Tag: 2010s

Kerrigan-Lowdermilk | Hand in Hand

Kerrigan-Lowdermilk‘s “Hand in Hand” (2013) is performed here by the incomparable Lindsay Mendez at Feinstein’s/54 Below. Starting in G major, the song appears to do a traditional half step modulation to Ab at 2:06, but then deceptively goes a half step higher three seconds later (!) to eventually settle in A major. I love this 4-hand piano rendition with Brian Lowdermilk and Paul Staroba, but the full band arrangement, below, is definitely worth a listen as well.

Red Velvet | One of These Nights

Rising K-Pop stars 레드벨벳 (Red Velvet) are best known for up-tempo dance tracks, but their 2016 R&B-style ballad release “One of These Nights” shows an entirely different side of the vocal quintet. A persistent theory among the group’s fans is that the video’s somber mood and multiple references to water, small life boats, flickering lighting, etc. symbolize a memorial to the victims of the South Korean Sewol ferry tragedy of 2014. The Sewol sank suddenly, killing hundreds of passengers, most of whom were high school students.

The tune is full of modulations, further enhanced by a huge harmonic vocabulary. After the string intro, the verse begins at 0:14, loosely based around G minor; at 1:05, the chorus begins with a devastating downwards modulation to F# minor. The pattern holds for verse 2 and chorus 2. Finally, a bridge shifts briefly to a sunny G major at 3:06, but at 3:20, just where we’d expect a cliche upwards modulation by half-step, we instead get a 4-second pause before falling back down into the plaintive F# minor chorus. The group’s occasional mixing of English with Korean lyrics only adds to the affecting intrigue.

Jacob Collier | Moon River

Jacob Collier‘s newest release is an arrangement of “Moon River,” written by Henry Mancini and Johnny Mercer in 1960 — it will blow your mind. Starting in Bb, it modulates to Db at 3:48, then to D at 4:34. After a long, winding transition, we end up in Eb at 5:55, and go in many different directions from there before ultimately landing on a…C major chord. 🤯 There is no one like this guy, and this might be his most epic masterpiece yet.

UPDATE | April 12, 2020:

This update isn’t strictly a modulation, but in this 90-minute video Collier breaks down, in granular detail, how he put together the arrangement. It is staggering, and includes a fascinating discussion of harmony.

The Cat Empire | Who’s That?

From mod fan Daniel Stackhouse comes this first-time contribution: “Who’s That?” by the Australian band The Cat Empire (2019). AllMusic calls the band’s sound a mix of “ska, rocksteady, Latin jazz, funk, Afrobeat, and hip-hop.”

Daniel’s review: “The modulations at the end of this are so satisfying with the horn line carrying through.” Modulations at 2:21, 2:41, and 2:59.

Ralph M. Johnson | This House of Peace | St. Olaf College Choir

Here’s a performance of Ralph M. Johnson’s “This House of Peace” (2011) by The St. Olaf Choir, the top choral ensemble at St. Olaf College. Johnson is a Minnesota-based composer who has written works for choir, solo voice, and the theater. A chill-inducing modulation comes out of nowhere at 5:43.

“Queer Eye” themes (2003 and 2018)

Not a modulation per se, but an interesting reharmonization of the theme of a “make-better” TV franchise which has enjoyed two successful runs in different decades. Queer Eye For The Straight Guy, which ran in the early 2000s, featured a theme by Widelife in a major key.

The updated Queer Eye, which just finished its third season, features a theme by Betty Who which maintains some of the elements of the original — but overall takes a more minimalist approach in a minor key.