Throw the tape machine in the bathtub once the song climaxes!
June 1, 2010 2:52 AM   Subscribe

Ok, so we've all heard the buildup of "White Rabbit" by Jefferson Airplane, and waited for the beat to drop in Phil Collins' "In the Air Tonight"...

... what I'd like to know, is what are other songs that start out fairly innocuous and end in a flurry of majesty that leaves you in eargasmic awe.

Some contemporary examples are "Fake Empire by The National, Bleeding Heart Show by New Pornographers, and Warrior by the Yeah Yeah Yeahs.
posted by clearly to Media & Arts (132 answers total) 133 users marked this as a favorite

 
Response by poster: Sleeping Lessons by The Shins also fits the bill.
posted by clearly at 2:57 AM on June 1, 2010


Gong - Heavy Tune
King Crimson - Elephant Talk
Led Zeppelin - Dazed and Confused
Live - The Dam at Otter Creek

I might even throw in Queen's Bohemian Rhapsody.
posted by three blind mice at 3:01 AM on June 1, 2010


If I can turn things classical.... Bolero by Maurice Ravel.
posted by TheOtherGuy at 3:07 AM on June 1, 2010 [1 favorite]


Response by poster: three blind mice, Live is a great call. Lightning Crashes is another great example.
posted by clearly at 3:10 AM on June 1, 2010


I feel like the guy who won't shut up about how awesome Frightened Rabbit is, but "Skip the Youth" really is a perfect example of what you're talking about.
posted by jbickers at 3:13 AM on June 1, 2010


There are tons of incredible tracks like this but I'd have to have a think about it. The first that comes to mind is Pink Floyd - Atom Heart Mother.
posted by turkeyphant at 3:13 AM on June 1, 2010 [2 favorites]


For more classical, Nimrod of the Enigma Variations by Edward Elgar is pretty good at this too.
posted by that girl at 3:21 AM on June 1, 2010 [2 favorites]


Best answer: Try A Little Tenderness by Otis Redding.
posted by Sweetie Darling at 3:22 AM on June 1, 2010 [3 favorites]


You could probably categorize most of Phish's music this way, though eargasmic awe would likely depend quite a bit on the ear of the beholder.
posted by Civil_Disobedient at 3:26 AM on June 1, 2010


Response by poster: though eargasmic awe would likely depend quite a bit on the ear of the beholder.

I know. Say you and a friend are driving along... you put on a song that starts out quiet, maybe even a little depressing, you tell them to hold on, to trust you, because it gets better, the end is something worth waiting for, and when it happens nothing needs to be said, because all that matters is the sound coming out of the speakers.
posted by clearly at 3:34 AM on June 1, 2010 [2 favorites]


Love Today by MIKA does that for me.
posted by singerdj at 3:39 AM on June 1, 2010 [1 favorite]


U2 - Tomorrow
posted by swordfishtrombones at 3:48 AM on June 1, 2010


Radiohead's Sit down, stand up. Builup starts around 2 minutes in, eargasm about 1 minute later.
posted by bjrn at 3:49 AM on June 1, 2010 [1 favorite]


Oh yeah.. and Radiohead's 'You and Whose Army'
posted by TheOtherGuy at 3:54 AM on June 1, 2010


Emma Blowgun's Last Stand by Beulah. Killer build-up on that one; and a great payoff.
posted by Ike_Arumba at 3:56 AM on June 1, 2010


There are a few like this on Titus Andronicus's Monitor, which is a bit more rawkus, but the payoffs on The Battle Of Hampton Roads are pretty amazing.
posted by asuprenant at 4:00 AM on June 1, 2010


The Cooper Temple Clause - Written Apology
Sonic Youth - Stones
Silversun Pickups - Lazy Eye
Porcupine Tree - Way out of Here
posted by cronholio at 4:06 AM on June 1, 2010


the moon is down by explosions in the sky

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OLNTWN0Asmg
posted by lakersfan1222 at 4:07 AM on June 1, 2010 [1 favorite]


Dire Straits - Money for Nothing
posted by AnnaRat at 4:12 AM on June 1, 2010 [2 favorites]


Morrissey - Speedway, a great finish to a great record.
posted by Free word order! at 4:20 AM on June 1, 2010 [2 favorites]


LCD Soundsystem - Dance Yrself Clean
NIN - Memorabilia
posted by Blazecock Pileon at 4:22 AM on June 1, 2010 [1 favorite]


DJ Sprinkles - Ball'r (Madonna-Free Zone)
posted by Blazecock Pileon at 4:24 AM on June 1, 2010 [1 favorite]


The classic among the classics is Grieg's In the Hall of the Mountain King, from Peer Gynt.
posted by yclipse at 4:25 AM on June 1, 2010 [1 favorite]


Gut Feeling/Slap Your Mammy
posted by Thorzdad at 4:25 AM on June 1, 2010


Great question and excellent call on Bleeding Heart Show! That would have been my first choice.

Other than that, I'd put a vote in for Black Heart by Hey Rosetta! from Newfoundland.

When Your Mind's Made Up by Glen Hansard from the soundtrack for the movie Once. That one kills me every time.
posted by fso at 4:25 AM on June 1, 2010 [1 favorite]


Low's "When I Go Deaf," "Cue the Strings," and "Last Snowstorm of the Year."
posted by jesourie at 4:27 AM on June 1, 2010


Best answer: Sugar - The Slim (The live version on 'Besides' & 'The Joke is Always On Us, Sometimes')
Deep Purple - Child in Time
Failure - Daylight (The last track on the epic Fantastic Planet; for maximum effect listen to the whole album straight through.)
posted by usonian at 4:27 AM on June 1, 2010


Terre Thaemlitz - Cycles
posted by Blazecock Pileon at 4:27 AM on June 1, 2010


Led Zeppelin, “What Is and What Should Never Be,” which has little fake mini-climaxes, but at the end it’s like they're all taking the lead at the same time. I like the version on How the West Was Won.
posted by theredpen at 4:27 AM on June 1, 2010 [1 favorite]


Gescom - Key Nell 4
posted by Blazecock Pileon at 4:30 AM on June 1, 2010


Magic Dirt Babycakes (from Young & Full of the Devil, which also has a track called 'These Drugs Are Really Starting To Fuck Me Over' for eargasmic awe)
Veruca Salt Earthcrosser (from Eight Arms to Hold You)
posted by sleep_walker at 4:30 AM on June 1, 2010


Jamie Lidell (featuring Jimmy Edgar) - When I Come Back Around
posted by Blazecock Pileon at 4:35 AM on June 1, 2010


Following Blazecock's lead: many LCD Soundsystem songs do this. When the short and punchy (non-building) Drunk Girls recently hit as a single, I read at least one person say "don't worry, the 9 minute build songs are still on the album!". It's become a trademark of the band.

Losing My Edge, All My Friends, Yeah (Crass Version), and New York I Love You But You're Bringing Me Down should all be on your list.
posted by Remy at 4:35 AM on June 1, 2010


The Police - Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic
posted by Blazecock Pileon at 4:37 AM on June 1, 2010 [1 favorite]


Response by poster: Following Blazecock's lead: many LCD Soundsystem songs do this.

I love LCD, I'll include "Get Innocuous" and "Great Release" as well.
posted by clearly at 4:38 AM on June 1, 2010


Autechre - Laughing Quarter
posted by Blazecock Pileon at 4:41 AM on June 1, 2010


Til Tuesday - Voices Carry
posted by Blazecock Pileon at 4:43 AM on June 1, 2010


Handel - Zadok the Priest
posted by matthewr at 4:44 AM on June 1, 2010


Slint, Washer and Good Morning, Captain
Throwing Muses, Shimmer
Galaxie 500, Blue Thunder
Arvo Part, Ludus
Joy Division, Day of the Lords
Massive Attack, Group Four
Tsunami, Genius of Crack
posted by fleacircus at 4:48 AM on June 1, 2010


Beethoven symphony 7, movement 2.
posted by Cygnet at 5:05 AM on June 1, 2010 [1 favorite]


Speaking of Glen Hansard, try: The Frames - True

lakersfan1222 recommended EITS, a lot of bands in the “post-rock” genre have amazing songs with buildups you're looking for.

Also (for the emokids): Penfold - I'll Take You Everywhere
 
posted by querty at 5:09 AM on June 1, 2010


The Beatles - "A Day in the Life"
posted by Joe Beese at 5:27 AM on June 1, 2010 [1 favorite]


St. Vincent - "Black Rainbow"

The Arcade Fire - "Crown of Love"

Nirvana - "All Apologies"

The Beatles - "Strawberry Fields Forever"
posted by Jaltcoh at 5:33 AM on June 1, 2010


Radiohead have been mentioned but I don't think yet the song which is the epitome of this question for me: All I Need

Sinister build-up for a couple of minutes leading to a sudden flood of breathless wonderment and euphoric harmony... I don't know how many lovely noises can all occur at once!
posted by greenish at 5:44 AM on June 1, 2010 [4 favorites]


Rolling Stones' "You Can't Always Get What You Want"
posted by mdrew at 5:51 AM on June 1, 2010 [1 favorite]


My best example of this is Heroes by Bowie. Gentle vocal start moving slowly to histrionics by the end including ashtrays being banged on tables complicated gated mike setups to get the whole vocal recorded in one take and being a song about an alcoholic guy being beaten by his wife
posted by merocet at 6:07 AM on June 1, 2010 [2 favorites]


My all purpose answer for this is A Quick One While He's Away by the Who. It seems youtube has yanked the best version (The Rolling Stone's Rock and Roll Circus live version) but it's pretty amazing in that it starts out at a solid rocking level, recedes a bit, then comes back at full blast, and you know, indeed, that we are all forgiven.

The Eddie Vedder with My Morning Jacket version is pretty solid, as well. Whenever I hear either one on my way to work, work doesn't suck quite so much that day.
posted by Ghidorah at 6:29 AM on June 1, 2010 [1 favorite]


Elbow, "One Day Like This"
skeletonbreath, "Circus Train"
posted by runningwithscissors at 6:29 AM on June 1, 2010 [1 favorite]


Dire Straits - Private Investigations. Oh yeah.
posted by CunningLinguist at 6:31 AM on June 1, 2010 [1 favorite]


Joe Walsh's "The Confessor" does it for me.
posted by futz at 6:34 AM on June 1, 2010


You also need the opposite of this, the mindblowing sudden nothingness at the end of these two songs:

Pink Floyd Have a Cigar. Bonus if you have dogs present at the moment, they freak right out.
The Beatles, She's So (Heavy)
posted by Meatbomb at 6:44 AM on June 1, 2010


Dan Deacon - Snookered
posted by Pronoiac at 6:57 AM on June 1, 2010 [1 favorite]


The first side of Mike Oldfield's Tubular Bells begin with the tinkling piano bit in 15/8 that most everyone associates with the soundtrack of The Exorcist and climaxes some 25 minutes later with the appearance of, well, the titular tubular bells.

(I never realized until just now how much fun it is to write "titular tubular.")
posted by ricochet biscuit at 7:07 AM on June 1, 2010 [1 favorite]


Reflection, by Tool, track 11 on Lateralus.

Also, if you can stand one more by Radiohead: Exit Music (For A Film).
posted by newmoistness at 7:12 AM on June 1, 2010 [1 favorite]




Best answer: My all time build up song is "one of these days" by doves. It gives me chills every time I listen to it.
posted by ThaBombShelterSmith at 7:19 AM on June 1, 2010 [1 favorite]


Depending on your taste (of course), Weezer's "Only in Dreams." Everything else that came to mind has already been stated at least once.
posted by divisjm at 7:28 AM on June 1, 2010 [3 favorites]


The title track of Death Cab for Cutie's Transatlanticism is a slow eight minute build up to the final "come on" section.
posted by Lazlo Hollyfeld at 7:39 AM on June 1, 2010


another Radiohead.... Fake Plastic Trees .....
posted by keep it tight at 7:40 AM on June 1, 2010


I too am a music lover who lives for the slow-building songs that edge upwards towards the ecstatic emotional pay-off. For my money, the two current bands that most consistently pull this off are Radiohead and Arcade Fire, but my number 1 all-time favourite song for this is "Neighborhood #1 (Tunnels)" by Arcade Fire. It starts of a little bit slow and minimal with insistent drums and bass and then gradually builds to an absolute crescendo of awesome. Bonus points for interesting and poignant lyrics. Given what you've listed, you may already know this song, but if not I give it my top recommendation!
posted by noboru_wataya at 7:41 AM on June 1, 2010 [2 favorites]


I love this effect. Thanks for the question - I'll have to check out a lot of these.

Some of my favorites:

Diamonds on the Soles of her Shoes by Paul Simon and Ladysmith Black Mambazo. Starts off pretty and acoustic, then some great drums come in and kick it up to the next level.

This Modern Love by Bloc Party, is more of a slow build, but ends up electrifying and awesome.

Rebellion (Lies) by the Arcade Fire is, for the first 4 minutes, a great anthemic rock song, but then the strings in the last minute turn it into something more beautiful and profound.
posted by lunasol at 7:42 AM on June 1, 2010


Foo Fighters - February Stars
Roxy Music - If There is Something <- my personal favorite of this type of song.
posted by Bonzai at 7:45 AM on June 1, 2010 [1 favorite]


bah!!!! 2nd try on the Roxy Link
posted by Bonzai at 7:46 AM on June 1, 2010


"Art Rock Suite" written by Christopher Guest and included on the National Lampoon album Goodbye Pop. In fact, there are a number of climactic moments in the song, each one better than the last.
posted by Sculthorpe at 7:57 AM on June 1, 2010


Shakespeare's Sister, "Stay."
Sisters of Mercy, "Corrosion" perhaps.
Moody Blues, "Nights in White Satin."
Saint Saens, "Dans Macabre."

Seems like Fleetwood Mac tends to start slow and build to a crescendo in a lot of their sings.

Guns 'n Roses, "November Rain."

Boston, "More than a Feeling."

Foreigner, "Juke Box Hero."
posted by galadriel at 8:03 AM on June 1, 2010 [1 favorite]


To me, the classic would be Stairway to Heaven.

See also: just about every song Candlebox ever did. They pretty much milked that formula to death.

80's hair metal ballads did a lot of it, too, although the only one I can think of off the top of my head is Great White's "Rock Me". (The live version of that song, which got a little airplay for a while, is what made me finally stop dismissing them as absolute crap.
posted by MexicanYenta at 8:05 AM on June 1, 2010


Low Spark of High Heeled Boys - Traffic
posted by any major dude at 8:11 AM on June 1, 2010 [1 favorite]


Peter Gabriel's The Rhythm of the Heat, about Carl Jung visiting Africa and getting caught up and totally freaked out by tribal drummers. It starts slow and quiet and the drums build and build and by the end...well, wow.
posted by CunningLinguist at 8:18 AM on June 1, 2010 [1 favorite]


refused - new noise
posted by wordsmith at 8:18 AM on June 1, 2010 [4 favorites]


This is pretty much the formula for Godspeed You! Black Emperor tracks. Also see pretty much any long track by Pink Floyd (Echoes, One of These Days, Shine On You Crazy Diamond).
posted by shakespeherian at 8:22 AM on June 1, 2010


Rock and Roll Suicide - David Bowie
posted by rocket88 at 8:25 AM on June 1, 2010


Subjective build up to eargsm: Throwing in my vote for Okkervil River's "Blue Tulip." The build-up doesn't lead necessarily to a frenetic session of instrumentals and vocals, but it definitely starts from a sort of morose and slow pace and finishes with a sort of big orchestral tug at your heart strings, "I've been holding it in, but here I am now practically ripping my heart out for you...by ripping out my vocal chords." To me it's pretty eargasmic, and I think I like that song based solely on the slow buildup to a sort of rolling tumbling end. In fact, I feel like a lot of their songs are kind of like that, like Another Radio Song or "For Real", but to me, they don't come anything anything close to the way the combination of sounds and lyrics in Blue Tulip tumbles towards the end.

Straylight Run's "Mistakes We Knew We Were Making" has been in rotation since I was in college for similar reasons. It's not that the song starts off inocuous and surprises you with a heady end, it's just that you roll along with the song and it build and builds, from the background vocals in the chorus. Then the song drops out to a soft instrumental and the vocals start building up again and along with the lyrics and the slowly growing shouts of "You can't go home again" in the background is what I wait for every single time.
posted by kkokkodalk at 8:37 AM on June 1, 2010


My favourite example of this is Mogwai's New Paths To Helicon II. Find the Radio 1 session version if you can. It's eight and a half minutes of summer.

Also, Good Morning Captain by Slint. That Summer, At Home.. by Twilight Sad. Okkervil River's My Life is not a Movie or a Maybe. Aphex Twin's Girl/Boy song (which to fifteen year old me sounded like the machine we used in our woodwork lab to slice coloured perspex). A slightly less raucous example is the Cornelius remix of Blur's 'Tender', which I feel is far superior to the original.
posted by mippy at 8:53 AM on June 1, 2010


  • "Go or Go Ahead" – Rufus Wainwright. The studio version of this does the contrast better than the live version available on YouTube, but I wasn't able to find a free copy of it.
  • "Take Your Medicine" – Cloud Cult. Somewhat more up-tempo to start with, but I love how all the threads come together at the end.
  • "Earth/Monstrous Hummingbirds" – Rheostatics. Not so much a gradual build as a wall of sound that smacks you in the face, then recedes and rises again.

posted by Johnny Assay at 9:10 AM on June 1, 2010


Pretty much every song by Explosions in the Sky. They've basically mastered the "slow buildup to thundering, rocking crescendo". You may recognize them from the soundtracks for the Friday Night Lights movie and TV show. They put on an amazing live show, too.
posted by devnall at 9:10 AM on June 1, 2010


Peter Gabriel's Signal To Noise may fit the bill.
posted by a snickering nuthatch at 9:20 AM on June 1, 2010


Funkadelic - Maggot Brain
posted by clark at 9:26 AM on June 1, 2010 [1 favorite]


n'thing just about anything from Live

Jackson Browne - The Fuse
Peter Gabriel - In Your Eyes from the Secret World Live tour
posted by Benny Andajetz at 9:29 AM on June 1, 2010


Speaking of Bowie, here's Under Pressure.
posted by mhum at 9:33 AM on June 1, 2010


Bruce Springsteen - Thunder Road
posted by DevilsAdvocate at 9:38 AM on June 1, 2010


Freebird.
posted by kirkaracha at 9:49 AM on June 1, 2010 [1 favorite]


sigh no more by mumford & sons
posted by changeling at 9:51 AM on June 1, 2010 [1 favorite]


Hey Jude.
posted by biscotti at 9:59 AM on June 1, 2010


A Perfect Circle - The Noose

Kate Bush - Leave It Open

King Crimson - Starless (incomplete)

Nine Inch Nails - Just Like You Imagined

Sleepytime Gorilla Museum - Angle of Repose
posted by Bangaioh at 10:01 AM on June 1, 2010 [1 favorite]


Pat Metheny - Phase Dance
posted by leafwoman at 10:19 AM on June 1, 2010


Change by Sparks (excerpt only in this clip)
Without You by Nilsson (I always get shivers when he belts the refrain)
posted by Oriole Adams at 10:21 AM on June 1, 2010


Pink Floyd - High Hopes
posted by Bangaioh at 10:32 AM on June 1, 2010


Best answer: Liam Finn - Second Chance - live performance on Letterman where I first saw it, and the official video.
posted by jabberjaw at 10:44 AM on June 1, 2010 [2 favorites]


Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture.
posted by Biru at 11:27 AM on June 1, 2010


The Who's live version of Magic Bus on Live at Leeds.
posted by Bruce H. at 11:39 AM on June 1, 2010


Aphex Twin's Vordhosbn from the Drukqs album is one of my favorite in this style, as is Squarepusher's "I Wish You Could Talk" from Go Plastic. Tundra by Squarepusher may also fit the bill, but with less emotional impact than the previous two songs. Tool's Third Eye also works, albeit with a bit heavier style.

Also, most songs off of Radiohead's Hail to the Thief follow this pattern, and is part of the reason I like that album so much.
posted by mysterpigg at 11:41 AM on June 1, 2010


Since someone else mentioned Bolero...Ravel really got this kind of thing right, but Shostakovich (IMO) does it way better.
posted by The Potate at 11:46 AM on June 1, 2010


Gene - Speak to me Someone
posted by Biru at 12:07 PM on June 1, 2010


"The Color That Your Eyes Changed With The Color Of Your Hair", by Carissa's Wierd.
posted by hubs at 12:10 PM on June 1, 2010


Muse does this a lot.

Butterflies & Hurricanes
Exogenesis: Symphony Part 1 and 2
Falling Away With You
Glorious
Invincible
Knights of Cydonia
Resistance
Sing for Absolution
Take a Bow
United States of Eurasia
posted by elsietheeel at 12:14 PM on June 1, 2010


Dire Straits - Sultans of Swing. Live, preferably.

DJ Shadow - Organ Donor
posted by olya at 12:20 PM on June 1, 2010


Really unsure of your criteria now that I've seen some of the responses, but:

Led Zeppelin -- In the Evening
Pink Floyd -- Keep Talking
Paul McCartney -- Live and Let Die
Styx -- Fooling Yourself (The Angry Young Man)
Styx -- (Domo Arigato) Mister Roboto
Styx -- Renegade
posted by circular at 1:00 PM on June 1, 2010


Grizzly Bear - Colorado
posted by hellojed at 1:47 PM on June 1, 2010


Music climaxes are easier to get when your recording has dynamic range... and few pop albums have the dynamic range of late Talk Talk.

The one-note guitar solo at 4:00 of After the Flood might count, if only from the sense of calm after it fades. There's also a nice harmonica solo at the end of The Rainbow.

Unfortunately, being quiet means the mix alternates between inaudible and distorted when played on youtube or cheap dashboard speakers - it really needs a quiet room and a good stereo system.
posted by anthill at 1:55 PM on June 1, 2010


Arriving Somewhere But Not Here by Porcupine Tree is a great example: It starts out dreamy and ethereal for a couple of minutes before suddenly starting to blast out. After just enough time for you to get used to the heavier sound, it moves up another level and rocks out some more. Then it does it again and again. I'm always amazed by how much mileage Steven Wilson gets out of the same basic chords and melody in this song.

This live version is the closest I could find to the complete song. (The superior album cut, with the criminal omission of the final three minutes, is here.)
posted by The Lurkers Support Me in Email at 2:11 PM on June 1, 2010 [1 favorite]


Response by poster: Wow. Thanks for all the responses! I have some listening to do!
posted by clearly at 2:16 PM on June 1, 2010


NIN - Eraser
posted by contrariwise at 2:24 PM on June 1, 2010


The Chemical Brothers' Where do I Begin? (Sunday Morning) fits the bill as well. Slow, beautiful beginning, builds into a fantastic finish.

Feel free to ignore the linked video. Just, y'know, listen to it in a background tab.
posted by Ghidorah at 2:34 PM on June 1, 2010 [1 favorite]


R.E.M. - Shiny Happy People
posted by trialex at 3:37 PM on June 1, 2010


Baba O'Riley. About 40 seconds of repetivie electronic harpsichord notes. Then the iconic first chord kicks in.

and

Behind Blue Eyes. This one takes awhile, slow beginning, then the repressed anger starts cracking thru around 2:10.

from the The Who's album, Who's Next
posted by marsha56 at 4:25 PM on June 1, 2010


Kutiman - I'm New
posted by Blazecock Pileon at 4:27 PM on June 1, 2010


Everloving by Moby. Just past the 1:00 mark the song opens into this huge auditory panorama.
posted by workerant at 5:11 PM on June 1, 2010 [1 favorite]


David Bowie - Five Years
posted by Blazecock Pileon at 5:31 PM on June 1, 2010


Oh man, can't believe I forgot Burn it Blue by Caetano Veloso and Lila Downs.
posted by Cygnet at 6:36 PM on June 1, 2010


Plenty of Radiohead songs have already been mentioned and you could list a dozen more. And how about the Jane's Addiction's "Three Days"? The 10 odd minute build from "three days was the morning..." all the way up to "all of us with wings..." is superb. Which reminds me, I haven't listened to it in years and really must...
posted by markr at 7:48 PM on June 1, 2010 [3 favorites]


Seconding Deep Purple's Child in Time and Liam Finn's Second Chance (this is my favorite version, huge explosion by the end - starts at 1:09).

The Airborne Toxic Event - Sometime Around Midnight starts off slow (around 0:30), has the same chords throughout, and just keeps building and building until the end.
posted by Kippersoft at 8:15 PM on June 1, 2010


The first time I ever really paid attention to Journey's "Don't Stop Believin'" was when the fuss went around about The Sopranos' ending. I finally got the song. It still kills me to wait for the chorus. Sooner! I want it sooner!
posted by IndigoRain at 8:50 PM on June 1, 2010


"Love Reign O'er Me" - The Who
posted by SisterHavana at 9:01 PM on June 1, 2010


+1 for Bowie's Rock N Roll Suicide, criminally overlooked in my opinion.
posted by ibmcginty at 11:50 PM on June 1, 2010 [1 favorite]


The Barenaked Ladies' cover of Lovers in a Dangerous Time
posted by keep it under cover at 12:46 AM on June 2, 2010


Definitely recommend Porcupine Tree... especially the version of "The Sky Moves Sideways" that's on their live album, Coma Divine. I can't find that version on YouTube, but here's what it kinda sounded like. Watch out for that "woah" point starting around 7:20.
posted by parilous at 6:34 AM on June 2, 2010



posted by wcfields at 4:57 PM on June 2, 2010


Yo La Tengo - The Room Got Heavy
posted by Blazecock Pileon at 1:34 PM on June 3, 2010


In the Explosion in the Sky vein, this kind of thing is Sigur Ros' stock in trade.

Try "Untitled 7" from ( ). Starts like a slightly creepy lullaby, finishes like the End of Days.
posted by gottabefunky at 3:37 PM on June 3, 2010


Just remembered:

On - Soluble Words (on the woefully obscure Shifting Skin album.)
Them Crooked Vultures - Nobody Loves me and Neither Do I. The pounding riff at the end is pretty badass.
posted by usonian at 12:47 PM on June 4, 2010


Previously on AskMeFi.
posted by mullingitover at 6:03 PM on June 4, 2010


My old and in the way references:
Little Feat Waiting For Columbus: Dixie Chicken -> Tripe Face Boogie
Tommy Bolton Private Eyes: Shake The Devil
Supertramp: Bloody Well Right
Rod Stewart: Every Picture Tells A Story
Here's a duuuh: Stairway to Heaven
Fleetwood Mac: The Chain

carefully backs to / sits down on his porch swing
posted by hal9k at 9:25 AM on June 6, 2010


Great post- I love a lot of these songs. Have to add Bright Eyes Road to Joy.

Mr Darko likes NIN's Hurt for this effect.
posted by NicoleyDarko at 8:09 PM on June 6, 2010


Response by poster: I'll add a few more:

Clap Your Hands Say Yeah - Skin of My Country Yellow Teeth
This song puts me in a happy place. It slowly but steadily builds until the the vocals are at a wail and the beat has gone from peppy to downright chaotic, except you don't realize it until the final refrain sends you off.

Kings of Leon - Closer
The lyric "I see a storm bubbling up from the sea / and it's coming closer" pretty much sums it up.

Band of Horses - Funeral
This song has one of those blindsiding beat drops that comes out of nowhere and finishes in a flurry that can only be described as epic.
posted by clearly at 10:37 PM on June 7, 2010


Response by poster: Thanks again for all the great responses. I'm loving the variety. Keep them coming!
posted by clearly at 10:39 PM on June 7, 2010


The Besnard Lakes: Like the Ocean, Like the Innocent, Parts I and II. When the drums come in, it's just immense.
posted by jokeefe at 9:52 AM on June 8, 2010


And nobody's mentioned Sigur Ros? Start with Ágætis byrjun and work forward; pretty much every track.
posted by jokeefe at 9:55 AM on June 8, 2010


And I could mention lots of Radiohead songs, but Fake Plastic Trees probably fits the bill here.
posted by jokeefe at 10:02 AM on June 8, 2010


Addenda: Yes, Sigur Ros has been mentioned, and so has FPT. Sorry.

Showing my age: Yes, And You and I. There are excellent climactic moments in Close to the Edge, too.
posted by jokeefe at 10:11 AM on June 8, 2010 [1 favorite]


PS: with Yes? Just ignore the lyrics; they're mostly nonsense.
posted by jokeefe at 10:15 AM on June 8, 2010


Dirge by Death In Vegas.
posted by jonnyploy at 2:17 AM on June 11, 2010


Just listened to The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway and had to come back. "The Grand Parade of Lifeless Packaging." OMG.
posted by theredpen at 8:52 AM on July 17, 2010


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