Dark/sad singer-songwriter music

[NFU]

stand down soldier. thats an order sir.

 

[Burkhard]

Leonard Cohen (probably my favourite)

Since you mentioned Leonard Cohen, you might find this album interesting. It contains cover versions of songs by Leonard Cohen sung in Norwegian by different female vocalists from Norway.

If you should also like some melancholic stuff, I recommend the Norwegian vocalist Kari Bremnes. She has lots of melancholic songs. Some of my faves are “Mit hjerte hamrer of hamrer”, “Erindring”, “Børnene” (all taken from her debut ”Mitt ville hjerte”, whose lyrics are poems by the Danish poet Tove Ditlevsen), “Dagen” (from her album ”Blå krukke”), “Københavnerkneipe”, “Montreal”, “Birds” (all from ”Spor”), “Syk pike”, “Skrik”, “Aske”, “Melankoli” (all from the album ”Løsrivelse”, whose lyrics are all poems by the Norwegian painter Edvard Munch, according to which he painted some of his most famous paintings), “Månestein” (from ”Månestein”), “Sangen om fyret ved Tornehamn”, “Sangen om ka ho Anna drømte om” (both from her fascinating album ”Svarta Bjørn”), “Vals” (from ”11 ubesvarte anrop”) “Sov du eller” (from her recent album ”Over en by”) and her duet “Du endeløse natt – Ya Lel Ma Atwalak” together with Rim Banna (on the ”Voggesanger fra ondskapens akse”-CD).

Another album with mostly sad and melancholic songs is ”The Man From God Knows Where” by Tom Russell.

Finally, I´d like to recommend the album ”Ett liv” by Lill Lindfors. The lyrics on this album are poems by Edith Södergran and mostly convey a rather sad mood - well, at least if you understand the Swedish lyrics. I think the music, which was written by Ketil Bjørnstad, fits quite well with the lyrics. I don´t know if it´s worth to check out any other albums by Lill Lindfors. I think I read somewhere that she did mostly pop music, so this album is probably something different.

 

[MasterOLightning]

Most of Elliott Smith's music is kind of cheesy and over-sensitive, some songs are ok, but some are really regular emo pop(and at times, annoying) imo, of course he is not exactly ''emo'' but his songs are mostly whiny and repetitive instead of being deep, meaningful or beautiful...i think he is really overrated. I think he can't be compared to someone like Buckley, Buckley was a real genius and his music was really beautiful and had real depth.

I don't know how you can not be getting deep meaning from the songs. I mean, the guy did end up killing himself. Is that not sincere enough for you? And there's really no pop leanings on the early releases. I wouldn't expect the songs to be too beautiful when there's obviously gritty undertones and lyrical themes.

 

[i aint play this]

I don't know how you can not be getting deep meaning from the songs. I mean, the guy did end up killing himself. Is that not sincere enough for you? And there's really no pop leanings on the early releases. I wouldn't expect the songs to be too beautiful when there's obviously gritty undertones and lyrical themes.

Well, just because he killed himself it doesn't necessarily mean that he did great music, maybe he was a depressive person or had mental problems? i'm not questioning his honesty or sincerity, all i was sayin' is that his music is kinda boring.

 

[daz436]

on a side note i think katatonia's cover of nightmares by the sea is awesome, buckley would be proud.

 

[i aint play this]

^It is fucking great, as good as the original one, btw kata rules and they are my favourite ''dark'' band of all times.

 

[all_sins_undone]

katatonia = amazing

viva emptiness ftw imho

 

[i aint play this]

^Viva rules, but Last Fair Deal still is the Katatonia masterpiece.

 

[daz436]

viva starts (Ghost of the sun - a premonition) and ends (evidence - city of glass) awesome but there's a few songs in the middle that grow tedious after you've heard them a few times. discouraged ones, tonights decision & last fair deal are kata's best imo, but TGCD was very promising.. so i'll be looking forward to a hopefully less toolish next album.

 

[i aint play this]

TGCD rules!! i can detect some Tool influences, but it is really subtle. It is colder and more technical and heavier than the other albums.

 

[all_sins_undone]

TGCD = disapointment. not varied enough imho, some quite boring riffage and its pretty emotionless for a katatonia album.

 

[i aint play this]

iyo

 

[all_sins_undone]

imo

 

[My Arms, Your Purse]

imo2

 

[i aint play this]

I'm also a big fan of the older doom/death era of Katatonia...''Sounds of Decay'' and ''Brave Murder Day'' are amazing. But i still prefer the most recent releases.

 

[daz436]

I prefer Dance of the december souls to brave murder day.

 

[CAIRATH]

Stuff

Thanks, I will look into that.

 

[derbeder]

leonard cohen and jeff buckley are indeed great. i like nick cave a lot as well, especially murder ballads and the boatman's call. the boatman's call is so plain and direct that it is impossible to overlook the emotion in it (where do we go now but nowhere, for instance). it works perfectly, i think. other albums are not all on the same level for me, though.

 

[Heavenscent]

"We'll be alive and dead at the same time."
"Just like Leonard Cohen!"

 

[CAIRATH]

leonard cohen and jeff buckley are indeed great. i like nick cave a lot as well, especially murder ballads and the boatman's call. the boatman's call is so plain and direct that it is impossible to overlook the emotion in it (where do we go now but nowhere, for instance). it works perfectly, i think. other albums are not all on the same level for me, though.

I love Murder Ballads but I don't really like any other Nick Cave albums I've heard. They had too much of a gospel sound to them. Though I think those albums all came after Murder Ballads, I have not heard any of his earlier stuff yet. The man has a great voice though.