Mountain/Swamp Village Themes from Majoras Mask
I like this kind of music when im feeling like i need to sit with some ennui or just be chilling sorta neutral and keep my mind blank for a bit
I feel strongly that there is value to having it available and it helps modulate to a different productive state after I’ve spent some time in it
Maybe easy uneasy music is a better illustration haha
Along similar lines to the previous gothy comment, much of Borusiade’s music fits in this category, being a mix of EBM and ambient influences. Check out Breathe as an example: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rj7L9RGr4p8
Darkwave? Might be a little goth-y.
Everyone Is Dark - New Canyons
That Song - Yota
Non Believer - London Grammar
After Night or The Run - MXMS
Eyes - Nude, Pierre Danaë
The Future - Gemini Rising, Tensnake, Fiora
Coil - Tattooed Man
Coil - Batwings
The Blood Brothers - Crimes
Xiu Xiu - almost all of it, maybe start with Apistat Commander or Buzz Saw!
Alcest. Basically, Black metal by way of My Bloody Valentine.
Dark ambient maybe? Check out Cryo Chamber on band camp, might be what you’re looking for.
Anything by Tindersticks
Spanish Love Songs has a lot of music like that.
The Disco Elysium ost by British Sea Power (not a big fan of their other work sadly), similarly Godspeed You! Black Emeror’s got a similar vibe (predates them by a while)
Came here to say this
I listen to videogame music more than I’d like to admit, and this is subjective so here are some tracks which give me that kind of vibe:
Flip Swap Galaxy - Super Mario Galaxy 2
Air, moon safari
Approximate Sunlight by Bright Eyes
Nights That Won’t Happen by Purple Mountains
If it needs to be instrumental, the Disco Elysium soundtrack by British Sea Power is pretty excellent (though it goes through a bit of an emotional spectrum beyond malaise imo)
That Purple Mountains album is great. It’s just heartbreaking that it ended up being a suicide note.
Incredibly so, sometimes I almost feel weird for sharing it because it is such a black pill of an album, but it’s just such a perfect encapsulation of long term depression and beautiful and fucking funny, I can’t help but adore it
That Purple Mountains is so good! I’d throw some Silver Jews in the mix for OP, too. Same singer as Purple Mountains
100%, I found Silver Jews American Water years ago and listened to it a million times but then kind forgot about them, and only found out about this project after seeing a news article along the lines of “former lead singer of Silver Jews kills himself, he’d recently released a solo album that in hindsight looks like an incredibly obvious cry for help, he was friends with the guys in Pavement and other more famous and well adjusted people, etc.”
I’ve always thought Seasick, yet Still Docked was a lovely, low-key, underrated Morrissey song, full of malaise, yet also with a strange, infectious energy.
Also, there’s a big, iconic song like this (maybe several) by Mazzy Star. Was it… Fade in to You?
Country Tropics by Old Saw for some real uneasy ambient Americana listening
