Depression and Music! (Thinkpiece and Album Recommendations)

Let's talk about illness, vibrations, and you.

I promised to do this a long time ago, but never got around to it, until very recently. As I was going through a depressive episode, I asked in a couple Facebook groups, "what keeps you going? Why do you choose to be here on planet Earth?". Mostly to remind myself why even I'm still here, and I got a lot of responses. I noticed a correlation in the responses, most of them revolved around music in some way. For some people, music was the main reason they were still living. It was a terrifying amount, honestly. 

It's kind of funny to think, historically, music is used to set a mood, or to fill you with a certain emotion. That, or it's supposed to be something to dance to. Music, in essence, is emotion manifested into vibrations. Emotions and music go hand-in-hand. With this, depression is obviously in there as well. Go to any classical radio station for fifteen minutes and you're bound to listen to a piece with a melancholy feel. 

Is there a particular sound or genre that manifests depression the best? Eh, that's honestly up to the listener. Someone might imagine an Elliot Smith-like musician, someone that bleeds over his guitar and lyrics that's puts all their depression on display. Or you could have a band like Neutral Milk Hotel that has a sad sound, with even sadder lyrical and musical themes. (I mean, if you have an album about falling in love with Anne Frank, it's going to be fucking sad.) Then you have your dark and depraved artists like Earl Sweatshirt or Death Grips that swallow up the darkness whole then fuck your ears with it. Hey, everyone deals with the darkness differently. Sometimes people want something to make them feel happier, even if it has depressing lyrics, the tune can sound so happy, it can make them feel better about their situation. Music can even be a distraction. Look at everyone that dances to pop music, they all got problems and struggles, but they found their escape. That's beautiful in it's own way, man.

It's super cliche to say, but music truly can save someone's life. I know when I'm down, I pop on an album, and usually if it doesn't help me feel better, it can carry me through. Here's a list of those albums.

ALBUM RECOMMENDATIONS

Albums range from being straight up about depression to albums with depression themes. In no particular order though.

Softer and melancholy (singer-songwriter/acoustic/soft electronic stuff):

Sea Change - Beck
In The Aeroplane Over The Sea - Neutral Milk Hotel
Carrie & Lowell - Sufjan Stevens
Blonde - Frank Ocean
A Crow Looked At Me - Mount Eerie
Pink Moon - Nick Drake
Blank Banshee 0 - Blank Banshee
21 - Adele
Blackstar - David Bowie
so the flies don't come - milo
Kid A - Radiohead
Either/Or - Elliot Smith



HARD AND DARK (hard electronic/metal/harsh experimental/hard rock stuff):

NO LOVE DEEP WEB - Death Grips
Atrocity Exhibition - Danny Brown
The Downward Spiral - Nine Inch Nails
Sunbather - Deafheaven
White Pony - Deftones
Unknown Pleasures - Joy Division
Il etait une foret - Gris
Loveless - My Bloody Valentine
Hospice - The Antlers
Deathconsciousness - Have A Nice Life
Bleach - Nirvana
Siamese Dream - Smashing Pumpkins



Right in the Center (darker hip hop/straight rock/electronic stuff)

To Pimp A Butterfly - Kendrick Lamar
I Don't Like Shit, I Don't Go Outside - Earl Sweatshirt
The Devil And God Are Raging Inside of Me - Brand New
Revolver - The Beatles
Because The Internet - Childish Gambino
Dirt - Alice In Chains
Wish You Were Here - Pink Floyd
Temple of the Dog - Temple of the Dog
Summertime '06 - Vince Staples
Pinkerton - Weezer
DEAD - Young Fathers
Flower Boy - Tyler, The Creator
The Cool - Lupe Fiasco
Process - Sampha


If you have some, share it! Let me know. I can always add more.