I was literally (and I mean literally) about to post End Comes Too Soon, I knew there were one or two more kicking about that I meant to add…
Make this a poll please
Whatever Death by Viet Cong/Preoccs is.
Subthread, penultimate tracks that should be the final track:
Verve - Stormy Clouds
TV On The Radio - Tonight
…lots of others
FINE. A poll:
- Comparatively bright as per OP?
- Epic showstopper?
- Proggy side-long track?
- Hit single?
- Low-key downer?
- Other?
0 voters
The reprise of Stormy Clouds is boss, though.
I’m a bit of a sucker for a heart melting closer. Mazzy Star’s Look On Down From the Bridge is just perfect in this regard.
Fair point.
Thanks, now I dont have to contribute to the thread further.
It depends and all are great of course, but my favorite is depressing song with gut punch moment that turns into a surprise callback to the first song on the album.
Two prime examples:
So you won’t see THIS COMMENT! Aha!
Definitely agree with this too. Off the top of my head, these are the three defining ones (but in completely different ways).
Life Like Weeds - What People Are Made Of on Modest Mouse’s The Moon and Antactica
Wake - Epilogue on The Antlers’ Hospice
Up All Night - Holiday in Spain on Counting Crows’ Hard Candy
Hit single innit, my last two aotys did it. Lemonade by Queen Bey brings it home with Formation, Melodrama by Lorde goes hard with Perfect Places. You gotta always leave em wanting more you know.
I like Glorious Pop Song on Skunk Anansie’s Stoosh.
That’s what I immediately thought of when you said upbeat happy time closer in the OP.
Yo La Tengo & later R.E.M both really nailed the art of great closers.
…Hoboken as already mentioned and The Story of Yo La Tango from ‘I Am Not Afraid of You…’ are great epics and Take Care is a beautiful way to end Summer Sun. Here You Are is pretty good on the new one too and interesting to hear the band take it apart on the Songexploder podcast.
R.E.M went big with Find the River, Electrolite & Falls to Climb and signed off those albums in style too.
I like how Yo La Tengo’s Popular Songs closes with not one, not two, but THREE epics.
The Silence by Manchester Orchestra is one of the most recent closers that I think truly works. First two thirds is a nice build of that melancholic emotions that have been throughout the album, then there is that release towards the end that feels very powerful, the most cathartic moment on the whole album. Then you get the comedown, ending with the sad piano and it ends. I absolutely adore it.
I add my love to Donnie Darko by Let’s Eat Grandma, it very much elevates the album from good to great for me, works so well.
Others off the top of my head:
Visions of a life by Wolf Alice
Your Young Voice by King Creosote and Jon Hopkins
Now the Action is on Fire by Biffy Clyro
In the Backseat by Arcade Fire
All about those 7 minute big builds and explosions of noise it seems.
also an example of another category - the reprise. Done well by Neil Young.