A Year of Sad Albums

The overarching theme from this year was the excellent album overshadowed by sad circumstances.

We started the year with David Bowie releasing Blackstar, then passing away within a week.  It was excellent, but, once I listened to it, understanding the circumstances of it's creation, it became something that I didn't want to listen to repeatedly.










Leonard Cohen's, You Want It Darker, was more accessible, but that could have been because Cohen has been talking about the end of his life for the last decade.  I enjoyed the album on release, but, when he passed away within a month or so of release, it also became too dark for me.








I have always found the music Nick Cave too dark and hard to listen to. As many articles have stated, Cave was working on Skeleton Tree when his 15 year old son died in an accident.  After the year I have already had, this was enough to cause me to avoid it entirely.








Finally, Viola Beach's self-titled album was released four months after the band and their manager were killed in a car accident while on tour.  The album is fun, British pop and was probably going to be the start of a great career.  The moment Coldplay gave them at Glastonbury was well deserved.  When I listen to it, all I can hear is their promise.







I have no doubt in the quality of these albums.  They first three are all over the end of year lists that I have seen.  However, a certain amount of my music listening is for a bit of escape and rejuvenation.  While I am able to appreciate the quality of the work, I am going to pass for now.