Hello, it’s been a while 
So, I have been revisiting some older J-rock/pop and visual kei favorites of mine, and noticed that oftentimes the music suddenly seems to shift into a completely different place - not meaning a change of style, but more or less a change of harmony - and even still, it sounds perfectly natural!
The topic is about key changes, unusual chord progressions, or those moments when a verse/chorus/bridge/outro unexpectedly changes the whole atmosphere. Not necessarily the familiar trick you hear in Western music of raising the final chorus near the end of the song, etc.
You don’t need to know any music theory to recognize it. Sometimes you just hear a transition, maybe you are humming or singing along, and then after the change, it leaves you thinking, “wait, that was unusual, but it works!”
Some examples/favorites from my end:
PIERROT - Clear Sky:
Reported musical journey according to the Japanese internet (ignore this if you don’t like musical jargon)
A (intro/outro) - C (verse) - Cm (pre-chorus) - B (chorus) - E (middle/bridge)
The intro, verse, pre-chorus, and chorus, as well as the additional bridge, seem to be from completely different harmonic “worlds” - and it might leave you thinking at first, “wait, this is not typical”, yet the band and Kirito in particular make it melodically cohesive (somehow)?
Honorary mention (i.e., similar ideas being played out): PIERROT - SEPIA
BUCK-TICK - NATIONAL MEDIA BOYS
Reported musical journey according to the Japanese internet (ignore this if you don’t like musical jargon)
Bm → B, G#m → G#, C#m → E (intro/verse)
E → Emaj7/D# → Bm/D → C#m → C → E/B → Bb → B (chorus progression)
Bm → Dm → Bm → A → B (solo section)
Chords go back and forth between major and minor, unusual cadences not helped by Atsushi’s ambiguous melody-making - at first confusing you, but then making you tag along (living up to its intended lyrical theme), with some interesting movements in “musical color” along the way, thus making the song one of their most worthwhile highlights despite not being a single. Imai indeed was one remarkable trickster during this time of BT’s reign.
Honorary mention (i.e., similar ideas being played out): Dir en grey - Aoi Tsuki
PENICILLIN - Hanazono Kinema
Reported musical journey according to the Japanese internet (ignore this if you don’t like musical jargon)
Am/C (Intro/verse) → D#m/F# (chorus) → Am/C…
While not as adventurous as the previous candidates, the chorus is strikingly different from the rest of the song, given the huge jump (or, in musical nerdy terms, a"tritone modulation") from HAKUEI’s more somber verse delivery. You can hear the strain in his vocals the moment the chorus kicks in, but that only adds to the melodramatic, kayoukyoku-like vibe this song is meant to convey.
Honorary mention (i.e., similar ideas being played out): La’cryma Christi - With-you
KAMIJO - 美しい日々の欠片
I have no reported chord progression for this one, so consider the following more skeptically.
As per one of the earlier BARKS interviews 【インタビュー 後編】KAMIJO、新曲「美しい日々の欠片」を語る「だけど、愛だけが残ってしまった…」 | BARKS , this song from mr. KAMIJO himself is a good example for this thread because KAMIJO personally explained why he lowered the key, and HIRO (ex-La’cryma Christi) explained how he helped make the transition sound natural.
In a February 2024 BARKS interview (see above), KAMIJO revealed (in musical nerdy terms) that the composition goes down a minor third in the latter half of the pre-chorus, followed by another half-step drop entering the chorus.
This was intentional: keeping the chorus at the higher pitch made its emotional expression seem too much like “uncontrolled sobbing”. Lowering it a bit instead (think of the Beatles’ “Penny Lane”) produced the feeling of “taking a step back, but being in a lot of pain.” (never change, KAMIJO, never change)
KAMIJO described hiding the key changes by keeping parts of the melody within the original scale. He estimated approx. six (!) modulations throughout the song - all while keeping the song coherent enough and something you can enjoy without thinking about whatever is going on.
Apparently, at a March 2024 event (Ameblo fan reports; take this with a grain of salt), KAMIJO explained that the downward chorus change initially bothered him because it “seemed awkward”. HIRO, however, added a connecting guitar melody that made the half-step drop work.
Honorary mention: the GazettE - Nakigahara (that sudden key drop at the end!)
What other songs come to your mind? Particularly ones where the changes are almost hidden under a catchy melody, or where the ending/some other part unexpectedly takes the music somewhere else.
