Just because I’m in the mood, will some people reccomend some good sad emo songs/bands to me.
Depressed Australian ratites make few sounds other than a low hiss.
Emo? As in “Emo Phillips?”
I dunno… what are you already into?
Your first term reading list should include:
The Get Up Kids
Cursive
Death Cab For Cutie
Saves The Day
The Anniversary
Jimmy Eat World
The Promise Ring
Braid
and maybe Dashboard Confessional or Taking Back Sunday, but then again, depending on your taste, maybe not.
Aren’t they all sad? It’s not like the “emotion” is happiness.
Music by Emo Phillips?
Emotional music?
Emotionless music?
Emollient music, that softens your skin?
Emodin music, reminiscent of an orange crystalline compound?
Emolument music, that grinds?
My skin feels softer after listening to Enya.
The term is a shortened version of “emotional hardcore,” Eve. This means Dashboard Confessional does not apply.
While the term came from “emotional hardcore,” the music it refers to is often not hardcore. Most modern emo, for instance, is much more melodic, and can be completely unrelated to emo.
Dashboard Confessional is often described as emo, and fits in with the label in a loose kind of way. The connection to Further Seems Forever also helps. And while Dashboard’s MTV whining may displease some (I admit - it’s a guilty pleasure of mine) it seems pertinent to categorise it as emo, if only for their/his history.
Yeah, Further Seems Forevers been mentioned… how about
From Autumn to Ashes - my fav. being “short stories with tragic endings” It’s bliss!
A Static Lullaby, anyone?
So a minor hijack: how about emo bands with female vocalists? It seems like that might be an interesting combo.
Hmmmm…sad emo eh? Well, you can’t go wrong with “Sunny- Day Real Estate.” Or any of Jeremy Enigk’s solo stuff. “Texas is the Reason” could also work but if you want some really sad stuff, I suggest “Pedro the Lion,” their more indi-rock then emo but hey it gets the job done.
I find it hilarious that Eve’s response was exactly the same as Ian MacKaye’s. According to the Deep Elm website:
“Hardcore lore has it that during an Embrace show someone from the crowd shouted on-stage “You guys are emo-core!” to which MacKaye replied ‘You mean Emo Phillips?’”
Ian MacKaye, of Minor Threat/Embrace/Fugazi fame, is generally considered one of the founders of “emo.”
If you are looking for sad emo, go for Cursive. I’d particularly recommend Domestica. It is basically a concept album centered on lead singer Tim Kashir’s divorce. Its probably more angry than sad, but it is chock full of raw emotion. Their latest album The Ugly Organ is good too. It features a cello which adds a lot of depth to the music in my opinion.
Rainer Maria and Rilo Kiley both have female lead vocalists.
If you want a good hardcore tinged modern emo bands check out Planes Mistaken For Stars.
I also second the Cursive recomendations.
Oh, Ian and I always used to hang together at CBGBs when he was with The Teen Idles and Minor Threat.
I’d agree that DC isn’t really Emo according to the historic definition, but according to all the pop definitions and stereotypes, they are actually the quintessential emo band (i.e. whiny.)
I haven’t heard a lot of these bands, but I haven’t heard one that’s sadder than Dashboard. And of the bands mentioned I have heard, J.E.W. is among the LEAST sad.
I dunno, emo doesnt really seem all that sad to me, I guess that’s cause I’m also into 80s gloom-pop (more into Psych furs and Echo than the obvious Smiths.) Compared to that, its a lot less sad.
The Anniversary have a female vocalist (and a male one). I think she’s married to one of the Get Up Kids.
Ludovic: J.E.W. can get pretty sad (Hear You Me, for instance), and they had octave chords all over the place on their earlier records, so they get extra emo points. But you’re right, emo bands don’t always do ‘sad’ - the emo is short for emotional [hardcore] after all. Cursive are very emo, but if you listen to The Ugly Organ, their latest album, their is little actual sadness - he tends to be angry or confused or regretful.
I guess like a lot of genre names, its definition has changed from when the word was first adopted.
There’s been a good link to a “What is emo” site posted here before - anyone still have it?