“Enemy” Creates Desire — “Bruno” Fulfills It
What’s the difference between Imagine Dragons’ “Enemy” and Encanto’s “Bruno”? Not much! But music theory holds the answer…
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Thundercat Chord Theory
In this post, courtesy of Reverb Machine’s Dan Carr, we break down the chord progressions of Thundercat’s most beloved jazz-inspired songs.
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10 Classic Songs in 5/4 and 5/8 Time
Writing and playing in irregular time signatures is tough, but here are ten great songs with grooves that sound effortless and infectious!
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On Chord Fragments and Nuanced Embellishments in Talking Heads’ “Slippery People”
A quick and fun breakdown of one of David Byrne’s most slippery songs from the Talking Heads catalog, and why it works so well…
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3 Things Son Lux Does to Make Their Songs So Unique
We take apart Son Lux’s incredibly unique sound, and breakdown three main tools of expression composer Ryan Lott uses to achieve it.
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Looking Back: Our Favorite Lyrical Lines in Pop Music From 2021
We’re breaking down a whole bunch of our favorite lyrical lines from the top of the pop charts in 2021, take a look and a listen!
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A Harmonic Analysis of Backstreet Boys’ “I Want It That Way”
One of the biggest pop songs of all time, and the most “boy bandiest” of boy band hits, “I Want It That Way” features some savy theory…
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The Birth of the Unjazz
Modern songwriters, producers and artists are reinventing the way jazz idioms and foundations are applied in modern pop. Let’s break it down!
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Did Lorde Rip Off George Michael?
Thoughts on Lorde’s new single, a familiar ’50s rock groove, and the hyper-litigious state of the music industry’s copyright law.
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“Drivers License:” How Olivia Rodrigo Uses Much More Than Lyrics to Tell Her Story
Today we break down Olivia Rodrigo’s smash hit “Drivers License” to show how she uses much more than lyrics to tell her heartbreak story.
