Help me find more "theatrical" music.

March 19, 2016 2:19 PM

I seem to really like music that gets described as “theatrical” or “cinematic” (at least by Pitchfork reviewers). The best examples are the Lavender Diamond and the album Challengers by The New Pornographers. Oh, also pretty much everything by The Lisps. In terms of individual songs that fit, I would also include The Bronze Beaches Boys of Summer by PAS/CAL and We Added It Up by My Brightest Diamond.

I think part of what makes these theatrical is, on the one hand, a kind of showy earnestness and on the other, some wry playfulness in the lyrics, but I’m not sure about that. It seems like "theatrical" might be way of saying “overly emotional in a way that doesn’t seem totally genuine” but I really like that vibe, which does seem genuine to me, and a huge, welcome relief from the emotional sterility of a lot of music these days.

So, yeah, what are some artists, songs, and albums that are “theatrical” in a similar way? Or other terms for genres to help me in my quest. I’m already familiar with the phrases baroque pop and orchestral pop and chamber pop, which are genres I like. (Maybe I should just look for bands with the word “diamond” in their names?)

I’m especially looking for theatrical songs that have a summery, breezy, warm, or uplifting mood but more melancholy fare is also welcome.

posted by overglow to Media & Arts (22 answers total)

Maybe Woodkid? But it's definitely more melancholy. I've always thought of his music as "cinematic", which may or may not be what you're looking for.
posted by rossination at 2:21 PM on March 19, 2016 [1 favorite]

M83 on the previous two albums (Saturdays = Youth and Hurry Up, We're Dreaming) has been a bit on an self-admitted 80s John Hughes kind of thing, and it's totally theatrical, in the "fist pump in the air" kind of mood.

The Magnetic Fields might also be a good choice, in a completely different way.
posted by lmfsilva at 2:55 PM on March 19, 2016 [1 favorite]

How about The Seeds of Love by Tears for Fears? "Woman in Chains" is epic.
posted by JoeZydeco at 3:08 PM on March 19, 2016 [1 favorite]

The latest album by Destroyer might be up your alley, if you haven't heard it yet.
posted by neroli at 3:13 PM on March 19, 2016 [1 favorite]

Stars is my go-to band for emotional earnestness. Their last album, No One is Lost, is a dancey synthfest, but I feel like you might enjoy "This is the Last Time" (which I think was actually written for a movie soundtrack, but not used). Then there's "Do You Want to Die Together" from The North. As well as "I Died so I Could Haunt You" from The Five Ghosts.

I think of Stars as rather melancholy in general, but they have a number of upbeat numbers in their (rather extensive) back catalog as well.
posted by invokeuse at 4:05 PM on March 19, 2016 [1 favorite]

When you say theatrical, I think of The Decemberists. The Mariner's Revenge, for example, is amazingly theatrical, and best experienced in person. 16 Military Wives is also a great theatrical song.
posted by hydra77 at 4:28 PM on March 19, 2016 [3 favorites]

Lana del Rey's most recent album, Honeymoon, has a low-key, golden-age-of-cinema feel.
posted by terretu at 4:44 PM on March 19, 2016

I came in to suggest the Decemberists as well - try out The Perfect Crime, the Crane Wife, and Yankee Bayonet.
posted by ChuraChura at 4:45 PM on March 19, 2016 [1 favorite]

How about Polyphonic Spree? The second album Together We're Heavy is pretty summery. Try Soldier Girl and Two Thousand Places for an idea of the sound. It's definitely chamber pop.
posted by irisclara at 5:06 PM on March 19, 2016

“Is It Wicked Not to Care?”, etc.
posted by D.C. at 5:25 PM on March 19, 2016

Fin de Siecle by The Divine Comedy is very much what you want. The first song of theirs that really grabbed me was Eric The Gardener, but if that's not cinematic enough, then give Sweden a try. Utterly bombastic & epic. Most of the album is dripping with satire & irony but it ends on an incredibly sincere note with Sunrise, which is about living through "The Troubles" in N. Ireland as a child. Serious headphone material, as it is sonically 50 layers deep.
posted by Devils Rancher at 5:25 PM on March 19, 2016

+1 for The Decemberists, but with the caveat that on their last record, they've dialed down some of the theatricality and replaced it with later-IRS-era REM-isms (which sounds good too, but is less like what you are looking for). But there's a reason their first few records had people calling them indie rock for drama club kids.

But stuff like A Cautionary Song or Bandit Queen? Spot on. Hell, they even have a song called I Was Meant for the Stage.
posted by DirtyOldTown at 6:52 PM on March 19, 2016

Also check out Firewater. That band is essentially a wedding band from hell, mixing up Eastern European folk, post punk, klezmer, bhangra, and various other world music as a soundtrack for purple prose and bitter wordplay. Try Bourbon and Division and click on a few links from there. The newer stuff has bits of Turkish, Indian, and Israeli music. The older stuff is an antecedent of what Eugene Kutz from Gogol Bordello calls "gypsy punk" these days.
posted by DirtyOldTown at 6:58 PM on March 19, 2016

Although, I wish I had maybe left off "A Cautionary Song" now that I think of it, as it's fucking traumatizing. Listen to the other two instead.
posted by DirtyOldTown at 7:04 PM on March 19, 2016

Sweet but melancholy- Death Cab for Cutie - I will follow you into the dark

A back and forth love song duet - Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeroes - Home
posted by lizbunny at 7:27 PM on March 19, 2016

The Mariner's Revenge is one of my favourites, most dramatic! :D
posted by lizbunny at 7:28 PM on March 19, 2016

Antony and the Johnsons is definitely theatrical (that song has a slow build, so be sure to listen through even if it doesn't grab you at first). Girls has some songs that might suit your taste, too.
posted by katie at 7:46 PM on March 19, 2016 [1 favorite]

How about Tori Amos Wrong Band? Or Kate Bush Army Dreamers (although definitely more on the downer side).
posted by foxhat10 at 10:31 AM on March 20, 2016

Best answer: First, thanks for reminding me of Lavender Diamond, lost to me in a digital library crash. Going to throw stuff from different genres at you, that I think might capture what you are asking for. Emphasis on earnest (lush) sounds with a lyrical playfulness.

Wild Beasts
Planningtorock
Rubblebucket
Fever Ray
Foxygen- Shuggie
St.Vincent
Us Girls
Lake Street Dive
posted by abhardcastle at 11:51 AM on March 20, 2016

Maybe Caro Emerald

Regina Spektor?
posted by sylvanshine at 9:14 PM on March 20, 2016

Beirut.
Patrick Watson.
Doves.
posted by miles1972 at 7:38 PM on March 21, 2016

Response by poster: Thanks, y'all! I already love the Decemberists, so good call on that... Also y'all called out some of my other favorite tunes/artists as well, especially Home and Regina Spektor and Belle and Sebastian. Also, there's some intriguing new artists to check out. Thanks again!
posted by overglow at 3:16 PM on March 26, 2016