Indie/Twee Playlist for a when you've been DTMFA'd?

December 19, 2014 10:01 AM

I would like your suggestions for the Twee-est, Saddest, Shambliest songs for needing to process some heartcrap. Think The Softies, Brighter, Unrest etc.

I have a collaborative spotify playlist here named "Chalk Pastels and Conté Crayons", you can add stuff to it:

spotify:user:1215289851:playlist:7EKcT1yKyOz2fE9s8tdr9P

Thanks!

posted by Annika Cicada to Human Relations (32 answers total)

Best answer: I can't access that playlist but I will offer "Put a Penny in the Slot" by Fionn Regan: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OV0jFo9IPZ4
posted by pazazygeek at 10:31 AM on December 19, 2014

The songs I have filed under "pathos" are as follows:

This one off the American Beauty soundtrack

Leonard Cohen, Hallelujah

Gary Jules cover of Mad World

Your playlist link doesn't work unless I have something or other installed.
posted by emilyw at 10:33 AM on December 19, 2014

Drop by Red House Painters, 8 1/2 minutes of sadness.
posted by Requiax at 10:53 AM on December 19, 2014 [1 favorite]

Best answer: Tiger Trap, "My Broken Heart"
If it helps, for the angry phases of a breakup, The Shop Assistants, "I Don't Want To Be Friends With You". That one has gotten me through many a rough split.
posted by marshmallow peep at 11:01 AM on December 19, 2014 [1 favorite]

Lake Street Dive: Neighbor Song

Ditto: Bad Self Portraits

And the song that got me through my own dark times is Session Americana's Raking Through The Ashes
posted by SobaFett at 11:03 AM on December 19, 2014

Staplegun by Ladyfuzz
posted by PuppetMcSockerson at 11:05 AM on December 19, 2014

Don't Speak by No Doubt. It was very real for me way back when.
posted by alms at 11:06 AM on December 19, 2014

Severed Lips by Dinosaur jr.
posted by vrakatar at 11:37 AM on December 19, 2014

Best answer: unable to link, but:

Lloyd, I'm Ready To Be Heartbroken - Camera Obscura
Invisible Boyfriend - Trixie's Big Red Motorbike.
posted by scruss at 11:42 AM on December 19, 2014 [1 favorite]

Alkaline Trio - Enjoy Your Day

Oh my god, the whining ...
posted by DingoMutt at 11:53 AM on December 19, 2014

Best answer: Noah and the Whale - The First Days of Spring. The whole album, but especially "Our Window".
posted by dangerbird at 12:02 PM on December 19, 2014 [1 favorite]

Timon - The Bitter Thoughts of Little Jane
posted by the christopher hundreds at 12:19 PM on December 19, 2014

Maybe too folksy, but Untouchable Face is more or less my go-to heartbreak song.
posted by feckless fecal fear mongering at 12:52 PM on December 19, 2014

Best answer: I added four songs to your playlist by Trembling Blue Stars, Shebrews, Pop Singles, and Ron Sexsmith. I hope they are what you're looking for.
posted by otters walk among us at 1:15 PM on December 19, 2014 [2 favorites]

Johnny Flynn - Brown Trout Blues
posted by jabes at 1:21 PM on December 19, 2014

What otters said, but so far I added three songs.
posted by sproggie at 1:22 PM on December 19, 2014 [1 favorite]

Response by poster: Listening to the playlist now, this is great thank you. Please continue adding stuff. I will too. Hugs.
posted by Annika Cicada at 1:34 PM on December 19, 2014

I can't find this song on Spotify, but given the current time of year, this is one of my favorite "heartbroken at the holidays" songs.

"December 24" by Julia Fordham
posted by dnash at 1:41 PM on December 19, 2014

Best answer: Sadly, I can't get your link to load in Chrome.

You might want to look in to the most recent Jenny Lewis album, The Voyager.

If you want a more classic Twee, I always advise the Lucksmiths.
Breaking songs: Synchronized Sinking, The Year of Driving Langorously
Broken up songs: Now I'm Even Further Away, Paper Planes, Broken Bones
Cheerup song: A Hiccup In Your Happiness. Or maybe Synchronised Sinking fits here? Hm.

And it's folk, not twee, but I always want to play these for broken up friends: The Blessings by Dar Williams and Rio by Hey Marseilles, but that's because they are the opposite of mopey to me. (both videos are dumb, sorry, I have not the Spotify)
posted by maryr at 1:45 PM on December 19, 2014 [2 favorites]

Best answer: Had to stop myself adding songs, hope I haven't overdone it...on the twee side, a couple from the Go-Betweens and one from Allo Darlin'. Indie/twee - the Smiths and the Chills (I used to go to an indie/twee night in London and all those bands were played a lot). Daniel Johnston - listed as 'related artist' to The Shebrews, and Spiritualized, who I think would go well with Galaxie 500 and YLT.

Feel better soon.
posted by Pink Frost at 2:19 PM on December 19, 2014 [1 favorite]

Response by poster: You can add as much as you want, and if you wanna be spotify friends and help keep that list growing and awesome, feel free :-)
posted by Annika Cicada at 2:31 PM on December 19, 2014

Anything by Kate Rusby would work, I think.
posted by orrnyereg at 2:38 PM on December 19, 2014

Damien Rice and Lisa Hannigan: Rootless Tree live at Abbey Road. Soul Crushing power.
posted by bobdow at 2:38 PM on December 19, 2014

Kris Kristopherson's song "Loving her was easier than anything I'd ever done before" as sung by Willie Nelson
posted by mbatch at 2:57 PM on December 19, 2014

Best answer: Oh lord you're about to get a massive Spotify dump of the Twee shambles from me. Let's just say it involves Girls, Darren Hayman, Hidden Caneras and the History of Apple Pie.
posted by Potomac Avenue at 6:21 PM on December 19, 2014 [2 favorites]

Guys at least look up what Twee means before posting. Kris Kristofferson? No Doubt? That's just not right.
posted by Potomac Avenue at 6:22 PM on December 19, 2014 [4 favorites]

Response by poster: Oh Potomac avenue. Thank you. Hugs.
posted by Annika Cicada at 7:26 PM on December 19, 2014

Response by poster: This playlist is fucking epic!
posted by Annika Cicada at 8:51 PM on December 19, 2014

Best answer: I've got Seventeen Seconds in my room tonight/and when that's over I've got Faith/so alright, alright, alright

Also, I feel like there's a Tullycraft song that's gotta fit but it's eluding me right now.
posted by ifjuly at 2:17 PM on December 20, 2014

Best answer: Yes! Try Bailey Park by Tullycraft, for a start. Also, everything ever written by The Wedding Present - there was a point in my life where I used to listen to the entirety of Seamonsters at least twice a day, for at least a year running.
posted by plasticpalacealice at 2:43 PM on December 20, 2014 [2 favorites]

Best answer: Added some Serafina Steer and Echodrone.
posted by Sonny Jim at 2:04 PM on December 21, 2014 [1 favorite]

Best answer: Ooh, ooh, I hope I'm not too late. I've been noodling on a post-breakup playlist since it happened in February (working title "Playlist of Infinite Sadness"). So I'll probably be stealing from this.

I've been focusing on twee songs that I might describe as joyous sadness, though I lack the musical knowledge or education to really make that make sense. I also have some very specific tastes. One of my favorite bands, Los Campesinos, has a lot of songs that are sort of wryly ironic in their sadness, a sense of "jesus what a pathetic sad sack I am" with an upbeat tempo. Sample lyrics

And no more conversations about what Breakfast Club character you'd be/
I'd be the one that dies (no one dies)/
Well then what's the point?

and

When the smaller picture/
Is the same as the bigger picture/
You know that you're fucked

They describe themselves as "tweecore". The name of their fourth album is "Hello Sadness", but most of their albums have stuff like that.

Two other songs that can be crushing and uplifting at the same time, depending on how I feel:

Stars - Your Ex-Lover is Dead
Margot and the Nuclear So and Sos - Skeleton Key

Mountain Goats has a lot of good breakup stuff at varying places on the happiness/sadness spectrum, though I'm not sure if it really qualifies as twee. This year, I also discovered the existence of the folk-punk genre, which is a name that doesn't make sense to me (I might describe it a bit more like quick, folky songs talking about sadness and overcoming depression with D&D). I particularly like Andrew Jackson Jihad for this:

Andrew Jackson Jihad - Rejoice
Andrew Jackson Jihad - Self Esteem
Andrew Jackson Jihad - Heartilation
posted by X-Himy at 6:40 AM on December 22, 2014 [1 favorite]