So, what do you listen to when you desparately need to relax, when it's time to de-stress, or when you want to just shut you worries out and open up your ears?
The best album to fall asleep right away: Air - Talkie Walkie. Listen to it in the evening, coma garanteed! (one of my friend and a great critic talked about that too)
Depending on the levels of stress and/or time allowed to relax:
The first two Steely Dan albums are good for relaxing to and mellowing out. I have a special mix tape or two that will also do the trick when relaxing calls for something quicker and longer lasting.
Then there are the times I do want to hear any vocals. Those times of stress call for instrumentals, maybe Dave Brubeck's Time Out or a loungey surf recording such as The Blue Hawaiians Live at the Lava Lounge, either vol. 1 or 2 will do. If I need more adventuresome instrumentals, almost any disc from Man or Astroman, Robert Johnson & the Punchdrunks or the Mermen will never fail. Surf instrumentals are good against stress because reverb is a proven pain reliever. Well, for me anyway.
Oh, man, I'm just the opposite. That album kills me. I could never relax to it.
Black Sheep Boy kills me as well. I included it because it's what I listen to when I have problems I don't know how to deal with, and it helps me get over stuff. I didn't mean to imply that it was relaxing.
Also Thee More Shallows, some Wilco, Cat Power and my dad's old jazz albums.
Black Sheep Boy kills me as well. I included it because it's what I listen to when I have problems I don't know how to deal with, and it helps me get over stuff.
Now that I can relate to. Also the Thee More Shallows pick.
-------------------------------------------------- Anatomy to me is a homesick stomach and a broken heart
I think there's another thread about 'best music to fall asleep to' but I'm too lazy to look for it.
Anyway, when I want to relax I pull out the first Richard Ashcroft record, anything by Joe Pernice (Scuds/Pernice Bros/Big Tobacco/Chappaquiddick), anything by Deacon Blue, and Echo and The Bunnymen's What Are You Going to Do With Your Life?
My infant daughter falls asleep, quite frequently, to Jason Falkner's disc of Beatles songs done as lullabies.
The Orb - Little Fluffy Clouds. (Pomme Fritz is nice too) Vangelis - Bladerunner soundtrack Stars of The Lid - The Ballasted Orchestra Mike Oldfield - Tubular Bells Fleetwood Mac - Albatross (Gorgeous warm stuff) Steve Reich - Electric Counterpoint (If you haven't heard this - hunt it down) Peter Gabriel - Loads of stuff (I like 'Mercy Street' for Tony Levin's bass) Ed Alleyne Johnson - Ultra-violet Loveage - Music to make love to your old lady by Ozric Tentacles - Aboresence
I find the sound of rain relaxing too.
Most relaxing of all...
- s i l e n c e - (not the John Cage version)
Additional -
If you put a Carcass album on full volume and shove your head in the speakers for a couple of minutes, the moment you turn the stereo off is the calmest thing you'll ever experience. I still use that as a hangover cure.
It also works with Holst's 'Mars - Bringer of War'.
I'd say that the beast is often my 4 year old son. Thanks to this forum, I now have Godspeed You Black Emperor! and A Silver Mt Zion. When the beast goes to bed, dad puts on some music and watches his fish tanks. The violin does it for me.
The Antony and the Johnsons album is pretty good for relaxing, despite the emotional ride it can be. Albums that are cohesive and keep the same aesthetics throughout seem to keep you distracted the least. Like, um, Sufjans new album has some really peaceful tracks, but I can't really relax to it because of the dancier songs (and the one about the killer, Gacy Jr.??, is just terrifying).
Any Enye album will pretty much put me to sleep. That's not a knock on her work; as a matter of fact her intention is to "send our mind off into a relaxed place" for a while.
The Quiet Sounds of Stars of the Lid Eluvium - Lambent Material and Talk Amongst the Trees Andrew Bird's The Mysterious Production of Eggs is quasi relaxing to me.
