Late Night Music

October 21, 2003 7:47 PM

A Nittle Light Music: A little record label called Morpheus, considerably less soporific than the name implies, specializes in late night music, with many engaging mp3 samples. Though, somehow, they don't seem, in their soft prettiness, to hit the slightly anguished, melancholy spot of the truly nocturnal listener. I might as well come out and say it: what's your night music of choice? (My man is the composer Harold Arlen, who wrote Blues In The Night; "Happiness Is A Thing Called Joe"; "Last Night When We Were Young"; "It's Only A Paper Moon"; "When the Sun Comes Out"; to mention but a few. Oh - and, of course, Sinatra's first 12-inch LP, In The Wee Small Hours Of The Morning... /small>)
posted by MiguelCardoso (31 comments total)

Mileece, Boards of Canada... Satie... Fennesz...
posted by luckyclone at 7:54 PM on October 21, 2003

BadgerbadgerbadgerbadgerbadgerbadgerbadgerMUSHROOM!MUSHROOM!
posted by elwoodwiles at 7:59 PM on October 21, 2003

snake
posted by cedar at 8:02 PM on October 21, 2003

Stars of the Lid
posted by mert at 8:07 PM on October 21, 2003

Cradle of Filth and Miles Davis. At the same time.
posted by Jimbob at 8:09 PM on October 21, 2003

Enya.
posted by konolia at 8:23 PM on October 21, 2003

Godspeed You Black Emperor, until dawn. Upon dawn and during the early morning, Gustav Holst.
posted by antifreez_ at 8:33 PM on October 21, 2003

Dead can Dance, Steely Dan, Blue Man, Blag Flag, Godsmack, old Metallica, Johnny Cash, Lou Reed...it depends on if I'm writing...and what.
posted by dejah420 at 8:45 PM on October 21, 2003

I listen to anything from Pat Metheny (Ferry Across the Mersey, from his latest) to just about any artist on the Windham Hill label, to Soundgarden and Alice in Chains, the American Analog Set, Yo La Tengo or just a generic cd loaded with jazzy mp3's. The key, really, isn't the music, it's the music with a good cup of tea, some candles, decent company or a good book.
posted by ashbury at 8:53 PM on October 21, 2003

Hildegaard von Bingen (Canticles of Ecstasy especially), and Anonymous 4. If I'm up late trying to beat a deadline, something angsty like Smashing Pumpkins or Marilyn Manson.
posted by halonine at 8:55 PM on October 21, 2003

Allman Bros, Tool, and did someone already mention Lou? :)
posted by LouReedsSon at 9:01 PM on October 21, 2003

Chopin's Nocturnes... an obvious choice, but beautiful, beautiful music, kinda melencholy without being outright depressing.
posted by antimony at 9:46 PM on October 21, 2003

I'm rather fond of Joe Jackson's "Night Music." It's got an ondes-martenot on it, for God's sake.
posted by kindall at 10:11 PM on October 21, 2003

Night time is the best time to listen to music. For me, it's Stars of the Lid, Bobby Birdman* (best album of 2003 i think), Ethiopiques*, Two Dollar Guitar's Train Songs*, Electric Birds*, Bob Wiseman, Clem Snide*, Gotan Project*, Explosions in the Sky*, The Handsome Family, Iron & Wine, Bonnie Prince Billy, Jim O'Rourke's late 90s-present albums, Songs: Ohia*, Velma* when I'm drunk, and, of course, Smog. When it's gonna be a late night and the words are flowin' I put Sonny Criss' brilliant Sonny's Dream* or Sonny Rollins' Saxophone Collosus* on repeat. [*emusic's got 'em]
posted by dobbs at 10:12 PM on October 21, 2003

against me!, the cure, ann beretta, jawbreaker, j church, carrie nations, virginia black lung and jeff ott.
posted by Lusy P Hur at 10:50 PM on October 21, 2003

Tom Waits, baby. I've been really getting into "Nighthawks at the Diner"--in fact, it hasn't left my player in a week.
posted by arto at 11:35 PM on October 21, 2003

Hood, Cat Power, Coil, Explosions in the Sky, Lustmord, Merzbow, Hank Williams (alone with his guitar), Prefuse 73, Throbbing Gristle, Oval, and then, Flamenco Sketches (both takes) on repeat until the voices go away...
posted by pandaharma at 1:08 AM on October 22, 2003

Morphine made some fine night-music.
posted by misteraitch at 1:09 AM on October 22, 2003

I work graveyard: American Music Club (Especially Mercury), Nick Cave, Labradford, Idaho, Alpha, Nat King Cole Trio, The Decemberists, Spritualized, The Birthday Party, Bauhaus, Voyager One.
posted by black8 at 1:29 AM on October 22, 2003

Dan Pollack, The Winners, Heroin Queen, The Late Bus (1st LP especially), Bottlecap, Dortmund, Los Guerreros and Lawrence Luchel and the Wednesdays.
posted by PenDevil at 2:14 AM on October 22, 2003

Gorecki's Symphony No. 3 is nice.
posted by The God Complex at 3:09 AM on October 22, 2003

I second Stars of the Lid.
posted by soundofsuburbia at 3:30 AM on October 22, 2003

My "dark midwatch of the soul" music, inexplicably, is a copy of the Bee Gees' Greatest Hits.
posted by alumshubby at 4:13 AM on October 22, 2003

I second Bonnie Prince Billy, saw him live last week and he burned down the Shepherd's Bush Empire.
posted by johnny novak at 4:58 AM on October 22, 2003

OH.

FUCKING.

DEAR.

'You know. Those people who just don't get it when Barbara Tucker sings I get lifted.'

Thankfully I come from a generation that learned that the wee small hours were for either getting uplifted to the roof or shoved down dirty on the floor. Both at the same time being preferable.
posted by i_cola at 5:29 AM on October 22, 2003

Hmm, after listening I am not a fan of Morpheus' versions of those songs.

My current nighttime listening is:
True Love Waits: Christopher O'Riley Plays Radiohead. Piano versions of Radiohead songs.
posted by FreezBoy at 6:03 AM on October 22, 2003

Miguel, just wanted to thank you for the music-related topics. (Especially as we seem to have similar tastes.)

I'm not certain I have night-specific music ... it depends upon mood and situation as much as any other time of day. As a former musician, my tastes are broad, from classical to Broadway to R & B.

I used to be acquaintances with Ed Jablonski, music biographer and good friend of Arlen, Yip Harburg, Ira Gershwin, etc. Now Arlen, of course, was a mentor of Babs Streisand. At a 1960s recording session devoted to Arlen songs, Ed was amused by a very young (pre-Funny Girl) Babs making her entrance into the studio, fur coat trailing on the floor.

Divas are born, not made, I guess.
posted by NorthernLite at 8:10 AM on October 22, 2003

The darker tunes of Moses Allison
posted by ahimsakid at 9:41 AM on October 22, 2003

Wow, NorthernLite - fancy that. I can just see her. I bet Ed Jablonski had a few great stories to tell - I really admire his Gershwin book. I'm ashamed to say I haven't read his Arlen biography - but I've been meaning to for a long time. Thanks for the reminder!
posted by MiguelCardoso at 10:59 AM on October 22, 2003

Who here likes pancakes? I love pancakes.
posted by webmutant at 12:07 PM on October 22, 2003

Götterdammerung, Creatures of the Night, and The Smithsonian Collection of American Foghorns.
posted by jfuller at 1:22 PM on October 22, 2003