Life in Technicolor

March 8, 2009 5:15 PM

Who else makes music that sounds like "Life in Technicolor" by Coldplay?

Specifically the electronic sounding beginning.

What do you call that kind of music? Who makes it?

It's refreshing and relaxing. I would love to hear more like it.

posted by abdulf to Media & Arts (15 answers total)

I think your best bet is to try last.fm, you really can't search for the song, but you could put in Coldplay and find many artist that are similar. Great website to find new artists!
posted by snoelle at 5:26 PM on March 8, 2009

Best answer: It's basically ambient electronica, give-or-take. Happily, there's a lot of stuff like that out there. I'd suggest the album The Campfire Headphase by Boards of Canada (songs here and here). You should definitely check out Ulrich Schnauss, who has had a couple of great albums in this vein (songs here and here). Manual does some more upbeat stuff. The entire online radio station Groove Salad at SomaFM.

Good luck with your search! I'm sure you'll get a ton of other recommendations.
posted by ZaphodB at 5:44 PM on March 8, 2009

Best answer: Zero 7 and Portishead.
posted by Frank Grimes at 5:47 PM on March 8, 2009

You might like Four Tet (though some of the songs can verge into distortion which I'm not a huge fan of, I really loved the "Rounds" album). You might be looking for "chill-out music" more generally.
posted by pised at 5:49 PM on March 8, 2009

Sigur ros

You're going to love them. :)
posted by Elle Vator at 6:00 PM on March 8, 2009

Definitely check out Eluvium. Very relaxing ambient post-rock.
posted by sciencemandan at 6:49 PM on March 8, 2009

Explosions in the Sky, I believe. They've been used as ambient music in TV Shows / commercials.
posted by niles at 6:55 PM on March 8, 2009

Best answer: Reminds me of Michael Brook, specifically the track 'Several Times' from Sleeps with the Fishes (1987) (a collaboration with Clan of Xymox's Peter Noonan). He produces a signature ethereal, dreamy quality across his albums and film soundtracks.

Stream his last.fm radio station to hear more -- including cuts from the fantastic 'An Inconvienient Truth' soundtrack, as well as related artists you might enjoy, such as Harold Budd and Robin Guthrie.
posted by prinado at 7:39 PM on March 8, 2009

Ulrich Schnauss has 3 albums of this stuff.


See also: Delerium, William Orbit, Trentemoller.
posted by mmoncur at 10:16 PM on March 8, 2009

I think you are going to like the album Life is Full of Possibilities by Dntel.
posted by creeky at 11:52 PM on March 8, 2009

You should also visit Pandora. Pandora is perfectly suited to answering your question and has helped me discover lots of new music. Very good site it is.
posted by Dave. at 8:24 AM on March 9, 2009

Maybe this will help you in your quest: coldplaypod

In all seriousness, the first 30 bars or so are a straight rip off of any number of tracks on Sigur Ros' album Takk...

Also going to second the suggestion of Dntel, Boards of Canada, some Mogwai. (Delerium, huh? really??)
posted by mezamashii at 9:17 AM on March 9, 2009

Best answer: Aha! I realized out why the intro is so familiar: it's sampled from
Jon Hopkins' [last.fm artist profile] "Light Through the Veins" [imeem full track].
posted by prinado at 10:38 AM on March 9, 2009

Godspeed You! Black Emperor is very good for epic, sort of ambient music like that.
posted by scarykarrey at 12:22 PM on March 9, 2009

Thanks prinado - I'm buying Jon Hopkins' albums right now...
posted by mmoncur at 9:49 PM on March 9, 2009