Emotionally intense music

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I occasionally enjoy some emotionally intense music. Not the kind you put on in the background, but the kind you simply sit and let carry you along with it. I thought it would be interesting to learn what others find to meet that description, and nice to be introduced to some new music. So, please share some songs here--preferably of the instrumental variety.

I'll get started. Here is a song I find can always carry me away with it:
Clint Mansell - Death is the Road to Awe
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ihF_aXi-Huk[/youtube]

Now your talking. I love this style, really works wonders for my mood. The fountain Soundtrack, all of it (Mansell also did the soundtrack to Moon which is fab). Some other examples are: Hans Zimmer most of, but really magical is Thin Red Line & Gladiator; Alexandre Desplat, soundtracks to The Painted Veil & Birth; Carter Burwell soundtracks to Fargo & Where the Wildthings are; Nick Cave & Waren Ellis soundtrack to Assassination of Jesse James ('Song for Bob' is simply stunning) and you don't have Nick Cave trying to sing on the album ; Vangelis for Bladerunner, Morricone for The Mission. I'm sure others will add more.

Music that really picks you up and carries you along in a more frenetic vein try the soundtrack to Dark Knight (Track 8,'Like a dog chasing cars' loud, through headphones. Stunning). Sherlock Holmes (Track 7, 'Marital Sabotage') or Infamous by Amon Tobin (Track 3, 'Meet the Reapers')

I watch films for their ambience mostly; dialog I find jarring and confrontational. In fact I'll play movies in the background while I'm working on something else just to listen to the sound of it; the film itself kinda silly or boring. An example is the Mothman Prophecies- little overdone, Richard Gere is not as silly as he has been but the audio, my god, it's marvelous. Bladerunner, The Ring (with Naomi Watts) the same. Some scenes of these films I've never watched more than once. The phone call with Indrid Cold on the Mothman prophecies I've listened to hundreds of times...
Hope that gets you going
Gruntre

Explorative stuff? I might have you covered.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iGvrYK5Op4E[/youtube]

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

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Luirzce0UF8&feature=related[/youtube]

I need to listen to more film soundtracks. Soundtracks in general, used for films or anything else, seem to actually have a lot of great music that unfortunately goes unnoticed. Even video game soundtracks, which I've spent some time listening to, have legitimate music with substance that easily defeat the popular mainstream music today.

This is typically the kind of music that I favor. Starts off gently, already on an emotional note. Usually, starts off melancholic. Then it just builds up to an explosion of emotion. The last few parts of the song practically define "Emotionally intense". Like these:

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RByvzmmEFiQ[/youtube]
(Radiohead's a great example, also see "How to Disappear Completely")

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=304DLGDQvx0[/youtube]
(Porcupine Tree's typically on the darker/depressing side of emotion, but they do it incredibly well, especially in that song's era)

And... I could pick many more. Of course it doesn't have to be depressing to be emotionally intense, but typically when it's not depressing, it's such a happy intense song, that it's placed at the end of a sad album or song, so it clashes with that overall feel, giving it that happy emotion. Like "Eclipse" on Pink Floyd's "Dark Side of the Moon", The last 4-6 minutes of Dream Theater's (24 minute song) Octavarium, etc...

Whenever I write music, my inspiration in many cases is to be as intense as that. I haven't written much, but I find it not too difficult. Breaking the "laws" of music theory helps well with the 'clashing' effect I said earlier.

Only intense music for me - which these days I feel I am better off staying away from - is Andean / Quechua area. Incredible effect on me.

a minority opinion here from an old timer-
i listen to my collection of several thousand old "flat friends" [lp phonographic discs or "records"] which contain a breadth and depth of music simply not available on cd or mp3 or itunes or whatever. i'm not speaking of sound quality but strictly of the sheer variety of different types of music no longer in print in these modern times. i have a recording of organist loran whitney and hawaiian steel guitarist bud tutmarc playing spirituals, that just sends me to another place when i listen to it. i have a disk from 1962, with organist korla pandit [korla pandit at the organ, music for meditation], playing very pacific melodies of a quasi-indian theme, that just reduces me to a puddle. i have a 1959 jazz disc with jazz accordianist mat mathews and harpist gene bianco ["swingin' pretty and all that jazz"], that is to die for. they are, to me, a taste of heaven down here on earth. i hope at least a few of you all out there google 'em.

Great responses! Quite a bit of variety.

Gruntre: I agree about Clint Mansell. He's a wonderful composer, very emotional. I'm not familiar with everything you mentioned, but I listened to a bit of it. I really like the soundtrack for The Red Line. I'd never heard it before. Thanks for sharing. ^_^ I'll have to give the rest of it a listen later.

Shone: That was nice.

Moog: You're going to make me cry! That is one of the saddest things I've ever heard.

Dnuous: Radiohead is great for some good, sad music.

auntblabby: While I don't find it emotionally intense, I'm highly enjoying Mat Mathews and Gene Bianco. I agree--the lack of variety found in modern music is lamentable.

Another one I find to be very emotional, when I'm in the right sort of mood:
Gortoz a Ran - J'attends
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J9E-rAS8UZw[/youtube]

Metallica is to me. If a song comes to mind Snuff by Slipknot.

the album is intense in the JOY that it brings about in me. i am curious, how long have you had this album and where did you find it? it is pretty rare, expecially in good condition. mine sounds [after declicking] like the master tape.

Ahh, I understand. I am the same way with the likes of Bessie Smith and Ma Rainey; their music is not so emotionally intense, and, being blues, often rather melancholy. Still, it always fills me with a great joy to listen to them. ^_^

And I'm afraid I wasn't clear. I meant to say that I looked up the artists you mentioned and listened to some of their music online. Surely not the best way to listen to these types of music (I miss having a record player! Perhaps I ought to look into getting another one), but I work with what I've got.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5V-LbXPX_9w&feature=related[/youtube]
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ZWQRaY0Tns[/youtube]
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7VWMFm91-GY[/youtube]
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RhdZHDal6Sc[/youtube]
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XyHj7buQqMs[/youtube]

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jreU5wulIUc[/youtube]
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jgk7i2zv-Vs[/youtube]
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ErCAOMi5EGM[/youtube]
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lgT1AidzRWM[/youtube]

Emotionally intense music?

Ennio Morricone - The Mission Main Theme

Even serial killers cry. And if you have seen the film it's even more intense

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oag1Dfa1e_E[/youtube]

Lamb, till the clouds clear

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tHRuHcIRIso[/youtube]