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Underground > Radio & Music >

Sad music with beautiful, heart-breaking melodies

13:03 / 22.02.06

OK, another I Want To Broaden My Musical Horizons thread. What sad, depressing music do you like that has achingly beautiful melodies? I'm talking in the vein of Cat Power, Modest Mouse, maybe early Ani DiFranco. Brief artist descriptions very much appreciated.

19:23 / 24.02.06

Its strange how sad music and songs seem to make us/me feel better, mabey its hearing the sadness in others lives that give company to my own darker moments.

Mabey its that, by music, we are made to feel that its OK and normal to be sad from time to time and if I feel down one day then the music is there keep me company in a place I actually sometimes like to be.

The Smiths are Sad, Beautiful, Funny and Uplifting I also like Radiohead But they are reserved for when I just want to feel sad.

I remeber the Father Ted epsiode about the depressed Priest who Ted manages to cheer up by playing Shaft by Isac Hayes, Then later the priest hears Radiohead and is instantly depressed again.

Radiohead.. just add volume for instant depression.

A song I have just heard that moves me is the cover of 'Hurt' a Nine Inch Nails song done by the late Johnny Cash.

Hurt, Johnny Cash

I never cared much for Cash or Nails before I heard this.

02:43 / 25.02.06

Ooo, you're in *my* country now.

A lot of the saddest songs I know are by bands who don't normally do sad songs, like, oh, The Replacements ("Unsatisfied," or "Here Comes a Regular" will rip your heart out if you let them).

The band Low is fairly consistent with the wistfulness, based on Mimi whatsherhead's vocals. They're so damn slow, though, you might just find them bleakly depressing. They produced a band called Rivulets that were similar, only moreso. Both are from Minnesota, and should probably be seeing someone about that Seasonal Affective Disorder.

Come to think of it, the Replacements were too.

Elliott Smith is kind of a given, too, although he's prettier than he is sad. Was. OK, now I'm going off to cry about that. Back in a minute.

Even better is Pedro the Lion -- I recently scored in a mix CD swap when my partner dished out this cover they did of Radiohead's "Let Down" which is majestically melancholy.

Some of the most effective and beautiful sad songs I've ever heard are by a band that I don't think ever got signed called Things In Herds. They were, at one time, one of the most popular bands on mp3.com, though. 10 years ago, I guess. It's mostly just one guy or his female compatriot singing with an acoustic guitar and occasional bloopy computer noises.

Kid Dakota were also on mp3.com, but I know they released an album available on Amazon. They used to have a lot of mp3s available on John Vanderslice's "tiny telephone" website when he still hosted mp3s. An awful lot of his bandwidth (he's a producer who also does his own albums -- not always that sad, but always with at least one good, rainy-day song) was dedicated to songs by John Darnielle, better known as the mighty steering hand behind the mighty Mountain Goats, who have their own thread elsewhere on Barbelith. Not always depressing, actually -- generally more blinking back tears and celebrating regeneration against all odds. Gorgeous band, though. "There Will Be No Divorce" probably among the saddest songs recorded, although the autobiographical one he did about fighting with his dad and leaving home for good with nothing but his jacket and a bottle of whiskey in the pocket is pretty good. Can't remember the name, but I think it was Irish.

16:24 / 26.02.06

Wow, tons (should say tonnes, really, what with the impending universal change to metric in the UK) to check out. Fantastic, thanks!

21:14 / 26.02.06

Cranes. Madredeus. And yeah, Johnny Cash — I had never actually heard that NIN cover before, but damn...
I can also recommend a local band called Laïs. Not all their music qualifies as sad or melacholic, but methinks they definitely deserve a place in this thread.

Some stuff by Fields Of The Nephilim (thinking mainly of Elizium here), Joy Division and The Angels Of Light is pretty moving too.

Oh, and there's Sopor Aeternus & The Ensemble Of Shadows. Sometimes hauntingly beautiful, sometimes... well, scary. Sometimes both. Definitely not everyone's cup of tea, but give it a try. The Inexperienced Spiral Traveller was the first Sopor album I bought, and I was hooked from the first go.

STOATIE LIEKS CHOCOLATE MILK

00:44 / 27.02.06

The first This Mortal Coil album, It'll End In Tears. Largely for Liz Fraser's vocals on the cover of Tim Buckley's Song To The Siren.

09:03 / 27.02.06

"....Sad music with beautiful, heart-breaking melodies" Please welcome into your life The Tindersticks The first three albums (the first two are rather confusingly just called Tindersticks, and the third Curtains) are probably a really good place to start. Simple pleasures is another favourite of mine- Where they took a kind of white soul band slant with the addition of horns and backing singers they sound really rather marvelous. IMHO they are all really good- and singer Stuart Staples solo effort is also worth a listen.

When i read the thread summery Tindersticks are what i thought of - imagine Pulp, Nick Cave & Leonard Cohen all rolled together with big strings and sad sad songs.

They duet with Isobella Rosellini on "A Marriage made in Heaven" which is wonderful and kind of gives an idea of where they are coming from- European Art House meets David Lynch in a wry Jarvis kind of way- there's more about them in the link but in terms of other stuff mentioned in this thread- then they'll pretty much make Radiohead sound like Busted... strong stuff.

Other track recommendations: "City Sickness", "Drunk Tank" & "Patchwork" from the first album. "She's Gone" "Tiny Tears", "Sister" & Travelling Light" from the second "Lets Pretend", "Bathtime" & "Desperate Man" from Curtains "CF GF", "I Know That Loving", "If Your Looking for a Way Out" & "Can We Start Again" from Simple Pleasures- in all honesty get the albums - you won't go far wrong (maybe wait before buying the soundtrack albums 'Nenette et Boni' & 'Trouble Everyday' cos they're kind of instrumental heavy) but please check them out and fall in love with them- i think they're a really, really special band.

Apologies if the above is a bit too much like a list- many of these songs are written about in the link that i've given- I think Flyboy nails it in the linked thread

"Tindersticks really know/knew how to nail quite specific emotional states - see also 'Bathtime', a song about someone travelling home from the city, feeling dirty and tired, and wanting their lover to run them a bath. Amazing."

10:30 / 27.02.06

When I want to get more into this mood, which isn't much these days, I listen to a Brokeback album called Looks at the Bird. This for me is pretty melancholy beautiful music which has very few vocals to speak of, but lots of melody. The Vocals it does contain are from the 2 sweeties from Stereolab, Mary and Laetitia. This for me is especially sad because Mary Hansen was killed in a traffic accident just after she recorded vocals for this album, which was the last thing she ever did. She grew up in my home town of Brisbane, Australia. The band Brokeback is made up of a couple of guys from Tortoise so you can expect to find long drawn out, descending notes to set the tone and using electronics that glitch and pop much like the pseudo vinyl sound to imitate crap on the vinyl getting slammed into the stylus, to give that sorta isolated feeling. There are double bass', violin's, guitars and I think a lap steel is used too. It sounds almost country but the use of electronics give it that quirky edge but it doesn't take away from it's solemn feel of isolation and gravitas. The song Pearl's Dream always brings a lump to my throat.

One Day they Flew Away, Flew Away,
Into the Sky, Into the Moon...

Here is the band link where you can hear some songs for yourself...
Brokeback

If you want something a little more rough and ready, my money always lies with Justin Broadrick when I want to really feel like shit. Go check out his new band Jesu which he formed after Godflesh and Techno Animal. Justin has moved across to slow organic depressing guitar driven sludge with pained lyrics and brutal production to really get you down in the dumps. Lots of guitar with a rambling Bass guitar and Ted Parsons formally from The Swans on Drums hitting out the razor sharp but slow plodding beats. With song titles like Friends are Evil and We All Falter you can't help but feel this guys pain. Oh yeah, there are beautiful melodies here too. Honest!

12:04 / 01.03.06

Might be interested in this old thread, too.

Regrettable Juvenilia

12:12 / 01.03.06

Yeah, see that thread for mention of 'I See A Darkness' by Bonnie 'Prince' Billy, which is one of the saddest, most beautiful songs I know. And then check out some of Wil Oldham's other stuff under different names...

Regrettable Juvenilia

12:21 / 01.03.06

Also mentioned in that thread are Dirty Three, the (normally) instrumental, violin-led Australian trio and sometime Cat Power collaborators (she's on 'Great Waves' on their latest album). This is a description of one of my favourite songs of theirs by the band's Warren Ellis (no, not that one):

"This song is about when you're getting ready to go out on the town... And you put on your suit, your favourite suit, the one you know makes you look really fucking cool, and you go the club, and you have a few drinks, and you meet someone special, and you're dancing, and there's this mirrorball on the ceiling, spinning and spinning. And then you realise... that all this stuff you're seeing is just the patterns in your mug of cocoa spinning as you stir it... and you're actually just sitting there in your kitchen on your own, in your old dressing gown with your mug of cocoa... and as you're sitting there you think to yourself: 'I Really Should Have Gone Out Last Night'."

12:23 / 01.03.06

Slate: As an FYI, "Pearl's Dream" is a rendering of a song from the film Night of the Hunter—which, if you haven't seen, you simply must.

03:31 / 02.03.06

No discussion of sad, melancholic music would be complete without mentioning a one ms. Chan Marshall, (pronounced Shawn) also known as Cat Power.

I would suggest not starting with her latest album if you want the really, really sad stuff. Instead, start off with her masterpiece, "What Would The Community Think?" and then Progrss to Myra Lee, Moon Pix, and You Are Free in no particular order. Her latest album is the least reflective of her sad side, and I believe it is best appreciated after listening to the works that made her (semi-)famous in the first place.

Yes, I realize that many may already be aware of her, and the topic starter did mention her, but I feel she's important enough to deserve a post and link at least... you never know, especially with the younger members of the board who may not have yet been exposed to her yet.

03:40 / 02.03.06

roy buchanan has to be not only the best ever guitarist, he is the saddest...

some of his wailing mourning on songs like 'we're not alone' and 'turn to stone', with his quickest finger in all arkansas pickin' version of 'hey joe' with its searing riffs all add up to one of the most emotive players of an electric g'itar and it tears me apart to think he hanged himself at just 48 in a po-leece cell where he was in for being drunk (i think)

anyway, him.

he turned down the stones (when they eventually got mick taylor) citing not being able to learn the songs... he was just a depressed home-bod who played the guitar like the ring of a bell. imagine the jams down there with jimi, roy and stevie ray!

Regrettable Juvenilia

08:41 / 02.03.06

Instead, start off with her masterpiece, "What Would The Community Think?" and then Progrss to Myra Lee, Moon Pix, and You Are Free in no particular order.

Don't forget The Covers Record! 'Satisfaction' and 'I Found A Reason' alone would have to be on any Best (or Saddest) Of Cat Power compilation...

Baobab Branches and Plastic

14:30 / 03.03.06

I have always thought that Camper Van Beethoven have written some of the most heartbreakingly sad songs:

That gum you like is back in style
All her favourite fruit

are both good examples to check out...

Of course if you want really really depressing music then you can't really go past the 'sadcore' bands like Red House Painters (or anything by Mark 'I spilt milk on my best corduroy' Kozelek), and Red Red Meat (the 'when bunny gets paid album' is truly spirit crushing).

I better stop thinking about these bands now, I'm starting to consider calling an ex and telling them how sorry I am they didn't deserve my treatment of them, yes the dog did die and I replaced it... etc

15:13 / 03.03.06

Actually, I always thought there was something exultant about "All Her Favorite Fruit," although it's a sad situation at heart.
Cracker's "Big Dipper" runs along the same lines (same songwriter) -- the Magic Person who's dating someone else who you dream of asking out but are too scared/too hung up on your fantasies to actually do it.

....
She brings him mashed potatoes
And she brings him peppered steak -- with corn.
She lifts her dress up over her head...
Lets it fall to the floor.
Does he ever whisper in her ear
all her favorite fruit?
And the most exotic places they are cultivated?
....
....
But if she asks me out
I’ll be hers without a doubt
On that Big Dipper

Cigarettes and carrot juice,
Get yourself a new tattoo
for those sleeveless days of June

I’m sitting on the Cafe Xeno’s steps
I haven’t got the courage yet... I haven’t got the courage yet.

Love those songs.

Red House Painters are great, too -- especially Mark Kozelek's ability to pull of some great covers. His version of "I Am A Rock" is brilliant.

16:06 / 03.03.06

Karen Dalton's record "It's so hard to know who's going to love you the best". I would seriously advise every right minded person who enjoys music to aquaint themselves with this album. It's an absolutely beautiful collection of songs. She was part of the 60s Greenwich village folk scene that Dylan came out of, but her sound is more like blues-folk and her voice is reminiscent of Billie Holiday. Total genius, but she actually hated performing and had to be coaxed into recording the two records that she made.

STOATIE LIEKS CHOCOLATE MILK

21:35 / 03.03.06

The self-titled album by Mi and L'au is also fairly beautiful, and fragile and sad. Not "depressing", in the sense that it would actively depress you... more comfortingly sad if you're already feeling that way.

07:02 / 05.03.06

hah! my first post but anyways, here would be a few songs I wouldn't miss in my sad and beautiful songs list:
Miles Davis - Concierto De Aranguez
Talvin Singh - Disser/Point.Mento.B
M83 - Moonchild
Broadway Project - Femme Fatale

STOATIE LIEKS CHOCOLATE MILK

09:15 / 05.03.06

Welcome, farhan. Care to expand? Sounds like an interesting selection.

11:53 / 05.03.06

Mazzy Star are another band who do beautiful fragile music and Hope Sandovel has a lovely voice.

Stina Nordenstam's has an album of moody,brooding covers of songs like 'Purple Rain,' and a brilliant version of 'People are strange.' I haven't heard her own stuff though.

Baobab Branches and Plastic

11:39 / 06.03.06

Actually, I always thought there was something exultant about "All Her Favorite Fruit," although it's a sad situation at heart.

I guess for me there is a bit of personal history with that particular song (as there is with all the great heart breakingest songs)... The idea of person belovedly musing on the great times they had with someone and whether or not the others new/later relationship has the same surreal but succulent moments of timeless togetherness.

*Arg again with the sadness and heartache.*

But you're right there is a exultancy with that song and positivity in that the moments in themselves last forever as memories

*yay*

(even if the other person has moved on with a richer handsomer international yachtsman who has solo circumnavigated the world and now has a title and they're contemplating children...)

*Ah angst, there you are, where have you been my old friend*

Camper Van Beethoven - All Her Favourite Fruit.
(I know its probably against board policy to reproduce all the lyrics of a song rather than linking to it: but please humour a civil service drudge)

I drive alone, home from work
And I always think of her
Late at night I call her
But I never say a word
And I can see her squeeze the phone between her chin and shoulder
And I can almost smell her breath faint with a sweet scent of decay
She serves him mashed potatoes
And she serves him peppered steak, with corn
Pulls her dress up over her head
Lets it fall to the floor
And does she ever whisper in his ear all her favorite fruit
And all the most exotic places they are cultivated
And I'd like to take her there, rather than this train
And if I weren't a civil servant, I'd have a place in the colonies
We'd play croquet behind white-washed walls and drink our tea at four
Within intervention's distance of the embassy
The midday air grows thicker with the heat
And drifts towards the line of trees
When negroes blink their eyes, they sink into siesta
And we are rotting like a fruit underneath a rusting roof
We dream our dreams and sing our songs of the fecundity
Of life and love
Of life and love
Of life and love