Perfect Moments In Music

[Pretty Socialite]

when beyonce dances with her arm robot at the end of single ladies...

i really had a craving for a robotic arm. plus it was a nice touch to an interesting dance song.

[scrt_rbt_agnt]

on wilco:

yankee hotel foxtrot is their best album by far, and yes wilco is awesome.

i love when the drums come in on "radio cure" (about 3:55). it really fills up the song and keeps it from dragging.

[LittleBigSpoon]

Listen to In The Aeroplane Over The Sea by Neutral Milk Hotel, cover to cover. You will count at least 10.

are you trying to gloat indie cred here or do you want to be more specific. quite a few people here know that album front to back. what parts are perfect moments for you?

my personal fav is when he starts in with "goldeline my dear" during "oh comely" which is most likely my favorite track.

My bad. I should have cited my sources. My Lit teacher would kill me.

To cite a few:

King of Carrot Flowers, Pt. 1: The ending lyrics - "And Dad would dream of all the different ways to die, each one a little more than he could dare to try..." I find Jeff Mangum most talented in his lyrics.
Also, the instrumental bit between the two verse groups (I want to say it's on melodica).

In The Aeroplane Over The Sea: the recurring bridge - "Now, how I remember you, how I would push my fingers through your mouth to make those muscles move that made your voice so smooth and sweet. Now, we keep where we don't know; all secrets sleep, in winter clothes, with one you loved so long ago. Now, you don't even know his name..."

Two-Headed Boy (incidentally, one of my favorite songs off the record): First of all, every time I hear the jackhammer-ish guitar riff I stop what I'm doing. It is absolute bliss for me, and automatically sets a sort of tentative, longing mood which I think is present throughout the song.
Lyrically, I'd say third refrain: "And through the music, he sweetly displays silver speakers that sparkle all day - made for his lover who's floating and choking with his hands across her face."

The Fool: In particular, I like the way the other main instrument (it sounds to me like a distorted harmonica) harmonizes with the brass, particular in that last blasting D-major chord.

Holland, 1945: The emotion, by far. Mangum's vocals convey absolute distress, yearning and frailty. Both best and worst song to listen to if you've had a bad breakup. :\

Oh Comely: Conversely, this one is almost emotionally detached in its physical expression, but lyrically is a loving, vulnerable song, a quality which I think some people overlook about Jeff Mangum.
In terms of the lyrics, my favorites are: "Say what you wanna say; hang for your hollow ways, moving your mouth to pull out all your miracle aimed for me..." ; "Know all your enemies. We know who our enemies are." ; and the last lyric, "Place your body here; let your skin begin to blend itself with mine".

Ghost: The instrumental outro always makes me happy; I don't know if it's the uilleann pipes or that last Eb-major chord, but I can't help but smile as the song ends.

Two-Headed Boy, Pt. 2: I can seldom think of a better way to end an album. The grim synthetic saxophone leading to a rather lonely guitar accompaniment set the mood perfectly.
The lyrics are to die for, particularly these ones: "Brother, see, we are one and the same; and you left with your head filled with flames"; "And when we break, we'll wait for our miracle; God is a place - you will wait for the rest of your life." ; and that very last line, "But don't hate her when she gets up to leave..."

[Box Boy]

when beyonce dances with her arm robot at the end of single ladies...

i really had a craving for a robotic arm. plus it was a nice touch to an interesting dance song.

This thread is for great moments in music, not the videos.
Also, I'm fairly certain it is actually about seven pieces of jewellery that happen to look like a gauntlet when worn together.

[SirMustapha]

Fun House, by the Stooges, from the album of the same name: there's not a specific moment, but there is always an instant when I realise the music has taken me over completely. This is one of the most invigorating performances in one of the most invigorating albums in my entire collection.

Mermaid Smiled, by XTC, from Skylarking: the rush to the end, and the resolution of that massive wall of sound into the dreamy, sudden ending.

Sacrificial Bonfire, same as above: the grandiose chorus at the end, and the way it goes into those two long pauses, and resolves back into the intro.

[tgicountryboy]

jeepers, I loved this thread so much i had to join just to add some of my own.

The Medallion Calls, from the Pirates of the Caribbean soundtrack: the Spanish sounding trumpet call at 1:07.

The Kiss from the Last of the Mohicans soundtrack; the fiddle/violin at the beginning.

The Tide Began to Rise from the Demon Hunter album "The Triptych": the "olde tyme" sounding effect smack dab in the middle of a pounding metal track, leading up to a crescendo of pounding chords and soft vocals. It really works well in this song.

Fisherman's Wharf from "Fogarty's Cove", by Stan Rogers.: the whole final verse, but particularly the way stan says the lines "awful song" around 2:04. That man could sing.

*fin from "Cities" by Anberlin.: The boys choir that kicks in at about 4:50. a really great transition from the realyl depressing first half of the song, to the even more depressing rant that makes up the second half.

Combinations off of the album of the same name, by Eisley. The whole song is kind of an ethereal pseudo-Victorian dream, but what always gets me is when the trumpets, sounding like they came straight out of Penny Lane pop in at 2:57.

[Summit.42]

I think it was briefly mentioned, but I think the transition to the bridge in Reckoner by Radiohead, deserves a bit more attention.

"Because we separate, like ripples on a blank shore (In rainbows)"

The whole album really builds up to this moment, and it's very perfect indeed.


I also find Radio Cure by wilco awsome. I love when the line "distance has no way of making love understandable" is repeated several times, and also, when the sad sounding vocals enters, with "chear up, honey I hope you can"

(slightly off topic, but I'll second what Paranoid_Android said on page two or something, about The Listening being an awsome band, and highly recomended to check out. They have a myspacepage, where you can listen to a few of their songs.)

[tzvibish]

I came across a subtle one the other day, and i felt like I had to share.

Postal Service - The district sleeps alone tonight - the moment when he says "alone tonight" and the soft but incredibly driving synth funk/salsa beat kicks in. Postal Service has gotten me to truly respect what eloctronica is capable of in terms of visualization.

[darkblue22]

Snow Patrol's "Open Your Eyes"- I love the buildup, for the entire song until it just completely, well, opens.

Not a moment, but I feel like recommending this amazing song nonetheless: "A Hymn for the Lost and the Living" with Chris Gekker on a solo trumpet (with piano accompaniment). Just amazing. So much emotion, and Gekker's tone on trumpet is phenomenal.

I'll stop myself before I get carried away.

[Philwelch]

Octavarium (Dream Theater)- mostly the ending solo, but the whole thing is epic

Yes, they played the final section ("Razor's Edge") as a finale at the show I went to last year. It brought me absolutely to tears.

From Scenes of a Memory, the transition from the first track ("Regression") to the second track ("Overture 1928") is incredible, and then when they rephrase themes from Metropolis Pt. 1. Then later, in "Fatal Tragedy", the instrumental bit that starts around 2:06 is just awesome.

From Awake, towards the end of "The Mirror", when it goes into the piano melody from "Space-Dye Vest".

From Black Clouds and Silver Linings, when "The Shattered Fortress" goes into the "This Dying Soul" riff--one of my favorite riffs but that's the best instance of it.

Also, I love the part in Neil Peart's (Rush) drum solo on the last tour where he's got his arms and feet moving in different time signatures.

[Under A Pale Grey Sky]

Octavarium (Dream Theater)- mostly the ending solo, but the whole thing is epic

Yes, they played the final section ("Razor's Edge") as a finale at the show I went to last year. It brought me absolutely to tears.

Their finales are epic. The Count of Tuscany is unbelievable when they're wrapping up the gig with it.

Perfect moment in music? Any G3 gig from '06 by far. Vai, Satch, and Petrucci in one show. ^^

[Pistols327]

Band of brothers theme full version at the fermata/peak

and also moulan rouge elephant love meledy when he breaks into i will always love you 0.0

(edited for sp)

[LittleBigSpoon]

The ending of "All The Trees Of The Field Will Clap Their Hands" from Sufjan Stevens's Seven Swans. As the "daaah-dum, dah-dah-daaah-dum, daaah-dum, dah-dah-daaah" repeats, you almost expect it to end, and there are several times when you think it's about to end, but it doesn't, and you're still drawn in, and when it finally ends, it feels weird... Hollow almost.

I also very much like the A# phrase in "Le Cygne" (from Le carnaval des animaux) by Camille Saint-Saëns (m. 7 - m. 11).

Art Tatum does an arrangement of George and Ira Gershwin's "Someone To Watch Over Me" on piano in Db major, and the very last six bars or so are heaven for me.

[Dasboard]

The part in "Light my fire" by the Doors where you hear the one single hit on the drums in the silence left by the climax of the vocals.

Y'know, you got the first part, then the solo comes, then some more vocals, the vocals reach a climax and then the single hit on the drums. Frickin' insane.

[Various Varieties]

Having watched the Blur documentary No Distance Left to Run on TV last week, I was reminded of this moment from last year's Glastonbury performance.

Here's the main performance of "Tender" itself:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zy5JTiEj_Io

But my nomination for this thread can is what happened between the band finishing that song and them beginning the next one. It can be seen right at the start of this video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dDZjTFZa45s


It was pretty great watching it on TV at the time (and, I'd imagine, even better being there ), but it was heartwarming watching the documentary and seeing Damon and Graham describing how much that moment meant to them. Awwww!

[Amie]

1. The humming in 'Set the controls for the heart of the sun' and also when he whispers 'the heart of the sun'
2. The way 'strength of the shield' is sung in the song Shield by Deep Purple
3. The opening riff of 'Mother Russia' by Iron Maiden
4. Every single, tiny bit in Stairway to Heaven.
5. The way 'and now a thousand miles between' is sung in Tangerine.
6. Every bit in 'Astronomy Domine' and 'Wish You Were Here'
7. The solos in 'Nothing Else Matters'
8. The buildup in 'No Quarter'
9. The last minute and a half or so in 'Closure' by Opeth.
10. The way 'she shuts the doors and lights and lays her body on the bed' is sung in 'Images and Words' by Dream Theater. The piano bit in the beginning is epic too.
11. The acoustic version of Black Night by Deep Purple
12. The flute bits in 'Julia Dream' by Pink Floyd
13. Violins in Elanor Rigby by the Beatles.
14. Children of the damned by Maiden - the riffs, the solo.

I'll stop writing more before it gets to the point where I can't stop

[JordanM]

As I clicked on this thread, Don McLean's "Vincent" came on... enough said.

[Dave_Wise]

The riff in 'howl' by black rebel motorcycle club. If I could play the guitar, and could play that riff, I would never leave the house. I would just play that riff all the time.

[Sheikh al-Majaneen]

When Mark Lanegan begins to sing in the song "Shadow of the Season."

Really, though, almost everything about that song is perfect, though.

[InfamousAnarchist]

In Doctor Horrible's Sing-Along Blog, during My Eyes (On The Rise), when Penny and Billy harmonize on the chorus... I get goosebumps every time.

I am also a fan of The Decemberists' The Island: Come and See/The Landlords' Daughter/You'll Not Feel The Drowning. When the organ solo kicks in right before Landlord's Daughter, it is insane. Mad props to Jenny Conlee.

Also, on Amanda Palmer's Who Killed Amanda Palmer? album, the first four notes of The Point of It All are enough to make you stop what you're doing and pay attention to what you're hearing.

It's insane.

[1337geek]

Todd Rundgren's guitar intro to Meat Loaf and Jim Steinman's "Bat Out of Hell." A, A-Bb-A-G, G-A-G-F. Simple notes, but the way they're played just takes me to another level.

It's a feeling I also get when Holly Sherwood's final wail fades out and Roy Bittan and Max Weinberg come in on the piano and drums at the end of Bonnie Tyler and Jim Steinman's "Faster Than the Speed of Night."

[Furburt]

Mine would most definitely be the song Return Trip, the opening song of the album Come My Fanatics by Stoner Doom band Electric Wizard. It starts out with a droning feedback, which leads into the main riff. For the first 2 minutes or so, it's a standard enough Doom metal song, it's incredibly heavy, but it chugs along at a snails pace. At this point, you could make a mistake, call the song 'pretty good' and skip on to the next one. Don't do that, the best is yet to come.

At around the 2:25 mark, the drums fade out, the song seems to lose focus, and meanders around for a few seconds. Then, at the 2:40 mark, a sample from a movie kicks in and says 'Get out of my face, motherfucker' and the whole song just gets kicked into overdrive, the riff pounds away, with some great noodling behind it, it's incredibly heavy, and then just when you think it can't get any better, frontman Jus Oborn's demented vocals kick in. (think Black Sabbath era Ozzy Osbourne on PCP after being punched in the face and you get a pretty good impression). It's amazing, the song turns from being standard sludgy doom fare into one of the greatest heavy metal songs of all time.

[Dasboard]

I only got the Dopethrone album by Electric Wizard but I'll look that song up. I definetly like them, most stoner / funeral / doom / whatever metal sounds like crap ( Some exceptions ) but Electric Wizzard is not like what I've heard before. Most of the bands in that spectrum ruin perfectly good material by using unappropiate vocals or just a vocalist who can't sing ( Grunt, whatever ). But with Electric Wizard the vocals match perfectly. Just right.

[Furburt]

I'd certainly recommend it, Dasboard, Come My Fanatics is just as good as Dopethrone is. That, Dopethrone and Witchcult Today would be their best, although they've never actually released a bad album, in my opinion. A rarity among bands, surely.

Come My Fanatics is a lot denser than Dopethrone though, it's got a far more psychedelic sound, heavy on phasers, and all of the songs are over 6 minutes long.

Taken in one listen, it's quite an experience.

[Dasboard]

That's good to hear. I'll make sure ot listen to it. I'm a pretty big psychadelic fan so if it turns out to be what I'm hoping it is after reading your posts, I'm going to be very happy person.

[TheMaestro]

Off the top of my head I can think of three instances that haven't been mentioned:

-Shine On You Crazy Diamond - Pink Floyd
-Dazed and Confused - Led Zeppelin
-Lux Aeterna - Clint Mansell

[sirfox]

The tiny drum "solo" in Dont Look Back in Anger (Oasis) that comes around the 3:37 mark. Magic!

[Dason]

In Bloc Party's "Positive Tension" when the music just drops around 3:20 and all that's left is "So fucking useless". Perfect.

[Prospekt]

this, especially towards the end, and this.

[jycegrcia]

Between the Buried and Me - Selkies: The Endless Obsession.I would say this is a amazing piece and perfect moments of music.This song is so much of sense and real, I really love this song. Whenever I used to listen this song I use to have roosebums all over.

[Various Varieties]

David Bowie, "Suffragette City" - Wham, bam, thank you ma'am!

[xepher]

Although it is video game music, Voyage 1970 by ZUN is just...
It blew me away, having not heard it outside of the game before. Imagine, beating the final boss, believing your trouble is over, then this music plays, preparing you for their very last stand. The beginning caught me off guard, and I died once just because of that. Here's the song.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=abEoR6jK1Wo

[davidmarlee]

Fireworks by Animal Collective starting from around 3:10, is one of the coolest and strange mix of vocals, samples and drums ever and I love it.

[BurningLed]

Panic Attack - When LaBrie hits the line

Run, try to hide,
Overwhelmed,
By this complex delirium.

Sends chills down my spine.

Also, the piano solo at 2:30 of Dance of Eternity (Also by Dream Theater.) Regarded by me (and others) as the best keyboard solo in modern music.

Octavarium (Dream Theater)- mostly the ending solo, but the whole thing is epic

From Scenes of a Memory, the transition from the first track ("Regression") to the second track ("Overture 1928") is incredible, and then when they rephrase themes from Metropolis Pt. 1. Then later, in "Fatal Tragedy", the instrumental bit that starts around 2:06 is just awesome.

Those two as well, though in Octavarium my favorite part is actually "Full Circle" just as much as "Razor's Edge."

In case you couldn't tell, I'm a huge fan of Dream Theater

On other veins, though, I'm a big fan of electronica -- Dj-Nate's "High Volume" has a part at 1:40 where a booming voice sample says "This should be played at high volume." just before an insane electronic rave-ish solo. Better effect if you do mash the '+' key while he says it.
{dj-N} High Volume

There's also B0UNC3's Tetris Reborn where the insane rave theme kicks in about 1:14.

Also there's Renard's entire Figurehead album. My favorite track from it, though, is One Life (the first featuring Casey LaLonde on the album page) right at the chorus:

One life to live, one life to waste;
One chance to make the most of everything you have.

It sounds far more epic on the song itself.

God, I keep editing this because there are so many. On Serj Tankian's Elect the Dead album, the most famous song is probably Empty Walls. For good reason, the part where he hits the chorus sends chills down my spine (With the actual music, of course):

Don't you see their bodies burning?
Desolate and full of yearning.
Dying of anticipation,
Choking from intoxication.

Also, the other refrain:

I~ want you.
To be~
Left behind those empty walls.

Plus, the symbolism in the music video is just insane.

[Dasboard]

God, I keep editing this because there are so many. On Serj Tankian's Elect the Dead album, the most famous song is probably Empty Walls. For good reason, the part where he hits the chorus sends chills down my spine (With the actual music, of course):


Don't you see their bodies burning?
Desolate and full of yearning.
Dying of anticipation,
Choking from intoxication.

Also, the other refrain:


I~ want you.
To be~
Left behind those empty walls.



Plus, the symbolism in the music video is just insane.

I actually like the orchestra version better. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GEkQR9Wzock

The original video is full of awesome though. And both versions are just insane.

[BurningLed]

One more (Please don't shoot me for flooding the thread with these )

It's probably just a straight up sample, but I really love the intro to Operation Delgonflange and it's repetitions through the song. Though, it does sound originally created. It just speaks to that quirky goth fraction of me -- sort of reminds me of the the book Neverwhere. (Also by one of Renard's aliases, NegaRen.)

[wst]

At around 3:00 in this song, after the big buildup, when the music cuts out and you're left with his voice and a sole guitar in the background.

It's just... awesome.

[LeagueOfMorons]

Dear Lord. Listing all my favorite moments like this would take hours. I've already spent a while reading through the first 7 pages, and there's been a ton of my favorites already mentioned. To reiterate a few:

Tool - Lateralus (pretty much the whole song; definitely the build during the midsection and the very end. So epic.)

Dream Theater - Octavarium & The Count Of Tuscany (big climactic ending guitar solos in both)

The Mars Volta - Goliath (the fast 6/8 section that kicks in about 4:00, through the end. Especially Cedric's freakishly high notes, then "Never heard a man speak like this man before" with the cymbal hitting the offbeats.)

Pink Floyd - Comfortably Numb (two of the best guitar solos ever. Period.)

There's a few others that come to mind that I don't think have been mentioned yet. One is Between The Buried And Me - Prequel To The Sequel - the very beginning. That's got to be one of the most badass, grandiose intro riffs ever recorded. Colors is really full of those moments - another world-stopper for me is White Walls. Basically the whole last half of the song, from "Step back / Evaluate / Recognize" onward.

Someone also mentioned The Temper Trap - Sweet Disposition earlier, and I really dig that song too. For me, though, my favorite part is probably the intro. The guitar tone is perfect. They're a great band, with a number of fantastic songs other than that one - check out Love Lost, Fader, and Science Of Fear if you get a chance.

One more for now: Porcupine Tree - Anesthetize, specifically the polyrhythmic section that begins at around 5:00 and its transition to the heavy-as-balls riff at 6:15. Gavin Harrison is incredible.

[blankspaces]

For a more non-conventional one, the drum-corp Phantom Regiment's show, Spartacus, had so many great moments. The end is just phenomenal. They also had a really great drum break in it.

Made an account just to reply to this post.

I feel the same way about Phantom's 2003 show, Harmonic Journey. The ends of so many Phantom shows get me in exactly the right place. I have to set aside whatever I'm doing and listen with my eyes closed.

[Buddha with a bra on]

I said, "Kiss me, you're beautiful -
These are truly the last days"

You grabbed my hand
And we fell into it
Like a daydream
Or a fever