Topic: Music as anaesthetic (Read 15924 times)

jimbunny · « **on:** 28 Dec 2007, 21:18 »

Is there any music out there that you put on primarily just to 'dull the pain'?

I mean, 'art for art's sake' is all well and good. But the fact remains that listening to music can very well affect your emotional (as well as physical) state. Sometimes, if you're like me, you just want to think or feel less, and that Fiery Furnaces album just doesn't seem to be helping. Or maybe it will. What's it for you? Or is music above that? Are you above that?

Hat · « **Reply #1 on:** 28 Dec 2007, 21:22 »

Basically every Beatles song Paul McCartney wrote. Also a lot of the time when I want background music or I'm just feeling really down I put on stuff I am just ridiculously familiar with due to previous floggings to death. So a lot of time I put on a Radiohead album.

The Viz · « **Reply #2 on:** 28 Dec 2007, 21:46 »

R.E.M.'s "Automatic for the People" is a really good therapeutic album, for me at least, as is Elliott Smith's "Figure 8." Both of those have gotten me through some weird nights. Anything by the Flaming Lips works pretty well, too.

IronOxide · « **Reply #3 on:** 28 Dec 2007, 21:53 »

It depends on how you want to 'dull the pain' as you say. I generally find that Owen Pallett/Final Fantasy does a good job, but because it is so full of emotion, but ends up as such a cathartic experience. On the other hand though, it can also work to put on some simple, quiet stuff like Air, or I Am Robot and Proud that I can just zone out to.

Or I can just listen to "Sex Bomb" on repeat until my iPod runs out of batteries.

pentaen · « **Reply #4 on:** 28 Dec 2007, 22:20 »

i've listened to it more times than i have fingers and toes but Pet Sounds really takes the edge off, i can always physicaly feel the stress going away by the time Caroline, No, starts.

Jackie Blue · « **Reply #5 on:** 28 Dec 2007, 22:46 »

Labradford
Windy & Carl
Amp
Loscil
Matt Elliott
Mojave 3
A Silver Mt. Zion
Tarentel
Pall Mall
Bedhead
Low
Lush
Tortoise
M83
Fly Pan Am
Frankie Sparo
Him (NOT THE SHITTY RECENT METAL BAND H.I.M., the Him that started in the mid-90s and continues to this day)
Underworld
The Doldrums
This Will Destroy You
Mono
etc....

E. Spaceman · « **Reply #6 on:** 28 Dec 2007, 22:59 »

Why dull the pain when the pain feels so good?

Jackie Blue · « **Reply #7 on:** 28 Dec 2007, 23:13 »

Spiritualized is my favorite band of all time but seriously there are times when if I listened to them I would most definitely blow my fucking brains out from sheer sadness.

pentaen · « **Reply #8 on:** 28 Dec 2007, 23:19 »

If your feeling pain i would probably recomend some CODEINE

amok · « **Reply #9 on:** 29 Dec 2007, 01:04 »

Quote from: pentaen on 28 Dec 2007, 23:19

If your feeling pain i would probably recomend some CODEINE

Damn, good call.

If I'm in a wallowing mood I tend to either queue up a shitload of Low or just listen to 'How to disappear completely' on repeat over and over. Anathema's 'A Fine Day To Exit' works too.

Ocarina654 · « **Reply #10 on:** 29 Dec 2007, 01:06 »

Quote from: zerodrone on 28 Dec 2007, 23:13

Spiritualized is my favorite band of all time but seriously there are times when if I listened to them I would most definitely blow my fucking brains out from sheer sadness.

Oh jeez I want to listen to them.

Johnny C · « **Reply #11 on:** 29 Dec 2007, 01:08 »

amok · « **Reply #12 on:** 29 Dec 2007, 01:20 »

I've been meaning to listen to those guys for awhile and if it's good enough to get posted 4 times (interesting cover too) I guess I'll start with that 'un!

Scandanavian War Machine · « **Reply #13 on:** 29 Dec 2007, 02:43 »

i see your Low and raise you Morphine.

those are the only two i can think of.

amok · « **Reply #14 on:** 29 Dec 2007, 06:29 »

I really enjoyed that Okkervil River album.

valley_parade · « **Reply #15 on:** 29 Dec 2007, 07:09 »

Last night I fell asleep with some valium and a GYBE album (can't remember which one). Worked pretty well.

Jackie Blue · « **Reply #16 on:** 29 Dec 2007, 08:32 »

Drink a beer, take a Valium, and put on some Windy & Carl.

The weight of the world will be lifted.

Benzos are wonderful things.

KharBevNor · « **Reply #17 on:** 29 Dec 2007, 09:54 »

This seems to be a post the album covers in a pretentious fashion thread, so here we go!

Johnny C · « **Reply #18 on:** 29 Dec 2007, 10:50 »

You could not be more right on that third record, though the second-last one is a good call too.

amok · « **Reply #19 on:** 29 Dec 2007, 11:13 »

Quote from: Johnny C on 29 Dec 2007, 10:50

You could not be more right on that third record

Mind identifying it for me? The pretentious cover-only approach works as long as the cover has... any information whatsoever on it.

Lustmord is always good.

Jackie Blue · « **Reply #20 on:** 29 Dec 2007, 11:33 »

Quote from: amok on 29 Dec 2007, 11:13

Mind identifying it for me?

Considering your taste in music (according to your last.fm profile) it's kind of mind-boggling that you don't recognize it.

Godspeed You! Black Emperor.

Johnny C · « **Reply #21 on:** 29 Dec 2007, 11:48 »

To be fair the vinyl has three different covers I think? I was in the record store yesterday and the copy they had for sale looked nothing like that but it was the real deal.

amok · « **Reply #22 on:** 29 Dec 2007, 13:31 »

Quote from: zerodrone on 29 Dec 2007, 11:33

Godspeed You! Black Emperor.

Ah, thanks. Absolutely hate them and reached this conclusion from copies a friend burnt me, hence never really seen any of the covers

Jackie Blue · « **Reply #23 on:** 29 Dec 2007, 13:39 »

You like Explosions in the Sky but "absolutely hate" GY!BE?

amok · « **Reply #24 on:** 29 Dec 2007, 13:49 »

I just found them extremely tedious; failed to engage me on any level. Not offensively bad, but not worth the time spent listening to them either.

So... yes. Although I'm not so big on EITS recently but a few of the other post-rock bands I genuinely enjoy seem to get filed under 'Godspeed clone' so your point stands I spose.

Scandanavian War Machine · « **Reply #25 on:** 29 Dec 2007, 16:26 »

it's not so crazy.

i love EitS but hate GY!BE. you are not alone.

Jackie Blue · « **Reply #26 on:** 29 Dec 2007, 16:34 »

I really think you guys are using the word "hate" in a pretty reckless fashion. I mean, amok, you basically just said you're indifferent to them. If I "absolutely hated" everything I'm indifferent to, I'd expode in a cloud of fury.

Inlander · « **Reply #27 on:** 29 Dec 2007, 19:40 »

This question makes absolutely no sense to me. Perhaps I've misunderstood the intent of the original post, but music to me always, always has some kind of emotionally enhancing effect - even if it's just "holy shit this is the worst musical atrocity I've ever heard". The idea of music that might make me a person feel less emotional absolutely boggles my mind. Might I suggest simply not listening to music at all if you want your emotions dulled for a bit?

E. Spaceman · « **Reply #28 on:** 29 Dec 2007, 19:52 »

actually, a lot of music has no emotional effect on me, and on some occasions it helps to distract me. Tommy's suggestion of Chris Herbert's Mezzotint is an excellent example of this, fantastic album too.

Spinless · « **Reply #29 on:** 29 Dec 2007, 19:55 »

Inlander, I took the original post to be asking about which albums are good for catharsis after a breakup or something. Several times, I drafted my list, but it required far too much thought and the list changes all too often. The mainstays have been albums written by Tim Kasher, Greg Dulli and Blake Schwarzenbach. I decided this thread is basically about making a mixtape to help you through a breakup or something.

Jackie Blue · « **Reply #30 on:** 29 Dec 2007, 20:20 »

Possible side-effects of listening to Greg Dulli after a breakup include:

Development of overbearing male-ego.
Excessive drinking.
Uncontrolled assholery.
Delusions of grandeur.

Use care when operating a rebound while under the influence of Greg Dulli.

Consult your Superego before taking Greg Dulli with alcochol.

Spinless · « **Reply #31 on:** 29 Dec 2007, 20:23 »

Exactly. Step 3.

Jackie Blue · « **Reply #32 on:** 29 Dec 2007, 20:30 »

I just want to say, I'm glad that so many of you are with me on the Afghan Whigs bandwagon, because I seriously only know one person in real life who both has great taste in music and appreciates just how fucking amazing that band was.

Come to think of it, I don't even know any people with bad taste in music who remember/appreciate the Whigs.

WHO COULD GET MORE GIRL'S PHONE NUMBERS IN A NIGHT: GREG DULLI OR JARVIS COCKER?

Posting drunk is fun. Now I see why Khar does it.

KvP · « **Reply #33 on:** 29 Dec 2007, 20:33 »

Spinless · « **Reply #34 on:** 29 Dec 2007, 20:41 »

Greg Fucking Dulli.
Jarvis Cocker talks too much. He'd still be chatting up the first girl while Greg Fucking Dulli is singing "LET'S GET IT OOOON" to his 6th.

Jackie Blue · « **Reply #35 on:** 29 Dec 2007, 21:43 »

Quote from: Kid van Pervert on 29 Dec 2007, 20:33

I think you just won the thread.

Johnny C · « **Reply #36 on:** 29 Dec 2007, 22:47 »

Quote from: zerodrone on 29 Dec 2007, 20:20

Possible side-effects of listening to Greg Dulli after a breakup include:

Development of overbearing male-ego.
Excessive drinking.
Uncontrolled assholery.
Delusions of grandeur.

Use care when operating a rebound while under the influence of Greg Dulli.

Consult your Superego before taking Greg Dulli with alcochol.

I really want to fire up Photoshop and turn this into an actual warning sign. Fantastically put.

Spinless · « **Reply #37 on:** 29 Dec 2007, 22:56 »

Made all the more impressive because it was a drunk post, likely made while under the influence of Greg Dulli.

Shadows Collide · « **Reply #38 on:** 29 Dec 2007, 23:39 »

1 million points to zerodrone for mentioning Labradford. Mi Media Naranja will save you from despair definitely.

If not pop on This Mortal Coil or Cocteau Twins and chill I say. While wearing a comic afro wig like so:

Johnny C · « **Reply #39 on:** 30 Dec 2007, 01:20 »

Patton Oswalt has other ideas.

Thrillho · « **Reply #40 on:** 30 Dec 2007, 01:55 »

It's not dulling that I listen to music for, so much as exorcism. More of a cathartic experience than an anaesthetic.

Shadows Collide · « **Reply #41 on:** 30 Dec 2007, 04:10 »

"Listening to Pink Floyd's Great Gig in the Sky at 2am with the lights off" - sounds like me! But seriously This Mortal Coil kinda allows you to drift off and bask in the beauty of Liz Frazer's voice

Jackie Blue · « **Reply #42 on:** 30 Dec 2007, 08:44 »

Quote from: Johnny C on 30 Dec 2007, 01:20

Patton Oswalt has other ideas.

I prefer his take on hipsters.

Johnny C · « **Reply #43 on:** 30 Dec 2007, 08:51 »

Finger on the pulse, I tell ya.

sandman263 · « **Reply #44 on:** 30 Dec 2007, 15:05 »

Quote from: DynamiteKid on 30 Dec 2007, 01:55

It's not dulling that I listen to music for, so much as exorcism. More of a cathartic experience than an anaesthetic.

Can you expand more on this? I tend to put on the saddest music I know when I want catharticism. If this sounds like you, check out Tom McRae (self-titled debut).

a pack of wolves · « **Reply #45 on:** 30 Dec 2007, 15:13 »

Catharsis

Nodaisho · « **Reply #46 on:** 30 Dec 2007, 23:32 »

Quote from: The Viz on 28 Dec 2007, 21:46

R.E.M.'s "Automatic for the People" is a really good therapeutic album

Hadn't thought of that one, but The Viz is right, at least for a certain kind of anesthetic, the sit drooling in a chair kind, where as Exodus, Overkill, and Down would be the kind of music to listen to that can keep you working at whatever you need to do, while still not feeling whatever it is you need to feel. Anything I have heard from the Beatles would slingshot someone all the way from depression to happy-hippie-druggie-land though, I don't know how they did it.

Thrillho · « **Reply #47 on:** 31 Dec 2007, 03:33 »

Quote from: sandman263 on 30 Dec 2007, 15:05

Quote from: DynamiteKid on 30 Dec 2007, 01:55
It's not dulling that I listen to music for, so much as exorcism. More of a cathartic experience than an anaesthetic.

Can you expand more on this? I tend to put on the saddest music I know when I want catharticism. If this sounds like you, check out Tom McRae (self-titled debut).

It's mostly music from my childhood, music that I identify with, music that's miserable as fuck, or some combination of them all.

The music from my childhood consists of the albums we used ot listen to as a family when driving to holiday destinations. This entailed about five or six tapes, most of which I have on CD now - the first Seal album, Parklife by Blur (one song of which comes under 'identify with.' 'Tracy Jacks,' because of the line 'I'd love to stay here and be normal/but it's just so overrated'), Made In Heaven by Queen...the other ones I don't have yet. Linkin Park also come under this category because they were the first band I liked of my own accord, and they write good pop songs even if they do actually suck.

The music that identify with is predominantly Weezer because Rivers Cuomo seems autistic as a frontman even if he isn't. The first album in particular I got into when it came out and has been my longest serving favourite record. This also includes music that identifies to specific situations, such as after a breakup you have the obvious stuff like Blood On The Tracks, 'Idiot Wind' in particular, and the less obvious like 'Far From Me' by Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds ('It's good to hear you're doing so well/but really can't you find somebody else/that you can ring and tell?').

As for music that's miserable as fuck...Joy Division. Closer. Probably the saddest album in my collection, yet the one I found the most uplifting. An album that got me through the grieving after my grandmother's death.

pentaen · « **Reply #48 on:** 31 Dec 2007, 03:51 »

i really dont get burzum

oneesmotryet · « **Reply #49 on:** 31 Dec 2007, 06:53 »

any postrock really - mogwai, sigur ros, eits, gy!be... nice and wordless, so there's nothing to focus on. i've listened to pyramid song so many times as well that it acts as background noise when i'm feeling down.

THESE FORUMS NOW CLOSED (read only)

Author Topic: Music as anaesthetic (Read 15924 times)

The Viz

Spinless

Spinless

Spinless

Spinless

Shadows Collide

Shadows Collide

oneesmotryet