What music is good for your mental health?

It generally depends on what’s going on for me at the time, what sort of mental health things I’m dealing with.

Disintegration Loops, Xerrox vol. 2, Deck Amber, most ambient records help clear it declutter my mind.

Jesus’ Blood Never Failed Me Yet is perfect for when I need to cry but the antidepressants are quashing the ability to do so.

2 Likes

Lately I’ve been a bit stressed with moving and found stuff like J Dilla, Flying Lotus and Anderson Paak quite soothing.

1 Like

was reading about something else entirely when i saw an article saying that this will reduce your anxiety

i don’t get anxiety outside of hangovers but when i listened to it i did feel incredibly calm so i’d recommend everyone listen to it before bed anyway

Come on Die Young was my go-to for low moods for a while, along with EP+6. the more wintery, moody ones basically.

Dirty Three can be a good fit too.

also Bonnie Prince Billy - I See A Darkness, there’s definitely a few very fitting songs on there.

2 Likes

HI, for me it’s Grouper

Although also specifically these mogwai records, and a lot of Unwound

Yea I feel like when I’m down hearing an artist that’s going through the same pain I’m going through makes me feel less alone. I guess that might be a bit weird but it’s just nice to know you not the only one going through it ye know?

This song has been helping me a lot these past couple of days. Hope it can help anyone who needs it!
https://soundcloud.com/taha-saeed-4/upside-down

Also heavy cathartic stuff like this

3 Likes

Listening to the S/T on ecstasy was one of the best recorded music moments of my entire LIFE! every time I’ve listened to it since has brought back those memories.

:fist_right::fist_left:

1 Like

Neko Case would say Ragtime music:

“I was wondering when you felt really depressed, did you have trouble singing?”

“No, but I couldn’t really listen to music,” Case says. “And that’s one of the ways I knew something was really wrong with me. I just found lyrics just grating and so I started listening to ragtime and I found that that was really very comforting. It was like a little bubbling engine. It was like a little teapot — the old style like my grandma had. Like the percolator, which was always like the good coffee smell in the morning. Like, ‘All right, we’re getting going. Everything’s going to be great.’ So that’s kind of how it felt.”

1 Like

Big pop bangers help me if I’m feeling low.

A few days back I created a Spotify playlist for songs that chill me the hell out when I’m feeling anxious. So far I have:

Debussy - Clair de Lune
Wild Beasts - The Fun Powder Plot
Goldfrapp - Paper Bag, Pilots
Blonde Redhead - Silently, Spain
Marconi Union - Weightless
Brian Eno - An Ending (Ascent)
Gabriel Garzon-Montano - 6 8
Yaw - Where Would You Be
Kate Bush - King of the Mountain

All have a nice calming effect on me for whatever reason.

1 Like

this is an impressive dedication to spamming

4 Likes

Eluvium, Nils Frahm, Jon Hopkins, Gas, Mogwai

Low are always good at providing aural support when feeling down

When I feel particularly disparate with mankind, The Holy Bible by MSP is perfect in allowing aggression to come out (and to remind me there are far worse things in the world in the past and present than my occasional self pity, and as consequence make me aim to try and make things better)

This though always puts me in a state of calm ever since I heard it 15 years ago and makes me feel the entire world apart from this song doesn’t exist - imo one of the greatest recorded and performed pieces of music I’ve ever heard

I had a bit of a thing where I’d weirdly stopped enjoying almost any music (like I would enjoy it, but I’d get anxious about it for some reason and that’d ruin it), and that kind of Dilla-ish stuff (generally warm, rhythmic stuff) is stuff I remember relaxing me a bit. Ekstasis by Julia Holter was another album that broke through and that I have a lot of affection for

1 Like

Thank you for sharing your thoughts and favourites. Here’s the show with some of your requests.

Track listing

  1. Johan Jóhannsson - Fordlândia
  2. Aphex Twin - Xtal
  3. Poppy Ackroyd - Paper
  4. Apparat - Ash / Black Veil
  5. Mogwai - San Pedro
  6. Low - Dancing and Blood
  7. Duke Garwood - Heavy Love
  8. Sea & Cake - Up on Crutches
  9. Efterklang - The Ghost
  10. Flying Lotus - Mmmmhmmm (ft. Thundercat)
  11. Fiona Brice - Berlin
  12. David Bowie - Weeping Wall
  13. Mew - Satellites
  14. Trans AM - North East Rising Sun
  15. Angel Olsen - Unfucktheworld
  16. Marissa Nadler - Blue Vapor
  17. Augustines- Kid, you’re on your own
  18. Health - Mass Grave ft Soccer Mommy
  19. Max Richter - Sarajevo
  20. Tim Hecker - Hatred of Music
5 Likes

Been listening to this at work. Some great tracks that I didn’t know and for sure I’ll delve into their respective catalogues. Thanks Sean.

1 Like

That’s lovely to hear. How’s your further exploration going?

Great. Poppy Ackroyds Resolve I really like, I’ll be be following her. She is scratching a neo classical itch which seems to perfectly suit by head’s pace at the minute. Also moving through Tim Hecker now.

Rem listening club are just doing murmur which makes me realise how well this album fits the topic of this thread - it’s gorgeous enough to be endlessly cheering, although without the annoying positivity of properly cheerful songs I can’t listen to when I’m down. Plus it manages to be pretty peaceful and yet simultaneously it’s full of energy, exactly what I need when I’m not in a good place.

6 Likes