Best Albums of 2015 One thing I noticed as I reviewed my Best-of list for 2014 was that several of the albums were notably brief. My #1 album from last year (Sleepy Kitty’s Projection Room) clocked in at a tight 37 minutes. This year – not so much. My top 3 albums this year […]
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4 for IV, Part IV: Van Morrison’s “Into the Mystic” and the IV Chord That Isn’t There
On its surface, Van Morrison’s “Into the Mystic” seems like an odd choice to include in an analytic series devoted to the IV chord, not to mention to devote an entire entry towards. The song does have a couple IV chords (two, though the section in which they appear returns later in the song), but […]
4 for IV, Part III: IV Chords in Sleepy Kitty’s Projection Room
For those of you who are unfamiliar with the music of Sleepy Kitty, no need to feel ashamed. They have gone on national tours, but they are mostly a cult favorite in the Midwest. This is particularly true in their adopted hometown of St. Louis, where they have received glowing accolades from the beloved institution […]
4 for IV, Part II: IV Chords & Tonal Ambiguity/Modulation
In Part I of this series, I examined the secondary plagal progression, which is a unique way in which rock/pop composers have extended the established sound of a IV-I plagal progression. Another common technique that demonstrates the evolution of the IV chord is the incorporation of tonal instability through its presence in a harmonic progression. […]
4 for IV, Part I: Secondary Plagal Progressions
Before beginning my analysis for this project, I didn’t really know much about The Go-Go’s. I knew they were an all female band from the 80’s that had some cheesy hits, but that was about the extent of it. Knowledge and perspective can be funny things. I’m not ready to anoint them as successors to […]
4 for IV: Introduction
Rock musicians just can’t resist a plagal progression, and I think I know why. Perhaps it’s part of their nonconformist nature. Classical/concert and rock/pop music share more in common than most people from either side would be willing to admit, and whether it is done consciously or subconsciously, rock music contains several of concert music’s […]
Best Albums of 2014
Best Albums of 2014 If there’s one common thread among the 20 albums to make my list this year, it’s eclecticism. The emergence of services like Spotify and even YouTube not only make finding a wider gamut of music possible, it also undoubtedly influences those who make the music. Not only do the artists […]
New Smell
New Smell: “Smells Like Teen Spirit” and The Craft of Arranging “My thing is change it up completely or leave it alone.” – Robert Glasper For whatever reason, arranging is seen as a lesser craft than composing. I’ve never really understood this. Granted, composing entails the creation of entirely new material, while arranging depends […]
Best Albums of 2013
Best Albums of 2013 In many ways, 2013 proved to be a challenging and difficult year. The economy continues to struggle, Congress doesn’t work, acts of extreme violence dominate the news, and the NSA is right behind you right now. Music’s response? Screw it; let’s dance. The amount of quality music that also happened […]
Breaking Bolcom
Breaking Bolcom: Structural Similarities between William Bolcom and Breaking Bad In actuality, William Bolcom – a prominent living postmodern composer – and the creative forces behind Breaking Bad – a critically acclaimed TV drama about a cancer-stricken former high school chemistry teacher who resorts to manufacturing meth – probably have very little in common. […]