The most wrenching music

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Tonight I was feeling especially distraught. I wanted to play something so gut-wrenching and emotional it would fuel my mood. However, looking through my collection, I saw nothing seemed to fit the bill. Individual albums had their fury and despair, but somehow always surrendered to melody or instrumental effects. Even pained vocals came across as sweet. For instance, the Flaming Lips were too melodic, while Radiohead was either too gentle or planar. I want to know which albums/songs you pull out when you want something as flooded with unrest as possible. (and I don't mean emo, thanks.)

― Steph (Steph), Sunday, 6 October 2002 04:00 (twenty-three years ago)

PJ Harvey - 4-Track Demos (or rid of me) or of course you could listen to joy division lol

― V, Sunday, 6 October 2002 04:16 (twenty-three years ago)

*taps fingers* I guess when I'm in a mood like that I would put on something very very low-key but still evil. Lull's Cold Summer, then.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Sunday, 6 October 2002 04:23 (twenty-three years ago)

"farewell to nova scotia" cuts me deep but it probably wouldn't do much for you...

― brian badword (badwords), Sunday, 6 October 2002 04:33 (twenty-three years ago)

The Carpenters

― Wyndham Earl, Sunday, 6 October 2002 05:33 (twenty-three years ago)

Go West's 'We Close our Eyes' (think of the video)... hah hah hah. I am just the funniest person to ever live.

― Kim (Kim), Sunday, 6 October 2002 06:28 (twenty-three years ago)

Actually there were wrenches in Aha's 'Take on Me' video as well. Now what's that all about?

― Kim (Kim), Sunday, 6 October 2002 06:34 (twenty-three years ago)

A wrench is a home for Jewish cowboys.

― Jody Beth Rosen, Sunday, 6 October 2002 06:40 (twenty-three years ago)

Mike + the Mechanics.

― Tep (ktepi), Sunday, 6 October 2002 06:48 (twenty-three years ago)

"Answering Machine" by the Replacements always does it for me.

― Justyn Dillingham (Justyn Dillingham), Sunday, 6 October 2002 07:16 (twenty-three years ago)

listen to the music in yr head then you lazy sod.

― Julio Desouza (jdesouza), Sunday, 6 October 2002 09:37 (twenty-three years ago)

Holocaust - Big Star. Um.. Maybe it's wise to stay away from that one.

― kinski (kinski), Sunday, 6 October 2002 10:12 (twenty-three years ago)

Anything by Bright Eyes should do the job.
Nico's The Marble Index has enough forlorness in it for a lifetime. The most terrible thing about that album is that Nico's voice is so monotonous and inhuman. Probably I am overinterpreting as usual but by hiding her emotions the music becomes even more oppressive and haunting. Check Knives Out by Radiohead in a similar though more tuneful vein.

― alex in mainhattan (alex63), Sunday, 6 October 2002 10:30 (twenty-three years ago)

Fountains of Wayne's "Denise". I used to think it was just a cheeky goofy power-pop number, until I listened to it after being dumped once. I cried the proverbial river.

― Dom Passantino (Dom Passantino), Sunday, 6 October 2002 12:50 (twenty-three years ago)

Katatonia Last Fair Deal Gone Down or Tonight's Decision should fit the bill. Morose, depressed rock without any silly goth-isms or forced dramaticism.
http://www.peaceville.com/grafix/kata_tonitedec340x340.jpg http://www.peaceville.com/grafix/kata_lastdeal340x340.jpg

― Siegbran (eofor), Sunday, 6 October 2002 13:16 (twenty-three years ago)

sample of Tonight's Music

― Siegbran (eofor), Sunday, 6 October 2002 13:30 (twenty-three years ago)

You need some heartwrenching black metal like Ulver's Nattens Madrigal album.

― Lek Dukagjin, Sunday, 6 October 2002 14:19 (twenty-three years ago)

Samuel Barber's Adagio for Strings

― bris, Sunday, 6 October 2002 14:34 (twenty-three years ago)

The Swans- Post Burning World. If you try anything from the eariler stages you may never come back....

― brg30 (brg30), Sunday, 6 October 2002 17:47 (twenty-three years ago)

richard thompson 'poor ditching boy'

― keith (keithmcl), Sunday, 6 October 2002 18:55 (twenty-three years ago)

Strapping Young Lad is pretty fucking cathartic, more in a pure anger sense though. When I would be in one of those moods in my metal years I would put on that, some Anathema (Alternative 4 or Eternity), or some Paradise Lost (Draconian Times), which all worked wonderfully.

― Jordan (Jordan), Sunday, 6 October 2002 19:40 (twenty-three years ago)

I fucking hate you! I FUCKING HATE YOU!

― Lek Dukagjin, Sunday, 6 October 2002 19:46 (twenty-three years ago)

Leonard Cohen....particularly "Famous Blue Raincoat"
i don't know what it is, but something about his music scares me. in a good way, of course.

― m. o'malley, Sunday, 6 October 2002 21:56 (twenty-three years ago)

Jandek's "Blue Corpse"

― electric sound of jim (electricsound), Sunday, 6 October 2002 22:33 (twenty-three years ago)

Loren Mazzacane Conors can be ridiculously painful to listen to.

Two Dollar Guitar, "Blood On The Plow"

Tom Waits. Particularly "Time" or "No One Knows I'm Gone"

Rainy Day Regatta "California"

... and the like.

― Ian, Sunday, 6 October 2002 23:01 (twenty-three years ago)

Rodan, "Gauge"

― Underclocked, Sunday, 6 October 2002 23:25 (twenty-three years ago)

I don't find Nico's voice to be monotonous or emotionless at all.

How about Lou Reed's "Berlin"?

― Sean (Sean), Monday, 7 October 2002 00:07 (twenty-three years ago)

pj harvey yes for sure, and fiona apple if im pissed off.
plus dylan 'time out of mind' for really low low low days

― donna (donna), Monday, 7 October 2002 00:28 (twenty-three years ago)

tabula rasa by arvo part is the final word in wrenching.

― simon 803 (simon 803), Monday, 7 October 2002 02:54 (twenty-three years ago)

Spiritualized's "Let it come down" + A significant amount of wine. Maybe more illicit substances too; I haven't tried. But this combination always equals catharsis for me.

"Cantus in Memory of Benjamin Britten", also by Arvo Part.

And, in quite a different way, "Pinkerton".

― Captain Sleep (Captain Sleep), Monday, 7 October 2002 04:28 (twenty-three years ago)

I don't find Nico's voice to be monotonous or emotionless at all.
So how do you find it, Sean? Varied and full of emotion? Expressive? Extroverted?
One thing that bothers me about her voice is that she can't sing at all. It is all sprechgesang, and for me it sounds extremely cold and indifferent. Not human, if you want. Or like a voice out of a tomb, scary and haunting. I am not able to listen to the whole of Marble Index in one sitting. It is suffocating.

― alex in mainhattan (alex63), Monday, 7 October 2002 06:43 (twenty-three years ago)

PiL - Theme

― Andy K (Andy K), Monday, 7 October 2002 16:58 (twenty-three years ago)

i second brg30's swans nomination. truly music to make your guts churn.

― angelo (angelo), Monday, 7 October 2002 23:26 (twenty-three years ago)

dar williams,iris dement

― anthony easton (anthony), Tuesday, 8 October 2002 09:36 (twenty-three years ago)

Saw the Peter Brötzmann Trio (Hamid Drake & William Parker) Friday night -- they dedicated the show to Peter Kowald who was supposed to play the same venue Satrday night. First tune was a new one just written for Kowald, lasted 40 minutes, ended with a fairly straight blues -- they played his life and the sadness of the loss of their friend, and we were privileged to sit there. 10-minute ovation, too.

― Colin Meeder (Mert), Tuesday, 8 October 2002 09:55 (twenty-three years ago)

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