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Related Music Theory Alchemy

“Glory Box” by Portishead from the album Dummy (1994) presents a haunting and somewhat melancholy ambience commonly found in their trademark trip-hop style. This song, in particular, draws from a palette of jazz-influenced harmony. The chords used, their extensions, and inversions, conjure complexity beyond basic triadic harmony. The chord progression listed appears to be in the key of D minor and employs common jazz techniques like ii-V-I progressions and usage of the half-diminished chord.

The song “It’s A Fire” by Portishead features complex harmonic structures, distinguished by a fusion of pop, rock, and elements of jazz harmonies. The band, known for their trip-hop style, employ chromatically richer harmony and non-diatonic chord progressions in this piece. The chord progression of ‘It’s A Fire’ is consistent with this approach as we see the frequent use of suspended and minor chords alongside major ones, which creates a sense of unresolved tension. Borrowed chords, usually taken from the parallel minor or major key, are also used frequently to add stylistic color to the harmony.

The Beach Boys’ “Good Vibrations” presents an interesting mix of major and minor chords with excellent use of chord inversions and borrowings. The song is harmonically adventurous, showcasing the band’s pop mastery with Brian Wilson’s unmatched compositional skills. This song is primarily in the key of A Major, with many borrowed chords and modulation that creates its unique feel.

“Goodbye Blue Sky” is a song by Pink Floyd from their 1979 album, “The Wall.” It is known for its haunting, ethereal quality, achieved through the use of predominantly minor chords, lush harmonies, and a slow, atmospheric tempo. The song’s lyrics and melancholic mood reflect feelings of loss and desolation.

“Tonight, Tonight” by The Smashing Pumpkins draws from the band’s unique style of alternative rock influenced by a distinct palette of harmonic choices. Particularly in the songwriting of Billy Corgan (the band’s primary songwriter), the band tends to use a mix of common and uncommon chords, together with a tendency of exploring different tonalities. Often, the chord changes are driven by guitar inversions, suspensions, or additions.

Portishead – Glory Box – Chorus

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Chord Progression

[‘Dm’, ‘Dm/C’, ‘Bm7b5’, ‘Bbmaj7’, ‘Dm’, ‘Dm/C’, ‘Bm7b5’, ‘Bbmaj7’, ‘Dm’, ‘Dm/C’, ‘Bm7b5’, ‘Bbmaj7’, ‘Dm’]

Chord Progression Analysis

“`
Dm (‘i’)
Dm/C (‘i with VII in the bass’)
Bm7b5 (‘vi half-diminished’)
Bbmaj7 (‘♭VI Major 7’)
Dm (‘i’)
Dm/C (‘i with VII in the bass’)
Bm7b5 (‘vi half-diminished’)
Bbmaj7 (‘♭VI Major 7’)
Dm (‘i’)
Dm/C (‘i with VII in the bass’)
Bm7b5 (‘vi half-diminished’)
Bbmaj7 (‘♭VI Major 7’)
Dm (‘i’)
“`

Similar Chord Progressions

1. Radiohead’s “Exit Music (For A Film)” also utilizes a minor to major seventh movement, though in a different key:
“`
Am (‘i’)
E (‘V’)
G (‘♭VII’)
Dmaj7 (‘IVmaj7’)
“`

2. Billie Eilish’s “when the party’s over” uses a similar pattern to start, moving from minor to half-diminished:
“`
Fmaj7 (‘I’)
Fm7 (‘i’)
G7 (‘V’)
Fmaj7 (‘IV’)
“`

Musical Analysis

This progression is quite intriguing, utilizing a mixture of chord types – minor, half-diminished, and major seventh – that adds considerable depth to the piece. This progression does not follow a typical pop/rock pattern but rather leans into Portishead’s characteristic trippy, brooding style. The chord transitions smoothly thanks to common tones and stepwise movement in the bass.

Overall Analysis

The “Glory Box” by Portishead chorus progression is based in D minor and moves between this primary D minor chord and three other chords: Dm/C, Bm7b5, and Bbmaj7. The Dm/C chord is the same as the D minor, but with a different note in the bass (C). The Bm7b5 is a half-diminished chord. The Bbmaj7 is major seventh chord.

Style Analysis

Portishead is known for their unique, cinematic blend of styles known as trip-hop, which marries elements of jazz, rock, hip-hop, and electronic music. The unusual chord progression in “Glory Box” helps create the moody, atmospheric sound that defines this song and much of their work. The progression’s focus on dark, minor chords and half-diminished chords highlights their jazz influences, while the bass movement underscores the rhythmic drive found in hip-hop and electronic music.

Chords in the Chorus section of Glory Box by Portishead are:

[‘Dm’, ‘Dm/C’, ‘Bm7b5’, ‘Bbmaj7’, ‘Dm’, ‘Dm/C’, ‘Bm7b5’, ‘Bbmaj7’, ‘Dm’, ‘Dm/C’, ‘Bm7b5’, ‘Bbmaj7’, ‘Dm’]