Comments on: I'm looking for chant-like, repetitive pop music.

Question: I'm looking for chant-like, repetitive pop music.

eschewed — Sun, 29 Jan 2006 23:35:46 -0800

I'm looking for repetitive/chant-like pop music.

Specifically, songs in the same vein as Beta Band's "Push It Out", Low's "Don't Carry it All", and the title track of Spiritualized's "Ladies and Gentlemen, We Are Floating in Space."

The lyrics are simple and repeated over and over, while the music grows beneath it.

What else fits this "genre"?

By: Clay201

Clay201 — Sun, 29 Jan 2006 23:47:07 -0800

Because my post is first, I get to give the obvious, easy response.

Fatboy Slim - "The Rockafeller Skank". It endlessly repeats "Right about now. The funk Soul Brother."

The rest of you suckers will have to come up with more obscure stuff:

By: vacapinta

vacapinta — Sun, 29 Jan 2006 23:49:10 -0800

Philip Glass: Koyaanisqatsi

By: hototogisu

hototogisu — Mon, 30 Jan 2006 00:03:27 -0800

The modern incarnation of Algerian raï fits your description perfectly (though the degree of layering added as the song progresses depends a lot on the artist).

Three of the bigger names in the genre are Cheb Khaled, Cheb Mami, and Rachid Taha. They've all been around a while, and their music has progressed with respect to outside influences over the years, sometimes straying rather drastically from its roots.

I'm partial to Mami's Prince of Rai, if you want a specific title to hunt for.

By: cathodeheart

cathodeheart — Mon, 30 Jan 2006 00:18:35 -0800

Try Blur - Tender, from their album 13. Seems like it might fit the bill.

By: Zendogg

Zendogg — Mon, 30 Jan 2006 00:20:09 -0800

Tusk, of course. Didn't Fleetwood Mac invent the genre?

By: mediareport

mediareport — Mon, 30 Jan 2006 00:20:59 -0800

Stereolab has some great repetitive vocal pop, esp. some beautiful early stuff like 'Transona Five' and 'Doubt.' The a cappella group Sweet Honey in the Rock has also recorded some amazing chant-like vocal songs, including the gorgeous bird-like 'Fulani Chant' from 1992's "In This Land."

By: Falconetti

Falconetti — Mon, 30 Jan 2006 00:21:39 -0800

Gavin Bryars - Jesus' Blood Never Failed Me Yet repeats a tramp's warbling and off-key rendition of this hymn for an hour with a gradual swelling of the background music. Tom Waits comes in and duets for awhile as well I think.

By: kyleg

kyleg — Mon, 30 Jan 2006 00:30:12 -0800

"Anthems for a Seventeen Year-Old Girl" by Broken Social Scene is a fantastic song. Oh, and it fits your criteria.

There is probably some Moby that would fit as well, but I can't be arsed to find any specific songs.

By: advil

advil — Mon, 30 Jan 2006 00:35:51 -0800

boom bip - do's and dont's

By: ori

ori — Mon, 30 Jan 2006 02:11:09 -0800

There's the DNA "remix" of Suzanne Vega which basically repeats the original acapella song's wordless vocal outro over and over.

By: coach_mcguirk

coach_mcguirk — Mon, 30 Jan 2006 02:55:05 -0800

Lil' Beethoven by Sparks fits your requirements wonderfully.

By: twistedonion

twistedonion — Mon, 30 Jan 2006 04:37:09 -0800

Teenage Fanclub - "What you do to me"

Another vote for anthems of a 17 year old, a current fav.

Not much vocals (apart from a girl counting the bars) but 200 bars by Spiritualized is good.

By: misteraitch

misteraitch — Mon, 30 Jan 2006 04:56:40 -0800

The song Dirge by Death in Vegas doesn't have lyrics as such, but has a la-la-la repeated over & over as the music builds. And Evan Dando's song In the Grass all Wine-Colored used a single repeated lyric to fine effect, although there's no musical crescendo in it.

By: Remy

Remy — Mon, 30 Jan 2006 05:19:14 -0800

I could be mistaken, but Sigur Rós' () is pretty much the same lyric for the entirety of the album.

By: sammich

sammich — Mon, 30 Jan 2006 05:35:31 -0800

try:

Oh How I Miss You by Broadcast

Crazy For You by Slowdive

Soleil Radieux [iTunes] by Mahogany

Sept [iTunes] by Sweet Trip

Run Into Flowers [Real Video] by M83

they are all ambient songs that have the same line/melody repeated over and over again.
oh and if you haven't already you should prolly check out your basic drone/spacerock staple acts: Windy and Carl, Flying Saucer Attack, Main, that first Verve album, Movietone, oh yeah and Spacemen 3 etc..

By: adamrice

adamrice — Mon, 30 Jan 2006 05:49:21 -0800

Perhaps "Babylon" by Don McLean (hey, you didn't say it had to be current pop music). I think technically this has a fugue structure.

By: misteraitch

misteraitch — Mon, 30 Jan 2006 06:06:26 -0800

The Pixies’ Stormy Weather, too.

By: Makebusy7

Makebusy7 — Mon, 30 Jan 2006 06:12:18 -0800

The Monkees "Zilch" was the four of them repeating nonsense sentences until they all lose their places and the songs ends with the word "Zilch".

I think it those days it was really really heavy.

Mr. Dobolina, Mr. Bob Dobolina
Mr. Dobolina, Mr. Bob Dobolina
Mr. Dobolina, Mr. Bob Dobolina
Mr. Dobolina, Mr. Bob Dobolina

By: ludwig_van

ludwig_van — Mon, 30 Jan 2006 06:30:40 -0800

"Anthems for a Seventeen Year-Old Girl" by Broken Social Scene is a fantastic song. Oh, and it fits your criteria.

Yeah, that's what I came here to say.

By: Heminator

Heminator — Mon, 30 Jan 2006 06:33:24 -0800

I just can't beleive someone actually beat me to mentioning Gavin Bryars.

Try an Elbow record, they all fit this bill, but particularly the second, Cast of Thousands. Lot of repetitive musical themes that slowy morph and swell under simplistic liyrical ideas. Give "Grace Under Pressure" a listen. Great stuff.

By: thanotopsis

thanotopsis — Mon, 30 Jan 2006 06:47:53 -0800

First thing I thought of was The Beatles' Hey Jude. The 5 minute "Na na na na na na na"s get into your head and don't leave for 3 years after you hear it.

By: martinrebas

martinrebas — Mon, 30 Jan 2006 06:48:30 -0800

Ani DiFranco - Pulse

By: mikel

mikel — Mon, 30 Jan 2006 07:34:01 -0800

Not exactly recent: Song to the Siren, This Mortal Coil.

More recent: Hide and Seek, Imogen Heap

Obscure: Grow, Bourbon Tabernacle Choir

By: shothotbot

shothotbot — Mon, 30 Jan 2006 08:02:50 -0800

In the states there is a small Kirtan movement which is acutal sanskrit chanting, often with a more western influenced beat, even if they are using indian instruments. Krishna Das's album Pilgram Heart is fast, fun and accessable. Wah! has a great slow album Savasana. Deva Permal is nice too.

If you like your sanskrit straight you should check out Vyass Huston's recordings from his American Sanskrit Institute

By: brilliantmistake

brilliantmistake — Mon, 30 Jan 2006 08:19:51 -0800

my bloody valentine - loveless
cocteau twins - victorialand
anything by can but especially tago mago

By: mediareport

mediareport — Mon, 30 Jan 2006 08:39:24 -0800

Oh, yeah, Can. "Yoo Do Right" is perfect; it's on the 1969 Monster Movie lp - simple repetitive vocals over an amazing bass groove that just builds and builds.

By: charmston

charmston — Mon, 30 Jan 2006 08:49:53 -0800

I came to say Anthems for a Seventeen Year-Old Girl by Broken Social Scene, as well.

By: subtle-t

subtle-t — Mon, 30 Jan 2006 08:54:17 -0800

art of noise - moments in love.

By: Rash

Rash — Mon, 30 Jan 2006 09:11:57 -0800

I'm reminded of is that first Enigma record, MCMXC, which incorporated gregorian chant into pop-rock. But maybe that's not quite what you're describing.

Obscure: one whole side of the first Steve Miller record (or at least the final track) may be what you're looking for: Children of the Future.

By: Rash

Rash — Mon, 30 Jan 2006 09:16:00 -0800

By: ltdan

ltdan — Mon, 30 Jan 2006 09:29:36 -0800

"Tout Le Monde" by The Reindeer Section.

By: teleskiving

teleskiving — Mon, 30 Jan 2006 09:44:33 -0800

Coconut?

By: Witty

Witty — Mon, 30 Jan 2006 10:17:58 -0800

I just can't beleive someone actually beat me to mentioning Gavin Bryars.

I can't believe you beat me to Elbow. A perfect suggestion for this question though... a personal favorite too.

By: rabbitsnake

rabbitsnake — Mon, 30 Jan 2006 10:18:25 -0800

"Prelude to 110 or 220/Women of the World" covered by Jim O'Rourke off the album Eureka. Original version by Ivor Cutler

By: grateful

grateful — Mon, 30 Jan 2006 10:35:39 -0800

Not a big fan, but Enya's Orinoco Flow seems to fit the bill.

By: any major dude

any major dude — Mon, 30 Jan 2006 12:41:45 -0800

Birth, School, Work, Death by the Godfathers
No new tale to tell by Love and rockets

By: forrest

forrest — Mon, 30 Jan 2006 13:04:41 -0800

"Witchi-Tai-To" -- there are a lot of versions out there, but the one that does the best job of starting a chant softly and building to crescendo is by Brewer & Shipley. It's exactly what you describe.

By: abcde

abcde — Mon, 30 Jan 2006 14:37:34 -0800

Radiohead, Sit Down Stand Up.

By: SisterHavana

SisterHavana — Mon, 30 Jan 2006 20:16:48 -0800

"Let's All Chant" - Michael Zager

By: anthom

anthom — Tue, 31 Jan 2006 08:37:55 -0800

Not current at all, but the Stooges' "We Will Fall" certainly fits the "repetitive vocals" requirement. It's been ages since I heard it, though - I can't remember if the arrangement does much building or swelling.

By: SisterHavana

SisterHavana — Tue, 31 Jan 2006 10:03:44 -0800

Can't forget "Hollaback Girl" by Gwen Stefani.

By: btocher

btocher — Tue, 31 Jan 2006 10:14:58 -0800

Faust's "Mamie Is Blue" fits the description perfectly.