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miseensceneofthemind · 7 years

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Melancholy Mix Vol. INFINITY

The music of melancholy - 13 choice cuts that turn pain into beauty.

I’m going to level with you, kiddo: heartbreak sucks. There’s no avoiding it, and the thing is, it’ll keep on coming. HEARTBREAK, FOREVER AND FOREVER, A HUNDRED YEARS HEARTBREAK.

I know, I know, it’s an incredibly bleak viewpoint, but fortunately it’s not all whiskey benders and facepalms (poor, poor Bogie). Luckily, us humans have an uncanny talent for turning pain into something practical, even managing to transform suffering into statements of beauty, whether in the form of paintings, films, novels, or whathaveyou - the list is as vast and infinite as there are causes of heartache (RIP TANGY FRUITS).

If you are anything like me (and for your sake, I hope you’ve made peace with that), you’re inexorably drawn to the melancholic in life, especially when it comes to music that poignantly expresses it. So, in the name of melody and melancholy, here are (in no particular order) 13 slightly left of field songs that you should probably avoid if you’re in the midst of heartbreak (hang in there, you can do this!):

Steve Conte - ‘No Reply’

This particular song weaselled its way into my life at a time that couldn’t be more unfortunate (WHEN IT RAINS IT POURS, FOLKS). How does that happen? Autoplay - the cause of, and solution to all of life’s misery. Anywho, this track comes off Future Blues, the soundtrack to Cowboy Bebop: The Movie, and is that rare mix of song that if were personified, would be crying while smiling triumphantly. BITTERSWEET. Come for the angst, stay for the sweeping strings and accompanying tears. Listen here

The Fairfield Four - ‘Lonesome Valley’

The Coen Brothers are good at many things. Who am I kidding, they make the masterful seem effortless. Therefore it comes as no surprise, that they knock it out of the park with their music selections in O Brother, Where Art Thou. ‘Lonesome Valley,’ a traditional American gospel folk tune, is performed mournfully by The Fairfield Four. Their acapella rendition is enough to petrify the hairs on the back of one’s neck - if you do not, I repeat, DO NOT want to be moved to the core, avoid this song at all costs. Listen here

Slint - ‘Washer’

It almost feels like an intrusion to listen to ‘Washer,’ the most somber track from Slint’s 1991 album Spiderland. The stark production of the record is so naked and intimate, that one would be forgiven to feel uncomfortable when listening to Brian McMahan reveal lyrics that are tantamount to reading a secret journal entry. If you can accept this (and oh my gosh, you should), the reward is one of the more interesting displays of the quiet loud dynamic that was so emblematic of early nineties alternative music. Listen here

Calexico - ‘Missing’

“She notices a chunk bleeding from your chest.” Wrap me in a warm blanket, and bury me in this song. Perhaps the most lyrically poetic entry on this list, Calexico hauntingly evokes the forlorn landscape of inner loss and longing - a barren desert if ever there was one. Essential listening, ESPECIALLY when things are getting you down. Listen here

Shawn Colvin - ‘The Facts About Jimmy’

You may be familiar with Shawn Colvin from her hit ‘Sunny Came Home,’ the main single off her 1996 divorce concept album A Few Small Repairs, but whereas that song details the painful end of a marriage, ‘The Facts About Jimmy’ paints the destructive world of a man oblivious to his own emotional carnage. For those who have had divorce creep into their life (that goes for children too), many of the songs on the album will resonate, but the muted and delicate instrumentation of ‘The Facts About Jimmy’ particularly underscores the quiet, devastating environment of a failing marriage at its lowest point. Listen here

Little Dragon - ‘No Love’

“No love in my soul left for you.” One of the more bitter entries featured on this list, Little Dragon’s ‘No Love’ wastes no time in burning bridges. If you’ve ever been jilted by love (*hugs*), this track would otherwise strike too strong a chord were it not for the soothing, self-assured vocals of Yukimi Nagano. Make this your new anthem for moving on. Listen here

Chris Whitley - ‘Assassin Song’

Criminally unappreciated, Chris Whitley is one of the greatest singer-songwriters you’ve never heard (if you have, LET’S BE FRIENDS). ‘Assassin Song,’ from his 2003 album Hotel Vast Horizon, is a perfect encapsulation of what makes Whitley so special in the canon of melancholy. From the dusty honk of his resonator guitar, to the plaintive lyricism channeled through his ghostly voice, Whitley creates an allegory for the solitary and transient life of a musician through the tale of an assassin who “slide[s] through town.” Let this song crawl under your skin, and make a permanent residence. Listen here

Chuck Ragan - ‘Don’t Say a Word’

Who would have thought that singing punk music would be a perfect training environment for the weathered yarns of Americana? ‘Don’t Say a Word’ relates a stoic acceptance of worldly pain, resolute in finding the strength to endure regardless. Chuck Ragan’s raggedly worn vocals (honed through his years in the punk band Hot Water Music), convey the experience of someone who has been through the ringer, and are a perfect fit for a song that just wants to hold and reassure you that everything will be alright. Recommended listening beverage: sweet tea. Listen here

Citizen Cope - ‘Sideways’

This song is deceptively simple, but therein lies its power. If a random solo musician covering the song in Vietnam can bring you to tears, you know you’ve found something special (and yes, that happened and I cried BUT HE WAS JUST SO GOOD). Much like the lyrics proclaiming that “These feelings won’t go away,” ‘Sideways’ has a singular musical focus that cuts to the core. Although the version featuring Santana may be more well known, the unadorned sparseness (are you noticing a trend here?) of Citizen Cope’s original iteration is far more effective as a personal statement of grief when unshackled from Santana’s guitar trickery. Plus, the song prominently features the flatted fifth musical tritone, more affectionately known as ‘The Devil’s Interval,’ so bonus darkness points! Listen here

Pelican - ‘Final Breath’

“And I will love thee still, my dear. Till all the seas run dry.” It’s not often that a metal band will create a breathtakingly beautiful song about unconditional love, but when it happens, you better hold onto it for dear life (I mean come on, IT’S A METAL UNICORN FOLKS). Such is the result of ‘Final Breath,’ instrumental band Pelican’s first foray into music featuring lyrics. With Allen Epley (of Shiner fame) providing the dreamy vocals required to make one’s heart flutter, ‘Final Breath’ musically beds lyrical sweetness with a wistful sense of finality. All that is good in life, must eventually end. Listen here

Neurosis - ‘The Road To Sovereignty’

Neurosis (for my money) are the undisputed kings of doom and gloom, but ‘The Road To Sovereignty,’ the final track from their classic album Times Of Grace sees them easing back on the grinding intensity just enough for their folk side to shine. Thankfully, none of their trademark off-kilter dissonance is lost in the process, but the effect is markedly different. Instead of creating a musical storm as is their usual calling card, ‘The Road To Sovereignty’ is rather a meditative reflection in the wake of destruction. Listen here

Phillip Glass - ‘Metamorphosis 1′

When it comes to ‘Metamorphosis 1′ by Phillip Glass, the less said, the better. Find yourself a quiet place, dim the lights, put on some headphones and let the composition wash over you (fetal position optional, but advised). Listen here

Bernard Herrmann - ‘Scene D’Amour’

How does one make an impossibly great film a masterpiece? You hire Bernard Herrmann as your composer, that’s how. Personally, I find it difficult at times to even handle ‘Scene D’Amour,’ a showstopping composition featured in Alfred Hitchcock’s seminal work, Vertigo. Without a doubt, one of the most heartachingly melancholic things I have ever heard in my life. Oh my word, when the string section gets quiet?!? I’M NOT CRYING, YOU ARE. Listen here

You made it! *high five* Hopefully, you feel a smidgen braver for having stared into the abyss. It can be a dark and lonely place sometimes, but the most beautiful things often are.

#melancholy #heartbreak #mixtape #casablanca #humphrey bogart #ozu

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