Author Topic: Songs with an epic crescendo  (Read 8633 times)

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Offline Mr Bread

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My prescience is fully engorged.  It throbs with righteous accuracy.  I am sated.

Offline chunkles

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Re: Songs with an epic crescendo
« Reply #26 on: March 26, 2014, 08:26:24 PM »
Sandstorm

Offline Trogdor

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Re: Songs with an epic crescendo
« Reply #27 on: March 26, 2014, 08:57:08 PM »
"Hallelujah Chorus" from Handels Messiah
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Offline EllRobersonisInnocent

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Re: Songs with an epic crescendo
« Reply #28 on: March 26, 2014, 11:13:56 PM »
Only in dreams might be is the perfect song

Offline tdaver

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Re: Songs with an epic crescendo
« Reply #29 on: March 26, 2014, 11:18:32 PM »

Offline Headinjun

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Re: Songs with an epic crescendo
« Reply #30 on: March 26, 2014, 11:37:09 PM »

Offline DQ12

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Re: Songs with an epic crescendo
« Reply #31 on: March 26, 2014, 11:39:47 PM »
I've always looked this one

http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=JMl8cQjBfqk&feature=kp
great call with angels and airwaves.  in fact, i've described AA as epic quite a few times.  a lot of their songs give off such a feeling of victory. 


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Offline Panjandrum

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Re: Songs with an epic crescendo
« Reply #32 on: March 26, 2014, 11:51:25 PM »
like half the coldplay songs

I can think of about ten of them off of the top of my head, but live, they really play up the one in "Fix You".  If they're in a stadium, they'll usually shoot off fireworks.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5gvofiXHbUI&t=2m10s

Offline Panjandrum

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Re: Songs with an epic crescendo
« Reply #33 on: March 27, 2014, 12:06:30 AM »
Only in dreams might be the perfect song

That entire album is a damn masterpiece.

Hell, Pinkerton may be even better.

I remember recording the CD onto a cassette so I could jam out in my '86 Mazda.  I remember wailing like a drunk person once "El Scorcho" picked up.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=okthJIVbi6g

Offline SkinnyBenny

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Re: Songs with an epic crescendo
« Reply #34 on: March 27, 2014, 12:11:00 AM »
This is why KK and I are IRL friends. Great thread. Also let's just make it a rule that you have to post a YouTube link with your song title.

And Only In Dreams is the correct answer. And yes, you were mixing up key change with octave change. At least in reference to Man In The Mirror. I like to call it the "crowbar modulation" because of how those songs typically just jack their key up either a half step or a whole step about 2/3rds or 3/4ths of the way through the song. It's kinda hackey and played at this point but it always works. For those of you who aren't  :nerd: about music theory but are curious, you can hear it here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lDK9QqIzhwk&t=3m17s


This is a song with an incredible climax:
The Killers, "All These Things That I've Done". Of course it occurs during the line, "While everyone's lost, the battle is won...with all these things that I've done." 

You know what I find fascinating about this song and what I think makes it so successful? They avoid playing a V (dominant) chord for the ENTIRE THING until the very climax. And then when it lands during the aforementioned lyric, it is absolutely HUGE and held out and so apparent. The songwriting involved here is just crafty as eff. You ever try to write a song that avoids the V chord almost entirely and is still interesting? It's difficult.
« Last Edit: March 27, 2014, 12:51:34 AM by SkinnyBenny »
"walking around mhk and crying in the rain because of love lost is the absolute purest and best thing in the world.  i hope i fall in love during the next few weeks and get my heart broken and it starts raining just to experience it one last time."   --Dlew12

Offline SkinnyBenny

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Re: Songs with an epic crescendo
« Reply #35 on: March 27, 2014, 12:13:58 AM »
Only in dreams might be the perfect song

That entire album is a damn masterpiece.

Hell, Pinkerton may be even better.

I remember recording the CD onto a cassette so I could jam out in my '86 Mazda.  I remember wailing like a drunk person once "El Scorcho" picked up.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=okthJIVbi6g

Pinkerton is better. And there are so many good climaxes in the first two weezer albums, but they're ALL OVER Pinkerton. Especially during, like, "The Good Life" where they do that thing where they slow down during the guitar solo and bring in the slide guitar for a bit, then take everything out entirely except for Rivers' lead-in to the chorus a capella. It's amazing.

3:24 is the specific part I'm talking about.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NjLt0LS1M0I

Man. Weezer really used to know how to write a rough ridin' climax. What happened?
"walking around mhk and crying in the rain because of love lost is the absolute purest and best thing in the world.  i hope i fall in love during the next few weeks and get my heart broken and it starts raining just to experience it one last time."   --Dlew12

Offline ksupamplemousse

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Re: Songs with an epic crescendo
« Reply #36 on: March 27, 2014, 12:30:20 AM »
Both of these songs have great buildups and then end on a quieter note, not sure if this is technically correct...I think they're great though.

The Angel and the One
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zIYD_7ia8po

Fake Plastic Trees
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pKd06s1LNik
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Offline Panjandrum

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Re: Songs with an epic crescendo
« Reply #37 on: March 27, 2014, 12:44:38 AM »
Both of these songs have great buildups and then end on a quieter note, not sure if this is technically correct...I think they're great though.

The Angel and the One
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zIYD_7ia8po

Fake Plastic Trees
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pKd06s1LNik

Oh, man.  Creep was pretty great, too.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XFkzRNyygfk

Offline star seed 7

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Re: Songs with an epic crescendo
« Reply #38 on: March 27, 2014, 12:44:58 AM »
pinkerton is not better
Hyperbolic partisan duplicitous hypocrite

Offline SkinnyBenny

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Re: Songs with an epic crescendo
« Reply #39 on: March 27, 2014, 12:47:23 AM »
FAKE PLASTIC TREES!!! YES!  :excited: You might even say that climax 'wears me out'.  :users: Good call.


And a lot of people know the Explosion in the Sky songs that were featured in Friday Night Lights, and those are great and very climactic. But they're mostly from the (incredible) album The Earth is Not A Cold, Dead Place. The album that came after that, All of A Sudden I Miss Everyone (2007) has an opening track that makes me nearly tear rotator cuffs due to the ferocity of my air drumming at the climax.

Explosions in the Sky, "The Birth and Death of the Day"

Not even gonna tell you where the awesome part happens. Just turn it up and indulge in 7 minutes and 50 seconds of  :drool:
"walking around mhk and crying in the rain because of love lost is the absolute purest and best thing in the world.  i hope i fall in love during the next few weeks and get my heart broken and it starts raining just to experience it one last time."   --Dlew12

Offline SkinnyBenny

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Re: Songs with an epic crescendo
« Reply #40 on: March 27, 2014, 12:47:55 AM »
pinkerton is not better

that debate is for another thread that will be at least 12 pages long
"walking around mhk and crying in the rain because of love lost is the absolute purest and best thing in the world.  i hope i fall in love during the next few weeks and get my heart broken and it starts raining just to experience it one last time."   --Dlew12

Offline ksupamplemousse

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Re: Songs with an epic crescendo
« Reply #41 on: March 27, 2014, 12:49:51 AM »
pinkerton is not better

that debate is for another thread that will be at least 12 pages long

Yeah, that debate can't be won objectively, and the subjective argument that ensues is lengthy to say the least.
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Offline Stevesie60

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Re: Songs with an epic crescendo
« Reply #42 on: March 27, 2014, 12:52:02 AM »
#7 on my Top 10 list: http://goEMAW.com/blog/?p=3106

8manpick had a great Manchester Orchestra song in The River, and he's right. They also have Colly Strings, which is an amazing crescendo song. Colly Strings is the last song on their first LP and The River is the last song on their second LP.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AS5-lXv_xUc

Offline DQ12

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Re: Songs with an epic crescendo
« Reply #43 on: March 27, 2014, 02:11:09 AM »
the I NEVERRRRRR portion of mr. brightside is a good crescendo too.

and i really enjoy SkiBe's x's and o's of music. 


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Offline Demo158

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Re: Songs with an epic crescendo
« Reply #44 on: March 27, 2014, 03:28:23 AM »
"Everything" by Lifehouse. Four minutes of slow love song leads to a colossal climax!

Offline SkinnyBenny

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Re: Songs with an epic crescendo
« Reply #45 on: March 27, 2014, 07:52:23 AM »
the I NEVERRRRRR portion of mr. brightside is a good crescendo too.

and i really enjoy SkiBe's x's and o's of music.

No one can say I can't X/O some faces off with music and also with pud stadiums. :don'tcare:

Thought of another great one while I got ready this morning. Arcade Fire, "Neighborhood no. 1 (Tunnels)." Great song. Can't decide if they purposely sped up slightly to create a better climax or if they were just some first-album studio n00bs who thought they didn't need a click track; either way, I'm glad it happened.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0b_IHjWXbuM
« Last Edit: March 27, 2014, 10:20:29 AM by SkinnyBenny »
"walking around mhk and crying in the rain because of love lost is the absolute purest and best thing in the world.  i hope i fall in love during the next few weeks and get my heart broken and it starts raining just to experience it one last time."   --Dlew12

Offline Reboulet

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Re: Songs with an epic crescendo
« Reply #46 on: March 27, 2014, 12:47:56 PM »
the I NEVERRRRRR portion of mr. brightside is a good crescendo too.

and i really enjoy SkiBe's x's and o's of music.

No one can say I can't X/O some faces off with music and also with pud stadiums. :don'tcare:

Thought of another great one while I got ready this morning. Arcade Fire, "Neighborhood no. 1 (Tunnels)." Great song. Can't decide if they purposely sped up slightly to create a better climax or if they were just some first-album studio n00bs who thought they didn't need a click track; either way, I'm glad it happened.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0b_IHjWXbuM

See also "Crown of Love" and "Wake Up" from the same album.

See also basically every U2 song. I know "Where the Streets Have No Name" was mentioned. "Bad" is another great example.

Mates of State have some good ones. My favorite is "An Experiment": www.youtube.com/watch?v=7aO0G4vuKrY

Offline DQ12

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Re: Songs with an epic crescendo
« Reply #47 on: March 27, 2014, 12:57:26 PM »
AHHHH YES!  I finally thought of a good one.  Keeping Warm by We Were Promised Jetpacks.  It's the song from the Kings of Summer trailer that we all went gaga over last summer.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eNJyY2sKkWc



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Offline nicname

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Re: Songs with an epic crescendo
« Reply #48 on: March 27, 2014, 01:34:11 PM »
Transatlanticism by Death Cab for Cutie is basically one long awesome crescendo from start to finish. From the train tracks at the beginning to the muted piano and vocals, followed by the simple driving drum beat, and "I need you so much closer," leading to noisy electric guitars and "So come oooooooon," over and over again.  It's also part of one of the best two-track combinations (with Tiny Vessels) that I've ever heard on an album.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNqQC7R_Me4

It's really a crescendo in every way. Even the lyrics are written in a crescendo style themselves.
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Offline Gooch

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Re: Songs with an epic crescendo
« Reply #49 on: March 27, 2014, 01:39:52 PM »
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