The Emotionally Exhausting Album Thread

2015 brought albums like Sufjan Steven's Carrie & Lowell, Julien Baker's Sprained Ankle, and Foxing's Dealer among others. Reflecting on these, it made me wonder...what are the most emotionally exhausting (a.k.a. toughest) albums to listen to in everyone's eyes?

Basically, the album equivalent of a film like Schindler's List or Requiem for a Dream where it's amazing but you probably can't immerse yourself in it every day.

Or maybe you can. It just never fails to break you every time.

Go.

 

The Seer by Swans is the most exhausting album I've listened to. I think it's wonderful, but it's a grueling and long listen...

 

i don't know if there is an album that front to back I would consider emotionally exhausting, but Wildlife from La Dispute and Devil and God from Brand New come to mind.

That being said, Honest Wage by Penny and Sparrow is easily the most difficult song for me to listen to. The rest of the album is easy to get through though. It helps that it's the closer.

 

To Pimp a Butterfly

 

I'd never heard Penny and Sparrow til now but seriously digging that album right now. Really haunting song. Those lyrics are incredible.

 

Afraid of Ghosts by Butch Walker. Personally, that one breaks me about halfway through.

 

Sunbather by Deafheaven probably.

 

Both The Lack Long After and Keep You from Pianos Become the Teeth. And yet I listen to both constantly.

 

At the moment it's gotta be anything by The Wonder Years for me. Probably nothing compared to the rest of the albums in this thread but all I know is the way that talk about how much growing up sucks really gets to me somehow I had to take a break from binging them for the past few days because their lyrics were depressing the shit out of me.

 

My go to sad album would be Emily Haines & The Soft Skeleton - Knives Don't Have Your Back

 

Hospice by The Antlers. Gotta take that one a bit at a time.

 

Obviously mentioned this already, but listening again and Sufjan's Carrie & Lowell just never ceases to give me that pit of the stomach feeling. It's such a raw depiction of grief. Hospice by The Antlers hits me in a similar way, but still not quite as much as C&L.

Another album that is absolutely draining is Levi the Poet's Seasons. Half of it is spoken word with no music but it's done in such a way that even those pieces feel like "songs". Some really difficult stuff that hits nerves I didn't know I even had. "Is anyone my age still afraid of a black night? And do you run in the dark in a panic for the light?"

I also concur with The Devil & God and find ACB's Come Now Sleep to be absolutely exhausting. I can't listen to either of those constantly despite considering them two of my favorites of all time.

 

Basically anything by Sun Kil Moon. Like, I almost have to be in a mood to listen to that. Love Mark, but it's not necessarily sunny day music.

 

Glad you dig it man! Their new album that came out this year is really good as well. I'm not a big fan of the first three tracks but it hits it's stride at track 4 and doesn't let up for the rest of the record. There's also nothing as emotionally taxing as Honest Wage which is nice haha.

I think I'll start a thread for them actually, not sure how popular it will be here but I think some people on this site will love them.

 

Almost every Xiu Xiu album. Half are emotionally exhausting and the other half are exhausting because they're bad albums.

 

I read the lyrics for Benji a little while back after hearing so many good things about it, but after reading "I Can't Live Without My Mother's Love" I could never bring myself to listen to it. Hits way too close to home.

 

If you ever do work yourself up to it, I highly suggest Benji. It's actually a really beautiful album in a lot of respects, but I can completely understand if a run down of the lyrics turns you off for personal reasons.

 

Honestly, it's because I connect to the lyrics so much that I know it'd be beautiful but also know I need to be ready. Haha. I'm super close with my mom in similar ways and her health has always been poor. I've shared Mark's exact sentiments and I'm just not sure I can listen to those sentiments set to music. Very rare for me because sad music is my bread and butter (hence this thread).

 

I can't even listen to it anymore.

 

This is at the top of the list for me. One of the few albums I have never successfully gotten through without tearing up. I love it so much, but it definitely doesn't get as much play as most of my other favorites from last year, just because it hits so hard. It will probably always be the album I put on first on the anniversary of my Grandpa's passing, though. I did that last year and it was one of the most incredible listening experiences I've ever had, to any album.

 

Other than Butch, probably:

Bruce - Tunnel of Love
Jason Isbell - Southeastern
The Promise of Redemption - When the Flowers Bloom
City and Colour - Sometimes

 

Definitely the last two Pianos Become the Teeth records, especially the Lack Long After.

 

Last one I can remember listening to was the s/t Giles Corey record.

 

I just realized the second half of your username is a table being flipped over.

 

Brand New - The Devil and God Are Raging Inside Me
Damien Rice - My Favourite Faded Fantasy
The Hotelier - Home, Like Noplace Is There
La Dispute - Wildlife and Rooms of the House
Pianos Become the Teeth - Keep You

Just the first few I thought of off the top of my head.