Tag: 2010s

Monster Ceilidh Band | Red Monster

“Monster Ceilidh Band … bring something quite unique to the folk world,’ (BrightYoungFolk). “(They) act as a strong bridge between traditional ideas of folk music and the more modern sounds of dance and techno.

This can sound like a bizarre style to try and adopt, but the simple fact is that it works so well in its context. As the band name alone suggests, the focus is on music you can dance along with. To do this, they simply one-up the use of folk instruments by merging them with sound effects, electric guitar tricks, and other methods of really getting a beat pumping.”

From the band’s own website: “Disc 2 of the Monster Ceilidh Band’s 2011 double-album Mechanical Monster (is) a mix of traditional Folk music and dirty electronic beats … the UK’s first Drum ‘n’ Bass Ceilidh crossover!” Starting in A minor, “Red Monster” shifts into B minor at 0:33 before returning to A minor at 0:49. The alternating pattern continues from there.

Snuper | Platonic Love

It would be understandable to think that all KPop bands hit it big immediately, given the huge promotional machines backing them. But some develop only limited cult followings before fading away. One such band is Snuper 스누퍼, meaning “Higher than Super.” The group was a South Korean sextet formed by Widmay Entertainment in 2015, the first Korean pop group from that label.

The band debuted on November 16, 2015, with the EP Shall We, which included the single “Shall We Dance,” (KPopN). The group consisted of six members, many of whom had to go on hiatus to fulfill their mandatory national military service; the group’s resulting reduction in numbers slowed its momentum and it disbanded in 2023.

“Platonic Love” (2016), a showcase for the group’s dance chops, features multiple hook-driven instrumental breaks. After a rap break and a sudden grand pause, a key change from Eb major to E major hits at 2:27.

Many thanks to our multi-tune contributor Ziyad for this submission!

Bellowhead | Gosport Nancy

“Bellowhead formed in 2004 and after 12 amazing years, they called it a day in 2016,” (bellowhead.co.uk). “In their active years they played to thousands of people at festivals and on tour, recorded five studio albums (selling over a quarter of a million copies), were the proud recipients of two silver discs and won a staggering eight BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards. 

During lockdown in 2020, the 11 members of Bellowhead first re-connected online to remotely record ‘New York Girls – At Home’. That led to re-uniting in person for a one-off performance … one of the biggest online streams of 2020, confirming that Bellowhead are still one of the biggest and most in demand UK folk acts, despite not performing for nearly five years. The stream led to pleas from fans for more and the stars aligned for a mammoth reunion tour in November 2022 to celebrate the 10th Anniversary of their fourth album, Broadside.“

Released in 2016, “Gosport Nancy” is unusual for its horn section. Contributor JB adds: “It’s rare for an English trad band to include horns at all, and yet rarer to feature such a funky horns arrangement.” Adding to the intrigue, the tune also includes plenty of syncopation and a few compound chords. Starting in D major, the tune modulates up a whole step to E major at 2:49, layering more shifts in the subsequent measures before landing back in D major.

Jeremy Jordan | If The World Looked Like You

Will Reynolds’ song “If The World Looked Like You” is performed here by Jeremy Jordan at a “Songs You Should Know” concert, presented at the Laurie Beechman Theater in New York City in 2012. The song begins in A, briefly passes through C at 1:38, and modulates to Db at 1:47.

Aly Bain + Phil Cunningham | The Jig Runrig

“Fiddler Aly Bain and accordionist Phil Cunningham are two of the most celebrated musicians on the Scottish traditional scene,” (Compass Records). “By the time they began working together in 1988, they were already renowned for their previous accomplishments. Bain was a founding member of the Boys of the Lough, a group whose repertoire includes both Scottish and Irish influences. Cunningham became a member of the infamous Silly Wizard at the age of sixteen, launching a prolific and diverse musical career. The duo first worked together on a television series in 1988, and embarked on their first tour shortly after. They were so well-received that they have been touring together ever since. Their two previous duo recordings, The Pearl (1996) and The Ruby (1998), have been met with high acclaim.”

“Having toured together since 1986 to packed concert halls all over the world, Aly and Phil continue to charm audiences with their stunning music and on-stage charisma that defies description,” (PhilCunningham.com). “Witty and humorous banter sits alongside tunes that tug the heartstrings, and joyous reels and melodies that have feet tapping along at their ever popular concerts. The pair have recorded many highly acclaimed albums in their thirty years together including two ‘Best Of’ collections. Aly and Phil have won numerous awards, including the BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards’ BEST DUO Award, and have been nominated in the Scottish Traditional Music Awards for ’Live Act of the Year.’”

The duo’s piece “The Jig Runrig,” performed here in 2019, modulates several times, starting with a shift up a perfect fourth at the 0:30 mark. The duo’s phrasing is uncanny, with the fiddle and accordion often sounding like a single instrument during the unison sections!

Postmodern Jukebox | Criminal

“Imagine wandering into a nightclub somewhere on the outskirts of time. A classic jukebox in the corner plays timeless music with oddly familiar modern lyrics, incongruously marrying the 21st-century party vibe of Miley Cyrus or the minimalist angst of Radiohead with the crackly warmth of a vintage 78 or the plunger-muted barrelhouse howl of a forgotten Kansas City jazzman,” (Concord.com). “The dance floor is full of revelers twerking in poodle skirts, while at the bar, well-heeled hipsters balance a martini in one hand with a smartphone in the other.

If such a place actually exists, no doubt the soundtrack is Scott Bradlee’s Postmodern Jukebox. Founded by pianist and arranger Scott Bradlee in 2009, the ensemble reimagines contemporary pop, rock, and R&B hits in the style of various yesteryears, from swing to doo-wop, ragtime to Motown – or, as Bradlee himself puts it, ‘pop music in a time machine.’ The band parlayed a series of YouTube videos shot in Bradlee’s Queens living room into massive success, accruing more than 450 million YouTube views and over 2 million subscribers, an appearance on Good Morning America, and performances at packed houses across the globe.”

On PMJ’s 2016 cover of “Criminal,” according to the tune’s Youtube description, “the sultry Ariana Savalas returns to take Fiona Apple’s 1997 hit … back a half century, to the heyday of the torch song.” The tune is built primarily in A minor with forays into C minor, but there are moments when the bass line moves chromatically, not diatonically — only adding to the slinky feel of the lyrics. The bridge (2:49 – 3:16) shifts to Eb minor, driven by Dixieland filigree. At 3:16, an upward shift leads to a closing chorus, this time in D minor.

Sara Bareilles | If I Can’t Have You

“If I Can’t Have You,” written by Sara Bareilles, Aaron Sterling and Emily King, is the fourth track on Bareilles’s 2019 album Amidst The Chaos. The record, which Bareilles was inspired to record after the 2016 US presidential election, debuted at #6 on the Billboard 200. The tune begins in Bb and modulates to C at 2:53.

Vulfpeck | Business Casual (feat. Coco O.)

Vulfpeck is a Michigan-based funk band that has released 10 albums and embarked on three tours. The group, comprised of Joe Dart, Woody Goss, Theo Katzman and Jack Stratton, headlined a sold out concert at Madison Square Garden in 2019, becoming one of the first bands to do so without the backing of a major label or manager.

“Business Casual” is the seventh track on their 2017 album Mr. Finish Line, and features the Danish singer Coco O. It begins in Db and smoothly slides up to D at 2:02.