Do you ever sit there in that funky mood, staring at your CD collection, knowing that you really want to hear something that'll do it for you, but everything in your collection seems like rubbish and won't scratch that very specific itch you have? For some reason, when I get in that mood (which makes me rather irritable, to be honest), there's always one band that does it for me in the clutch.

Pink Floyd. Usually "The Final Cut" or "Wish You Were Here" (but definitely not "The Wall", "Dark Side" or "Animals" -- great albums, but not what I'm after in that mood).

So the question -- what do YOU grab for when nothing else on your CD rack appeals to you?? Again, I'm not talking about your favorite band -- it's that funky, irritable mood I'm referring to here... When nothing else works... Yes, a strange topic, but indulge me.

sadly enough...i usually grab some 80's new wave stuff...lol...usually like some pet shop boys.My kind of hidden 80's stash.I cant get enought of it.And when i am looking for a specific something that is what i sometimes grab!
Dont Laugh!

While the answer to this depends on my specific mood, I have two discs I grab when I want a quieter, more serene atmosphere, usually when I'm studying or writing:

Echo and the Bunnymen: What Are You Going to Do With Your Life?

Deacon Blue: Very Best Of or the single disc Our Town: Greatest Hits if I'm playing it on my laptop, since the Very Best won't play on a PC.

It is a strange topic, RayRay, but a good one and an interesting one.

What I find myself standing in a roaring silence staring at a literal or metaphorical wall of CDs with no inspiration, but an itch that needs scratching, I don't reach for a particular band, but rather one particular album.

Oliver Nelson The Blues & The Abstract Truth (Impulse!)

It is certainly one of the great albums in jazz, but so are dozens of others. For whatever reason, though, it alone is the one album I can put on regardless of mood and circumstances and always be satisfied.

Now Playing: "Outer Space/Inner Space" Flanger Outer Space/Inner Space (Ninja Tune)

I think that I don't ever get moody (or maybe that means I'm always in a mood), but the album that comes to mind probably says WAY too much about the real me (although several around here ALREADY know): The Vibrators "Pure Mania."

Great topic, RayRay!

When I'm in a one of "those moods," I always reach for an Elliott Smith CD. I might start with Roman Candle and work my way through Either/Or, Figure Eight, and XO (in no particular order).

There's something soothing about Smith's songs. They're kind of like a security blanket or a cup of warm hot chocolate. I suppose that this is somewhat ironic given the depressing quality of so many of his lyrics and the tragic nature of his premature death. I guess I am drawn to melancholy when I am in one of those moods.

When I was much younger, the CD that filled this purpose was The Beatles, Abbey Road. I still reach for this CD quite often, and I feel comforted when I hear the beginning of "Come Together." The CD is like an old, familiar friend -- something I can depend on and trust. And when I get to "Carry That Weight," I almost get choked up.

I already offered my "quiet time" cds. I had to think on my "pump up the jams" discs. I usually pull from either:

New Order: Substance if I want something dancey

Fountains of Wayne: Welcome Interstate Managers if I want something poppy

and

The Replacements: Tim if I want something a little rocky and if want to feel some nostalgia for my mis-spent youth.

Another guaranteed winner for any of my ever-changing moods:

Gin Blossoms: New Miserable Experience which is now available as a cool double disc Deluxe Edition. Reminds me of long drives through the North Carolina mountains to visit my then-girlfriend (now my wife!)

Hmmm... I had to think about this for a while. I usually don't have this problem... except for when it's late at night and I don't want to disturb anyone. I find that there's very few albums that are simultaneously intense and subdued; I have two or three albums like that, but the one I inevitably turn to is Bitches Brew by Miles Davis. It's damn near perfect for any occasion.

kwakerjak

I have to add one more: For some reason, if I need something to get the juices flowing, "LA Sexorcisto: Devil Music Vol. 1" by White Zombie consistently does it for me. I'm definitely a horror movie devotee, so I think the combination of speed metal & the fun occultish themes works.

(Incidentally, I saw "Cabin Fever" last night on cable...not nearly as good as everyone had led me to believe. Flesh eating virus. Wow...)

There are many albums that I can listen to no matter what mood I am in. However, the one that sticks out above all is Neutral Milk Hotel's "In the Aeroplane Over the Sea". The scope of that album encompasses such a tremendous range that it fits perfectly whether I'm lying in bed or driving cross-country. Although I'll file a disclaimer in that I've never listened to it during a snowstorm. A close second would be Miles Davis' "Birth of the Cool".

One album that I always go back to in those certain situations is Kid A by Radiohead. Always works, always.

Stone Temple Pilots - Core

Consistently brilliant rock, never loses its appeal, even though its 10 years old and that sound has gone.

quote:

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Originally posted by rockbotle:
[...]A close second would be Miles Davis' "Birth of the Cool".

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BotC is a fine, fine choice, rockbotle. For all the genius of Davis' later catalog, I'm happy to see somebody else who loves the early years.

Now Playing: CNN's American Morning

When i don't know what to listen to, i usually go with Primus, especially the brown album or Antipop.

Morphine - "Cure for Pain" is an absolute slam dunk for ever occasion.

Andrew Bird. It's not that he's my favorite, but his music seems to fit any mood.

My Clutch band?

Clutch.

Or, Neurosis.

Yeah, more like Neurosis.

i know this is odd, and it might be mostly because of how obsessed i was with his album that came out last year, but destroyer always hits the spot when i can't figure out what to listen to. dan bejar's lyrial genius is calming and uplifting simultaneously (two things that i wouldn't have anticipated feeling about his music). i may just have a bit of a man-crush. oh no, spencer krug may get jealous...

man, i need help.

I have revisited Destroyer Rubies so many times expecting to see it's sparkle, and I just can't do it. Everything points to me liking the album, but I never can.

I don't know what it is, but anytime I'm scrolling through my music collection looking for something to listen to, and it seems to be taking too long, I just put on Beulah's the Coast is Never Clear, and I listen to it all the way through. I have no idea why. They are far from my favorite band, and I can't give you the name of even three songs off the album. But I know I like it. It's not too hard, not too boreing, not vulgar, not intrusive. It's just really really good behind the scenes sortof music.

Maybe I should check into them a little more...

quote:

Originally posted by Shadrach:
I have revisited Destroyer Rubies so many times expecting to see it's sparkle, and I just can't do it. Everything points to me liking the album, but I never can.

Destroyer’s album from last year took a while to grow on me as well. I heard it towards the beginning of the year and it wasn’t until October-November that it hit me how much I liked it and just how good of an album it is. It’s a great collection of varied songs with some impressive musicianship and lyrics—it’s definitely top five for me from last year.