In European classical music, sus chords served a predefined role: to set up an inevitable musical resolution. They sort of “float” - as though needing to be grounded. They can sound rather consonant while still feeling unresolved. Suspended (or “sus”) chords are also unstable, but they don’t possess much tension on their own. The classic example is the “V 7-to-I” perfect cadence, where the dominant (V 7) chord is highly “unstable” and yearns to resolve to the unflinching tonic (I) chord. What are suspended chords? Previous In Theory columns discussed how different kinds of chords using various scale degrees can invoke a feeling of tension and release, a sense of moving away from, and back towards home. “Blast Off” uses suspended chords everywhere, even in places you would least expect to hear them. Indeed, this opening passage soon reveals itself to be highly predictive: we discover that the central characteristic of the song, the thing that makes it so alluring, is its prodigious use of suspended chords. It’s a kind of harmonic announcement that builds anticipation for what’s to come. “Blast Off” opens with a suspended chord, a B 13sus, played with strings and vibraphone, using an arpeggiated spread voicing over three octaves. Its underlying musical architecture contains many surprises, and even some harmonic innovations-things I’m not sure I’ve ever heard before. “Blast Off” is the last song on the LP, An Evening With Silk Sonic, and it beautifully encapsulates this adventurous spirit. Silk Sonic may be superficially steeped in the 70s, but they’re also forging new paths compositionally. Paak are plainly channeling the refined harmonic language of Stevie Wonder and Holland-Dozier-Holland, it would be foolish to dismiss this effort as a mere nostalgic indulgence. But if you can get beyond the devilishly smooth retro façade and tongue-in-cheek lyrics, you’ll find that the tunes contain truly challenging and inventive musical constructs. From just the first two singles, “Leave The Door Open” and “Skate,” there’s no doubt that the Silk Sonic project is part homage, part parody - and clearly self-aware.
Paak and Bruno Mars, will immediately recognize that it’s heavily steeped in early-’70s soul aesthetics. Anyone who has heard the music of Silk Sonic, the R&B superduo comprising Anderson.