Stuck Upstream

Maggie Rogers “Fallingwater”

It sounds as though Maggie Rogers and her collaborator Rostam Batmanglij arranged “Fallingwater” with a lot of caution, as if one false move could push the tune too far over into the realm of Adult Contemporary pop. They never get in the way of the melody, but they consistently go small and intimate when the song could easily go big and glossy, like a Wilson Phillips song. At every turn, they choose sincerity over sentimentality, and emphasize the way Rogers’ voice sounds a bit sad and nervous even when she’s expressing joy. The song shifts into a more anthemic lane at the end, but even when they aim for drama, they dial it back. I imagine they had a very clear idea of how big the feeling in this song is, and the song is an exact scale model.

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