I make playlists for myself all the time, and today I was trying to think up ways I could get the RIAA on my back. Uploading one of them to this site seemed not only like a good way to achieve that, but a good idea for a recurring feature too.
art by Rob Gonsalves
I suppose some people might describe this compilation as depressing, but I prefer to think of melancholia as being more sophisticated than that. It’s okay to get in touch with your quiet side every now and again, and a lazy rainy day provides a nice backdrop for it. Tracklisting and details after the jump.
Melancholy Music for Rainy Days
1. Miss You Too Much (Angie Pepper & The Passengers)
Nice little song from this antipodean band.
2. Weed (Bea Foote)
Oldie from the twenties. Appealed to me for obvious reasons, but understated jazz is always nice.
3. Dominoes (Syd Barrett)
Probably not his most popular song, but it’s as Syd as you can get.
4. The Sound Of Silence (Simon and Garfunkel)
What do you mean, you’ve already heard it?
5. Love Will Tear Us Apart (Pribata Idaho)
Great cover by this Spanish band. Stays true to the original while still managing to sound different.
6. Psylocybe (The Mad Violets)
Straight from my garage rock revival vaults. Psychedelic and floaty, songs like this get me every time.
7. As They Do (The Psychoviolets)
I have a real love affair with this band. They probably have more appropriate songs for a compilation like this, but I love this song too much to leave it out.
8. Pushin’ Too Hard (Falling Spikes)
This garage band do a great job of turning a fun-time anthem into something quite sad.
9. Dark Globe (REM)
Stipe’s vocals do great justice to some of Syd’s most desperate words.
10. Pink Frost (The Chills)
Once voted the best song of the eighties. They might be right.
11. Nature Boy (Philip Jackson)
Slightly different, this features samples from the classic eco-sci-fi movie Silent Running.
12. True Love Will Find You In The End (Daniel Johnston)
If Daniel Johnston needs an introduction, rent this out.
13. Hurry On Sundown (The Petals)
Classic song, and covered by a decent folk-pop outfit.
Album Art by Rob Gonsalves.
Next time I’ll probably give you an equally-esoteric but much happier album.
(Thanks to Remi for turning me on to REM’s excellent version of Syd Barrett’s Dark Globe, and for somehow remembering that I liked Hawkwind’s Hurry On Sundown.)
Why don’t you make a Spotify playlist out of this list? Then we could all listen to (some of) your chosen tracks without incurring the wrath of The Man. Well, those of us with Spotify accounts anyway.
And speaking of The Sound of Silence, have you seen The Graduate? It only graced my eyeballs recently, but I love the opening sequence. If you have seen it you’ll understand.
I’m listening to Dominoes, the only other track I have in my possession.