I Want More Music Like This!

October 27, 2022 9:56 AM

I just heard Sam Smith's Unholy yesterday. I would like more music like this, please.

That's it. That's the question. But if you want more...

- I prefer to listen to and support non-garbage people.
- Genre doesn't matter if it has the same sort of song structure/feel to it. This can include samples, so if there's rap that has the same vibe to it, post it.
- I'm not interested in finding lyrically similar songs. Just musically similar.

Thanks!

posted by daikaisho to Media & Arts (7 answers total)

Best answer: Honest to God (Away)
Fuck Love (Banks)

It's borrowing a bit of the very spare trap aesthetic. You might try digging around here.
posted by fake at 10:08 AM on October 27, 2022

Best answer: I don't think they sound terribly similar, but the Switched On Pop podcast recently side-eyed this song specifically as ripping off (sorry) Lil Nas X's "Montero (Call Me By Your Name)" (a song that they had previously analyzed in a very interesting episode, which may lead you in the direction of more stuff like this...)
posted by lovableiago at 10:17 AM on October 27, 2022 [4 favorites]

Best answer: There’s a whole world of music using this structure, let me find you a tiktok that explains, it’s been used there for months and months. Carnatic and Byzantine scales perhaps? Watch this woman’s TikTok’s on the subject and check the comments for more info. She has more than this.
posted by Iteki at 10:29 AM on October 27, 2022 [5 favorites]

Best answer: A comment on that video says that the song is in the Phrygian mode; here's an explainer/examination of the Phrygian in popular music.
posted by gauche at 10:35 AM on October 27, 2022 [7 favorites]

Response by poster: Gauche, I think you hit on something. I'm watching that video now and I am seeing a lot of songs and sounds I like. I definitely like the Phrygian mode in music. Coupled with fake's recs... we are getting somewhere!

Iteki, the tiktok is up next. :)
posted by daikaisho at 10:53 AM on October 27, 2022 [1 favorite]

Best answer: I can't really tell if this aligns with your criteria, but maybe Come Along by Cosmo Sheldrake?
posted by under_petticoat_rule at 2:01 PM on October 27, 2022

Best answer: I bet you can find middle eastern pop music that would fit this feel.

Loveableiago, I feel vindicated, because I immediately thought of the Lil Nas X Call Me By Your Name analysis on switched on pop.

It's interesting how these two tunes walk the line between exoticism for western listeners and also potentially wanting to echo something familiar for certain non-western listeners.

I don't know which part of the tune is the key part for you (like whether you are only interested in very recent pop), but here are a few that strike me as having a resonance:

Ekaa Maksour by Lekhfa (fantastic Egyptian indie--the whole record is amazing)
Ghaba and Eslahat by Maryam Saleh & Zeid Hamdan (Lead singer of Lekhfa)
Habib Galbi by A-WA (Mizrachi Jewish pop with influences from Yemen)
Hna Jina by Neta Elkayam (Israeli singer who collaborates with North African musicians)

Also Nemesis by Shriekback (underrated semi-goth 80s band)
posted by umbú at 10:19 AM on October 28, 2022 [1 favorite]