The songs on Moda Spira evolved during a period of intense emotional turmoil that led Phillips to a greater understanding of her personal and musical journey. “Loving someone has deep challenges, because we’re all a mess, but it’s a worthy path. The songs flowed out of a scary, hard, complicated, wonderful, growing and loving season. I’d capture ideas on a voice memo, or record melodies walking down the street, whenever I had a moment of inspiration. After two years, I had a full record.”
As the music evolved, Phillips began collaborating with producer and multi-instrumentalist Jordan Brooke Hamlin (Indigo Girls, Lucy Wainwright). Together, they crafted arrangements and finished writing songs that embraced ‘90s R&B, ‘80s pop and cinematic indie rock. They stayed open to finding new sounds that moved them. “We discovered a lot of new sounds and techniques,” Phillips says. “Some were terrible; some were amazing,” she laughs. “We kept the amazing stuff.”
The songs on Moda Spira follow a relationship as it moves through infatuation, passion, familiarity and tribulation, finally emerging triumphant, infused with a renewed belief and hope in the growing process of learning to love yourself and others. “She Whispers” opens the album with warm, wistful piano tones and the gentle heartbeat of a kick drum, suggesting the calm before the storm. Jordan’s aggressive guitar and a funky percussion loop back a vocal full of hopeful melancholy as Phillips embraces the light slowly emerging from the darkness. “Love is the light no shadow can touch,” Phillips says. “It’s the faith that the darkness can not consume you.”
“In the Fight” describes the dawning realization that intimacy, despite it joys, is never an easy path. “Opening yourself exposes everything, good and bad,” Phillips says. “You have to decide how to reveal the things that often go unsaid.” This tension is expressed by a swirling, multi-tracked vocal, chiming piano and cinematic washes of synthesizer. A thumping, hypnotic kick drum loop gets more and more funky as Phillips takes the song home with a fervid vocal. Ominous keyboards support Phillips on “Playback,” the darkest song on the album. “When you’re in conflict, you have to be careful about the words you say,” Phillips says. “You can apologize, but can’t unsay what has been said.” The song grows chaotic and intense as it progresses, mimicking the frustration of a quarrel, with waves of competing vocals and drum loops. The smooth groove of “Bet on Me” pays tribute to Sade and other R&B icons, with muted guitar, subtle bass and bubbly toms. “I wanted to get a sonic sensibility that referenced some of my favorite artists,” Phillips says. “I especially love Jordan’s bluesy, B.B. King style guitar solo on the coda.”
Near the end of the album, Phillip’s hushed piano drifts into “Stillness,” a classically flavored instrumental that provides a moment to reflect and absorb the emotions she’s been stirring up. The slowly unfolding, waltz-like sonata has a soothing effect, suggesting the effortless slide into peaceful, dreamless sleep.
“Shaking the Walls” is pure pop, the album’s most jubilant track. Its dreamy verses build to a soaring bridge, marked by multi-tracked, call and response vocals, accented by live tom toms that suggest the crumbling of the walls that keep lovers from making genuine connections. Phillips shows her gospel roots on “The Hard Way.” Her hushed vocal, and sustained notes from her Juno Arp, cast a hypnotic spell, as she slips into a soft moan to express feelings beyond words. The track concludes with her multi-tracked vocals, mimicking the ecstasy of a Sunday morning choir, promising unconditional support, even in life’s darkest moments. “We’d like to believe we don’t have to learn life’s lessons the hard way,” Phillips says, “but nobody’s perfect. We all learn the hard way.”
Phillips has a long resume that includes time as a solo artist and work with Page CXVI, a band that reinterprets traditional hymns, the indie rock band Autumn Film and Sola-Mi, an experimental trio. She has produced albums for indie artists, including A Boy & His Kite, helping them place “Cover Your Tracks” on the soundtrack for Twilight: Breaking Dawn, Part II. Her songs have been featured on One Tree Hill, The Gates, Lifetime Films and the film The House at the End of the Street. She’s also composed incidental music for MTV and E! Moda Spira is her return to solo performing. She plans to support the album with selected dates, both alone and with multi-media pop up shows, featuring video, dancers, live painting and other surprises.
“Moda Spira is my first solo venture in ten years,” Phillips says. “The songs are all dear to me, so I gave myself permission to be vulnerable. If you’re feeling down and lost, this record will let you know that you’re not alone and help you to keep moving forward.”
Bet on Me
Moda Spira Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Maybe you should take some time
To clear mind and think it over
Baby you just gotta bet, on me
Me and You
Love it isn't love at all,
If it bends with every turn
Pass the point of no return
Can we break the chains of history?
Letting go of the who we use to be
Baby you just gotta bet, on me
Maybe you should take some time
To clear mind and think it over
Baby you just gotta bet, on me
Me and You
If storms are coming, let them come
They're just as certain as the sun
So leave your worried mind to rest
Everybody comes undone
When the aching hits your heart again
Can you make a way to me again?
I don't wanna talk about it
Baby it's not something new
Troubled waters rise and fall but
I know we can make it through
Baby you just gotta bet, on me
Maybe you should take some time
To clear mind and think it over
Baby you just gotta bet, on me
Me and You
Me and You
Me and You
The lyrics of Moda Spira's song "Bet on Me" are about trust and commitment in a relationship. The singer is convincing her partner to trust her and "bet on" their relationship. She suggests that love should not be easily swayed or change with each obstacle, and that one should keep their focus on the future rather than dwell on the past. The singer acknowledges that there may be challenges ahead, but that they should embrace them with courage and trust each other to overcome them. She assures her partner that they can weather any storm as long as they have each other.
The chorus repeats the plea for trust, urging the partner to take a step of faith and "bet on" the relationship. The repeated phrase "me and you" emphasizes the importance of their partnership and commitment to each other. The singer acknowledges that there may be issues between them, but assures her partner that they can work through them together.
Overall, the song is a message of hope and trust in a relationship. It encourages couples to trust each other, work through obstacles together, and maintain a vision for the future. It is a message of reassurance that love can withstand challenges and that a partnership built on trust and commitment can persevere.
Line by Line Meaning
Baby you just gotta bet, on me
I need you to trust me completely and have faith in our relationship
Maybe you should take some time
Perhaps you need to step back and clear your mind to think things through
To clear mind and think it over
Take a moment to reflect and contemplate our situation
Me and You
Our love is the most important thing, and we should focus on each other
Love it isn't love at all
Love needs to be unyielding and unwavering to be considered authentic
If it bends with every turn
If love is easily swayed by every obstacle, it is not strong enough
So keep your eyes fixed ahead
Focus on the future and don't allow the past to hinder us
Pass the point of no return
Once we decide to move forward, there's no turning back
Can we break the chains of history?
Can we let go of our past mistakes and start anew?
Letting go of the who we use to be
We need to release our old selves and grow together
If storms are coming, let them come
No matter what challenges we may face, we'll overcome them
They're just as certain as the sun
Challenges are inevitable and as constant as the rising and setting of the sun
So leave your worried mind to rest
Don't worry about what may happen; we will handle it together
Everybody comes undone
It's normal to struggle and be vulnerable sometimes
When the aching hits your heart again
When the pain resurfaces, will you still choose me?
Can you make a way to me again?
Will you find the strength to rekindle our love?
I don't wanna talk about it
I don't want to argue, I just want us to be together
Baby it's not something new
Our struggles are not unique, but our love is
Troubled waters rise and fall but
Difficulties come and go, but our love remains constant
I know we can make it through
I believe in us and our ability to withstand anything
Me and You
Our love is the foundation upon which we can build a lasting future
Contributed by Vivian S. Suggest a correction in the comments below.