Happy sounds, Dark moods

[rincewind]

After showing my GF Imogen Heap's "Speak For Yourself" I realized I never paid much attention to the lyrics - Other than one or two of the singles, the content is quite dark/sad/depressive (especially the last song!) and if you take them out of the context of the happy/upbeat/syrupy music which surrounds them. If I didn't know better, I'd say it's a breakup album.

And thinking on it, I realized I like a lot of bands/artists which sound upbeat/happy but are actually quite dark in theme(s):
- Bread
- Garbage
- Split Enz/Crowded House
- Matches (quite dark in places but not as much as some of the above)
- (some) XTC
- (some) Dexy's Midnight Runners
- (some) Divinyls
- Bloc Party
- Kingston Wall (love em! RIP Petri!)
- Mondo Rock
And some which are more obviously darker WRT sound but similar:
- The Cardigans
- Dredg
- Something For Kate
- Blue Oyster Cult

I know some of these bands aren't fantastic WRT sound quality and I know they aren't as depressive/visceral as a lot of metal (of which I also have a lot), but for these bands, there's a definite disjoint between their typical sonic signature and their lyrical/mood content, and for some reason I love it. Recommend me more if you know it, or add a link to the appropriate thread if one like this already exists. I don't mind when the music is from or who wrote/performs it.

Note: I'm not saying any two of these bands are similar sonically or that if you like one you'll like another.

 

[PhearthecowZ]

I for one can't stand upbeat music with exceptionally sad lyrics. It just doesn't fit with me. hence why I dislike most pop-punk.

 

[rincewind]

Haha

Well not one of what I've listed above is punk. The Matches and Bloc Party would be the closest but I'd call them more alt/rock before punk because they don't really follow the aesthetic of what most consider "punk" and their songs aren't typical of punk either - they don't really fall into punk the way Greenday/Good Riddance/Blink 182 and (to a lesser degree)My Chemical Romance etc do. They aren't what I'm talking about. And I don't mean "emo" either.

I think someone once referred to what I'm talking about as "smart pop", but I hate all that pigeon holing.

 

[goldenratiophi]

They Might Be Giants was the first thing that popped into my head. Some of their stuff can be quite dark, but it all sounds very happy.

 

[rincewind]

Thanks. I heard them ages ago (they were quite popular in Australia about a decade ago). I'll check again, but don't remember them inspiring the same feelings

 

[goldenratiophi]

Quote:

Originally Posted by rincewind /img/forum/go_quote.gif Thanks. I heard them ages ago (they were quite popular in Australia about a decade ago). I'll check again, but don't remember them inspiring the same feelings

If I were you I'd check out their first two albums, They Might Be Giants and Lincoln. Apparently you can get them together with a wad of bonus stuff on this release that I might just pick up myself sometime.

(a decade ago would be mid-late 90s, which I don't think of as a high point in TMBG's career.... to say the least

)

 

[zumaro]

Pernice Brothers - Joe Pernice is truely miserable and bitter within his cheerful sounding pop songs.
Pinback often have that kind of disjunction as well - particularly the album Summer in Abbadon.
Elliott Smith to an extent - but often sounds as miserable as the lyrics suggest he is. The heartbreaker here is A Fond Farewell - a suicide intent song set to a tune reminiscent of Here Comes the Sun.

 

[rincewind]

Thanks

Checking out all the above. Will listen to TMBG, I might have been confusing them with TISM.

 

[Quaddy]

agree re. imogen's SFY. thats whats great about, best of both worlds. its the contrast, chalk and cheese.

and your topic reminds me of crash test dummies and the smiths, who i think (smiths) have an upbeat sound, most people think its depressing, but i like the fact that his lyrics are essentially societal gritty industrial comment of an age now gone in britain but coupled with uplifting riffs and rythyms.

 

[rincewind]

Thanks, will check out the Smiths, already got Got Shuffled His Feet

 

[FalconP]

Dubstar -- Brit synthpop band whose lyrics can be quite startling.
Beautiful South -- more cynical than dark, maybe.

 

[tru blu]

I just had Cê, this recent Caetano Veloso record on, and thought of this thread during a pleasantly rocking tune called "Odeio." On each chorus, his sweet tenor voice repeats the line "odeio você" (oh-DAY-oo voh-SAY) three times. That's Portuguese for "I hate you, I hate you, I hate you"; it turns out that he's now separated from his second wife.