Music that makes you SHIVER - reccomendations please!

Cafe Society
1

Describing what I’m looking for here is gonna be hard. Anyone here familiar with the opening to the song Promises by The Cranberries? The gorgeous undistorted strum of the electric guitars, those ethereal female voices? Perhaps you have that song. Go ahead and put it in, give it a quick listen. And help me.

I’m trying to find other pieces of music that have the same essence and quality as the opening of that song. Or just ANY really well done, emotional music that just makes you SHIVER when you listen to it. I love tracks that feature female voices (though not necessarily lyrics) and electric guitars that are undistorted. But other instruments are certainly welcome too. Yeah, I’ve listen to Enya, and she’s great. But I’m hoping I can find something I’ve never heard before.

Any suggestions you have would be greatly appreciated. And dont feel like you have to adhere to what I mentioned above…

thanks

2

Not usually whole songs, but moments in songs that give me that shivery feeling:

  • in Pink Floyd’s “Mother” just as the singer says “of course mama’s gonna help build a wall” and then the guitars take over with an anguished wail.

  • in several Queen songs where there’s an almost seamless blend of vocals into music.

  • in a Blues Traveler song, “The Mountains Win Again” there are a few moments where it feels to me like John Popper’s forgotten he’s being recorded, and is just digging on the lyrics like they actually mean something to him. The same phenomenon occurs in the Indigo Girls’ “Left Me A Fool”.

  • whole songs that do it for me: Annie Lennox’s “Love Song For a Vampire”, Chet Atkins’ “I Still Can’t Say Goodbye”, Meat Loaf’s “Heaven Can Wait” and the Minstrels Of Mayhem’s “Minstrel Boy” - some of these do it because of the lyrics, some because of the arrangements, some because of the vocals.

For the record, I hate and detest Enya - so maybe you’ll find my taste WAY off base for you.

3

Vanessa Daou “Two to Tango”–female vocals are heavenly, no guitar.

Marc Antoine “Latin Quarter”–no vocals, classical guitar that makes me want to live a good life.

4

Windy and Warm - a bluegrass guitar duet by Doc and Merle Watson. There are a few versions of this, but the best is a live one on the “Doc Watson On Stage” album.

The Lady and the Unicorn - by John Renbourn. Instrumental and just gorgeous.

Sleepers Awake - The Incredible String Band (an acquired taste, perhaps, but the acapella harmonies are weirdly wonderful and may summon your dog from another room)

5

This is strongly taste-oriented.

in no order

  1. Dvorak’s 9th Symphony, parts of the Largo
  2. Pachelbel’s Canon in D Major

I can’t seem to recollect others right now, but I know there are others. Although, they’re also classical. Modern vocal music doesn’t make me shiver. Only bittersweet raw melodies.

6

Samuel Barber’s Adagio For Strings.

7

In Ottorino Respighi’s “The Fountains of Rome”, the transitional section between the 2nd and 3rd movements (i.e., The Triton Fountain in the Morning and The Fountain Of Trevi At Midday)- there’s an ascending crescendo through the entire orchestra that ends in the piece’s climax; and the French horns absolutely give me goosebumps every time.

On rereading that, I don’t care for how it sounds; but it’s the best I can do- there simply are not words to describe what that passage does to me and for me.

8

Tori Amos’ “Blood Roses,” on Boys for Pele. She’s playing the harpsichord and singing about a horrible breakup. I think it’s her most intense song, and that’s saying a lot.

Van Morrison’s “Sweet Thing,” on Astral Weeks. It’s acoustic guitar, bass, flute, and god, who knows what else? Plus lyrics that, to me, describe the most perfect love. I was in love with it from the first time I heard it.

Jimi Hendrix’s “1983 (Merman I Should Turn To Be)”-- about a guy and his girlfriend who use a machine to turn themselves into mermen to escape an apocalypse… and the next song is an instrumental that is all about what they find below the surface. However, if you want undistorted electric guitar, this is not for you.

9

I think Anya used to be in Clannad. They do wonderful lilting Irish music.

James Taylor ‘Fire and Rain’

  • it used to move me even before I found out what inspired him to write it. Now I weep, every time.
    Sting ‘Every breath you take’

  • I expect you’ve heard it, but it still gets me every time
    Alison Krause + Union Station ‘The Lucky One’

  • just a simple song, but beautifully done
    Simon and Garfunkel ‘Bridge over troubled water’

  • classic
    Nina Simone ‘My Baby just cares for me’

  • it’s that walking bass intro!

10

I know the exact sound you mean.

try The Cocteau Twins.

The Cranberries borrowed heavily from them…albums like Four-Calender Cafe and Milk and Kisses, tons of vocals, lush guitars, very ambient and moody. also try to get some rare tracks on Kazaa…“High Monkey-Monk” “Kookaburra”

Curve…“Wish You Dead” “Horrorhead” “Left Of Mother”

Lush "Nothing Natural

The Sundays’ Reading Writing and Arithmetic album

Stereolab…Dots and Loops album, Sound-Dust album

Boards of Canada…all instrumental but will make you shiver, try songs like “Amo Bishop Roden” “Dawn Chorus” The Beach At Redpoint"

Hooverphonic…“2Wicky”

Broadcast…“The Book Lovers”

Sinead O Connors work with Jah Wobble “Visions of You”

anything Tori

Peter Gabriel’s Passion

Tears for Fears “Woman in Chains”

Miles Davis and Bill Laswell. - Panthalassa: Miles Davis Remixes
the trumpet solo on “He Loved Him Madly” with the wah-wah pedal on the horn is perhaps the most haunting thing I have ever heard

Tricky’s Maxinquay album

Massive Attack…Protection or Mezzanine

Bjork’s song " Come To Me"

Portishead’s Dummy album

Radiohead…The Pyramid Song

The Future Sound of London…My Kingdom, or Papua New Guinea

Underworld…the last five minutes of “Cups”, “Two Months Off” “Jumbo”

Aphex Twin…“bbyhydhronychord” (sp?) from Druqks album

Arab Strap…“Here We Go”

Fila Brazillia’s remix of David Byrne’s “Dance On Vaseline”

Chemical Brothers “Star Guitar”

I could go on.

My first post. Be gentle.

11

Dear MemoryGongs,

Welcome to the board, and a jolly spiffing post!

I know I’m getting old now - I don’t know most of your suggested bands. :eek:

12

Portishead: Roads

Radiohead: How to Disappear Completely and Never Be Found

13

yes gex gex most of Kid A make me delerious

the live version of Roads from Roseland is even better.

Have you heard Beth Gibbon’s new solo album?

Have to give it a painful 3. Disappointing

and ty glee…i have a big word hole and many opinions…im sure you’ll see more

14

Another vote for Allison Krauss, but of her duet with Keith Whitley in “When You Say Nothing at All.” Her voice really is incredible…

15

I knew someone was going to mention this. It was on my mind too, but then I decided against it since it doesn’t make me shiver. Only the first few times I heard it.

16

Ditto Samuel’s Adagio.

Pretty much anything with Elizabeth Fraser singing on it - particularly Song to the Siren in This Mortal Coil, and that one she did with Massive Attack.

And a little-known 90s English hip hop group called Urban Species did a song called Listen with French rapper MC Solaar, that makes the hairs on the back of my neck stand up.

17

Ditto the Adagio as well

I like Chopin’s piano sonata #2, third (or is it fourth?) movement, the way the funeral march theme transitions into that little melody in the middle gives me the shivers everytime.

The Grateful Dead did a cover of Bob Dylan’s Visions of Joanna that is on the “Phil Zone” CD, Gerry’s guitar work, and the slight tremble in his voice, always gives me the shivers. When he sings “It’s so hard to grow old…” you just hear it in his voice, and it is a 1995 recording, so he wasn’t with us too much longer after that. I don’t know, maybe without knowing the history it wouldn’t be shiver material, but it is for me.

18

Bela Bartok’s Music for Strings, Percussion, and Celeste is famous for being a shivery piece.

The first movement of Sergei Prokofiev’s Sonata for Violin and Piano No. 1 in F Minor has been described as “like wind in the graveyard.”

19

I offer you David Gray’s new album “A New Day at Midnight”.

The song “The Other Side” still sends shivers down my spine - its aching and beautiful.

20

For you fellow fans of Barber’s Adagio for Strings - have you heard Hilary Hahn’s recording of Barber’s Concerto for Violin and Orchestra? You’ll shiver, and if you’re like me, you’ll weep. Beautiful!