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.”
We Belong
Moda Spira Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
How to make sense of all your woes
And i don't really understand how to make you feel
Less weighed down
And I don't really know why our hopes dissolve
How pain can make us lose our own resolve
And I don't really understand what it all means
When the bad guys seem to get away clean
And I, will try, try my best
To hold, the line, ease your mind from distress
We belong to one another's arms
We belong together tethered strong
We belong
Even when your day turns and stops in place
While everyone around you just keeps their pace
I will stand with you when your world won't move
And keep your ground
As I'm losing my ground
I can hear a faint sound
Of you patiently singing out
Those three words you repeat (And I, will try, try my best)
You won't give up on me (To hold, the line)
Building upon my frail beliefs (Ease your mind from distress)
Oh oh, no I'm not alone
We belong to one another's arms
We belong together tethered strong
We belong
In this song, Moda Spira reflects on the difficulties of life and relationships but ultimately declares that we are all part of a greater whole and belong to one another. The opening lines express the confusion and frustration that can come with trying to make sense of difficult situations and emotions. The singer acknowledges their own lack of understanding, admitting that they don't know how to ease someone else's pain or reconcile the fact that bad things can happen to good people. However, despite these uncertainties, the singer is determined to try their best to hold the line and ease their loved one's distress.
The chorus emphasizes the idea of belonging and being interconnected. The singer asserts that no matter what happens, they belong to each other's arms and are tethered strong. This imagery is meant to convey a sense of security and comfort, as though no matter what life throws at them, they will always have each other. The repetition of "we belong" reinforces this idea and creates a sense of unity that extends beyond just the singer and their loved one.
The second verse builds on the idea of standing together in difficult times. The singer promises to stand with their loved one even when their world feels like it's stopped in place and everyone else is moving forward. The repetition of "keep your ground" highlights the idea that sometimes the best thing we can do for each other is simply to offer support and stability. The final lines of the verse shift back to the singer, who admits that they too are struggling but can hear the other person patiently singing out. This moment of vulnerability is important because it underscores the fact that everyone needs support at some point.
Overall, "We Belong" is a song that acknowledges the challenges of life but also offers a message of hope and resilience. It reminds listeners that no matter what we face, we are not alone, and we can rely on each other for strength and support.
Line by Line Meaning
I don't understand how it all goes
I don't comprehend how life works
How to make sense of all your woes
How to comprehend and find meaning in your troubles
And i don't really understand how to make you feel
I don't know how to make you feel better
Less weighed down
Reduce the burden you carry
And I don't really know why our hopes dissolve
I'm not sure why our aspirations fall apart
How pain can make us lose our own resolve
How agony can make us lose our inner strength and determination
And I don't really understand what it all means
I don't know the significance of it all
When the bad guys seem to get away clean
When it seems like the villains are never brought to justice
And I, will try, try my best
I will exert effort to help you
To hold, the line, ease your mind from distress
To be steadfast and alleviate your anxiety
We belong to one another's arms
We are meant to be in each other's embrace
We belong together tethered strong
We are meant to be together, bound together closely
We belong
We are meant to be together forever
Even when your day turns and stops in place
Even when your day halts, and everything seems motionless
While everyone around you just keeps their pace
While others continue with their normal speed and rhythm
I will stand with you when your world won't move
I will be there for you even when everything seems stagnant
And keep your ground
I will help you stand firm
As I'm losing my ground
As I'm losing my balance
I can hear a faint sound
I can hear a low volume sound
Of you patiently singing out
Of you singing slowly and calmly
Those three words you repeat (And I, will try, try my best)
The three words you repeatedly say (I will try my best)
You won't give up on me (To hold, the line)
You won't abandon me, rather hold on to me
Building upon my frail beliefs (Ease your mind from distress)
Reinforcing my weak convictions and removing my anxieties
Oh oh, no I'm not alone
I'm not by myself, I have you by my side
Contributed by Henry F. Suggest a correction in the comments below.