Music for clear-eyed euphoria
August 13, 2019 8:31 AM   Subscribe

I have a yen to be transported by emotional, yet upbeat bangers. Tell me the songs that make you see stars.

I'm craving the kind of music that makes me feel like my heart is bursting out of my chest with joy, hope or determination. They can be shimmery-rushy like I heard Wonders by David Holmes and Jump in the Pool by Friendly Fires, or drum n' bassy like Flesh Without Blood by Grimes and Rudimental's Feel the Love, or poppy like Green Light by Lorde and Dog Days are Over by Florence and the Machine, or old rockers like Boys of Summer by Don Henly or Dancing in the Dark by Bruce Springsteen. They can even be a devastating slow burner like Run Christian Run! by Super Furry Animals.

Big horns against a progressive beat are excellent, but equally tunes that progress to some crazy climax will do. The main thing is a kind of upbeat emo that I can seem to put my finger on.

Hit me, MeFi!
posted by freya_lamb to Media & Arts (49 answers total) 71 users marked this as a favorite
 
Is Carly Rae Jepsen too obvious? Run Away With Me
posted by btfreek at 8:38 AM on August 13, 2019 [3 favorites]


Chvrches, Make it Gold.

Spotify link
posted by dbx at 8:43 AM on August 13, 2019 [1 favorite]


Response by poster: I should have mentioned it but for some reason Run Away With Me is a bit too sweet to really hit that spot for me. There's some...grit missing? Along the right lines though.
posted by freya_lamb at 8:44 AM on August 13, 2019


Everything Now by Arcade Fire
Somebody Else by Verite
Glorious by Macklemore too obvious?
Hold Me Down by Halsey
Something About You by Hayden James
Dance, Baby! by boy pablo
Stay Useless by the Cloud Nothings (punky but soaring)
posted by cross_impact at 8:46 AM on August 13, 2019


Brill Bruisers by the New Pornographers
posted by hurdy gurdy girl at 8:48 AM on August 13, 2019 [3 favorites]


Animal Arithmetic, by Jonsi
posted by ewok_academy at 8:50 AM on August 13, 2019


Light of Love, by Music Go Music
posted by pipeski at 9:20 AM on August 13, 2019


Radiohead - Optimistic
REM - Daysleeper
Weezer -Pork and Beans
Andrew WK - Party Hard
posted by fluttering hellfire at 9:22 AM on August 13, 2019


These songs do it for me:

Atalanta, Rina Mushonga (spotify link)

Midnight City, M83

Sacrilege, Yeah Yeah Yeahs
posted by lomes at 9:29 AM on August 13, 2019 [1 favorite]


Blood Red Summer, Coheed
posted by ftm at 9:39 AM on August 13, 2019


Refugee - Tom Petty

I always feel exultant when I hear California Dreamin by the Mama's and the Papas
posted by nantucket at 9:44 AM on August 13, 2019 [2 favorites]


Spoon’s The Underdog! Maybe No Cars Go (Arcade Fire) or Skip the Youth (Frightened Rabbit) or Dirty Dream No 2 (Belle & Sebastian).
posted by ferret branca at 9:45 AM on August 13, 2019


I'm not sure this immediately hits the feels spot but in terms of the music, I immediately thought of We Are Explorers by Cut Copy.
posted by terretu at 9:52 AM on August 13, 2019




Walk Through Walls by Kyla La Grange reminded me of Dog Days Are Over specifically, the first time I heard it. I've been wild about it lately.

Lights also does euphoria pretty well for me: Skydiving (headrush flavor), Kicks (downtempo flavor)
posted by Tess of the d'Urkelvilles at 10:05 AM on August 13, 2019




Leave a Trace, CHVRCHES
posted by zeusianfog at 10:24 AM on August 13, 2019 [1 favorite]


I'm sensing a CHVRCHES theme here...

CHVRCHES - Clearest Blue

Here are a few more. That Eels track isn't exactly upbeat but it gives me all of the feels.

The New Pornographers - The Bleeding Heart Show
Eels - Fresh Feeling
Guadalcanal Diary - Litany (Life Goes On)
My Morning Jacket - Mahgeetah
The Posies - Golden Blunders
posted by HillbillyInBC at 10:33 AM on August 13, 2019 [4 favorites]


Two from Primal Scream come to mind - Loaded and Movin' on up
posted by TwoWordReview at 10:54 AM on August 13, 2019


Agent Orange- Unsafe at Any Speed
Amplifier- Glory Electricity, Upon Strange Seas of Thought, Continuum
posted by coppertop at 11:13 AM on August 13, 2019


"tunes that progress to some crazy climax": Asian Dub Foundation Taa Deem
It's a fine day by someone called Opus III, from the Nineties
Uplifting in a weird way - Massive Attack's Unfinished Sympathy
Prodigy Outta Space and a load more Prodigy, personally
Underworld Born Slippy
Dreadzone Life Love Unity
Skanga Truly Madly Deeply
posted by runincircles at 11:21 AM on August 13, 2019


My personal favourites. . . not sure if they fit the bill

Arcade Fire - Wake Up
Laura Mvula - That's Alright, Overcome, Phenomenal Woman
Fun- We are Young
Bjork - All is Full of Love
Nina Simone - Ain't Got No
Collective Soul - Shine

posted by winterportage at 11:32 AM on August 13, 2019 [1 favorite]




Janelle Monae - Tightrope & Make Me Feel
posted by kokaku at 12:34 PM on August 13, 2019 [1 favorite]


Deee Lite - Groove is in the Heart
posted by kokaku at 12:35 PM on August 13, 2019 [1 favorite]


For the last few years, Downtown Boys' Poder Elegir has been my no fail for this kinda thing
posted by bendybendy at 12:38 PM on August 13, 2019


Jukebox the Ghost - "Ghosts in Empty Houses" and "Don't Let Me Fall Behind."

Concrete Blonde - "Still in Hollywood"

Sugar - "If I Can't Change Your Mind"

XTC - "I'm the Man Who Murdered Love" (in a better world, this would have been a top 10 hit for weeks) and "We're All Light."

The Soft Boys - "I Wanna Destroy You" (or this version with Liz Phair and Robyn Hitchcock caught live via phone camera...). Speaking of Liz...

Liz Phair - "Supernova"

The Icicle Works - "Birds Fly (Whisper to a Scream)"

The English Beat - "Mirror in the Bathroom"

Robyn Hitchcock & The Egyptians - "Heaven"

The Monkees - "Daydream Believer"

Barenaked Ladies - "Odds Are" and "Pinch Me"
posted by jzb at 2:31 PM on August 13, 2019


Paramore - "Hard Times"
posted by lakemarie at 2:47 PM on August 13, 2019


This is the New Year by Great Big World.

I literally listen to it at midnight every New Years Eve as it pumps me up.
posted by wwax at 2:57 PM on August 13, 2019


The Decemberists - Shiny
posted by humboldt32 at 3:24 PM on August 13, 2019


High Contrast (w/ Underworld, Tiesto) - The First Note Is Silent

It is drum and bassy and climaxy.
posted by subocoyne at 3:31 PM on August 13, 2019


On the topic of Boys of Summer, the Daddy Issues cover is great.
posted by snaw at 3:44 PM on August 13, 2019


British 80s ska (or was it punk? or post-punk?) That's bands like Madness, Bad Manners, The Specials etc. There's some of those songs that give me that feeling of building up to something. Big horns aplenty as well. They may be a bit more raw than you were thinking of.

Ian Drury, Dance Little Rude Boy Dance. And Hit Me With Your Rhythm Stick. Here's an obituary of Drury for context from 2000.

Madness, One Step Beyond (original by Prince Buster.) Night Boat to Cairo.
posted by glasseyes at 4:21 PM on August 13, 2019 [1 favorite]


I made a Spotify playlist of just about every song mentioned
(if I couldn't find your song and you can find me a Spotify link i'll add it)
posted by kokaku at 5:05 PM on August 13, 2019 [11 favorites]


Grace under pressure, by Elbow
posted by msali at 9:18 PM on August 13, 2019


Steve Winwood - Higher Love

Ra Ra Riot - Valerie (I know! But they're somehow both faithful to the original and able to make it even better.)

Tears for Fears - Everybody Wants to Rule the World

Genesis - Land of Confusion (one for the determination front)

Maybe not enough grit: Belinda Carlisle - Heaven Is a Place on Earth and Whitney Houston - I Wanna Dance With Somebody (Who Loves Me)

New Radicals - You Get What You Give

U2 - Beautiful Day
posted by sigmagalator at 10:20 PM on August 13, 2019 [1 favorite]


Hey Rosetta! - New Goodbye gives me this feel, especially with building layers.
posted by lookoutbelow at 11:47 PM on August 13, 2019








In Dust We Trust - Chemical Brothers
Roll Out - Team Teamwork mashup (Ludacris vs Guile's Theme)
Jóga - Bjork
Rock'n'Roll Suicide - David Bowie

That'll do, don't want to conjure up a full C90's worth of questionable recommendations!

I totally do!
posted by I'm always feeling, Blue at 7:41 PM on August 14, 2019


Forgot P:machinery - Propaganda, sigh!
posted by I'm always feeling, Blue at 7:44 PM on August 14, 2019


The Aikiu - Pieces Of Gold
posted by ataco at 8:21 PM on August 14, 2019


All the stars - Kendrick Lamar
Little Dawn - Ted Leo & the pharmacists
Letter to Memphis - Pixies
Black and White town - Doves
posted by natasha_k at 6:48 AM on August 15, 2019


Very fond of "Go!" by M83.
posted by not_that_epiphanius at 3:52 PM on August 15, 2019




Best answer: You specify 'upbeat emo' and yet I do not see any comments about Panic at the Disco's two recent albums, which I love.

Some highlights:
High Hopes
Hey Look Ma I Made It
Hallelujah
Crazy=Genius
posted by BuddhaInABucket at 3:30 PM on August 16, 2019 [1 favorite]




Response by poster: Chiming in months later to say thank you, thank you. Some brilliant stuff here that's had me soaring these past weeks.

Special thanks for everyone who recommended Chvrches - Leave a trace, Clearest Blue and Bury it are pretty much the definitive versions of what I was looking for.
posted by freya_lamb at 12:04 AM on November 28, 2019 [1 favorite]


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