Theme Variety: Intro same as pre-chorus, then verse, bridge, back to pre-chorus, then chorus, another verse, bridge, prechorus, chorus, then rap verse, another pre-chorus and chorus. A bit repetitive. Intro is simple, voice and light piano, verse adds drums, bridge adds harmony, pre-chorus adds a synth-pad, chorus adds nothing instrument-wise. Second verse includes some harmony. Rap verse has low piano, soft lead, drums, and some xylophone. If there was lead or xylophone in the other parts, they were drowned out.
Stars: 7
Music Complexity: They impressed me by not using a "standard" chord progression (like V IV I). Instead, they used IV I VI V. Refreshing. However, they lost a bit of respect by using it for the entire song. Yes, they changed the rhythms a bit, but they are still the same chords in the same order. Pretty good, but could be better.
Stars: 7.5
Dynamic
Variety: Pretty boring. Starts out kind of soft, and does get somewhat louder, but that is only because it adds more instruments. Not a lot of movement. The most interesting part was the sudden cut-off from chorus to verse. And even that wasn't a very big difference.
Stars: 4
Singer
Talent: He enunciates well. I can hear a bit of autotune, but it is masked well. Good range, very impressive soprano. I didn't think it was possible for a man to do that without going falsetto. I reference "Staying Alive" by the Bee Gees.
Stars: 7.5
Perceptible Auto-tune: Not heck of a lot. It is tricky to tell if I don't hear much because he doesn't use it much or because he uses a different voice-altering effect, but I think it's the former.
Stars: 8.5
Lyrics: A little more cursing than I would like, but I can't write a review on that. Lyrics were deep and powerful, and I'm sure many people can relate to them. I particularly like "even the sun sets on paradise." A shame there weren't more verses. As for Khalifa, kind of cocky, and rather superficial, but it rhymes well and the rhythm is decent enough.
Stars: 9
Overall: A fun party song. I wouldn't recommend singing it in front of your parents, but it is fun to listen to.
Stars: 7.25
Wednesday, May 23, 2012
Thursday, May 3, 2012
Analysis 4: Call Me, Maybe - Carly Rae Jespen
Theme Variety: Very simple, verse, prechorus, chorus, verse, prechorus, chorus, bridge, prechorus, chorus, bridge, chorus, chorus...
or something like that. The verse is light drums, voice, and very light guitar (or maybe EP? hard to tell...). Chorus adds synth strings, which drown out the guitar (EP?) from the verse, if it's still there. Voice, drums, bass are also there. Bridge adds electric guitar. Very simple themes. Same four chords in almost the same progression except in verse.
Stars: 6
Music Complexity: Very simple progression, almost entirely the same throughout. Vanilla chords, major/minor, nothing interesting. The synth strings' glissandos (google it) at the end of the choruses stick out to me like sore thumbs, almost to the point of being annoying.
Stars: 5.5
Dynamic Variety: Softer in the verse, building in the prechorus, to its peak in the chorus. Bridge is about the same as chorus. Given there are only two verses and three prechoruses, not a lot of variety here.
Stars: 4
Singer Talent: She enunciates well, two part harmony (a lower girl's voice beneath hers, maybe same girl), if the lower part in the verse is Carly as well, she has decent range. If not, well... Besides that, she can carry a tune decently.
Stars: 7.5
Perceptible Auto-tune: Not a lot, but I can hear a little bit. I think they reused the same chorus, prechorus, and bridge strips each time, but I don't hear much autotune in it.
Stars: 8.5
Lyrics: Superficial. The deepest part was of her throwing a wish in a well (which isn't right, really. you throw a coin to get a wish...). Repeated the chorus way too many times. It's the standard "oh I'm so popular, but i want you, the boy who doesn't care about being popular" theme.
Stars: 5
Overall: A teen girl song. A song for girls to listen to to feel good about themselves. I presume they relate to the "oh please call me" idea. Repetitive and simple, but if that's what you like...
Stars: 6.08
or something like that. The verse is light drums, voice, and very light guitar (or maybe EP? hard to tell...). Chorus adds synth strings, which drown out the guitar (EP?) from the verse, if it's still there. Voice, drums, bass are also there. Bridge adds electric guitar. Very simple themes. Same four chords in almost the same progression except in verse.
Stars: 6
Music Complexity: Very simple progression, almost entirely the same throughout. Vanilla chords, major/minor, nothing interesting. The synth strings' glissandos (google it) at the end of the choruses stick out to me like sore thumbs, almost to the point of being annoying.
Stars: 5.5
Dynamic Variety: Softer in the verse, building in the prechorus, to its peak in the chorus. Bridge is about the same as chorus. Given there are only two verses and three prechoruses, not a lot of variety here.
Stars: 4
Singer Talent: She enunciates well, two part harmony (a lower girl's voice beneath hers, maybe same girl), if the lower part in the verse is Carly as well, she has decent range. If not, well... Besides that, she can carry a tune decently.
Stars: 7.5
Perceptible Auto-tune: Not a lot, but I can hear a little bit. I think they reused the same chorus, prechorus, and bridge strips each time, but I don't hear much autotune in it.
Stars: 8.5
Lyrics: Superficial. The deepest part was of her throwing a wish in a well (which isn't right, really. you throw a coin to get a wish...). Repeated the chorus way too many times. It's the standard "oh I'm so popular, but i want you, the boy who doesn't care about being popular" theme.
Stars: 5
Overall: A teen girl song. A song for girls to listen to to feel good about themselves. I presume they relate to the "oh please call me" idea. Repetitive and simple, but if that's what you like...
Stars: 6.08
Monday, April 23, 2012
Analysis 3: You Don't Know You're Beautiful - One Direction
Theme Variety: Very simple, verse, chorus, verse, chorus, "nana" chorus, verse, broken down chorus, final chorus, or something close to that. I-IV-V throughout. Guitar, synth, voice harmony (but never five part... suspicious??), bass, basically your typical boy band, but younger. Gets boring quickly.
Stars: 4
Music Complexity: Simple chords, as mentioned above. Guitar, drums, and synth strings almost overwhelm the refrain. During the verses, guitar is too loud, and the drums should sue the drummer for abusive behavior. Main difference between chorus and verse is lack of synth strings and longer guitar chords, as opposed to the shorter strums during the verse. For their age, not bad, but lacking compared to older musicians.
Stars: 6.5
Dynamic Variety: Two settings: verse, and chorus. Verse, is "softer" only because it lacks an instrument and the chords are shorter. Not very interesting dynamic wise.
Stars: 3
Singer Talent: There are some harmonies, though never a five-part, and not even a four-part, I don't think. Melodies are very repetitive.
Stars: 4.5
Perceptible Auto-tune: LOTS of auto-tune. They hide it well, with multiple people singing, but - especially during the broken down chorus - it is definitely there. Its a bit shameful they didn't wait till they were better singers.
Stars: 2
Lyrics: Superficial lyrics. It is exactly what every girl wants to hear: she's beautiful, don't be so shy, etc. I also heard a big no-no: singing about the song they're singing. In all the songs I've listened to, I've heard one that does that well, "I'll have to say I love you in song" by Jim Croce. All others seemed very...I don't know how to describe it. But it's like they're bragging that they wrote a song. EDIT: A friend of mine pointed out another artist mentioning his own song well; Your Song, by Elton John
Stars: 5
Overall: A boy band song. Okay for little girls, but not really that great, in my opinion. I'm surprised it made the top ten. I suppose the lyrics are easy enough to sing along with, if only because they're so repetitive.
Stars: 4.2
Stars: 4
Music Complexity: Simple chords, as mentioned above. Guitar, drums, and synth strings almost overwhelm the refrain. During the verses, guitar is too loud, and the drums should sue the drummer for abusive behavior. Main difference between chorus and verse is lack of synth strings and longer guitar chords, as opposed to the shorter strums during the verse. For their age, not bad, but lacking compared to older musicians.
Stars: 6.5
Dynamic Variety: Two settings: verse, and chorus. Verse, is "softer" only because it lacks an instrument and the chords are shorter. Not very interesting dynamic wise.
Stars: 3
Singer Talent: There are some harmonies, though never a five-part, and not even a four-part, I don't think. Melodies are very repetitive.
Stars: 4.5
Perceptible Auto-tune: LOTS of auto-tune. They hide it well, with multiple people singing, but - especially during the broken down chorus - it is definitely there. Its a bit shameful they didn't wait till they were better singers.
Stars: 2
Lyrics: Superficial lyrics. It is exactly what every girl wants to hear: she's beautiful, don't be so shy, etc. I also heard a big no-no: singing about the song they're singing. In all the songs I've listened to, I've heard one that does that well, "I'll have to say I love you in song" by Jim Croce. All others seemed very...I don't know how to describe it. But it's like they're bragging that they wrote a song. EDIT: A friend of mine pointed out another artist mentioning his own song well; Your Song, by Elton John
Stars: 5
Overall: A boy band song. Okay for little girls, but not really that great, in my opinion. I'm surprised it made the top ten. I suppose the lyrics are easy enough to sing along with, if only because they're so repetitive.
Stars: 4.2
Sunday, April 22, 2012
Analysis 2: Somebody that I used to Know - Goyte feat. Kimbra
Theme Variety: Pretty basic themes: Male Verse with guitar and rhythm, chorus, female verse, chorus with female voice. Xylophone, male and female voice, acoustic guitar, drums, some strings, some unidentifiable synth, and electric guitar. Mostly simple, but used pretty well.
Stars: 7.5
Music Complexity: Music is the background. Basic 1-VII and I-VII-VI progressions. Interesting melodies with the xylophone and electric guitar stand out well against the simple guitar track.
Stars: 8
Dynamic Variety: Soft until the chorus, which is emphasized. When it is through, it quiets a again. Words louder than everything else. Changes are noticed, but not sudden or awkward.
Stars: 8.5
Singer Talent: Good singing. Decent range, although most of it was almost mumbled it was so quiet. Some words were jumbled to the point of imperceptibility in the chorus, but the point got across. Kimbra was decent as well, although I heard more auto-tune on her during the chorus.
Stars: 8
Perceptible Auto-tune: I couldn't hear much during the verses on Goyte. I heard a hint of it on Kimbra during her verse. Some on Goyte during the chorus, but more on Kimbra.
Stars: 7.5
Lyrics: Very emotional. It told a beautiful story, although some of it was jumbled during the chorus. They expressed anguish, angst, and many other emotions commonly thought of during a breakup. More importantly, it expressed two points of view. I enjoyed having lyrics from the perspective of both the man and the woman.
Stars: 9.5
Overall: A beautiful song. It was mature, deep, and entertaining. It deserves it's place as #1 on the charts.
Stars: 8.2
Stars: 7.5
Music Complexity: Music is the background. Basic 1-VII and I-VII-VI progressions. Interesting melodies with the xylophone and electric guitar stand out well against the simple guitar track.
Stars: 8
Dynamic Variety: Soft until the chorus, which is emphasized. When it is through, it quiets a again. Words louder than everything else. Changes are noticed, but not sudden or awkward.
Stars: 8.5
Singer Talent: Good singing. Decent range, although most of it was almost mumbled it was so quiet. Some words were jumbled to the point of imperceptibility in the chorus, but the point got across. Kimbra was decent as well, although I heard more auto-tune on her during the chorus.
Stars: 8
Perceptible Auto-tune: I couldn't hear much during the verses on Goyte. I heard a hint of it on Kimbra during her verse. Some on Goyte during the chorus, but more on Kimbra.
Stars: 7.5
Lyrics: Very emotional. It told a beautiful story, although some of it was jumbled during the chorus. They expressed anguish, angst, and many other emotions commonly thought of during a breakup. More importantly, it expressed two points of view. I enjoyed having lyrics from the perspective of both the man and the woman.
Stars: 9.5
Overall: A beautiful song. It was mature, deep, and entertaining. It deserves it's place as #1 on the charts.
Stars: 8.2
Saturday, April 14, 2012
Analysis 1: We are Young, by Fun Feat. Jonelle Monae
Theme Variety: Total of four themes: First is the opening theme, with just light drums, light piano, and solo voice. Second is the chorus, with louder piano, heavier drums, some electric guitar and bass, and voice. This time there were multiple singers. Third is the second and third verses: similar to first, but shorter and more electric guitar. Fourth was the bridge with voice and light drum background, and solo voice. Special note on the bridge: there aren't many songs that rely that much on voice, and for that, I must commend Fun.
Stars: 8
Music Complexity: Good movement between chords. Much better than simple I IV V or I V VI. For the chords it does use, it uses them very well. Very nice melodies and use of suspended chords.
Stars: 7
Dynamic Variety: Soft in the beginning, getting louder until the chorus, softer again, another chorus, the bridge, on final chorus, and then soft for the outro. Overall, decent movement, but somewhat lacking between transitions. Each part of the song - verse, chorus bridge - had its own volume, and there were good loud moments and good soft moments, but there wasn't much movement within a part.
Stars: 7.5
Singer Talent: He was pretty good. He was able to sing in a not inconsiderable range. The lyrics were all comprehensible, and there weren't any noticeable breaths. On the "tonight" bits, wonderful control going down. As for Jonelle Monae, of the eight measures she gets, they were well done. I thought I heard a touch of auto-tune, but not much.
Stars: 8.5
Perceptible Auto-tune: I couldn't hear a whole lot of auto-tune in this song. There were the isolated spots now and again, but overall, this seemed very natural.
Stars: 9
Lyrics: Wonderfully devoid of cursing, alcohol, sex, and other things you wouldn't want your 10 year old picking up on. I can live with a passing mention of drugs. Besides my strict christian opinions, the lyrics were clearly well thought out. It was, in essence, poetry put to music. Not just poetry, good poetry. A bit repetitive at times, but other than that, well done.
Stars: 9.5
Overall: A good song, much better than most I hear these days. Beyond the analysis, it was fun to listen to, which is really the point of music. It made me want to sing along.
Stars: 8.25
Stars: 8
Music Complexity: Good movement between chords. Much better than simple I IV V or I V VI. For the chords it does use, it uses them very well. Very nice melodies and use of suspended chords.
Stars: 7
Dynamic Variety: Soft in the beginning, getting louder until the chorus, softer again, another chorus, the bridge, on final chorus, and then soft for the outro. Overall, decent movement, but somewhat lacking between transitions. Each part of the song - verse, chorus bridge - had its own volume, and there were good loud moments and good soft moments, but there wasn't much movement within a part.
Stars: 7.5
Singer Talent: He was pretty good. He was able to sing in a not inconsiderable range. The lyrics were all comprehensible, and there weren't any noticeable breaths. On the "tonight" bits, wonderful control going down. As for Jonelle Monae, of the eight measures she gets, they were well done. I thought I heard a touch of auto-tune, but not much.
Stars: 8.5
Perceptible Auto-tune: I couldn't hear a whole lot of auto-tune in this song. There were the isolated spots now and again, but overall, this seemed very natural.
Stars: 9
Lyrics: Wonderfully devoid of cursing, alcohol, sex, and other things you wouldn't want your 10 year old picking up on. I can live with a passing mention of drugs. Besides my strict christian opinions, the lyrics were clearly well thought out. It was, in essence, poetry put to music. Not just poetry, good poetry. A bit repetitive at times, but other than that, well done.
Stars: 9.5
Overall: A good song, much better than most I hear these days. Beyond the analysis, it was fun to listen to, which is really the point of music. It made me want to sing along.
Stars: 8.25
Analysis
Well hello, there. You've stumbled upon this blog. This blog analyzes and compares today's most popular songs from the point of a musician. The analysis is done with respect to theme variety, music complexity, dynamic variety, singer talent, perceptible auto-tune, and lyrics. From each of these six categories, the song will receive up to ten stars, which are then averaged for an over-all rating. Also sometimes analyzed, but not rated, are number of singers, types of instruments, and length of song.
Have a request? Post a comment with your request in the most recent analysis. If I haven't done it already, I'll probably do it. Be sure to include at least the title and the artist. The album would be helpful, but not necessary.
Have a request? Post a comment with your request in the most recent analysis. If I haven't done it already, I'll probably do it. Be sure to include at least the title and the artist. The album would be helpful, but not necessary.
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