Wait, what? I know, that title sounds somewhat weird but there is a very good reason for this article. Professor Charlotte De Backer from the Antwerp University shared a remarkable tip to help you study. She claims that being somewhat depressed actually makes you absorb more and you will remember the subject matter a lot better. And perhaps, yes, think about all the things you remember from when you were sad and compare them to your happy memories. There might indeed be a difference. Anyway, we at Merchants Of Air know quite a lot about depressive music. Furthermore, we just want to help. So here are ten songs that will put your in that much needed negative mood.
For utter despair and depression, there is no need to start lightly and build up from there. No, you need to be as depressed as possible as soon as possible. Let's just dive deep into the funeral doom sound of this Belgian project. I couldn't find the long version, which lasts for 21 minutes but this one might give you a decent idea.
If distorted guitars and growling vocals are not your thing, try the dark jazz scene. For this, Bohren Und Der Club Of Gore is a perfect example. They slowly drag you into that perfect mood to study psychology or philosophy.
Because goths are the most depressed people on earth, they are better students. At least, according to this study tip. So yes, this angsty skin crawler by German act Das Ich deserves a spot in this playlist.
Or how about this tearjerker by Jacques Brel, performed by jazz diva Nina Simone. With the life she has had, tears will definitely flow and fall on your books.
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds have always been a solid provider for downer songs, songs you can listen to and cry because of the sheer emotion they showcase.
The musical magic between Lisa Gerrard and Brendan Perry has delivered plenty of emotional beauties but The Host Of Seraphim surely is a tune to listen to while laying in a fetal position and crying your eyes out.
English doom metal deities My Dying Bride have been synonymous with depressive music since the very beginning. It's no surprise that whole generations of adolescents carry this band in their hearts.
The nineties not-so-very-goth scene were a great era for emotional music with the previously mentioned My Dying Bride, Tiamat, The Gathering, Moonspell and this masterpiece by English band Anathema.
Of course we can't leave out the dark ambient and martial industrial scene. There are a lot of depressed people roaming in that strange and gloomy corner. You might not know, but this tune by act by Swedish musician Henrik Nordvargr Björkk truly is a classic.
Obviously, there is such a thing as depressive black metal and in that Danish act Nortt is one of my favorites. Just listen to this beatdown track and you'll be sinking into a cesspool of misery before you realize it.
This is probably one of the best known songs by Trent Reznor and his Nine Inch Nails project. It was also beautifully covered by Johnny Cash but for this list I prefer the original.
Shoegaze legends Slowdive have always come up with beautiful emotional ballads and 'So Tired' is - in my opinion - one of the deepest, guaranteed to get that subject matter into your head.
To represent the world of soundtracks I selected a deeply emotional piece by Zack Hemsey. This thing is a stunner. Composers like Hemsey know their way around their deepest emotions, which obviously improves their musical abilities.
Generations of students already know that classical music is one of the best to listen to while absorbing the boring subject matter. So we go with a masterpiece by one of the greatest ever, Mozart's 'Requiem'.
I could put the entire 'Disintegration' album in this playlist but that would not be fair to all the others. So I picked 'The Same Deep Water As You' to close this list. Of course, 'Disintegration' is an absolute masterpiece and this tune will make those tears flow...
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