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A song that was constructed to reduce anxiety

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21–30 of 93 posts

Re: A song that was constructed to reduce anxiety

#21
post #9

The song in the clickbait title is “Weightless” by Marconi Union.

I actually feel more anxious listening to this song. The low synthesizer in background sounds like something is about to happen.

Definitely don't listen to Disintegration Loops then.

Re: A song that was constructed to reduce anxiety

#24

The song is here: https://youtu.be/j3X7vhvqi_E

That's gonna give me a panic attack. Sibling's Pink Floyd works. Or here's one from my stack--the louder I play it, the more peaceful I feel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zwPnvYiCVfA

I'm with you on both counts.

I like fast music without lyrics. Lyrics are distracting when I'm coding.

Re: A song that was constructed to reduce anxiety

#25
Well, that's a pretty standard ambient-ish soundscape bordering on ‘chill-out’, though thankfully not as cheesy as a whole lot of them.

For me, dub music (not dubstep) was the most astoundingly un-aggressive music. Back in the past, I ran Bill Laswell's compilations two times a day: on the morning subway to doze for twenty minutes, and when falling asleep at night. Not really a surprising quality, since the genre is essentially produced as ganja in musical form. Note that you won't hear half of the music if your speakers don't handle deep bass.

https://billlaswell.bandcamp.com/album/trojan-dub-massive-vo...

(Ever since the name-stealing dubstep occupied the web while having nothing to do with dub, I have to exclude it every time when searching for the latter.)

Even though the genre evolved decently into the 90s–2000s, with British and French bands like Alpha & Omega, Twilight Circus, High Tone, and Laswell & Jah Wobble's productions—I still find myself returning to simpler tunes when looking to drop out of the daily race.

IMO Sun Araw later grokked quite well that dub can be more trippy than ‘psychedelic’ genres. And Hype Williams are excellent bearers of this torch, though not in the sub-bass range.

https://sunaraw.bandcamp.com/track/horse-steppin-3

https://youtube.com/watch?v=YMwsmam5X4Q, https://youtube.com/watch?v=rHCYKkU8jto

Ah, and in regard to ‘classical’ music, I'm a big fan of Swingle Singers' renditions of Mozart, from ‘A Cappella Amadeus’. They're magical for me somehow: I was able to have their songs on both alarm clock and ringtone, for years, without coming to hate them. This is while being cold to both ‘classical music’ and acappella in general.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3dLWdHh39p0

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0e06TWt4jvg

Re: A song that was constructed to reduce anxiety

#26
post #23

I couldn't dig it - but I like the article and idea. Other readers: what are some of your favorite chill background tracks? I'm on Hippie Sabotage lately.

I wouldn't call this background music. In fact, I'd say it works best when you give it your full attention with eyes closed. Nevertheless, 'Music for 18 Musicians' is a go-to when I need to simmer down.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ILpCKQlDmhc

Re: A song that was constructed to reduce anxiety

#27
Here are some ambient songs by Aphex Twin which I also find very calming.

Stone In Focus - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q86g1aop6a8

Rhubarb - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_AWIqXzvX-U

Tha - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LGC90fmf8gw

Avril 14th - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F6dGAZTj8xA

Re: A song that was constructed to reduce anxiety

#28

Not affiliated, but just a fan: if you like this type of drone-type music, there are several variants on https://generative.fm All the music is generated on your pc, not streamed

Thanks for that great link. Much more relaxing than the playlist in the article. (I wish it worked in FireFox, but hey, whatever.)

Re: A song that was constructed to reduce anxiety

#29
I note that "Canzonetta Sull'aria" is Number 9 on the list. Much more my cup of tea, especially when both it becomes a duet. The opera it comes from, The Marriage of Figaro, is one of my all time favourites. To me the secret sauce is that, even though the Opera is a "Opera Buffa" (comic opera), and indeed has all the element of sitcom: mistaken identities, life altering discoveries, disguises, people hiding under chairs, broken flower-pots, and yet some of the aria's, such as Sull'aria, are poignant and heartbreaking. Consider, for example, "Dove sono i bei momenti" (Where are all those beautiful moments), where the countess yearns for the time when she and the count fell in love. If you want to see what I mean, listen to Rene Fleming (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7_7Fr8Z-rFQ) - the aria starts at about 1:57. Stunning.

Re: A song that was constructed to reduce anxiety

#30
post #26
post #23

I couldn't dig it - but I like the article and idea. Other readers: what are some of your favorite chill background tracks? I'm on Hippie Sabotage lately.

I wouldn't call this background music. In fact, I'd say it works best when you give it your full attention with eyes closed. Nevertheless, 'Music for 18 Musicians' is a go-to when I need to simmer down. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ILpCKQlDmhc

Steve Reich and that particular piece are awesome. I'm not quite sure how "relaxing" his music is for me, but it can definitely induce trance-like states, and in general it's just good music.

I also like this rendition of Piano Counterpoint: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LM4t2Kvpv0Y

If you like Steve Reich, I'd also recommend Oneohtrix Point Never - R Plus Seven (and all his other albums pretty much).

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