#I've spent 5 hours listening to the same fucking tracks I'm going insane

[papersynth]

Klance theory - Music

This really isn’t one of my better theories because its really hard to analyse music :’)

I always see people make half-hearted theories on the music, always bordering on the "it kinda sounds like that!" and selectively picking a title, but I guess I have too much time on my hands and a new set of headphones I need to test.

I don't really have a proper format for this theory so this might seem like just rambling I hope its coherent. Useful links: S1 OST - https://open.spotify.com/album/6gJcepRhZZjaRWTIxOAvrl?si=4EwqNWa6Tjm9edF8gTfJRQ S2,4,5, 7 VLD OST - https://soundcloud.com/brianparkhurst/sets S6 OST - https://soundcloud.com/spiralbill/sets/voltron-legendary-defender

FOR SOME REASON I CANNOT FIND THE OST OF SEASON 3, I FIND THAT SUSPICIOUS BUT LETS NOT READ TOO MUCH INTO IT.

So lets start with what defines a romantic piece of music and I've broken it down to the music having 1. High Strings (often used to influence the current tempo or mood) 2. Legato Piano (or in the case of Voltron - Synth) in a  3. Adagio (slow tempo) Not trying to use these words to sound smart, its just that I need specifics

The reason why this formula is used is because love is a very funny and whimsical feeling. Its strange, its light, but its also sweet and kind. Romantic music always makes the effort to sound pleasant and continuous. The mix of slow piano and high strings is in relevance to how the strings insinuate the ups and downs. Moments of fantasy/whimsy that are often associated with love. 

Bonding Moment - Tears of the Balmera I had listened to the piece on repeat (and thought it wasn't) the same piece, but yes, the track playing is "To Go Home". The entire fight with Sendak (despite being super epic) DOESN'T use this track. "To Go Home" makes use of synth beats and a rapid tempo with HIGH notes. The music during the fight with sendak is much faster in tempo with LOW notes, accentuated with warning alarm music to evoke danger and urgency. Notice how varying notes are used with the visuals following the tide of the battle.

"To Go Home" uses the same notes slowly rising in octaves. Repetition and intensity are often used for "chase" scenes or those with rising tension. ANYWAY the point here is that the piece of music insinuates a tense moment -> battle -> resolution. Listen to the last 30 seconds.

It starts slow, then there's a rising note, then slowly dropping down, giving the audience a feeling of rest (it doesn't slowly fade out, it ends). The reason why the bonding moment feels romantic is not only because of the visuals, but the music imply the blooming of emotion.

High strings, slow synth piano, adagio. None of the fucking trumpet shit in the 30 seconds. Cut, clean, and precise ONLY to be interrupted (by the segue) into battle music. The recipe for a romantic soundtrack is used DELIBERATELY, it cuts STRAIGHT to the end.

I'm a filmmaker, I know that I can use virtually any music to segue into an intense scene, imagine that scene with JUST the first note (the synth) the whole time instead. It feels much more friendly (and teamwork oriented) than working it into rising harmony. Also the visuals just enhance this feeling even further.

Lance gives Blue to Allura - The Red Paladin

The reason why I’m bringing up this scene is because it is romantic but not exactly. This scene between Lance and Allura is BORDERLINE romantic instead of a friendly or honorary gesture. Visually and thematically, all Lance is really doing is giving blue on over to Allura. 

This scene is specifically special because the music conveys how the emotions are currently flowing. 

Allura enters, the steady music is accompanied by higher notes almost peaking. Alongside the visuals, it gives a feeling of “discovery”, like a eureka moment. This is because she walks in with a pink paladin suit, and remember Lance STILL has a crush on her. He sees a new side to Allura, re-iterating once again his interest in her as a princess (at first). THEN we slip into romantic music territory as he gives the bayard to Allura, talking about how he admires her as a person who he would entrust blue to. The higher notes slowly shift the focus of the conversation into a flowing melody, indicating they’re on the same wavelength.

The music here suggests discovery but just barely teetering on romantic feelings. The mood is similar to when Zarkon first interacts with Honnerva.

Zarkon meets Honnerva - The Legend Begins

AGAIN - Slow Synth with a flowing melody of higher notes that are introduced when Honnerva picks up Kova. The visuals also compliment the music being played, Zarkon’s sense of interest, and slight attraction to Honnerva. Listen to the music of both these scenes. They’re melodically similar, and both romantically coded.

Bedroom Scene “Leave the Math to Pidge” - Tailing a comet

I can’t get over how this scene is romantically coded so fucking subtly because its done with contrasting visuals. Lance approaches Keith with a super serious topic and the plot of this scene contrasts the music that’s being played. To insinuate a conversation between the both of them, that’s very serious the whole time, no music should have been used. You don’t HAVE to have a soundtrack for everything. The scene would have done fine without music but YET it STILL uses music. 

1. Legato Synth

That’s the continuous and slow beat throughout this entire scene slowly rising before going back down the MOMENT Lance says that he should step aside. It then continues to shift veeery slowly between high and low notes (but notice how it doesn’t have an accompaniment ) UNTIL Keith says “Leave the math to Pidge” intro

2. High String > Adagio

Lighthearted, and resolute. No wonder people think this scene is romantic. We have to be aware that the feelings between Lance and Keith are slow and gradual. They didn’t develop over a night, they took time to come to fruition. The more serious moments between Lance and Keith are slow but always coupled with romantic music. The music in this scene along with the visuals make it seem like Lance finds a lighthearted joy in Keith’s WORDS (because the strings come in AFTER Keith speaks). Their relationship improves over time.

Allura saves Lance - Omega Shield

Adagio? Check. Rising Synth? Check. ACCOMPANIED BY HIGH STRINGS TO INDICATE THE OTHER’S EMOTIONS? MC FUCKIN CHECK. This scene is 100% romantic, between Lance and Allura. I know this is a Klance theory but you guys seem to also forget that Lance is supposedly Bi coded, and last I checked, Bi means tWO.

Lotura and Krolia + Keith’s Dad - Razor’s Edge

The scene where Allura and Lotor are talking about what they’ve discovered in Oriande is a blooming romance between them. You can hear it in the staccato high note accent and as they go more into how they both find comfort in each other, intro comes these higher piano notes. This is the scene where we really hear love blooming between Lotor and Allura. Remember that feeling of whimsy and fantasy? That’s the feeling of love between the both of them. Its ethereal, exciting and light. 

You want a point of comparison? Listen to the final korrasami scene, where they’re talking to each other outside. There’s the high string, legato piano, and where the love REALLY blooms, you hear bits and pieces of (what I think is) a kalimba. Maybe a xylophone. Slow but light beats. Blooming love is always depicted as light prickles. If you’ve ever read romance manga you’ll always see the main character surrounded by bubbles and white light. The music speaks the underlying emotions that we cannot see or understand in words.

Lance coming to terms with his feelings about Allura

This, this scene. This is as about as obvious as you can get in regards to the recipe for a romantic soundtrack. Slow, adagio synth + high strings, also it helps that Lance is literally talking about his unrequited love for Allura. I wish there was an official soundtrack for everything, but all I can say is you have to go and listen to the music in these specific scenes because they’re all romantically coded.

The Mice tell Allura Lance’s feelings

I think this scene is what threw off the possibility of Allurance for me, its because of the music and her facial expression. The music STARTS hopeful, the way a romantic piece should be, but it slowly goes downwards instead, and ends on a slightly awkward lower note. Its not hopeful, its more of.....pitiful. Like for Allura she doesn’t think she can reciprocate Lance’s feelings which is what I think this scene was trying to insinuate. This scene contrasts with when Allura saved Lance in LITERALLY the previous episode. I don’t doubt for a second that Allura feels as though she may have feelings towards Lance, but I don’t think she wants to go through with them, that’s why when the mice told her about Lance’s crush on her, she felt bad about it. 

Allura and Lotor Kiss

Ohohohoh the music here was romantic up until a literal beat before their kiss. The music in VLD is amazing when it comes to picking out emotion also its just so well fucking put together. Listen closely to the music of that scene, did you catch it? the ONE note, that was slightly off, right before they kissed. Its awkward, and disjointed. It felt ominous, and jarring. Like it was a step into bad territory, which I would suppose Allura took when she devoted her feelings towards Lotor.

Allura talks about her feelings for Lotor 

This scene parallels the scene in season 3 where Keith comes up to Lance and talks about how he put the team in jeopardy in “The Hunted”. The funny thing about these two scenes is that the scene with Keith introduces a higher accent to the music but ENDS the music, working itself into a different piece instead of leaving it on plateau. The scene with Allura doesn’t have a musical ending, it remains on the higher notes and gets interrupted instead of being a segue into a different emotion. Make what you think of it, but it seems as though his unrequited love for allura is let go of. It just stops as its ongoing, it has no conclusion (at least, till s8 lol).

Allura Thanks Lance + Wishes he stays safe

OH BOY So remember how we’ve established that romantic music has an adagio base with high strings/synth to evoke romantic feelings? Allura thanks lance for covering her, and we BEGIN on that musical note, intro comes the base music, only to be distorted (albeit) comically by Veronica.

Allura (later in that episode) tells Lance that she wishes he was safe and we’re on that same path again, the music’s slowly rising, the strings are here this time aaaaaaaand no conclusion? It fades abruptly into a comical ping from veronica, how come we can’t get a conclusive note for these two?

The music in the romantic scenes found in the show are really, REALLY, indicative of what’s emotively happening. Most of the scenes with Allura and Lotor are cut short or fade into sad music for lance, while the other canonical romances like Hunk/Shay and Krolia/Keith’s Dad, rhythmically conclude. Maybe I’m going insane from listening to these tracks all day, but I think they’re a decent indicator of what’s emotionally happening behind the scenes.

That’s all there really is for now! Season 8 Klance prediction is gonna be a goofy scene with those lighthearted bubbly notes I was talking about earlier. Bet.