Insomnia music
We all suffer from this to varying degrees. There are those among us who know very well what it is like to stare at a featureless ceiling in the dark at 4:15am, wondering how much longer we have to try and fall asleep before sunlight invades our room and we have to give it up. I am not an insomnia sufferer by nature — I have inherited my father’s ability to pretty much voluntarily lose consciousness in any situation — but I have spent enough nights feeling my eyeballs dry out to get deep sympathy pains when I hear the stories of actual insomniacs.
My friends who have it treat it almost like some sort of like a secret club, with its own rituals and minutiae — “I do this. Really, you do that? Wow, never heard that one before, I’ll try that” — and it also carries with it a certain intellectual cachet. There’s just something kinda romantic about the notion of the tortured soul who cannot sleep.
The only thing that quiets my mind in these situations is music, and I have in fact spent the last ten years or so of my life compiling an ever-growing list of music to play at night when I am having trouble sleeping. The “qualifications” are fuzzy and only exist in my own head, but here are some records I reach for:
The drum programming on this one is a little odd for a bout of insomnia, but the skeletal, empty world he conjures here is pretty much exactly what the world feels like when it is 3am and you are alone and awake.
I have an odd relationship to this band’s music — their static-addled, murmured country blues is incredibly compelling, but I almost never find myself wanting to listen to it. Except at night, of course, when this album feels like you are lounging at the edge of a haunted pond, listening to sounds of the creatures that live there.
Alexandre Tharaud – Satie: Avant-dernières pensées
I almost hate using Erik Satie as a “hey, I can fall asleep to it!” album — he gets that rap so unfairly already. But there is something so peaceful about his music, a sense of a single moment of grace prolonged indefinitely.
My Last.Fm tells the truth: I listen to more Elliott Smith than almost anyone else. I do it unthinkingly now, reflexively, to the point it’s almost invisible to me. I long ago lost the ability to speak intelligently or critically about his music; I reach for him now like a glass of water. This collection of outtakes and B-sides is the Elliott everyone wants to remember: not the slouching, discomfited Elliott trying to make a go of a major-label budget on Figure 8, or the echoes of Elliott on the album Jon Brion patched up and put together, but the pre-XO Elliott, the one that snags a new small cult of fans every year. New Moon, a collection of unreleased material, is this Elliott preserved in amber.
Anyone else wanna share?
Aphex Twin’s Ambient Vol. 2 always did the trick for me; especially if I paid attention to it and tried to stay awake to hear the whole thing – nothing knocks me out like trying to stay awake.
Also, this is weird, but when I first read about MV & EE, before I had heard any of it, I would try to imagine it from the descriptions – weird, repetetive, stoned, reverby stuff. And imagining it would actually help me to sleep.
I struggle with insomnia pretty much habitually. To the point where I would say “I’m used to it.” Which is significantly less than awesome. I first got it about 2 years ago, and have had it on & off with varying degrees of regularity ever since.
Drone music is good — I like Robert Rich for this, especially his early masterpiece “Trances And Drones”.
DJ Olive made “Sleep” as a soundtrack for friends of his who were having trouble sleeping after 9/11. It’s a bit creepy, but I think still good as sleep music.
I have a friend who always plays music while she sleeps, usually Stars Of The Lid. Their music is great for this, simultaneously boring and engrossing, like watching some kind of fractal paint dry.
stars of the lid is exactly right! it took me about 3 or 4 listens of “tired sounds of…” before I heard the whole thing without passing out…
I second the nod to Elliott Smith! I could listen to Either/Or on repeat for days and nights at a time (and, in fact, I have). I do have to say, though, that I feel Figure 8 is just as brilliant as his earlier albums. Basement also has some special moments, and I’ll always wonder what could have been…
I find John Vanderslice’s Pixel Revolt great for late night listening, too–especially “Dead Slate Pacific.”
Morphine’s Cure For Pain, as well as Nick Cave’s Boatman’s Call.
I don’t generally have a problem with insomnia. When my 8 month-old son goes to sleep, I either follow suit or run the risk of getting nothing. And nothing helps me sleep like need.
My favorite all-time insomnia album is The Smashing Pumpkins’ “Adore.” The best insomnia album from eMusic would be Horse Feather’s “House With No Home.” It’s hard to listen to in an environment where you can’t crank it up because there are no artificially boosted sound levels, but it’s great to relax to with some ear buds in while you try to slow down your thoughts and drift away.
yes I have much of the same problems. The stress of life can do it all by it’s self . the worring of what will happen next. Some days that I actully get some sleep I wonder what the hell was I think by wakeing up. My wife just hates those kinda day’s when I have them.So she has develope a methed for me all on her own.First she’ll start me off with some hot soothing relaxation tea, And it’s dam good. Then she’ll take a hot towel make me lay down then she’ll put the towel on my back. Rubbing me lightly letting my back absorb the heat and the light message with it. by this time I’m able to slow down my mind and relaxe. then she take’s rubbing alcohal and rubb’s it in takeing several capp full rubbing them in. WOW what a knock out that is. I’t does not always work right away but it does help alot. God bless her She is such a women. So thanks alot honey Yor the best I love you sincerly your one and only.
Joy Shapes by Charalambides if you want sleep in a bad place.
Codename: Dustsucker by Bark Psychosis if you want sleep in a slightly better place.
Life Is Full of Possibilities by Dntel if you want sleep in many places.
Our Sleepless Forest’s self-titled album is my go-to album for insomnia.
I’m probably too late here, but when I need to relax and fall asleep I prefer instrumental music…Elliott Smith would only keep me up singing along to his introspective lyrics. Stars of the Lid and Aphex Twin is good. But I want to share a unexpected find: Ethiopiques Vol. 11, Alemu Aga. It might not be for everyone, musician Aga sings accompanied only by his harp…his singing is very low key and almost at a whisper level. Because he sings in a foriegn language its easy not to get hooked by the lyrics, the songs move slowly by. I find it both engaging and very relaxing.
Everything by Max Richter. Truly hypnotic.
Cocteau Twins, Bon Iver, and Antony and the Johnsons soothe my restless soul…