Hi everyone! I've been experimenting with the music theory of Razorblade to try and capture that same kind of vibe in my own song. I'm sort of new to music theory and would love to know how im doing and if anyone has any tips. I'm taking particular inspiration from the intro and riff. Here's what I've figured out:

- Razorblade uses a I-vi-ii-ii chord progression. Obviously, the I chord gives the tonal center, then the vi chord contrasts that security with a sadder, more bitter emotion. Holding the ii at the end is an interesting move, especially because it could just go to V then resolve to I in the next repetition. I think the hold on the ii creates a sense of acceptance and longevity that leads fluently into the repetition of the chords again.

- The riff is very step-wise scalar. It tends to move back and forth between two scale degrees, using double stop chords to utlizie a lot of perfect 5ths and 4ths. It gets a lot of great tension from its movement between the I-ii and the vii-I, especially at the end.

- The riff is 4 bars long, the same length as the chord progression. Since the riff and chords progress for the same length instead of just repeating a brief motif, this intro feels like its a whole narrative with ups and downs and conflict and resolution.

- Albert is usually playing his chords in root position or first inversion. The Strokes are known for their downstroke style of playing, so the verse feels very distinct and open because they let the chords ring out.