me. I hadn’t actually heard the song before, but I was suddenly flooded with memories of playing Wii Sports. The first five seconds of the Wii Sports theme song features an iconic series of notes before starting the main melody. Just like DANDELION HILL.

I guess it shouldn’t be a surprise to see this type of similarity, as both T-SQUARE and Nintendo soundtracks originate in Japan. Still, it’s these type of connections that really draw me into a song, more so than a “sick beat, bro” moment.

0:15

Anyway, after the fifteen second intro, T-SQUARE opts for a light piano interlude before the verse. For the next sixteen measures, the piano creates a melody built upon the previous comping, which will serve as the structure of the future solis or main themes. This is the part that would be written on all lead sheets, to allow for solos to pull from that melody while improvising. The last eight measures of the block also have a flute accompanying the higher notes of the piano in a repeat of the first eight measures.

1:05

From 1:05 to 2:00, we have our first major theme introduced. The piano plays a melody alone for eight measures before a large soli section. This section introduces the saxophone. Enter the main character. The sax leads a syncopated soli section with the piano, and the drums are comping along with them. The soli section is the climax following the glorious introduction. It’s like in a school anime. The protagonist is introduced to the school of intimidating people, but there is hope on the horizon. The piano introduction mirrors a tough, yet encouraging sensei. But after some time, the main character (saxophone) earns his respect and becomes a leader, perhaps the class representative. After the two minute mark, the introduction plays again, almost like a flashback to the introduction to the school. Memories overflow and the protagonists remembers how weak he/she was before school, and reflects on how much growth has occurred. The main character is ready for the next chapter in their journey.

2:22

The solo section begins. Directly after the intro plays, serving this time as a transition, the flute solo starts. The first eight measures of the solo convey lightheartedness, or an overall mellow feel. At 2:25, the descending triplet riff really brings out the feelings of the solo, relaxed and peaceful, qualities often brought out with swing in classic jazz. At 2:35, a similar three notes are played, but in duple. Asides from being slower and more structured, the chord progression makes it sound subtonic and anxious. This perhaps sets up the next eight measures of the solo, which begins determined but ends triumphant. The first two measures feature some flute hops that mimic an obstacle of some kind. The solo ends with a rush of flurries that indicate the obstacle was overcome and now it is time to pass on the baton.

2:56

The baton is passed to the pianist, wasting no time to begin the solo. Whereas the flautist begins the solo right after the downbeat, the pianist begins right before. And rather than putting experience points into world-building, as did the flute, the piano leaches XP and picks right up where the flute left off, triumphant and pushing forward. On the journey down the keyboard in the first two measures of the solo, the piano creates an image of waves along the keys, as weaved in between the descending scales are small riffs that bring the hands back up the keyboard. In the fifth measure, the upward riff keeps the momentum and transitions to chords progressing upwards in a grand finale of the solos.

3:14

The main character is back. The previous saxophone section is repeated to transition to the finale of the song. Last time the sax section occurred, it came directly after the glorious intro was used as a transition. This time, the sax section leads into the glorious intro, almost like a door. Enter the door to the intro, listen to the sax, leave with the sax, exit the door and the intro is playing again.

4:23

And a door it was! Instead of the flute soloing right after the intro is played, the piano continues to leads an outro. I won’t delve into this solo, as it ends the song. I wouldn’t want to spoil it for y’all! Check the song out at the link below. Thanks for reading, I hope to see you again in another post of The Dive!

Spotify -> https://open.spotify.com/track/1GVRcZxB1WyealBRVeaPNK?si=1213bcfcdf464487