I just listened to the whaler by Home Is Where (great album btw!) and the song whaling for sport has a solid buildup that I really enjoyed! What other songs does everyone enjoy that have similar buildups?
OK I know this absolutely does not sound like what you’ve shared, but my go to band for crazy buildups is Godspeed You! Black Emperor. East Hastings’s buildup gets me every time.
Absolutely another recommendation for Godspeed You! Black Emperor. Storm from Lift Your Skinny Fists Like Antennas to Heaven is a great example of this.
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+1 on the Coheed and Cambria recommendation.
I’d also recommend The Final Cut and In Keeping Secrets of Silent Earth as well.
The Final Cut ends with an amazing solo.
In Keeping Secrets is amazing the whole way through but the ending is something else.
(☝◞‸◟)☞
I mean, Joy to the World by Little Richard builds up to a hit that’s like a freight train.
Magma - De Futura
Let’s start with relatively mild moods. Of Monsters and Men have a few songs with nice buildups. Dirty Paws for instance.
Midlake’s Young Bride might also be worth mentioning.
Probably unexpected, but she is definitely crazy (in the best possible way): Aurora - All Is Soft Inside
Also her direct relative (musically), Bel Canto - In Zenith
On to rock now, three songs with incredible buildups I cannot help but recommend:
Thunder Road, covered by Tortoise and Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy
Leviathan by Ultra Sheriff always stood out to me. The song as a whole isn’t my cup of tea — but, that first 90 seconds…
Right on time is the biggest tease of a 3 minute build up to the most disappointing pay off ever.
This might not be exactly what you’re looking for, but Human Qualities by Explosions in the Sky has a pretty sudden increase in intensity near the end. It’s not a slow and steady build up but you might still enjoy it.
Probably not what you’re looking for (it’s EDM; after the buildup there’s a drop, etc…), but I tend to call Turbulence by Steve Aoki “The buildup song”
Kim’s Caravan by Courtney Barnett is one of my favorites.
I’ve got a few. I actually have a whole playlist, but these are the highlights I would say, broken into categories.
The ones that are most similar to whaling for sport:
Cash Savage and the Last Drinks - Sunday
Highasakite - Lover Where Do You Live
Holy Holy - You Cannot Call For Love Like A Dog
More electronic:
M83 - Lower your eyelids to die with the sun
More cinematic:
The Cinematic Orchestra - To Build A Home
EDIT: Also Kinokoteikoku - FLOWER GIRL
