I tried listening to "A Crow Looked At Me" again today. Like the last three times I tried listening to that album, I couldn't get past the first song. It's not because the song is bad, no; in fact, it's because of how great the first song is at what it's trying to do. I don't want to turn this into some kind of sob story, but I'm very familiar with the topics raised in ACLAM. I lost my grandmother to cancer late last year, and my mom five years before that. I usually have no problem listening to sad music (or any kind of music really), but, for some reason, I can't listen to this album.
I've been having a rough few weeks and I want to know what you guys listen to when things aren't always going so well.
If I'm in a place where I can scream the lyrics and play air-guitar, then it's got to be:
I feel you, man. I grew up listening to The Who thanks to my dad, and this song has always struck a chord (no pun intended) with me.
Statistics are nobody's friend, but life has a weird way of trying to buddy up with math. I've found a lot of solace in the threads you post and the music you share and I've never properly thanked you for that.
This song came out shortly after the worst break up of my life and was my defining song for some time thereafter.
Thanks for sharing this. The lyrics are quite applicative to so many situations, and I think that is a testament to the genius behind the sound design as a whole. Having been through a harsh breakup (and still recuperating from that experience), this song really speaks volumes about how someone (or something I guess) can stay on one's mind
Think the difficulty with listening to ACLAM is how stark the arrangements are. Very little to distract from the message, so you're just left staring at his grief. Feels voyeuristic, and like any enjoyment of the craft would be some sort of blasphemy. There's no catharsis there, just an unbroken band of desolation. Which is why I like "Carrie and Lowell". Much the same message, but just embellished enough that you can kind of forget the content for the style. And boy howdy can he write a song. My favorite cathartic songs change over time. Younger me needed grand gestures to foster emotional release. Some Radiohead the-robots-are-coming-to-get-us shit. Now I value the quieter stuff. Been listening to "Benji" nearly every day now since... when did it come out? I hope someday to write a song as perfect as "Carissa," but I hope I never have a reason to write a song as perfect as "Carissa". Also, I used to think anything by Bach was stiff and soulless. Now I'm starting to think that guy saw angels in the architecture better than any other human. Get the feeling that if I knew math and music theory better, listening to his work would be like looking into the eyes of God. Speaking of Angels in the architecture, I listened to Graceland the other day for the first time in over a year and goddamn, that album never loses its shine. Can really pull you out of bad places, in part by recognizing the beauty of bad places. So I guess grand gestures still do it for me sometimes.
Benji and Carrie and Lowell are perfect albums. They both tell stories, albeit in different ways, and weave the musical arrangements with and against those stories. Jim Wise is a perfect example of this. ACLAM has no redemption and I completely agree with you on it feeling like a voyeuristic listen. He's touring the northwest and I keep thinking about going to Olympia to see him perform, but it just doesn't feel right.
I can't begin to imagine what that show would be like. Like, do you clap between those songs?
I think you cry and I don't think you stop until a couple of hours after the show.
When I need to commiserate through music, I've got a few varied choices. I recommend listening to them above safe volumes. Shostakovich - 5th symphony in D Minor Shostakovich wrote this piece while being... unpopular with the soviet government critics. it was the piece that turned his career around, and brought him back into favour with the government. All of it is fantastic, but the 4th movement has a few truly special moments - especially for me as a player. Some anchoring points for listening pleasure - 2:13 (when the piece moves into a new tempo as the trumpet solo starts), coming into 2:38 (where the basses come in), 3:03 (wherein shit gets fucking real), 4:16 (being in the orchestra for this point is an electric feeling) 5:38 (where the theme comes crawling out of the depths) 7:40, 8:40 (another moment where being in the orchestra is an electric experience). There's a lot of stuff built into this piece that is sort of "Inside Baseball", including some references to Beethoven's 5th symphony that make it extra special for me as a nerd, but I hope you gain some enjoyment and catharsis from this piece. Death Cab for Cutie - Tiny Vessels I am the girl, as i listen to this song. Julien Baker - Go Home I'm gonna get scared again try and make my insides clean with your kitchen bleach, but I've kissed enough bathroom sinks to make up for the lovers who never loved me And i know, my body is just dirty clothes tired of washing my hands god I wanna go home." "I know you're still worried
I guess I interpret "catharsis" as "the energetic throwing-off of a burden", as opposed to other people in this thread who seem to see it as a calm and soothing thing. So for me, catharsis has to have energy and vigor and spit and raw power. Hence my selections: The Hives - "Hate to say I told you so" The Sonics - "Have love will travel" Deadmau5 - "Ghosts and Stuff"
Condolences for your loss. A couple off my 'feeling down' mixtape. For no conscious reason yet, I couple these two off 'The Heist' together: Last two are more of the "I'm making bad decisions and I feel bad" (like listening to Macklemore /s) playlist rather than the "I'm getting hit with bad things and I feel bad" list. EDIT: Elliott Smith could easily make the playlist. It's been too long since I've listened to him for any specific song to stick out, though.
For nostalgic reasons (plus its a good song)
When I want to cheer up, I listen to the cover of Zvenit Yanvarskaya Vyuga by Vanilla Sky. If I didn't know Vanilla Sky are Italians, I would've thought how it's a peculiar Russian dialect. Svegliarsi la Mattina by Zero Assoluto got me through a tough time lately. Stretch's Why Did You Do It did the same a while back. Porches' Mood does it from both sides.