Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

[KharBevNor]

MY DYING BRIDE - TURN LOOSE THE SWANS

When I bought Turn Loose the Swans, I knew there was something different about this album to what I'd heard before. The artwork, the band photos, spoke of something on a completely different planet to the music I'd heard before. And so it was. Turn Loose the Swans is an album about the loss of a loved one, and the subsequent loss of Faith and poetic inspiration, ultimately leading to the good old favourite: suicide. The genius of the album comes in several places. The pacing is of course the first. Though this album is heavy as fuck, there's not even a single guitar chord until about 10 minutes into it. Just piano and violin. When the blast-beats kick in on 'The Snow In My Hand', with Aarons despairing roars over the top you are almost knocked out your chair. Aarons voice is the other thing. The man does not sing different keys, he sings different tones of misery and depression, perfectly summing up the emotions conveyed by the lyrics. And then, of course, there is the violin. Oh Gods, how beautiful. This album was one of the many that helped wean me off the more vacuous music I had been listening to and on to new things. It didn't half make me glum in the process though. The really wonderful thing about this album is how cathartic and personal it seems. It's also great for bus journeys in the winter.



BLOOD AXIS - THE GOSPEL OF INHUMANITY

The Gospel of Inhumanity covers a much wider theme than TLTS, and requires a bit more thought before its message hits you. The message is, ultimately, that we are doomed. The opening tracks, with the brilliant sampling from the Wicker Man, opening with Howies futile prayers to his God, and ending with his denunciation of the futility of the islanders actions ("Desire shall fail, and ye shall all die!"), foreshadows 'The Voyage', which quotes Tiresias' prophecy in the underworld from The Odyssey. The main hit of the album, however, is with the double-whammy of 'Herr, nun lass in Frieden' and 'Reign I Forever'. War is meaningless, the first track tells us. We are all the same, all brothers. The second track, however, is merciless. War shall rule humanity forever, and all goodness shall be crushed. There is no escape. A truly terrifying, but engrossing album.

Discuss and add your own, I shall be back with more. Many more!

[Scytale]

That My Dying Bride Cd is very good.

I'm going to have to go with Filosofem




Everything about this album is depressing, the production, the wonderfully tortured vocals, Varg's best IMO and the lyrics, good god.

"I wonder how winter will be
With a spring that I shall never see
I wonder how night will be
With a day that I shall never see
I wonder how life will be
With a light I shall never see
I wonder how life will be
With a pain that lasts eternally "

Runner up for me is At The Gates - Terminal Spirit Dissease




The way the violins merge into the guitar melody at the start of  
"The Swarm" is amazing sounds like a funeral dirge or something and then the vocals hits Tomas Lindberg sounds he's most angry and spitefull on this album, I don't know if I've ever heard anyone manage to sound more pissed off.  The two instrumental tracks are brilliant. The lyrics are also brilliant:

"In this cell that is ours there is no pity
No sunrise on the cold plain that is our soul
No beckoning to a warm horizon
The sun shall never greet my eyes again

It is our world
It has been stolen from us, bastards

No goddamn sun
No goddamn pain
I've searched my heart for love
But all in vain
No goddamn sun, no goddamn pain

Exploring life without fear -
Without feeling I am one with
My torment and forever blind

My desire clenches itself in a hungry fist
And welcomes my soul to the thirst of dying
Mother of all, come take your revenge
The sun shall never greet my eyes again"

[Inlander]

Well, obviously I'm not qualified to comment on the most depressing album ever, but of the ones I've heard there's no contest: it's August and Everything After by Counting Crows.

For serious.

[Ribbon Fat]

[JLM]

The most depressing album ever?



They should have hung it up years ago.

Or did you mean something else by "depressing?"

[MWhaling]

[Johnny C]

Okkervil River's Black Sheep Boy is a depressing album, but brilliant. Repeated lyrical motifs, a beautifully woven storyline of unrequited love that simply builds and builds as the album goes on and eventually leaves the underdog narrator finally alone despite every ounce of his soul being poured into loving the girl, and some stellar folk-rock.



Casiotone For The Painfully Alone basically draws every song from an unfathomable pit of total heart-wrenching sadness, which is especially true on Etiquette. I seriously can't listen to more than two of his songs at a time. I mean, come on - the title of one of them is "Don't They Have Payphones Wherever You Were Last Night." The dude puts the "mope" in "siiiiiiiiiigh."

[MWhaling]

I'd also like to point out that that MDB album is a contender for funniest album ever.

[Thrillho]

Oddly, I usually find this album uplifting. It tends to shake me out of depression.

[Misereatur]

Paradise Lost - Gothic

Second album from british doom metal act Paradise Lost is probably one of the best doom metal albums of the 90's. Many people (including the band memmbers themselfs) calims that this albums is actually the album that invented gothic metal, by combining death metal with doom metal estetics and throeing in femal vocals to accompany Nick Holmes' vocals.
Way is this the first album to come to my mind?

"After all wars
We lie, as shelter falls
The world is but hell
A place darckened by time
Submit to the fall
Live in peace for years
Turn back the hands of time
Light shines before
As lives are torn
Morals slow decline
We'll live in cold fear
Until we lay dead
Silent our pleas
Search for the end"

Paradise Lost - Shades Of God

Third album of PL brings a new sound, away from the doom/death of gothic to a more "down and dirty" sound (actually, I think the sound is closer to thrash metal then to doom). But none the less PL delivers another masterpiece that walked me through a lot in my life.

These will do for now, more to come.

[Johnny C]

Man there is a lot of metal in this thread. I was expecting people to be posting a lot more mopey indie-rock. But hey, good work on the underdogs, guys.

[schimmy]

The 'C' stands for 'not a hipster' than?

[karl gambolputty...]

Did someone say mopey indie rock?


Cat Power - Moon Pix.  Incredibly depressing, and achingly beautiful.  


Monroe Mustang - De Avonden 091099.  It's pretty much the soundtrack to a funeral.


Knife in the Water - Red River.  It's more mopey country than mopey indie rock, but it's still sad as all hell.

[jariku]

Christian Death - Only Theatre Of Pain (with or without Deathwish ep)

[Merkava]

Come ooooooon. COME OOOOOOOON.

[Willem]

i agree with closer by joy division and would like to add:


Lou Reed - Berlin

[Rubby]

That's wonderful album art.

[El Opium]

I totally agree with MWhaling on that particular Swans record and their whole catalogue in general. My most depressing records:

Sunn 0))-OO Void

Cuts straight to the soul with it's despairing heavyness. For some reason I think the sound of this record is equivalent to the "Boum" sound in E.M. Forster's "A Passage to India".

Arvo Part-Tabula Rasa

The perfect classical soundtrack to 3 A.M. misery. Makes me feel like my soul could fall through the space between the notes.

The Handsome Family-Twighlight

Takes country's cardboard cowboy-hat happiness and turns it around to create something truly miserable.

[Praeserpium Machinarum]

The most depressing album in my cd collection is most definitely:




On a more serious note I always thought Radiohead - Hail to the Thief was depressing in an angry culture pessimistic way.

Oh and I forgot I owned this:



Godspeed You! Black Emperor - F#A#(Infinity)

It has The Dead Flag Blues, need I say more?

[ImRonBurgundy?]

wait a second.  you meant depressing like how?

[greenMonkey]

Edit: GODDAMMIT!

Anyways, I meant to post an image of GY!BE's f#a#(infinity).

I find it apocalyptic and creepy.  But awesome none-the-less.

[TrueNeutral]

"And I... I could try... but waking up is harder when you want to die."

[Garcin]

I find it apocalyptic and creepy.  But awesome none-the-less.

Either you got pwned when you cross-linked that, or we're closer than I thought.

[KharBevNor]

CURRENT 93 - CATS DRUNK ON COPPER

A live album that, despite the fact that A Song For Douglas After He's Dead is conspicuously absent, really does just pull together the whole Inmost Light/Inmost Night strand of C93's work into a evocative compendium of personal and biblical apocalypse. From the fantastic re-working of Twilight Twilight Nihil Nihil (Never has a track been more redeemed from its original incarnation). The intensity of C93 live performances is married with a brilliant song selection and, for once, really good recording quality. From the opening sample, to the last, choked up words of Dave as 'Happy Birthday' fades into feedback and applause ("Thank you. That's all we know".) This album is a masterpiece.




SOPOR AETERNUS & THE ENSEMBLE OF SHADOWS - ES REITEN DIE TOTEN SO SCHNELL (OR: THE VAMPYRE SUCKING AT HIS OWN VEIN).

Why is the album title so long? Why is Anna-Varney naked on the front in full Butoh make-up with her mouth stuffed full of black rags? Who cares. This is deep stuff, if you can connect with it. The theme and imagery is heavily gothic-romantic, centering on a subject that should be extremely played out, that is, vampiric angst. However, unlike the cartoonish antics of, for example, Cradle of Filth, Anna-Varney traps in to the higher vein of 'monster' literature and film, which uses the accentuated plight of the living dead as a vehicle to comment on our own human experience.

"Undead and still suffering, always suffering..."

Christian Death - Only Theatre Of Pain (with or without Deathwish ep)

I just don't find almost any goth rock depressing. Christian Death is maybe approaching something gloomy, but as a genre it's all just too danceable. I'd say without the Deathwish EP.

[greenMonkey]

EDIT: NVM  Stupid lame-ass direct linking blocker pictures.

I find it apocalyptic and creepy.  But awesome none-the-less.

Either you got pwned when you cross-linked that, or we're closer than I thought.

Eh?

[KharBevNor]

Clear your cache. All we see is a white rectangle with 'I'm gay' written in it.

[dancarter]

The rare in inbetween posting, but I had to chime in hear with my two cents, despite the fact that Khar pretty much has everything covered.There is one more:



This is Ogre, Key and Goettel at their most desperate.  From the lurch and back masked opening of Love in Vein, quickly followed by the brutal, slow and empty "Killing Game", all the way through to the final drones and bleeps dying out on the last track, "Download", you can't get much more depressing than this.  Even sonically, it's just crushing.

And if you can find it, there's a missing track which was banned (though easily accessible now), called "Left Hand Shake", featuring Timothy Leary.

[SpacemanSpiff]

Aereogramme - A Story In White

Somewhere between Isis, fragile melodies and singing, screaming and post-rock lies the world of Aereogramme. It's not the "I want to kill myself" depression, it's this empty kind of depression you get when something vital is missing and you have no idea what it is. And the howling fits of rage and that sometimes attack you throughout this album for 30 seconds or so make the whole thing even worse because of the contrast.

[Rubby]

Holy man Johnny C. The gorgeous album art you posted for casiotone for the painfully alone inspired me to go check them out and holy god am I ever glad I did. This is wonderful.

[Kai]

I would like to thank Johnny for the Okerville River. It is pretty ace.

[Inlander]

country's cardboard cowboy-hat happiness

What the fuck??  You've been listening to the wrong country.

[Johnny C]

Aw, shucks. I just wanted to brag about depressin' stuff I know, but you're welcome, guys. Glad you enjoy it!

[greenMonkey]

I find it apocalyptic and creepy.  But awesome none-the-less.

Either you got pwned when you cross-linked that, or we're closer than I thought.

Yeah I got pwned while direct linking.

THAR IS A MORAL TO THIS CHELDREN.  NEVAR CROS LINK A PIXTAR ON TEH  INTARBUTTS.

[The Hammered]

I'm taking notes. Unfortunately, I don't own any of this but Swans. Well, I used to own Berlin, too.

[Skibas_clavicle]

"And I... I could try... but waking up is harder when you want to die."

I've been listening to this album all day and I don't think it's depressing....some songs are, but it is sorta creepy.

Ryan Adams - Heartbreaker
Cat Power - You Are Free
Perfecting Lonliness - Jets To Brazil

[IntermittentEvil]

It's hard for me to find music depressing, but if I need music FOR depression, then I sometimes listen to Khanate's Things Viral, or Esoteric's Metamorphogenesis, or occasionally The Residents.  But mostly, Shostakovitch's "Lady MacBeth of Mtsensk".  It's sorta climax-depressing, but nonetheless...

[Joseph]

I have to say, I'm absolutely loving this thread, tons of things to check out when I'm back from vacation.

  To kind of add on to ImRonBurgundy?'s post, I would like to add, in complete seriousness:

Something about the way it's sung and played just does it for me.  Part of it has to do with when I first heard it, and how my life felt back then, but it still hits me.

  You guys can go and shun me now, if you must.

[Johnny C]

There will not be hate. Pinkerton is a great album.

[Thrillho]

I have to say, I'm absolutely loving this thread, tons of things to check out when I'm back from vacation.

  To kind of add on to ImRonBurgundy?'s post, I would like to add, in complete seriousness:

Something about the way it's sung and played just does it for me.  Part of it has to do with when I first heard it, and how my life felt back then, but it still hits me.

  You guys can go and shun me now, if you must.

A magnificent record, and definitely quite depressing, but only when you listen properly and know the stories behind it. To the untrained ear it's just a fine rock album.

[Zaarin]

[Kid Modernist]

Typical but:

http://www.johnnylunchpail.com/robwebber/uploaded_images/disintegration-734579.jpg">

[The Eyeball Kid]

Late night moping that Tom Waits would kill to equal and so sad it breaks my heart sometimes



Yep, its a total cliche. But when an album is so sad you can't keep listening to it 'cause it makes you too depressed, then I say its a contender... or it was when I was a kid.

I listen to alot of Nick Cave/Leonard Cohen/Tom Waits/Bob Dylan, but despite their reputations I usually find myself uplifted by their music; there's usually some humour to leaven the mood

[Rizzo]

I find Tragedy incredibly depressing. The growled, distorted vocals combined with incredibly overdriven guitars.
Every song conjures up images of the end of the world and the lyrics do like-wise.The lyrics are despairing, there is no hope for humanity.

-To The Dogs
As we find ourselves barely conscious,we struggle to our knees
Looking for a sign that says this is life, and not a dream
There is a sign and it read: "hope is the leash of submission"

Moral bondage forges its cage, once again filling us with guilt and shame
Moral bondage tightens its grip, once again crushing us with fault and blame

For how long will we carry these crippling loads?
And when will we unlearn the lies, refuse the cost and throw it all to the dogs?

Surprisingly I find some of the new Rise Against album pretty similar. I can't help but agree when they sing about wanting to change the world and having no hope of doing so. That for me is more depressing than anything else.

Skinny Puppy seconded.

[Thrillho]

Fuck yeah. But fracturedly beautiful too!

[Alchemist]

I like "fracturedly".

[greenMonkey]

Forgot this one.



It also puts me to sleep.

[Shaft]

...If I think a song is depressing, that means it strikes a chord with me, which makes me feel good - it makes me feel happy. In this way I don't find any music depressing. I get depressed by bad music, though.

[mberan42]

I immediately thought of this album:



Depressing in a "this world sucks major ass" way.

I agree with The Final Cut, but not with The Wall. TFC has Your Possible Past and Fletcher Memorial Home and Southampton Dock on it. While TW has Mother, Don't Leave Me Now, Goodbye Cruel World, Nobody Home, Comfortably Numb (which has lost nearly all meaning for me, unfortunately), Stop and Outside the Wall, it also has Happiest Days of our Lives, Another Brickin the Wall (Pts. 2 & 3) (again, lost all meaning for me), Young Lust, Bring the Boys Back Home, In the Flesh and Run Like Hell - those songs detract from the depressiveness of the album, to me. I still think it's a brilliant album. Just not a, categorically, depressive album.

Animals is such a "fuck you" to society:

"You have to be trusted by the people that you lie to,
So that when they turn their backs on you,
You'll get the chance to put the knife in." - Dogs

"Big man, pig man, ha ha charade you are.
You well heeled big wheel, ha ha charade you are." - Pigs (Three Different Ones)

"What do you get for pretending the danger's not real.
Meek and obedient you follow the leader
Down well trodden corridors into the valley of steel.
What a surprise!" - Sheep

And pretty much all of Pigs on the Wing.

Ok, stepping off my Pink Floyd high-horse.

Other depressive albums, for me:

Can I even mention this band on the QC forums? Should I risk the ridicule and shame from my past likings (and continued guilty pleasure)?
Dashboard Confessional - So Impossible EP
Yeah, yeah, I know. You don't need to preach. I know. Trust me, I know. They were a past love. Kinda like your first girlfriend - you never forget her. That's what Dashboard is like to me. I've moved on, but I've never forgotten.


Especially the title track. Oh, man...


Another guilty pleasure. I don't listen to it often, but it's killer.


A bit of redemption? Seriously, my favourite Mogwai disc. Mogwai Fear Satan is probably on my all-time top-10 list of favourite tracks. Probably.


I think that's all I have, for now.

I certainly have a veritable shitton of "most depressing tracks," should anyone choose to start a thread like that.

Cheers.

[bucky_2300]

My Dying Bride is just depressing in general. Especially on that live cut where the guy's voice cracks on "Bride" when he is introducing the band.

[Hairy Joe Bob]

I would have to go with Nada! by Death In June

God this album is depressing. Songs about despair, bleakness, despair, rape, despair, Nazis, being gay and repressed, bleakness, despair.

Ugh. good record but I almost topped myself afterward.

I'd recommend Behind The Rose (Fields of Rape) as a track to listen to.

In a foreign land
In a foreign time
Reaping time had come

I'm falling back into
Fields of rape
I'm falling back into
Fields of rape
We're falling back into
Fields of rape, my love

And this was the way
And those were the horrors
As father went reaping

I'm falling back into
Fields of rape
I'm falling back into
Fields of rape
We're falling back into
Fields of rape, my love

Crushed, crushed, crushed
Mother bleeding
Crushed, crushed, crushed
We stand grinning

In a foreign land
In a foreign time
Reaping time had come

cheerful stuff.