Float along with this song, which has very little harmonic action. Then, get hit with the chord change that announces the chorus (at 0:49, 1:42, and 2:52). The simple introduction of an chord that falls outside the key (a “chromatic harmony” as opposed to a “diatonic harmony”; here, the secondary dominant of the supertonic key, or V7/ii). A simple, elegant move. The introduction of harmony vocals, right at this chord change, drive the point home, in case you missed it. Fittingly, this all happens as the singer announces ”the time has come to pay the price, so just say goodbye to me.”
Driving around town with my son, i’ll build it up the moment this chord change arrives: “Here, listen, it’s coming up, THE CHORD CHANGE… wait for it… NOW!” Big smile. He now refers to this song as “the chord change song.”
Enjoy. There’s an obvious retro vibe, what with all the falsetto singing, dated production values, and kitchen-sink arrangement. A throwback to old Stax recordings and even old ska/reggae sides. The composer, Seth Kaufmann, plays all the instruments (I believe). Go check out the whole album, and go back and get his previous album (under the name, Seth Kaufmann, rather than Floating Action). It’s called Research.
Indeed.
Memorable Lyric: “If you’re swimming in the rain, would it mean that I was on your mind?”
Album info: Floating Action (Park the Van, 2009)
