Perfect Moments In Music

[a386]

The buildup at the ending of A Day in the Life by the Beatles and the powerful piano chord that ends it.

That is so great. I don't remember where he got it but a friend gave me .wav files of all four separate tracks of that song, and then you can load them into Audacity or something and shut tracks off or listen to them alone. If you listen to the piano track, by the end there are maybe three people playing the one piano and someone is yelling, it's great.

WHOA PAGETOP WHAT DO I DO

[Sargon]

I love listening to this song because there are several "perfect moments" and it just builds continuously until it finally comes back down to the drums that drew me in initially.
There There -- Radiohead
2:54 Thom Yorke's keening.
3:16 Everything gets taken up a notch, it holds me in suspense.
3:57 Epic.

Aaah the epic in that song is fucking incredible. Another amazing bit from that album is in We Suck Young Blood, at the line "won't let the nervous bury me." But then, I could probably go on about Radiohead in this topic all day, so I'd better stop for now...

[kaniman2]

Hail to the Thief was always my favourite Radiohead album like that.

[GyRo567]

Naaa na na nanana naaaaaaa!

I could go on, but need I?
Though Hey Jude's climax is not my favorite musical moment... merely a universally recognized one

[Midnight]

Aaah the epic in that song is fucking incredible. Another amazing bit from that album is in We Suck Young Blood, at the line "won't let the nervous bury me." But then, I could probably go on about Radiohead in this topic all day, so I'd better stop for now...

if that's the line where it speeds up all cool, I liked that song, and when that part happened, i was like WHOA COOL but then... it was only like 2 bars of sped up. and the rest of the song was the same as the start. and it was dull and I felt sad. cause radiohead coulda been hella cool. but they didn't do it.

still love that album.


i'd like to add when the guitar kicks in in "Where is my mind" by the pixies

[Kirjava]

At the risk of severly derailing this thread, I don't like Radiohead - I've tried, I own several of their albums, I've listened to them repeatedly, knowing that apparently I really should like them. But I don't get it. I think they're one of the most overrated bands of all time. I think Muse, the band that people tend to claim copied them, are several times better. And No Surprises is a contender for one of the worst, whiniest songs of all time.

That being said, there are a few moments in 2 songs where Radiohead get it absolutely right, and are mentally good.

Just is the first one.. every time the electric guitar kicks in with the main riff, that rises slowly - I think that's fantastic. Especially the first time, as it seems to come from nowhere. The solos are mental too.

The second one is is Exit Music (for a Film) - the way it rises up to , on "Now we are one, in everlasting peace" is just a wonderfully engineered piece of music - the build-up feels right, and it makes the marvellously screamy climax just beautiful.


I'd like to throw in another Coldplay song - the first time I listened to Violet Hill, it had been released just a couple days ago, and I was expecting just another run of the mill Coldplay song. Nice and easy to listen to, not too challenging or anything. And then, suddenly, the electric guitar kicks in with a borderline guttural tone, and I knew that this was going to be an absurdly good song. I find that kinda thing very exciting.

[Rhubarb]

I agree with a lot of what you said about Radiohead, although OK Computer is a good album. Waaay overrated though. And I definitely agree about Exit Music (For A Film), that is a great track.

Coldplay do nothing for me though, I tried listening to one of their tracks just to see what the fuss was all about- last.fm had a best of 2008 thing, and Coldplay were up there, so I thought there must be something to appreciate... but no.

One moment I might add to this thread is the bit when the bass kicks in in Feedbacker, Part 3 by Boris. God, I love Boris. The riff before that bit is great, but then there is a moment when everything stops, there are 3 notes signaling something epic, then the bass comes back in, ohhh man...

[charliepanayi]

At the risk of joining in an irrelevant argument, I disagree so so much with these views of Radiohead. And Muse are nothing like them any way, those comparisons have always been stupid.

Perfect moment? The bit in 'Your Hand in Mine' by Explosions in the Sky when the military march-type drum beat kicks in.

[Sargon]

if that's the line where it speeds up all cool, I liked that song, and when that part happened, i was like WHOA COOL but then... it was only like 2 bars of sped up. and the rest of the song was the same as the start. and it was dull and I felt sad. cause radiohead coulda been hella cool. but they didn't do it.

still love that album.

It's actually right after the fast part; I like it because of the high harmony part that enters for that one line.

I think you can probably guess that I disagree entirely with the previously posted criticisms of Radiohead, but I don't think there's much point arguing about them. Personal preference, after all.

But I will say that the "Muse just copies Radiohead" thing is definitely stupid, and doesn't give Muse nearly enough credit.

[Mysfaktor]

Naaa na na nanana naaaaaaa!

I could go on, but need I?
Though Hey Jude's climax is not my favorite musical moment... merely a universally recognized one

All i could think of before reading the small print was this:

[Various Varieties]

A mention of Oasis in this thread is liable to get me hounded out of town, but I've got to point out a sublime moment in "Don't Look Back in Anger": after the high-pitched end of the guitar solo, there's a moment of anticipation during the single-bar drum fill, and then it bursts back into the chorus of "So Sally can wait..."


The peak of R.E.M.'s "Drive" is the buildup of "Tick-tock, tick-tock/Maybe I ride, maybe you walk/Maybe I drive to get off, baby", shortly followed by the electric guitar. (String backing arranged by John Paul Jones, fact fans!)


The thunderous transition from an unconventional time signature into 4/4 for the beginning of the guitar solo in Pink Floyd's "Money".

Another amazing bit from that album is in We Suck Young Blood, at the line "won't let the nervous bury me." But then, I could probably go on about Radiohead in this topic all day, so I'd better stop for now...

My theory is that "We Suck Young Blood" was composed as a response to people criticising the band for being depressing - as a joke, they set out to make the most overblown and OTT funereal song they could, to live up to an exaggerated version of their image.

I may be wildly off the mark, though.

Naaa na na nanana naaaaaaa!

I could go on, but need I?
Though Hey Jude's climax is not my favorite musical moment... merely a universally recognized one

For some reason, on my (Win XP) PC that tiny text is illegible in Firefox, but Opera renders it more clearly. Is that just me?

And, yeah, "Hey Jude". Obviously.

[Goatboy]

Really, though, the most perfect point in "We Suck Young Blood" is the first handclap. I remember listening to that for the first time and kinda zoning out, but when the clap hit it shocked me right back into awareness of the song.

[ameretrifle]

the band: dire straits
the album: alchemy
the song: tunnel of love

the entire song is pretty damn amazing. but the part that is most memorable is the last three minutes with a combination of guitar solo and piano hitting at the right moments. it's the greatest song ever pretty much. i'm sure you're all too young to appreciate it but goddamn the song is amazing.

Oh god, yes. So very yes. Tunnel of Love is AWESOME. I could probably say the same about nearly everything Dire Straits/Mark Knopfler, but I will restrain myself. (I've always been fond of the last few minutes of this performance, though.)

I probably know other moments of pure musical brilliance, but they escape me at this exact moment.

[ariennette]

With a band as well-respected and popular as Radiohead it's hard for later groups not to feel their influence. It should also be said that while Radiohead and Muse are certainly not dissimilar, I think Muse has plenty that sets them apart.

Personally, I am a fan of both, though I have yet to see Muse in concert (they are at the top of my list for live shows I must see before I die).

Back on topic:
I am going to jump on the indie bandwagon for a minute and say "White Winter Hymnal" by Fleet Foxes. I love the backing vocals that come in around 0:38.
I have Muse on my mind now, and I get chills every time Matthew Bellamy hits that insanely high note in "Micro Cuts".

[darwinwins]

joe strummer's rendition of redemption song is by far the best version of that song. more to the point, it was one of his final songs before his sudden death from a heart defect.

[el_loco_avs]

With a band as well-respected and popular as Radiohead it's hard for later groups not to feel their influence. It should also be said that while Radiohead and Muse are certainly not dissimilar, I think Muse has plenty that sets them apart.

Personally, I am a fan of both, though I have yet to see Muse in concert (they are at the top of my list for live shows I must see before I die).

Back on topic:
I am going to jump on the indie bandwagon for a minute and say "White Winter Hymnal" by Fleet Foxes. I love the backing vocals that come in around 0:38.
I have Muse on my mind now, and I get chills every time Matthew Bellamy hits that insanely high note in "Micro Cuts".

I think that the comparisons are due to them also having similar influences. That said, they couldn't use their voices in more different ways if they tried

I feel like listening to OK Computer and Origin of Symmetry now

[SirMustapha]

Really, though, the most perfect point in "We Suck Young Blood" is the first handclap. I remember listening to that for the first time and kinda zoning out, but when the clap hit it shocked me right back into awareness of the song.

I can relate to that! I think, by the point, the LAST thing you could expect in that song is a handclap. And yet, the song just wouldn't exist without them. And now, I kind of agree with the view that the song was probably written as a reaction to the critics. "If the other songs are all that depressing, how about THIS one?"

[Midnight]

But I will say that the "Muse just copies Radiohead" thing is definitely stupid, and doesn't give Muse nearly enough credit.

which reminds me: at the end of Space Dementia when it goes all.. defunct sounding. Piano arpeggios left and right and it sounds like a sinking ship and powering-down lasers and all kinds of epic chill inducing crazyness.

[The Mad Scientist]

The intro to Bombs over Baghdad by Outkast.

[Goatboy]

joe strummer's rendition of redemption song is by far the best version of that song. more to the point, it was one of his final songs before his sudden death from a heart defect.

Is there a version that's just Joe? I only know of a Joe Strummer/Johnny Cash duet, which is fairly sublime.

[TheBeeCeeEmm]

I don't know how CTRL-F didn't find anything under "Freeb or "Free b". Really? No mention of the infamous Free Bird guitar solo?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7PENBU3lrpE

(Around 5:50)

[majikthise]

Wow, I didn't expect to find the Meddle supporters club here...

It's not that I don't love Meddle beyond all reasoning. I do. I think it's fantastic, and if I had to pick 10 albums to listen to for the rest of my life, it would be one of them. But that's only due to the strength of Echoes. One of these Days is pretty fantastic, but I can't say much for the rest of the album.

I was going to mention One of These Days (the bit where the drums come in, obviously- 3:42) as my pick, so I guess I'll have to think of something else now.

Ozric Tentacles- Tidal Convergence, the live version from the 2008 Sunrise Festival DVD. There's a moment of pure psychedelia which turns your head inside out and makes you wonder how bands like the Beatles can possibly deserve to be labelled as anything even slightly resembling "psychedelic" in comparison.

The only bit I can find online is the short video clip on this page- it starts properly after the whooshing noises.

[Goatboy]

I don't know how CTRL-F didn't find anything under "Freeb or "Free b". Really? No mention of the infamous Free Bird guitar solo?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7PENBU3lrpE

(Around 5:50)

Good call, actually. I tend to take Freebird for granted, honestly, but that solo does, indeed, drop like thunder. A good moment.

[shortbus]

Flaming June by BT. Hands down my favorite trance song of all time. As soon as I heard it, the first thought in my head was "My god, this is the most perfect song ever made". Just the whole construction of the song creates this epic scope and the main "chorus"(I guess would be the term?) in it is orgasmic. Seriously, just the piano and synths together with the sweeping effects...soo good.

EDIT: Here's a link to a clip of it.

[Phill]

Flaming June by BT. Hands down my favorite trance song of all time. As soon as I heard it, the first thought in my head was "My god, this is the most perfect song ever made". Just the whole construction of the song creates this epic scope and the main "chorus"(I guess would be the term?) in it is orgasmic. Seriously, just the piano and synths together with the sweeping effects...soo good.

EDIT: Here's a link to a clip of it.

While we're on the subject of trance and the like...

Hybrid - Finished Symphony

Love where the orchestra kicks in with the main riff. Couldn't get any better IMO.

[ChocloManx]

Also, in Larks' Tongues in Aspic part II, the whole part after the first long ascending part, when the grungiest riff comes up and then the violin solo

[shortbus]

While we're on the subject of trance and the like...

Hybrid - Finished Symphony

Love where the orchestra kicks in with the main riff. Couldn't get any better IMO.

Seconding this.

Also another moment of orchestral perfection is when the whole symphony erupts in "Antikythera Mechanism" by BT(I know I hate to stick to one artist in this thread...but it's so good!).

[rubber314chicken]

Octavarium (Dream Theater)- mostly the ending solo, but the whole thing is epic
Take The Time (Dream Theater)- The intro is kicking, and then it dies down. The whole randomness at the beginning to the headbangable metalish part is really awesome
The Divine Wings of Tragedy (Symphony X)- The whole thing is pure genius. Actually like 90% of their stuff is.
Roll The Bones (Rush) The Chorus is really really epic.
Honor Thy Father (Dream Theater)- the drum intro can kill you. its really good.

[screech]

If not the entirety of Tool's Lateralus, then at least the last half half, starting at roughly 4:50. Quite easily.

Tool have always troubled me. I somehow feel they could be so much better than they are; 4:43-4:48 in Lateralus touches on something deeper I don't hear anywhere else in their work.

Anyway, for me there are two categories of these moments: Current, and Past. Current ones still give me chills; Past don't but they have before quite significantly. So;


Current Moments:

Birth Pains of Astral Projection by maudlin of the Well (6:41): After 3-4 minutes of brutal metal, you get the break with wonderful crooning, gentle guitars.

Glass Arm Shattering by Porcupine Tree (Various): At the start, guitar that sounds like it's on old vinyl; then this warbling synth comes on top of it and it's absolutely lovely. Also the vocals throughout. (Seen it through the windscreen; seen it through the glass.)

Ziggomatic V17 by Aphex Twin (7:11): PING! Also, the end section is a fantastic tonic after those proggy synth runs.

Past:

Ticks and Leeches by Tool (0:00): That drum intro made me cry with joy one time.

Music is Math by Boards of Canada (0:00): One time I was quite high on caffeine and I decided to watch a music video somebody had made for this, with all this old scientific footage. It started with a satellite dish slowly turning, to accompany the synth intro, and that was the best thing in the world in my whacked-out state.


Huh, I had more than I thought. There's probably a lot more as well but those are the ones that stick out.

[guyy]

At the risk of severly derailing this thread, I don't like Radiohead - I've tried, I own several of their albums, I've listened to them repeatedly, knowing that apparently I really should like them. But I don't get it. I think they're one of the most overrated bands of all time. I think Muse, the band that people tend to claim copied them, are several times better. And No Surprises is a contender for one of the worst, whiniest songs of all time.

I don't really "get" Radiohead, either; some of their songs are good, but most are unpleasant or just boring. I'm not a big fan of Muse, but they definitely go above Radiohead for me, especially with this. (Though a big part of the problem is that Thom Yorke's voice drives me crazy.)

Coldplay do nothing for me though, I tried listening to one of their tracks just to see what the fuss was all about- last.fm had a best of 2008 thing, and Coldplay were up there, so I thought there must be something to appreciate... but no.

Just one? Clearly it was the wrong one. (High-quality mode strongly recommended for #2.)

[kaniman2]

I'll have your Radiohead CD's, if you don't want them.
I couldn't listen to Coldplay's X&Y, I liked Viva la Vida and AROBTTH a lot better than X&Y. (Has anyone noticed that every Coldplay album has one song with a colour in its name?)

[waltwhitmanheadedbat]

I feel the need to add the part on the album version of "I Will Possess Your Heart" by Death Cab for Cutie, when after four or so minutes of buildup the lyrics begin, and before the end of the first stanza almost all the instruments have dropped out completely. Like you've built up all this courage to say something, telling yourself over and over just to do the damn thing, and then when the moment comes you say it, but your knees still go a bit weak. Very tasteful.

Yes. Yes. Yes.

Damn you, Ben Gibbard, for making me an emo twat.

[Bassoon]

I feel the need to add the part on the album version of "I Will Possess Your Heart" by Death Cab for Cutie, when after four or so minutes of buildup the lyrics begin, and before the end of the first stanza almost all the instruments have dropped out completely. Like you've built up all this courage to say something, telling yourself over and over just to do the damn thing, and then when the moment comes you say it, but your knees still go a bit weak. Very tasteful.

Yes. Yes. Yes.

Damn you, Ben Gibbard, for making me an emo twat.

Speaking of DCFC, I really like the end of What Sarah Said.

[SirMustapha]

Music is Math by Boards of Canada (0:00): One time I was quite high on caffeine and I decided to watch a music video somebody had made for this, with all this old scientific footage. It started with a satellite dish slowly turning, to accompany the synth intro, and that was the best thing in the world in my whacked-out state.

Man, talk about Boards of Canada! A few moments I like in their music:

The transition between Bocuma and Roygbiv. Dunno why, THAT precise moment sounds like a definitive turning point for something. Besides, it's the intro to one of their best tracks.

Even though it's not a precise, determined moment, it happens in Telephasic Workshop when you take a step back from the sonic picture and realise you're surrounded by those cut up vocal samples. Suddenly, they BECOME the song.

The little coda to Triangles and Rhombuses. Just how on Earth do they get that sound right?

One little part on The Smallest Weird Number when it sounds like the whole harmony is going to fall apart.

Ziggomatic V17 by Aphex Twin (7:11): PING! Also, the end section is a fantastic tonic after those proggy synth runs.

I listened to the whole track to find out what that was about. It reminded me that there are several little moments like that on Autechre's Quaristice, like in the absolutely crazy fwzE, at 1:06, when all the sounds drop out except for a little percussion effect. Unexpected moments like that on headphones seriously make my head spin.

[The Hyphenator]

Porcupine Tree - Halo: when the keyboard reaches the peak of the phrase at around 3:56, and the drums kick back in. Pure nirvana.

Mogwai - Golden Porsche: at around 2:37, when a wall of sound just comes from nowhere and knocks you down. I can't help but stop whatever I'm doing, shut down all my thought processes, and stay perfectly still until the sound goes away.

[Midnight]

ok so in Citizen Erased, by muse, the SECOND time the harmonic leady intro bit starts. Which is to say, after it all winds down to smooth melodic stuff, and then it goes "WHABAM HARMONICS R COOL U GUYS" and then the wall o sound starts.

[got.oblivion]

For me, one of the most memorable songs is Nemo (orchestral version) off of the album Nemo by Nightwish. The beggining (where the guitar is supposed to come in) always gives me goose bumps. Probably because it is such a departure from the original. Also later on in the song, around 2:33, the guitar solo just rocks. Maybe its just my strings fetish, but that part always makes me flip out.

[xfactorinfinity]

This is the topic for meeeeeee.

Right.

The first drum hit and the rest of the song in Huddle Formation by The Go! Team, which is my favorite song. Ever.

0:13 in Black Panther by Crystal Castles. oh my god I love bleepy keyboards so much

When the drums kick in in Spacewalk by Lemon Jelly. Holy damn, seriously.

0:08 in I'm Not Gonna Teach Your Boyfriend How To Dance With You by Black Kids.

0:32 in Shut Up and Explode by Boom Boom Satellites is incredible.

19-2000 (Soulchild Remix) by Gorillaz is one gigantic perfect moment, but especially 1:51. It's the music that we choose.

A Breakdown In Chicago, or, How To Sabotage Your Own Happiness In Two Easy Steps by Metermaids has several. 0:08, 0:17, and 1:57 are the best.

Atlantis To Interzone (Crystal Castles Remix) by Klaxons at 2:23. The rest of the song is just okay.

At 2:57, Hyperballad by Bjork is ethereal.

[Ekeda]

Definitely the riff to Seven Nation Army by The White Stripes. That doo-do-DO-do-do-doo-dooo, doo-do-DO-do-do-doo-dooo.

[Goatboy]

I just listened to it, and I've got to admit that the BAP-BAP drums on "Blister in the Sun" are quite perfect. I mean, it's just "Blister in the Sun," right? It's been heard to death. But, seriously, I have the hardest time not clapping or tapping my foot or hitting my thighs along with 'em. Perfectly punctuated.