What's the most depressing music?

Message Bookmarked

Bookmark Removed

Like it says on the tin: what's the most depressing music?

― blablablah, Wednesday, 11 February 2004 06:36 (twenty-two years ago)

gansta rap, because of the incessantly hateful images and language.
this is not to say i don't like some of it, because i do, but mostly the political stuff.
but i do find most of it *depressing*, because it shows how normalized sexism and violence are.

― Orbit (Orbit), Wednesday, 11 February 2004 06:45 (twenty-two years ago)

But sexism and violence are two of the Great Themes! Also, madness. And jealousy. And all sorts of unpleasantness.

― Kenan Hebert (kenan), Wednesday, 11 February 2004 06:48 (twenty-two years ago)

Wasn't it Henry V who said, "DIE motherfucker DIE motherfucker DIE motherfucker DIE!"

― Kenan Hebert (kenan), Wednesday, 11 February 2004 06:50 (twenty-two years ago)

only if they die fluffy deaths

― Orbit (Orbit), Wednesday, 11 February 2004 06:52 (twenty-two years ago)

Yeah, that's kinda not what i meant...if you were planning on spending the night sobbing hysterically, washing down sleeping pills with cheap wine and, generally, being all sad-assed...what would you be listening to?

I can't imagine gangsta rap soliciting that kind of response, somehow.
But hey, that's just me.

― blablablah, Wednesday, 11 February 2004 06:55 (twenty-two years ago)

oh, depressing as in if someone drove you to the brink of dispair and you were trying to pull a Marilyn to escpae the torture, what would the soundtrack be? That's a different question entirely.

― Orbit (Orbit), Wednesday, 11 February 2004 06:57 (twenty-two years ago)

Or, alternatively, if you wanted to drive someone to the brink of despair...

That's a different question entirely, for sure.

Either's fine!

― blablablah, Wednesday, 11 February 2004 07:02 (twenty-two years ago)

hey, it's your thread, name your poison ;-)

― Orbit (Orbit), Wednesday, 11 February 2004 07:03 (twenty-two years ago)

OK, driving someone to want to obliterate all conciousness at any cost: FSA at full volume.

Wanting to take yourself out because it just isn't worth it anymore: Julie London

― Orbit (Orbit), Wednesday, 11 February 2004 07:04 (twenty-two years ago)

Must. Not. Die.

http://www.worksongs.com/saw.jpg

― may pang (maypang), Wednesday, 11 February 2004 07:10 (twenty-two years ago)

Whoa wait a second. You find Julie London depressing? Granted, she's a little subdued sometimes, but c'mon.. her voice is plain sexy!

― may pang (maypang), Wednesday, 11 February 2004 07:21 (twenty-two years ago)

Smog

― Blood and sparkles (bloodandsparkles), Wednesday, 11 February 2004 07:30 (twenty-two years ago)

erm.. Thrones, probably. Atrociously depressing. And Jandek, and some of the sparser Palace stuff, and Leonard Cohen's Songs of Love and Hate.

― Ian Johnson (orion), Wednesday, 11 February 2004 07:57 (twenty-two years ago)

The Grave -Don McLean

― ipsofacto (ipsofacto), Wednesday, 11 February 2004 08:12 (twenty-two years ago)

Hey, I was going to say Smog. The Doctor Came at Dawn. Also Palace Arise Therefore.

― daria g (daria g), Wednesday, 11 February 2004 08:15 (twenty-two years ago)

gloomy sunday, in any one of it's like 2 dozen incarnations

― michael bott, Wednesday, 11 February 2004 08:24 (twenty-two years ago)

oh, and "barco negro" , the fado standard.

― mike bott, Wednesday, 11 February 2004 08:28 (twenty-two years ago)

Leonard Cohen OTM

― Debito (Debito), Wednesday, 11 February 2004 08:37 (twenty-two years ago)

I've always found All Things Must Pass kind of depressing, or at least good wallowing music.

Nick Drake? Or is that terribly obvious?

― Debito (Debito), Wednesday, 11 February 2004 08:44 (twenty-two years ago)

Red House Painters? Or half of the 4AD catalogue for that matter...

― Rob Bolton (Rob Bolton), Wednesday, 11 February 2004 11:23 (twenty-two years ago)

Nick Drake always sounds alive on his records...

― mark grout (mark grout), Wednesday, 11 February 2004 11:25 (twenty-two years ago)

Bonnie Prince Billy, RHP def.

― Chris V (Chris V), Wednesday, 11 February 2004 12:19 (twenty-two years ago)

Nick Drake always sounds alive on his records...

I assume he was alive.

― Debito (Debito), Wednesday, 11 February 2004 12:20 (twenty-two years ago)

Joy Division - In A Lonely Place

Caressing the marble and stone
Love that was special for one
The waste in the fever and heat
How I wish you were here with me now

Body that curls in and dies
Heart shares that awful daylight
Warm like a dog round your feet
How I wish you were here with me now

Hangman looks round as he waits
Cord stretches tight then it breaks
Someday we will die in your dreams
How I wish you were here with me now

And lo and behold, Curtis hanged himself a few weeks later.

― Jonathan Z. (Joanthan Z.), Wednesday, 11 February 2004 12:53 (twenty-two years ago)

Joy Division is depressing in their themes, but their music could be so beautifully, chillingly executed that I find it positively inspiring, actually.

I find the more bottom-feeing, cliche-ridden hip hop acts to be the most depressing (crap like Smilez & Southstar.....yes, I know, they're long gone, but I'm still seething with abject loathing). And c-list Nu Metal of the sort played tirelessly on the FUSE network (y'know...the stufff that makes already painfully sad acts like Mudvayne seem original)....that makes me weep for the future.

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Wednesday, 11 February 2004 13:43 (twenty-two years ago)

Little April Showers, from the Bambi soundtrack...kills me.

― mzui, Wednesday, 11 February 2004 16:54 (twenty-two years ago)

anying on cold meat industries

― DJ Martian (djmartian), Wednesday, 11 February 2004 16:57 (twenty-two years ago)

Oh! On the Disney s/t trip, that song that Dumbo's mother sings to him... OMG :'(

The slower, funereal-type Cat Power songs are good for suicidal moods.

― Blood and sparkles (bloodandsparkles), Wednesday, 11 February 2004 17:40 (twenty-two years ago)

I don't find Cold Meat Industries depressing ... but maybe that's because I prefer the death noise stuff they release.

Lou Reed's "Berlin" is pretty devastating if it catches you in the wrong mood, but parts of it are so over the top that it comes full circle and becomes almost a parody -- way too serious to be taken seriously, if that makes any sense.

For pure lyrical devastation and despair, I don't think Joy Division has ever been topped.

― Barry Bruner (Barry Bruner), Wednesday, 11 February 2004 18:17 (twenty-two years ago)

Happy Flowers.

― Kerry (dymaxia), Wednesday, 11 February 2004 18:20 (twenty-two years ago)

disco and cheesy pop honestly does depress the fuck out of me and I'm not just being elitist when I say that. It's like when you're shopping in Poundstretcher and some weak disco stuff comes on and all it reminds you of is shopping in Poundstretcher.

― dog latin (dog latin), Wednesday, 11 February 2004 19:07 (twenty-two years ago)

Townes Van Zandt has written some of the most depressing songs I've ever heard, especialy his song "Nothin'."

― Tab25, Wednesday, 11 February 2004 19:36 (twenty-two years ago)

Nick Drake's songs are too romantic to be depressing.

― Curt1s St3ph3ns, Wednesday, 11 February 2004 19:57 (twenty-two years ago)

depressed != depressing

― Curt1s St3ph3ns, Wednesday, 11 February 2004 20:01 (twenty-two years ago)

Alex in NYC is OTM about Joy Division. Most music that's labeled "depressing" I actually find cathartic if not uplifting. Depressing themes when translated to music tend to work for me that way rather than depress me.

― latebloomer (latebloomer), Wednesday, 11 February 2004 20:31 (twenty-two years ago)

It may be a bit predictable, but I'll go for Joy Division. They're the only band who, if listened to while particularly upset, just make me feel WORSE.

― Stupid (Stupid), Wednesday, 11 February 2004 20:35 (twenty-two years ago)

Peter Ivers (OST Eraserhead) - In Heaven (Lady In The Radiator Song)

― eleki-san (eleki-san), Wednesday, 11 February 2004 21:10 (twenty-two years ago)

Do you listen to depressing music?

I'm having deja vu

― Blood and sparkles (bloodandsparkles), Thursday, 12 February 2004 00:04 (twenty-two years ago)

(Smog) songs are too hilarious to be depressing.

― hstencil, Thursday, 12 February 2004 00:07 (twenty-two years ago)

gorecki's third symphony

― anthony kyle monday (akmonday), Thursday, 12 February 2004 00:29 (twenty-two years ago)

I find Syd Barret's albums depressing.

Also Purcell's Funeral Music.

And Nico.

And Sofia Gubaidalina.

― All Bunged Up. (Jake Proudlock), Thursday, 12 February 2004 01:11 (twenty-two years ago)

http://nihilistdisco.matterwave.net/images/tgrolandpic.jpg

― Former Supposed So Called Nihilist Teenage Drug Disco Addiction Counselor (mjt), Thursday, 12 February 2004 02:01 (twenty-two years ago)

>(Smog) songs are too hilarious to be depressing.<

hstencil you are 100% right. a friend of mine thinks bill has tourettes, though. he does twitch strangely on stage but that is neither depressing nor hilarious, just odd.

― Thea, Thursday, 12 February 2004 02:08 (twenty-two years ago)

that's just an affectation, he doesn't have Tourette's.

― hstencil, Thursday, 12 February 2004 02:09 (twenty-two years ago)

http://nihilistdisco.matterwave.net/images/_chr4.jpg

― Former Supposed So Called Nihilist Teenage Drug Disco Addiction Counselor (mjt), Thursday, 12 February 2004 02:14 (twenty-two years ago)

The most depressing music has to from Radiohead. When i first heard sreet spirit i nearly cryed for fuck sack.

― Tiárnán McGarrity, Thursday, 12 February 2004 02:21 (twenty-two years ago)

Re: Smog. If it's an affectation, then that's depressing. The Miles Davis complex...now I feel sad for him.

― Thea, Thursday, 12 February 2004 02:22 (twenty-two years ago)

Godspeed. Most music depresses me. Jeff Buckley's "Sketches for my Sweetheart the Drunk" because it could have been briliant but ended up being very pieced together. Neil Young "Freedom." Keep on Rockin' in the Free World" is pretty sad. "He'll never get to fall in love, never get to be cool." Imagine never being cool.

― Jaromil (Jaromil), Thursday, 12 February 2004 07:43 (twenty-two years ago)

but i don't have to imagine, you see...

― mike bott, Thursday, 12 February 2004 08:37 (twenty-two years ago)

how depressing

― Gear! (Gear!), Thursday, 12 February 2004 09:20 (twenty-two years ago)

Wesley Willis and .....who's the other guy? Daniel Johnson? Those guys' music depresses me, as I can't help thinking they were both being rather crassly exploited.

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Thursday, 12 February 2004 14:41 (twenty-two years ago)

Rahsaan Roland Kirk's post-stroke material is like a kick in the gut - especially given how sparse the arrangements are. When listening, one easily forms images of him slumped in chair struggling to manipulate a strewn mess of instruments that crowd his limited reach. It's really a tough listen for me.

Kirk's last is available as Boogie Woogie String Along For Real and was shortly available on the 32 Jazz box, Standing Eight, or, a nice sampling of his last three albums can still be had on Simmer, Reduce, Garnish & Serve.

― christoff (christoff), Thursday, 12 February 2004 16:40 (twenty-two years ago)

You must be logged in to post. Please either login here, or if you are not registered, you may register here.