We know major chords make us feel happy, and minor chords make us feel sad. But beyond that, there is so much more to the composition of a song; it’s a careful construction that can conjure up a variety of emotions, from anxiety to exuberance. So this episode, we’re diving into the theory behind the songs we love and finding out what makes them so good from a technical perspective.
We decided to do this topic after reading the following articles about music criticism and composition. Check them out:
- Daily Beast article chastising the nature of music criticism
- Slate article using music theory to deconstruct Katy Perry’s Teenage Dream
Track Listing:
- “Don’t Play With Guns” — Black Angels, Indigo Meadow
- “Blue Moon” — Beck, Morning Phase
- “About to Die” — Dirty Projectors, Swing Lo Magellan
- “Birthday Song” — Frankie Cosmos, Zentropy
- “Water Me” — FKA twigs, EP2
- “Broken Heart” — Dr. Dog, B-Room
