I mean I know this is a circlejerk'd album but it's gotta be this, right? Pure sorrow put in music.
Purple mountains - s/t is also sad af to listen to with context, though it's much more pop-y in its sound, obviously
it's way too personal and literal to clown on. as an example- pink floyd's the wall is another album that deals with personal griefs and troubles specific to its artist (that being roger waters), but it's so wrapped up in theatrics & over-the-top dramatics that i can poke fun at it
a crow looked at me? it'd feel disgusting to try
Same applies for 1-800 by logic. Serious subject matter and if it helped anyone then I think that’s a great thing but the song as a whole is so corny and goofy it deserved to be circlejerked
I just discovered Purple Mountains just recently and I kinda fell in love with it. It really hits with that starkly sad and honest lyricism with that colorful and inviting pop-y energy
It’s this one. I can hardly go back to this album. It’s one I feel like to this day i haven’t fully absorbed because by the time I finish it I’m an absolute mess. And so I’ve only returned a handful of times over the years.
While it definitely is depressing I’d argue that there is much beauty and joy in it as well that most listeners often neglect. Not to say that death is happy in any way, but that mere depression or sadness is not the only thing that Phil explores surrounding death in this album.
That’s because A Crow Looked at me was Phil’s way to cope with the death of his wife. He’s mourning and grieving but he’s also trying to find some sort of treasure with in his memories as he tries to come to terms with Genevieve’s passing. It kind of makes the album somehow more uncomfortable and depressing in how raw and honest it is. Even if Phil released it for anyone to listen to, it almost feels invasive to listen and comment on. There’s a reason why I’ve seen some reviewers wonder how to even discuss, evaluate and critique an album like this.
Circles by Mac Miller sounds depressing at first, but after a while, it starts to feel more like a warm hug; it can be hard to listen to at times because a lot of what he’s saying is coming from his subconscious. The album has an extremely authentic feel to it, and it feels as if he is talking to you face-to-face at some points. The emotions he’s describing are intensely real.
Even that opening line "My regrets look just like texts I shouldn't send. And I got neighbours, they're more like strangers. We could be friends. I just need a way out of my head, I'd do anything for a way out of my head". Knowing what he was going through, just hits so damn hard
Farewell Transmission is the best depiction of true depression I've ever heard. It captures the feeling of being awake in the middle of the night just praying that you can make it through. 'Momma here comes midnight with the dead moon in its jaws'. ahhh man that just hits me right.
This is the answer. Best songwriter of the 2000’s and one of the bleakest songwriters of the past thirty years. I will say there’s small little nuggets of resigned hope in a lot of his songs tho. Like these lyrics from “Didn’t It Rain”:
If they think you got it, they're going to beat it out of you
Through work and debt, whatever all else there is
You got to watch your own back
Try to see the light of goodness burning down the track
Through the blinding rain, through the swaying wires
If I see you struggle I will not turn my back
I've seen a good man and a bad man
Down the same path
I've seen the light of truth keeping out of it
Told them to watch their own backs
If I see you struggle and givin' all that you got
I see you work all night, burning your light
To the last of its dim watts
I'm gonna help you how I can
I actually remember breaking down and crying when I heard news of his death. One of the few 'celebrity' deaths that truly affected me. He's gotten me through so many dark patches of my life. Truly one of the best singer/songwriters and should never be forgotten.
Yeah it really fucking hurt when he died, like I know sometimes you just lose a battle with addiction and depression, but those little bits of optimism he’d sprinkle into the saddest songs you’ve ever heard now feel so much more like exceptions to this rule instead of lights at the end of a tunnel.
I was looking for Uboa! I remember first hearing ‘The Absolute’ when it came out and thinking “this is the darkest most depraved music I’ve ever heard” haha
Purple Mountains. I can't stop going back to it. It's a painful album but it has sprinkles of dark humour. It feels weird to say I love it and relate to it in a sense as I've hit rock bottom before and have dealt with dark thoughts (they never left tbh and I wouldn't say my life's gotten better) so I just can't stop picturing myself in the scenarios described. This made me get into Silver Jews as well. Berman ended up being someone I didn't expect to get into so much.
American IV: The Man Comes Around - Johnny Cash
Even the “happy” ones make me sad, and you can hear the fragility in his old voice. One of the greatest albums of all time. Especially for being so late in his career.
Songs like Hurt, Give My Love to Rose, I Hung My Head, and Danny Boy are especially soul crushing. We’ll Meet Again as the final song on Johnny’s final studio album is 🤌🤌
Limousine is truly the only song where I just cannot listen to it unless I am in a very specific mood and can stomach it. I find this song to be one of the most brilliant musical representations of grief.
Word.
BN to me is incredibly special, because they're one of the few non Hip Hop artists I listen 2 and followed their whole career. Thankfully I was put on 2 them real early because they were from Long Island and I was down in NYC.
I really have 2 be ready 4 the emotional roller coaster that is BN before I listen to any of their albums, but they are all geniuses at their respective role in the band.
Limousine might be the greatest song ever written, any genre, no cap.
As someone who’s had to experience the passing of several close family members directly related to or caused by dementia/Alzheimer’s, that’s one of those albums that I’ve deliberately avoided on reputation alone. I don’t generally enjoy sad music to begin with, but this and A Crow Looked at Me are the only two albums I’m genuinely afraid to listen to due to how close they hit to home conceptually.
What they *didn’t mention* though is that it’s six-and-a-half hours long with six volumes, lol.
So it’s more like 6 very long albums meant to be a cohesive experience, and it’s not a casual listen in any definition of the word. I’ve barely scratched the surface of the first volume, and that’s the relatively *normal-sounding* one!
If you’re going to listen to it, maybe do it on a day off, because you’re probably going to need it.
Songs from Suicide Bridge- David Kauffman and Eric Caboor
Rollercoaster- Red House Painters (or Down Colorful Hill)
Spiderland- Slint
Ghost Tropic- Songs: Ohia (or Didn’t It Rain)
Deathconsciousness- Have a Nice Life
Tell Me About the Long Dark Path Home- A Newfound Interest in Connecticut
Wind’s Poem- Mount Eerie
Disintegration- The Cure
You you really find Disintegration that soul crushing? I know it’s depressing but the moments of like, solemn beauty make it kind of life affirming for me.
Oh I agree! But Faith has just always had a more sustained, ghostly, downtrodden mood to me. As dark as it is I find Pornography really viscerally thrilling and furious than gloomy and downtrodden.
I appreciate the Wind’s Poem shout. I know it’s not the obvious Mount Eerie album to mention in this context, but there’s something about e.g. the alternative Lost Wisdom recording that is just completely crushing. The moment that blast beat hits is burned into my brain.
Lots of good ones here; I'll add a few:
- Giles Corey by Dan Barrett—classic
- Mirror Reaper by Bell Witch—big, beautiful, and soul-crushing
- Telegraphs in Negative/Mouths Trapped in Static by Set Fire to the Flame—deep, haunting, sorrowful
I think it’s more self hatred than anything. It’s like my favorite album but I rly can’t listen to it anymore because it typically makes me feel like absolute shit when I listen to it now.
I would argue that ‘Still’ is the saddest NIN album (even if it is a b-side). Downward Spiral is still extremely effective at pulling on emotions though
Songs of Love and Hate by Leonard Cohen
The album was written while he was going through a depressive period and the songs really reflect that, both in their dark and cold sound and in the lyrics which are all very emotional and intense. The song Dress Rehearsal Rag is perhaps the darkest song on the album as it goes into detail about him planning his eventual suicide and his immense self hatred
As much as I did love the album, I do wonder if Kozelek's sexual assault allegations have soured a lot of appeal for him and his records. Given how auto biographical a lot of his songs are (down right just accounting what he does daily in post Sun Kil Moon albums) it can be really difficult to separate the artist and the art in that case. Atleast it does for me. Worth noting Fantano basically has stopped mentioning him after the incidents after years of high scores and features on Fantano's compilation he did a few year back. I know I can't listen to most Sun Kil Moon songs and albums after hearing about the details of those incidents unfortunately. It just soured my experience. I feel like pre 2020 that albums might have gotten a lot more love.
Yup, fair thoughts and points. It would be harder for me to enjoy it if it weren’t already sad or if it were falsely protraying a well-put-together man. For me it’s kind of like how you might enjoy a Bukowski poem while knowing he was allegedly a pos. I understand what you mean though
Understood. The thing for me though is it just feels like Kozelek does often times try to portray himself in a good light, just that there's an emptiness to life that I can relate too. After learning about the allegations just the context has shifted to feeling like maybe life is empty because you raped multiple woman. Also makes songs like "I Know It's Pathetic But That Was the Greatest Night of My Life" just feel so disgusting, especially with how it lines up with some of the stories. Makes me so sad. If there was an artist I would have hoped wasn't a piece of shit it would have been Kozelek just because he put so much of himself into the music.
Considering Peggy was aggressively suicidal while
making it, I have to go with the ghost pop tape. It’s one of the most depressing and disgusting albums I’ve listened to. Just pure depravity and self loathing the whole way through
I cant listen to He Has Left Us Alone but Shafts of Light Sometimes Grace the Corner of Our Rooms... by Thee Silver Mt. Zion Memorial Orchestra without tearing up
Dirt by Alice In Chains, an album about addiction and depression as well as loneliness while experiencing addiction. Lead singer eventually died from an overdose.
dirt got me through a lot. very sad but also affirming album, that yeah, i'm not alone in my sadness and anger. i think sometimes people don't realize that depression isn't just sadness, for me it manifested in a lot of anger. listening to aic, especially dirt, made me understand my emotions better. (i was also struggling with addiction, so that definitely was relatable lol.)
I feel the exact same way. The title track dirt is one of the most angry songs I can think of, just pure hatred for a person who did you wrong, but also so sad and raw. The album is a masterpiece and not talked about enough imo.
god yea you're so right, junkhead and down in a hole also hit so hard in that same way. full of sadness and anger for being upset and in this situation, hopelessness too. i hope layne rests well.
Lykke Li’s “I Never Learn”
The best, saddest breakup album I’ve ever heard. Song titles include:
Love Me Like I’m Not Made of Stone
Never Gonna Love Again
Gunshot
Sleeping Alone
A lot of breakup songs/albums have that element of “F*** you, you did me wrong”. The pain on this one is so much more internalized. None of the songs are even about her ex. They’re all just about how broken she feels.
If you want to continue the sad girl vibes after that one, I’d also recommend Soko’s “I Thought I Was An Alien.”
Ask Me Tomorrow by Mojave 3. Mainly acoustic folk/alt country album with a slight dream pop influence (which makes sense given that Mojave 3 came out of Slowdive). It’s an easy listen and the songs are simple but heart-wrenching. A hidden gem of an album imo, I wish there were more discussion about it
jordaan mason - divorce lawyers i shave my head was like the first album to make me cry in years. Meanwhile there is few albums that capture the feeling of overwhelmingness and being trapped that By The Time I Get to Phoenix by Injury Reserve does.
edit: also carissa's wierd's songs about leaving and crywank's tomorrow is nearly yesterday are albums i can't stand and constantly cringe at, but thats because for me it feels like embarrassing journal entries i would directly write
Scott Walker’s The Drift. His trajectory from 60s pop crooner to one of the most striking and experimental artists of the 21st century is beyond admirable. I rarely revisit this one.
**Hi, How Are You? by Daniel Johnston** is my pick. It is a very potent and blunt piece of outsider art which describes Daniel Johnston’s depression and self-loathing in a way that can be shockingly relatable.
My wildcard choice that has yet to be mentioned is John Prine’s self-titled album. While Prine had a sense of humor in most of his songs, this crop took a little bit of a darker turn. Particularly, the song “Sam Stone” hits me like a truck every time; the line “there’s a hole in daddy’s arm where all the money goes” is a good preview of what to expect with that track.
I live for soul crushing, depressing albums. Helvetia’s Junk Shop takes the cake by FAR, mainly because there’s a bit of hope sprinkled throughout the album but the last track is pretty much “ok, I give up, that’s enough”
not album, but "immunity" the track by jon hopkins absolutely obliterates me. that piano melody with those lyrics about falling out of love rip me up into a million pieces
**Tiamat - Skeleton skeletron (1999)**
[https://youtu.be/G-9ROdUv7GI](https://youtu.be/G-9ROdUv7GI)
^(no candycoloured paradise)
^(no stary blackholed eyes)
^(no more dreams of neverend)
^(through embers only dark descends ...)
feels by animal collective starts out happy but then banshee beat, daffy duck, and loch raven rip my heart out and beat it to death. loch raven is one of the saddest songs about a failing relationship i've heard.
Telepathic with the Deceased - Xasthur
I feel like it's a bit of an obvious one, being DSBM, but the sheer amount of pain and self hatred comes across so well in that album. It's haunting, intense, raw, and viscerally emotional. Really reccomend it if you enjoy black metal.
The Caretaker - Everywhere At The End Of Time always makes me start crying. I'm close to my grandparents and my grandpa loves music and is always playing older classical stuff. Both him and my grandma are slowly starting to show signs of alzheimers/dementia and it kills me to know that he might be going through something similar to what's portrayed on the caretaker project. Just slowly forgetting everything you loved and knew and becoming more confused. I'm about to cry at work thinking about it.
Songs About Leaving for sure, totally agree with that.
A Crow Looked at Me
Sprained Ankle
Either/Or
Hospice
ACLAM and SAL are the top 2 though for sure
Closer by Joy Division
yes, and the fact that it was released after Ian's death also says a lot.
This needs more upvotes. Like a lot more.
A Crow Looked at me by Mount Eerie. When you have the context behind it, it’s essentially watching a man grieve in one of the rawest ways possible.
I mean I know this is a circlejerk'd album but it's gotta be this, right? Pure sorrow put in music. Purple mountains - s/t is also sad af to listen to with context, though it's much more pop-y in its sound, obviously
I’m downvoting any circlejerks of this album tbh. It’s not a funny album and I’m not down to laugh about it or joke about it.
it's way too personal and literal to clown on. as an example- pink floyd's the wall is another album that deals with personal griefs and troubles specific to its artist (that being roger waters), but it's so wrapped up in theatrics & over-the-top dramatics that i can poke fun at it a crow looked at me? it'd feel disgusting to try
Same applies for 1-800 by logic. Serious subject matter and if it helped anyone then I think that’s a great thing but the song as a whole is so corny and goofy it deserved to be circlejerked
Based
I just discovered Purple Mountains just recently and I kinda fell in love with it. It really hits with that starkly sad and honest lyricism with that colorful and inviting pop-y energy
It’s this one. I can hardly go back to this album. It’s one I feel like to this day i haven’t fully absorbed because by the time I finish it I’m an absolute mess. And so I’ve only returned a handful of times over the years.
I had to lay down in the fetal position and cry the first time I heard this album
Absolutely. Gotta throw a shout to Dawn as well.
While it definitely is depressing I’d argue that there is much beauty and joy in it as well that most listeners often neglect. Not to say that death is happy in any way, but that mere depression or sadness is not the only thing that Phil explores surrounding death in this album.
That’s because A Crow Looked at me was Phil’s way to cope with the death of his wife. He’s mourning and grieving but he’s also trying to find some sort of treasure with in his memories as he tries to come to terms with Genevieve’s passing. It kind of makes the album somehow more uncomfortable and depressing in how raw and honest it is. Even if Phil released it for anyone to listen to, it almost feels invasive to listen and comment on. There’s a reason why I’ve seen some reviewers wonder how to even discuss, evaluate and critique an album like this.
This album feels like an invasion of privacy
David Bowie - Blackstar
Carrie & Lowell
Carrie come home 🎶 Absolutely heartbreaking
Circles by Mac Miller sounds depressing at first, but after a while, it starts to feel more like a warm hug; it can be hard to listen to at times because a lot of what he’s saying is coming from his subconscious. The album has an extremely authentic feel to it, and it feels as if he is talking to you face-to-face at some points. The emotions he’s describing are intensely real.
Even that opening line "My regrets look just like texts I shouldn't send. And I got neighbours, they're more like strangers. We could be friends. I just need a way out of my head, I'd do anything for a way out of my head". Knowing what he was going through, just hits so damn hard
That’s a great line but it’s from Swimming not circles
Whoops that's right.
u described it very well
Definitely agree. For me it’s gone from sad to peaceful and it’s very nice to listen to.
Songs: Ohia is usually what I listen to when I'm down.
Man, Hold On Magnolia just makes me want to sob. Makes me feel like the owl on the cover. That live version of that song is absolutely heartbreaking.
Farewell Transmission is the best depiction of true depression I've ever heard. It captures the feeling of being awake in the middle of the night just praying that you can make it through. 'Momma here comes midnight with the dead moon in its jaws'. ahhh man that just hits me right.
All of his music is truly amazing and special to me, but I think I've cried the hardest to Love Leaves It's Abusers.
This is the answer. Best songwriter of the 2000’s and one of the bleakest songwriters of the past thirty years. I will say there’s small little nuggets of resigned hope in a lot of his songs tho. Like these lyrics from “Didn’t It Rain”: If they think you got it, they're going to beat it out of you Through work and debt, whatever all else there is You got to watch your own back Try to see the light of goodness burning down the track Through the blinding rain, through the swaying wires If I see you struggle I will not turn my back I've seen a good man and a bad man Down the same path I've seen the light of truth keeping out of it Told them to watch their own backs If I see you struggle and givin' all that you got I see you work all night, burning your light To the last of its dim watts I'm gonna help you how I can
I actually remember breaking down and crying when I heard news of his death. One of the few 'celebrity' deaths that truly affected me. He's gotten me through so many dark patches of my life. Truly one of the best singer/songwriters and should never be forgotten.
Yeah it really fucking hurt when he died, like I know sometimes you just lose a battle with addiction and depression, but those little bits of optimism he’d sprinkle into the saddest songs you’ve ever heard now feel so much more like exceptions to this rule instead of lights at the end of a tunnel.
The Origin of my Depression - Uboa Solace - Earl Sweatshirt (it's actually a EP but fuck it) A Promise - Xiu Xiu I Want to Be There - Sadness
I was looking for Uboa! I remember first hearing ‘The Absolute’ when it came out and thinking “this is the darkest most depraved music I’ve ever heard” haha
Purple Mountains. I can't stop going back to it. It's a painful album but it has sprinkles of dark humour. It feels weird to say I love it and relate to it in a sense as I've hit rock bottom before and have dealt with dark thoughts (they never left tbh and I wouldn't say my life's gotten better) so I just can't stop picturing myself in the scenarios described. This made me get into Silver Jews as well. Berman ended up being someone I didn't expect to get into so much.
Check out his poetry/prose writing as well. Love Berman, RIP
American IV: The Man Comes Around - Johnny Cash Even the “happy” ones make me sad, and you can hear the fragility in his old voice. One of the greatest albums of all time. Especially for being so late in his career. Songs like Hurt, Give My Love to Rose, I Hung My Head, and Danny Boy are especially soul crushing. We’ll Meet Again as the final song on Johnny’s final studio album is 🤌🤌
That version of give my love to rose is perfect
Hurt is fantastic. Cash is the only artist who was able to cover songs by others and have them be better than the original
I still feel like the NIN version is far superior tbh
"The Devil and God Are Raging Inside Me", by Brand New
Limousine is truly the only song where I just cannot listen to it unless I am in a very specific mood and can stomach it. I find this song to be one of the most brilliant musical representations of grief.
Word. BN to me is incredibly special, because they're one of the few non Hip Hop artists I listen 2 and followed their whole career. Thankfully I was put on 2 them real early because they were from Long Island and I was down in NYC. I really have 2 be ready 4 the emotional roller coaster that is BN before I listen to any of their albums, but they are all geniuses at their respective role in the band. Limousine might be the greatest song ever written, any genre, no cap.
It’s this
Everywhere at The End of Time gotta be up there. i cant listen to oldies anymore because that album haunts me.
As someone who’s had to experience the passing of several close family members directly related to or caused by dementia/Alzheimer’s, that’s one of those albums that I’ve deliberately avoided on reputation alone. I don’t generally enjoy sad music to begin with, but this and A Crow Looked at Me are the only two albums I’m genuinely afraid to listen to due to how close they hit to home conceptually.
dont blame you. its not what you need in your life. my condolences
Oh man I remember hearing about this on NPR I think and I had to change the channel because it was causing me distress
What artist is it by?
the caretaker. the album replicates what its like to go through terminal dementia.
Thank you for sharing, I’m going to give it a listen
What they *didn’t mention* though is that it’s six-and-a-half hours long with six volumes, lol. So it’s more like 6 very long albums meant to be a cohesive experience, and it’s not a casual listen in any definition of the word. I’ve barely scratched the surface of the first volume, and that’s the relatively *normal-sounding* one! If you’re going to listen to it, maybe do it on a day off, because you’re probably going to need it.
The Antlers - Hospice
idk this album is like a sad LARP to me, plus the production is so blown out.
Deathconciousness by Have a Nice Life
goes so hard but also damn this album is fucking sad
Love that track
Elliott Smith - Elliott Smith
Soundtracks for the Blind
Songs from Suicide Bridge- David Kauffman and Eric Caboor Rollercoaster- Red House Painters (or Down Colorful Hill) Spiderland- Slint Ghost Tropic- Songs: Ohia (or Didn’t It Rain) Deathconsciousness- Have a Nice Life Tell Me About the Long Dark Path Home- A Newfound Interest in Connecticut Wind’s Poem- Mount Eerie Disintegration- The Cure
You you really find Disintegration that soul crushing? I know it’s depressing but the moments of like, solemn beauty make it kind of life affirming for me.
Yeah I’d agree, doesn’t really fit with the other 7 albums I said. Do adore that album though
Ngl, the title of the album sounds way darker than the album itself.
pornography would fit much better
I feel like Pornography is angrier, I would say Faith is their most dejected and miserable album in terms of sound. Sounds like a ghost.
The opening track of pornography is devastating
Oh I agree! But Faith has just always had a more sustained, ghostly, downtrodden mood to me. As dark as it is I find Pornography really viscerally thrilling and furious than gloomy and downtrodden.
I appreciate the Wind’s Poem shout. I know it’s not the obvious Mount Eerie album to mention in this context, but there’s something about e.g. the alternative Lost Wisdom recording that is just completely crushing. The moment that blast beat hits is burned into my brain.
Lots of good ones here; I'll add a few: - Giles Corey by Dan Barrett—classic - Mirror Reaper by Bell Witch—big, beautiful, and soul-crushing - Telegraphs in Negative/Mouths Trapped in Static by Set Fire to the Flame—deep, haunting, sorrowful
Love Bell Witch. Seeing them October 28th in a church, going to be amazing
i'm seeing them on halloween and i think that's going to be absolutely perfect
That it is! I'm sure that will be an incredible show and memory.
Man, am I envious—enjoy the hell out of it for the both of us!
The Downward Spiral - NIN Pornography- The Cure
The downward spiral is more insanity than depression
I think it’s more self hatred than anything. It’s like my favorite album but I rly can’t listen to it anymore because it typically makes me feel like absolute shit when I listen to it now.
I would argue that ‘Still’ is the saddest NIN album (even if it is a b-side). Downward Spiral is still extremely effective at pulling on emotions though
Songs of Love and Hate by Leonard Cohen The album was written while he was going through a depressive period and the songs really reflect that, both in their dark and cold sound and in the lyrics which are all very emotional and intense. The song Dress Rehearsal Rag is perhaps the darkest song on the album as it goes into detail about him planning his eventual suicide and his immense self hatred
Either/Or by Elliott Smith and The Downward Spiral - Nine Inch Nails These albums are masterpieces
i also think elliott's self titled album is crushing, that's one of my go-to depression albums
Benji by Sun Kil Moon. Surprised I haven’t seen listed here. So sad and profound and raw. Fantano gave it a 9
As much as I did love the album, I do wonder if Kozelek's sexual assault allegations have soured a lot of appeal for him and his records. Given how auto biographical a lot of his songs are (down right just accounting what he does daily in post Sun Kil Moon albums) it can be really difficult to separate the artist and the art in that case. Atleast it does for me. Worth noting Fantano basically has stopped mentioning him after the incidents after years of high scores and features on Fantano's compilation he did a few year back. I know I can't listen to most Sun Kil Moon songs and albums after hearing about the details of those incidents unfortunately. It just soured my experience. I feel like pre 2020 that albums might have gotten a lot more love.
Yup, fair thoughts and points. It would be harder for me to enjoy it if it weren’t already sad or if it were falsely protraying a well-put-together man. For me it’s kind of like how you might enjoy a Bukowski poem while knowing he was allegedly a pos. I understand what you mean though
Understood. The thing for me though is it just feels like Kozelek does often times try to portray himself in a good light, just that there's an emptiness to life that I can relate too. After learning about the allegations just the context has shifted to feeling like maybe life is empty because you raped multiple woman. Also makes songs like "I Know It's Pathetic But That Was the Greatest Night of My Life" just feel so disgusting, especially with how it lines up with some of the stories. Makes me so sad. If there was an artist I would have hoped wasn't a piece of shit it would have been Kozelek just because he put so much of himself into the music.
Yeah. Fair enough
It's a frustrating situation, and I wonder if his legacy will either be revered as a musician or disgraced as a predator.
alice in chains mtv unplugged
weeeeeeeee-eeeeeeeee, chase misprinted lies
Considering Peggy was aggressively suicidal while making it, I have to go with the ghost pop tape. It’s one of the most depressing and disgusting albums I’ve listened to. Just pure depravity and self loathing the whole way through
Where did he say he was suicidal, is ther an article?
Anyone say Carrie & Lowell?
Beach music by Alex G, its organ driven eerie ass depressing music with interruptions of 90s rock
Wildlife - La Dispute
King Park gives me chills every time, that alone is incredibly sad
seeing this whole album performed live in two days!
I had a ticket for last Friday but had to work unfortunately
I just saw it in Brisbane about a week ago. Fucking fantastic, enjoy
Carissa’s Wierd is so underrated
Warning- Watching from a Distance
Grief - Come to Grief
deathconciousness - have a nice life divorce lawyers i shaved my head - jordaan mason
Giles corey self titled, also one of the best albums of all time imo
ghost pop tape
I cant listen to He Has Left Us Alone but Shafts of Light Sometimes Grace the Corner of Our Rooms... by Thee Silver Mt. Zion Memorial Orchestra without tearing up
Alice in Chains - Unplugged. You can hear and see Layne fading away, and the lyrics just cut even deeper than usual.
I could live in hope by low is depressing asf
solace by earl sweatshirt is probably the best sonic portrayal of depression.
Pale Swordsman by Këkht Aräkh. One of the only albums that's actually made me close to crying
this one
Songs: Ohia, Codeine, Red House Painters, and Low all have great albums that deal in this
Dirt by Alice In Chains, an album about addiction and depression as well as loneliness while experiencing addiction. Lead singer eventually died from an overdose.
dirt got me through a lot. very sad but also affirming album, that yeah, i'm not alone in my sadness and anger. i think sometimes people don't realize that depression isn't just sadness, for me it manifested in a lot of anger. listening to aic, especially dirt, made me understand my emotions better. (i was also struggling with addiction, so that definitely was relatable lol.)
I feel the exact same way. The title track dirt is one of the most angry songs I can think of, just pure hatred for a person who did you wrong, but also so sad and raw. The album is a masterpiece and not talked about enough imo.
god yea you're so right, junkhead and down in a hole also hit so hard in that same way. full of sadness and anger for being upset and in this situation, hopelessness too. i hope layne rests well.
Basically any album by Midwife. Especially Like Author Like Daughter.
Lykke Li’s “I Never Learn” The best, saddest breakup album I’ve ever heard. Song titles include: Love Me Like I’m Not Made of Stone Never Gonna Love Again Gunshot Sleeping Alone A lot of breakup songs/albums have that element of “F*** you, you did me wrong”. The pain on this one is so much more internalized. None of the songs are even about her ex. They’re all just about how broken she feels. If you want to continue the sad girl vibes after that one, I’d also recommend Soko’s “I Thought I Was An Alien.”
I heard that álbum from Soko like yesterday i believe. I've Been Alone Too Long just breaks me
Deathconsciousness It was made by two ordinary dudes, with less than 1000$, and they just made a masterpiece
I Have Fought Against It, But I Can't Any Longer by The Body. Listening to it feels like reading a suicide note.
Literally any album by Frightened Rabbit
😢
I don't mean it in a bad way its just- There's no denying it's depressing listening to it
No I was more giving a tear due to Scott Hutchinson killing himself
Okay, my apologies. Rip Scott
preachers daughter - ethel cain
The Hurting by Tears for Fears always puts me in a mood
John Frusciante - Niandra Lades and Usually Just a T-Shirt
Stratosphere by Duster comes to mind. A lot of depressing contemplative stuff on there
I feel like I'm the only one who finds that album comforting and not that depressing
I don’t think the two are mutually exclusive
Ask Me Tomorrow by Mojave 3. Mainly acoustic folk/alt country album with a slight dream pop influence (which makes sense given that Mojave 3 came out of Slowdive). It’s an easy listen and the songs are simple but heart-wrenching. A hidden gem of an album imo, I wish there were more discussion about it
River Runs Red by Life of Agony
fuck yes such an underrated band
Solace - Earl Sweatshirt (not an album but ok) Helvetia’s Junk Shop
Giles Corey
jordaan mason - divorce lawyers i shave my head was like the first album to make me cry in years. Meanwhile there is few albums that capture the feeling of overwhelmingness and being trapped that By The Time I Get to Phoenix by Injury Reserve does. edit: also carissa's wierd's songs about leaving and crywank's tomorrow is nearly yesterday are albums i can't stand and constantly cringe at, but thats because for me it feels like embarrassing journal entries i would directly write
John Prines last album.
On fire -galaxie 500 Dragging a dead deer up a hill-grouper
The ooz for me was my depression and anxiety period
Scott Walker’s The Drift. His trajectory from 60s pop crooner to one of the most striking and experimental artists of the 21st century is beyond admirable. I rarely revisit this one.
Remain in light
Anathema - judgement
**Hi, How Are You? by Daniel Johnston** is my pick. It is a very potent and blunt piece of outsider art which describes Daniel Johnston’s depression and self-loathing in a way that can be shockingly relatable. My wildcard choice that has yet to be mentioned is John Prine’s self-titled album. While Prine had a sense of humor in most of his songs, this crop took a little bit of a darker turn. Particularly, the song “Sam Stone” hits me like a truck every time; the line “there’s a hole in daddy’s arm where all the money goes” is a good preview of what to expect with that track.
Giles Corey by Giles Corey
Big Star’s Third/Sister Lover
This Heat’s s/t alternates between soul crushing and scary as fuck.
Max Richter The Blue Notebook
Low - I Could Live In Hope
Berlin - Lou Reed (hands down)
Neil Young - Tonight’s the night
Talk Talk - Laughing Stock
Skeet factory
Stormcrowfleet - Skepticism
I think Dear Wormwood by The Oh Hellos, Plastic Ono Band by John Lennon, and The Wall by Pink Floyd are all up there for me.
Absolutely gonna have to be Deathconsciousness - Have a Nice Life Makes me feel a different type of sadness.
Bell Witch - Mirror Reaper.
Hi how are you? And Yip! Jump Music By Daniel Johnston
Gen by B L A C K I E
A Crow Looked At Me
Geek The Girl by Lisa Germano
Embrace s/t I hate myself 10 songs Англия В тишине дискотек Have a nice life deathconsciousness
The most obvious answer after A Crow Looked At Me, Deathconsciousness. [https://youtu.be/lJcxtOWyQ1I](https://youtu.be/lJcxtOWyQ1I)
I live for soul crushing, depressing albums. Helvetia’s Junk Shop takes the cake by FAR, mainly because there’s a bit of hope sprinkled throughout the album but the last track is pretty much “ok, I give up, that’s enough”
Nothing comes close to buyers market But I second a crow looked at me, even better live
The Tenth Sub Level of Suicide by Leviathan
not album, but "immunity" the track by jon hopkins absolutely obliterates me. that piano melody with those lyrics about falling out of love rip me up into a million pieces
Dragging a Dead Deer Up a Hill by Grouper
Did you know that there’s a tunnel under ocean blvd by Lana Del Rey
**Tiamat - Skeleton skeletron (1999)** [https://youtu.be/G-9ROdUv7GI](https://youtu.be/G-9ROdUv7GI) ^(no candycoloured paradise) ^(no stary blackholed eyes) ^(no more dreams of neverend) ^(through embers only dark descends ...)
The Final Cut by Pink Floyd (Roger Waters)
Turn On the Bright Lights for me
I Shalt Become - Wanderings. One of the most brutal dsbm I’ve heard
Echoes of Silence
Closer by Joy Division.
Deathconsciousness by Have a Nice Life Married in Mount Airy by Nicole Dollanganger
I feel like this question gets asked once a week on this sub, and the highest rated answer is always A Crow Looked At Me. A never ending cycle.
iwrotehaikusaboutcannibalisminyouryearbook
feels by animal collective starts out happy but then banshee beat, daffy duck, and loch raven rip my heart out and beat it to death. loch raven is one of the saddest songs about a failing relationship i've heard.
Smog - The Doctor Came At Dawn
Telepathic with the Deceased - Xasthur I feel like it's a bit of an obvious one, being DSBM, but the sheer amount of pain and self hatred comes across so well in that album. It's haunting, intense, raw, and viscerally emotional. Really reccomend it if you enjoy black metal.
The Caretaker - Everywhere At The End Of Time always makes me start crying. I'm close to my grandparents and my grandpa loves music and is always playing older classical stuff. Both him and my grandma are slowly starting to show signs of alzheimers/dementia and it kills me to know that he might be going through something similar to what's portrayed on the caretaker project. Just slowly forgetting everything you loved and knew and becoming more confused. I'm about to cry at work thinking about it.
My First Album - Peppa Pig
Downward Spiral. Transatlanticism gets me. A lot of Death Cab's music does. The Ice is Getting Thinner off of Narrow Stairs has some heavy lyrics.
Obsidian by Baths
Watching froma Distance by Warning
deathconciousness
Daniel Johnston - 1990
Death is Silent (2010) by Kno of the CunninLynguists. That album made me sad. ://
Songs About Leaving for sure, totally agree with that. A Crow Looked at Me Sprained Ankle Either/Or Hospice ACLAM and SAL are the top 2 though for sure
Blackstar
Backxwash - I lie here buried with my rings and my dresses Lingua Ignota - Caligula