Vocals + melancholy piano

September 28, 2008 10:26 AM

Songs with vocals that have piano primarily as the background - ones that sound similar to Jade McNelis' "Wins" (link provided)

Hi, I was watching Grey's Anatomy this past week, and this song by Jade McNelis called "Wins" (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jONdOVLe30c&feature=related) came on, and I was truly mesmerized.

Are there any specific songs the Hive Mind could recommend to me that sound similar? I love the piano background, and it has sort of a darker feel (similar to a Russian composition). I am looking for things like that. I know Tori Amos, Sarah McLachlan, Coldplay, etc, all make extensive use of the piano, and I have most of their songs.

But if you could offer specific names of songs (obscure and non-so-obscure) that have the kind of darker/melancholy melody of this Jade McNelis song, that would be great!

My apologies if this has been posted before. I did a search and came up with posts for piano melodies, but nothing really with vocals.

posted by paperlanterns to media & arts (13 comments total)

Regina Spektor, definitely.
posted by cortex at 10:40 AM on September 28, 2008

Emily Haines? Telethon, for example.
posted by misteraitch at 10:58 AM on September 28, 2008

Point of Disgust by Low. Lovely song.
posted by otolith at 11:50 AM on September 28, 2008

How about A Fine Frenzy? Here's a version of her song Almost Lover you might give a listen to. Her album is a bit more produced but there are plenty of live/radio recordings that are solo piano. I would say it fits that melancholy, your-boyfriend-just-died-on-the-operating-table-on-Grey's-Anatomy feel.
posted by bcwinters at 12:07 PM on September 28, 2008

"Sunset" and "A Song for Europe" by Roxy Music? Both occasionally feature other instruments, but the main one is the piano.
posted by Dreamcast at 12:29 PM on September 28, 2008

Switch out the piano for a thumb piano, and you've got Laura Barrett.
posted by Sys Rq at 12:32 PM on September 28, 2008

Also, Fortune by Emma Pollock.
posted by otolith at 12:34 PM on September 28, 2008

"Peculiar Value" by Veda Hille fits the bill. The only online clip I can find is this truncated sample at last fm, but pretty sure iTunes has it.
posted by Rumple at 12:41 PM on September 28, 2008

Acoustic Version of "3 a.m." by Matchbox Twenty. It's terribly sad. I have a better (IMHO and even though this one is great) version of this as an mp3. Mefi mail me if you want to hear it.

Counting Crows (best band ever) has some similar acoustic stuff, but, again, are dark in a sad kind of way. They purposely perform their songs differently during nearly every performance so if you don't like any of these, look around for another version.

• Holiday in Spain
• Raining in Baltimore
• Colorblind
• especially Round Here (though it has some guitar). The acoustic piano version I have of this is mind boggling – again with the Mefi mail thing.

posted by PixelatorOfTime at 1:00 PM on September 28, 2008

good luck finding it - but pepper mcgowan (might be found under her maiden name, pepper acton) released an EP 10 years ago called Marrow. the song To Johnny is one of my favorite melancholy piano songs.
posted by nadawi at 2:13 PM on September 28, 2008

There's this girl, Lennon, who writes all of her metal songs on piano. She actually released an album of just her and he piano. It's quite good, and I think she's planning to release another one like it.

Sample track and youtube video, though you can download the whole album pay-what-you-can from her website.
posted by dogwalker at 2:43 PM on September 28, 2008

Nellie McKay
posted by [NOT HERMITOSIS-IST] at 3:32 PM on September 28, 2008

"We Belong Together" - Rickie Lee Jones
posted by timsteil at 5:20 PM on September 28, 2008