Sadness is often a frustrating and complex emotion which can plague the human psyche for seemingly unending periods. At times unbearable, the emotional pain can be so severe nothing seems able to remedy the situation. Other times we seem to have difficulty releasing this sadness, preferring to nurture it and develop a sort of Stockholm syndrome. The truth is, pain is good. Without tragedy, love lost, betrayal, and failure, human existence would be meaningless. The bad in turn gives value to the good. In honor of finals week, when the world may seem as though it may crumble at any moment, here are five essential albums that will be sure to help you get through a sadness which encompasses all the anger, beauty, and indescribable love attached to it. A warning, these tracks go further than your typical break-up song; no crooning James Blunt speaking of faces caught in a crowd or Justin Bieber telling you he’s sorry for the thousandth time. To defy the usual norms, these albums ARE in order of importance and ranked in relation to their ability to synthesize sadness.
5. Bob Dylan, Time Out of Mind, 1997
Now I’m starting off with a bit of a stretch, this album does not really explore anger in sadness, but rather Dylan’s weariness in the face of an arduous life. This album marked an unquestionable comeback for Dylan who struggled with his musical identity in the 80’s. Grammy nominated and hailed as a definite success by fans and critics alike, this record does not speak of a comeback but of the struggle at the bottom, rock bottom. Let’s get right to it, Standing in the Doorway, Jesus Christ what a heartbreaking ballad. If ever you’re reeling from heartbreak, this is the track to turn to. Musically, this song could speak of sorrow and loss without so much as a hint of Dylan’s vocals. The guitar weeps for Dylan as his exhausted vocals lament being left behind by an ex-lover. If ever you feel as though you have bottled up your sadness for too long, Standing in the Doorway will prove to be the ultimate catharsis; only once we accept our pain and sorrow can we begin to heal.
Conversely, on the track Can’t Wait, you can sense Dylan is pissed right off, but all that seems to escape his tired throat is a weary annoyance. He is impatient, he feels pain and wants to move past it but has no more energy to power through. It’s interesting to note how filled with swagger this track is. North America tends to idolize the moody artist, and here he is in all his blues rock glory.
4. Radiohead, OK Computer, 1997
No list discussing sorrow and anger would be complete without at least a single contribution from Thom Yorke and co. No need to go into depth about why this album is essential to this discussion, these tracks became an anthem for alienated teens the world over, and as we all know adolescent years can be tough.
Alienation can be a crushing sensation. Feeling as though you are a functioning piece within society or even within a small social system like high school is essential to mental stability. Thom Yorke, much like his audience was beginning to feel disconnected from the world he knew. The ruthless touring schedule would lead to a full on mental collapse, which would spawn part of the material on this effort as well as the seminal Kid A. Paranoid Android exemplifies alienation and mental instability the best. Eerie instrumentation sets up a beautifully disturbing backdrop to Yorke’s falsetto vocals which deliver frenetic lyrics relating to borderline schizophrenia. Feeling rejected from society can light quite the fire, following this thesis exquisitely, the track crumbles into a screeching guitar solo filled with piercing notes. Subsequently, an ominous vocal melody resembling Swans monk like chanting takes over, both beautiful and unsettling. Finally the track switches once again to a frantic solo which finishes off Paranoid Android. No one ever said being a loner was simple, many romanticize the idea of being a tortured and lonesome individual. The rest of the album follows in tremendous fashion.
3. My Bloody Valentine, Loveless, 1991
Shoegaze, the epitome of anxiety and love of pain. Heavy instrumentation coupled with hushed angel like vocals are my weakness. You are lying in bed and looking aimlessly at the ceiling, unable to sleep as you circulate the origin of your sadness within your head in an endless circle. This album will alleviate the pain and put you right to sleep. The album cover illustrates the sonic quality of this record perfectly, you are dropped into a kind of sonic haze of multi-layered grunge-esque guitars accented by sticky sweat vocals. Surprisingly, this album features very little instrumentation. Shields utilizes his tremolo bar as he strums creating a wall of sound. Let your anger dissolve into this deafening noise to get down to the root of your sadness. The sorrowful unintelligible vocals will literally give you the sensation you are levitating beyond your problems and worries.
The opening track does not disappoint and transports you to this idyllic plane instantaneously. The guitar riff which bursts through the wall of noise in Only Shallow will dissolve your anger and break it down. It’s hard and catchy without quickening your pulse, keeping you in this trance-like experience. The angelic female vocals will also hypnotize you. I hope to hear you have awoken in the morning unable to recall when you fell asleep. This album is above else a healing experience, and a mind-bendingly alluring one at that.
2. Deaf Heaven, Sunbather, 2013
Yes I know, you didn’t sign up for Black Metal. Easily the most challenging work on this list for any average music enthusiast, this modern masterpiece deserves a listen. So for those of you who may not know exactly what “Black Metal” entails, it’s about as intimidating as it sounds. Deafening guitar, lighting fast drumming and of course, screaming vocals. Like Loveless, the lyrics here are unintelligible. Of course, you aren’t listening for words, your perking your ears in the hope of extracting the inflection in Clarke’s reverb-soaked screaming. However, if you are so inclined you can always search for the lyrics online, they are powerful and heartbreakingly passionate.
The title track has just about everything you need to tackle anger and sorrow. If this was a list based solely on a single, Sunbather would win hands-down. The song is based on a traumatizing excursion lead singer George Clarke experienced while moving in between homes, crippled by poverty. Driving through an upscale neighborhood, he spotted a beautiful girl sunbathing in her gorgeous front yard. Incensed, Clarke was filled with jealousy, anger, lust as he was reminded of his impoverished state further accentuated by an absence of a father figure. These emotions of self-hatred, deep lust and melancholy are realized immaculately in Sunbather. The dark intense rock is juxtaposed with the band’s unique touch of post-rock outros and interludes. The simple guitar riffs which can be found in the quiet potions of this album are as heartbreakingly beautiful as the soaring leads which burst through the heavy wall of noise in the more intense pieces. Sunbather is the equivalent of screaming into a pillow alongside the sensation of decompression which inevitably follows.
1. Smashing Pumpkins, Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness, 1995
The Magnum Opus of my absolute favorite band had to come up, it was inexorable. It may not be my favorite (Siamese Dream inches it out by the slimmest of margins) but it is their best work, especially when speaking of something greater than sadness, melancholy. If you haven’t noticed, the word itself is in the title, it is simply warped as it is spelled “Mellon Collie”. This emotion can be crushing, a sadness which can rarely be explained, an introspective pain without a clear cause. I define it as a beautiful depression.
This album is astounding in its complexity, containing soft lullaby tracks like Farewell and Goodnight all the wile splitting your eardrums open with raucous compositions like X.Y.U which shows off Corgan’s talents as a screaming vocalist. I would have much preferred a shift to some form of heavy metal from Billy Corgan than whatever alternative trash the band is releasing nowadays.
What makes heart break and sadness most painful can generally be attributed to the destruction of a deep seeded hope. The opening of this album is painfully optimistic. Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness is a heart wrenching piano intro which is followed by one of the lead singles off the album Tonight, Tonight. These two songs are heavy with desperate hope, the kind you may have felt as a teenager when you were head over heels in love with the prettiest girl in school. Tonight, Tonight is painfully naïve and can clearly be seen through these lyrics.
“We'll crucify the insincere tonight
We'll make things right, we'll feel it all tonight
We'll find a way to offer up the night tonight
The indescribable moments of your life tonight
The impossible is possible tonight
Believe in me as I believe in you, tonight”
It can only end in one way, heartbreak. Unfortunately, before the fateful day you choose to profess your love only to be in turned asked “Who the Fuck are you?”, you are caught in a sandpit of unhealthy adoration. The world ultimately comes crashing down and we are met with two very telling tracks, JellyBelly and Zero. The first, immediately following Tonight, Tonight is harsh but still retains a lovely melody. The second is ugly, the vocals are angry and pessimistic. He is aware that he is empty and he relishes it. These are perhaps some of the best lyrics in the entire album.
“Emptiness is loneliness, and loneliness is cleanliness
And cleanliness is godliness, and god is empty just like me
Intoxicated with the madness, I’m in love with my sadness.”
The rest of the album follows much the same path, returning to one’s love for sadness. My personal favorite, Porcelina of the Vast Oceans spans just over 9 minutes and will most likely leave you speechless. Both wildly intense and soothingly soft this entire album experience can be boiled down into this anthem. This is the ultimate musical template for sorrow and anger, give this a listen the next time you encounter real sorrow in order to understand, accept, appreciate and finally move past it.
