Strange records that ease things when you're down
 

By that I mean I expected Nick Drake or the Cure's Disintegration to help the tears out of my system when I was on the verge of falling to pieces, and their music did work on that aspect, and it still does.
By "strange record" I mean some form of music that isn't soothing per se.
The B-side (or what was when records were two-sided) of the Buzzcocks' Different Kind of Tension always gets the stress away from me, and I don't know why it works that way (especially I Believe).
Anyone else felt comfort in something of that kind?

grouper - dragging a dead deer....

lifesavermusic

Noise music usually...

Jane's addiction - Ritual de lo habitual

the saddest VU songs tend to cheer me up?

Metal Machine Music

Seconded.

Depending on the mood:

Anger:
Complete Discography-Minor Threat
Sing Sing Death House-The Distillers

Sad:
The Queen Is Dead-The Smiths
Misery Is A Butterfly-Blonde Redhead
DDN (these are extreme cases)

I think people are missing the purpose of this thread... isn't it to do with records you listen to when you're down which don't seem like depressing records?

I think Blonde Redhead, Grouper and The Smiths are melancholic enough not to be so strange as to listen to them when you're down.

I listen to early 90's heavy techno.

Listening to depression records when you're down just exacerbates the problem.

BRH/ CAT Power (early) Deftones (early) /

That's it.

Noisy music does help too 'cause there's no word I guess.
Still can't point out why the repetition in some songs do help when they did not seem to be designed for that.
Finding relief in sharing someone's melancholy I understand and do, or lurking into a more troubled soul, but these other songs I'm slightly confused about seem more efficient as I don't rely on someone else's frailty yet these songs carry something with them close to "down".
I don't know.

I will try these bands mentioned above.

when I am down I ussually listen to hard fast stuff.

when I'm down I put on beefheart. Never fails to cheer me up.

Why? - Elephant eyelash

"I stuck my beef in her heart"

well...i guess i just cant resist the chance to backup grouper...sorry for missing the point...how about "for the punx" by the casualties?...contrasting your struggles with those of some crusty punx always is uplifting/amusing

Gave you love, Gave you heart
All you gave me broken heart
Gave you love, Gave you heart
All you gave me broken heart

Broken heart, I want it back
Broken heart, I got it back

Punk rock love!

yup

Anything specific?

I listen to ambient music when down. helps

When I'm 'down' I listen to Grunge.

But to ease it, In The Aeroplane Over The Sea - Neutral Milk Hotel.

While I should feel depressed from unemployment and being away from friends, I'm actually more content now than in a long time.

But I'm not good at the whole "let music guide your mood" thing. I get bored by whatever doesn't click.

The Bangles, The Monkees, stuff like that. Although I wouldn't describe either of those as strange.

Probably some black metal or something.

raw power-iggy & the stooges

Me too, I tend to only play tunes when I'm in the mood.

big science.

Exile on Main St always, always cheers me up.

radiohead - in rainbows cd2
jandek - blue corpse
vaselines - the way of the vaselines
syd barret - the madcap laughs
sonic youth - evol
mudhoney - superfuzz

Zooey's voice always massages my soul, of course. Plus the songs on here are all fantastic and relaxed, it all just sits well.

William Basinski, gospel, free-jazz people like Marion Brown. I guess The Kinks, as well. Or The Faces.

yeah, same here! and listening to "heroin" is, uh, somehow quite life affirming for me.

Home Movies soundtrack, at the end of every semester of college.

For some reason, "VU", while not my favourite Velvets record at all (still great though), is always one of my top "feeling down" records. Also the third album. Not the Velvets counts as "strange" sad music though. Also yeah, definitely beefheart. Especially "Safe as Milk".

More!

Keiji Haino - Affection


Pharoah Sanders - Karma


Suicide - s/t


Ciccone Youth - The Whitey Album


Just off the top of my head. I mention hundreds though. Basically, great music is what eases me when I'm down. No need to be specific.

Beefheart, definitely
Pet Sounds
VU&Nico + VU s/t
Astral Weeks
Françoise Hardy's debut
(Most) Ween
A Love Supreme
Pretty much any dub that I listen to

...plenty more.

In the context of this place, this is gonna sound like a piss-take, but

But in the context of the thread, it makes sense. Sure is a strange pick.