Magical / upbeat / uplifting instrumental / post-rock music.

Chop Logic

I'm looking for instrumental music that could be described as magical sounding. Possibly just upbeat or uplifting.

Really, just reccomend me some good instrumental / post-rock that isn't the long and depressing kind. It seems whenever I seek out post rock bands I always end up with 16 minute epic depressing songs.

perspexacity

Electronaut by VNV Nation


I wish I had someone to go see them with. =(

metaghost

NATSUMEN are like that when they're not busy doing the free-jazz thing.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=whB2u3kdkMQ

Centurion

Does it have to be purely instrumental? If you just say magical sounding, these things come to my mind. I'm including Sigur Ros and Bon Iver because I feel that for both of them, the lyrics are mostly just an additional component of the melody.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KX8ebGCzGeo

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=onQVSiDe57o

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

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C0Fbq0R95EA

Nappuccino

Do Make Say Think tends to have some happy-ness (or atleast pleaseantness in their songs)

Arivia

Two obscure entries that no one else is going to talk about but everyone really should know, yadda yadda:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oykApM3X0wk

And this one's so obscure they're not on YouTube - so here's their myspace page: http://www.myspace.com/theautumnproject. Listen to "Between The Smoke And Mirrors."

Grenn

Sweep the Leg Johnny

They have their mournful moments, but when they kick in, they kick in. Not entirely sure about magical but definitely not depressing.

Also probably the best live band I have ever seen.

GreasyKidsStuff

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mDZuNM3HmU4

Shawnasee

I hate that YouTube is blocked here.

Shawnasee

That Vai tune is just so full of great.

JeffH

ratatat maybe? might not be what you're looking for but it fits in with all the other hipster music

Darkewolfe

JeffH wrote: »

ratatat maybe? might not be what you're looking for but it fits in with all the other hipster music

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Be_pWWlf0xA

I also recommend Blockhead. The feel of his music varies immensely from album to album (Uncle Tony's Coloring Book is really upbeat, Music by Cavelight is much more downtempo.)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bchbVYxrd7I&feature=related

meeker

No Battles? I am sure they are exactly what you are looking for.

Check out Atlas by them.

Tylanthus

Not exactly post-rock...not exactly instrumental. Might work for you though!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vC2vqPHUw7s&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fNEgV2Goyis

ProPatriaMori

Sigur Ros has been opened but I don't think that's a particularly uplifting song of theirs. I would recommend
Hoppipolla which you may recognize from every freaking Slumdog Millionaire trailer ever. It's impossible for me to tell which songs of theirs are in Icelandic and which are nonsense without translations so I generally count them as instrumental-enough.

I also get a kick out of most of the Braid soundtrack if you can find it.

I don't know what post-rock is, but Blue Man Group might also work? I generally find them upbeat. Worked well for the Intel ad campaign.

RubberAC

Hoppipolla is mostly icelandic.
Most of their new stuff isn't as much hopelandic, i think, and actually a lot of their newest one is really fast paced and upbeat.

Mustachio Jones

von and Ágætis Byrjun are almost, if not entirely Icelandic; ( ) is entirely hopelandic, Takk... is almost entirely icelandic, as well as Med Sud I Eyrum Vid Spilum Endalaust and hvarf-heim.

most of post-rock is what you don't want.



that said, bold = not long drawn out depressing stuff:
65daysofstatic
broken social scene
caspian
do make say think (for the most part)
the drift
red sparowes
explosions in the sky
foxhole
hrsta
Giants
godspeed you black emperor
god is an astronaut
if these trees could talk
iona
laura
meanwhile, back in communist russia
metavari
mogwai
mono (japanese)
mum (not entirely post-rock)
russian circles
sigur ros (if you don't want long, depressing stuff, ( ) is not your album. however, Untitled 8 is the best thing sigur ros has ever done.)
the album leaf
the allstar project
this will destroy you
tone
tristeza
yndi halda

FightTest

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mHRDj1wh0R4

Fuck your "post-rock."

Bryse Eayo

Toe:

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

twmjr

more Sigur Ros suggestions:

this one is long but ends much more "triumphant" than depressing, even if it starts a little slow:

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

this one is short and bouncy and happy and just awesome:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zfKw5r7M7MQ

I guess as mentioned before neither are instrumental per se but with the whole "voice as instrument" thing they kind of do, it fits.

Lux

The Most Serene Republic is, I think, what you are looking for:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jsfqkgh0RPo

Page-

Another vote for Sigur Ros.

But the OP is basically describing the Japanese band Mono. They still do a bunch of 12 minute songs, but they're epic slow builders with rapturous endings, like Sigur Ros but more rock. Also completely free of vocals.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PvETi8FadIU&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-8Juilrg6oQ&feature=related

Mustachio Jones

Mono's only got a couple songs that do that. Even if they do build and break, it's not nearly triumphant or uplifting. They're still pretty depressing, dissonant songs.


not necessarily post-rock, but if you want magical and happy, take a look at The Polyphonic Spree. Anything by them works.

Page-

I don't find Mono to be any more depressing than Sigur Ros.

Which is basically not depressing at all.

Unless tears of joy count as depressing, but I don't think they do.

AresProphet

Boards of Canada may not be exactly what you're looking for

But this song is full of awesome

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lrBZeWjGjl8