Melancholy

L

Leon1

Padawan Learner
Hehe, I have always been melancholy, but in an upbeat way, hehe, not depressive way.

To me being melancholic has been just a reflection of my past, but balanced by my ever optimism and ever groing empowerment, without forgeting where I have been in the process.
Maybe someone will tell me I have carried a depressive streak all my life. But for me it has been a rememberance of who I was, am and will be. My past will always be may past, my now always my now, and my future always just what it is ie potential.

So I still get actual joy from music like 'Dead can Dance", "Moody Blues" and more. Not to keep feeding myself sadness, but to remind myself to always strive forwards.

I like a very wide range of music in general, but such malancholy music still vibes with me at a very deep level. I find it fuels me, gives me energy. Reminds me where I have been, helps me feel empathy, love, hope. It may well stem from a time I needed it, it vibes, gives me impetus. Maybe it is a longing for something we all feel within ourselves, a detachment from something whole.
 
Leon said:
Maybe it is a longing for something we all feel within ourselves, a detachment from something whole.
Click to expand...

I know what you mean. I had a serious melancholy period in the early 80's. I yearned for something I lost in childhood back when I felt indescribable joy and excitement for just being alive and aware! I felt very much in touch with everything and actually thought that Universe was enjoying being a playground for people - especially children! :)

These two stimulate some of those old feelings in me:

The Moody Blues - Your Wildest Dreams
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kmmPFrkuPq0

The Moody Blues - I Know You're Out There Somewhere
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cjImFYf2Vzc&NR=1


And speaking of Dead can Dance... have you seen those most awesome cosmos pics in the video:

The Host of Seraphim...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EnJOH5PImrw&feature=fvst

Here's one:




Just Wow!
 
I love Dead can Dance! It can be quite melancholic and introspective, and also incredible beautiful. I love their connection to ancient music, it somehow clicks something in my brain like deep buried remembrances.
I've been told many times that I listen to depressing music. I don't find it depressing at all, I actually enjoy it, and really don't see the point of easy listening when the world around us, our reality is far more depressing than any music. Bands like Antimatter, for instance, helped me feel I was not alone during those dark times of moral bankrupcy. Thinking that's depressing is just another way of denial of reality IMO. ;)
 
I have never heard Dead can Dance, but just gave them a listen. Host of Seraphim is incredible. :cool2: This is outstanding music!

I will be most definitely giving this duo a further listen. Ah, yet another reason to love this blessed place... :flowers:
 
If you like Dead Can Dance you may want to check Ataraxia, Corvus Corax (they both have versions of Saltarello too!) and Faith And The Muse. Beautiful, inspiring music :)
 
Thanks skycsil for the further recommendations.

Interesting that you mentioned that others have judged your tatses in music depressing, it's just a subjective reaction though isn't it? You have to be in synch with the underlying idea behind a ppiece of music in order for it to resonate, or at least if you have an open mind it can be a very useful tool in the healing process, FRV wise, that is.

I found this out just last Sunday listening to Summoning of the Muse on my ipod during a fag break in work.Spine tinglingly good! :halo:

Trust me, it has already begun to work its magic. They are a very talented duo, I'm constantly amazed at how many things in this life have just passed me by and I never knew they were there. Genuine Aussie treasures they are!!

Their transition from gothic to spiritual world music (world music is the only genre name that should exist; why limit yourself?) became apparent as I listened to them last week on a greatest hits compilation. A lovely balance of the male and female on the vocal duties too, and some pretty interesting lyrical ideas also. They struck me as the kind of people who would do well to be on this forum in fact. But hey, I'd say that about Radiohead too... ;)

The stillness of melancholy is perfect for calm reflection. A pretty new thought for me that one...

Indeed, more beautiful and inspiring music is what is most needed artistically during these deeply troubled times we find ourselves awakening to!

I would also like to cite this song as a fine healer;

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rWui3la2VZM&feature=fvsr

It is called In the Morning of the Magicians, by The Flaming Lips. One of their most quietly reflective moments, I must admit I have a soft spot for them.

This lyric in particular...

"As the dawn began to break
I had to surrender,
The Universe will have its way,
Too powerful to master.."

"What is love and what is hate, the calculations error.."

Oh that the madmen of this world and those so infected by self-interest and obsession could allow such a message to seep into their consciousness...ah but that's why we here all exist, to be the much needed counterpoint!

You know melancholy is a neccesary emotion when a song like this can be created by what is typically known as a pretty up-beat kind of band. ;)

Viva melancholy!
 
Thanks for the video, I'm listening to it now. I think Pink Floyd has infuenced so many bands! Love that.
And yes, "depressing" is subjective as it may be subjective that we find such music actually uplifting :cool:
 
Yeah, The Flaming Lips have actually done a whole cover album of Dark Side of the Moon, though I have yet to listen to that. Their 2007 album, At War with the Mystics, has a whole host of heavy tunes that recall Meddle-era Floyd. Echoes is definitely one of the finest songs of that era!! Not to mention One of these Days!! That track is mental!!!

Without the Floyd, a lot of the electronic ambient scene would have lost out on a lot of colour, not to mention the feistiness that keeps the best music so vital. I think Roger Waters has to take a lot of the credit for that.
 
Hehe, I have always been melancholy, but in an upbeat way, hehe, not depressive way.
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This describes me quite well. I am always upbeat about existence, but not usually about society. I cannot participate in social activities the same way as others because I see them in a different light. People often see this as sadness, although ultimately I feel very happy.
 
No, you did not just mention Pink Floyd!

Just finished smoothing out goosebumps from my fave section of "The Great Gig..."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZAydj4OJnwQ
The Great Gig In The Sky - Pink Floyd (Studio Version)

My favorite section is from: 2:32 - 4:28

Love every moment and every note of Dark Side of the Moon! I can't count the number of times I have thought of Syd Barrett, shed tears during "Brain Damage" for anyone fallen into madness, fallen asleep to the rhythm of 'Us and Them', soared to amazing emotional heights during "The Great Gig In The Sky: 2:32 - 4:28; OMG that woman's voice is awesome)", memorized every rift and note and then turned around and started it all over (At the time, I was in the Navy, on an aircraft carrier, working 12 hours a day, every day. What else was I going to do in my 'off' time?). :)
 
Yeah Bud, Great Gig in the Sky is an earth changing song! I could not believe that song on first listen, and the album was on repeat on my walks for weeks on end.

Plus, I could NOT believe that the singer Clare Torry was white. I was totally convinced in my mind's eye that I was listening to a black gospel singer, she just had that way about her that reminded me of the singer Mary Clayton who sang on the Stone's Gimme Shelter. But now I'm digressing into my favourite dramatic appearances of women on predominantly male records...

It's funny, I resisted the appeal from mates to get into Floyd for years and years, but once you do, you never look back.

From 72 to 80 they released Meddle, DSOTM, Wish You Were Here, Animals (which out-punks punk for the sheer vitriolic anger of Roger's lyrics- I LOVE THIS RECORD!) and The Wall....

Dammit, not even Zeppelin can top that, they are pretty much a succession of faultless records with a unique and coherent sense of vision. Don't get me wrong, I love the Zep, but too many carnal blues laments for me, after a while it resembles penile dementia... :lol2:

Bless Syd....I really think I could have ended up like him (for a couple of years in particular it was close). Trauma, psychosis, the soul retreats into a narrow enclave in the mind, sometimes never to return. An enigmatic retreat that can bewilder even the sufferer, let alone others close to them. :(

Here's a handy doc on the wayward prodigy from the BBC (who do music bios extremely well, it has to be said).

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-4017310861934527313#

For nostalgic melancholy also, there's High Hopes from The Division Bell. This song has been known to even make Etonian Tories cry...

Here's the video from 1994. Makes me tearful about the fate of my poor beloved Blighty... :(

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bqvcmud3LFQ

Oh YES skycsil, Saltarello is a splendidly Celtic piece. More hurdy-gurdy's are needed in music! DCD have an incredibly rich and diverse repertoire of instrumentalists at hand, that much becomes quite clear. The Lotus Eaters also....just such terrific vocals...they are a real find!
 
What I found really interesting in regards to the recorded version of Great Gig In The Sky is how improvised that woman's singing was. On the DVD of The Making of Dark Side of the Moon (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7zbq47vQHfo), it's either Roger Waters or David Gilmour who talk about how after laying down the vocals that she walked out and apologized for her singing. She thought they weren't going to use her vocals, and because they were so reserved in their reactions to her take, didn't realize they used it until she saw the album in a record store and spotted her name in the credits.
 
Too true Heimdallr, I watched that doc last year. I don't think she was of the rock n' roll scene either, and just brought something unique and original to the song, and probably did it pretty much off the cuff (but you just know how the mind works...there would have been some frenzied ideas fizzing together just prior to that great vocal explosion!!)

Damn, I need to get that tune back on my ipod nano now. I always have to delete things I don't listen to currently whenever I get into something new....
 
I'll add another contribution: the drone band Sunn O))) togheter with the amazing Boris:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SmdGcTQ6pkY&feature=related

So relaxing! :love:
 
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