5 Albums for Sleep

January 24th, 2010 • Commentary, Op-Ed

A friend of mine once said, “are you planning on sleeping tonight? Because when you do, have a nice sleep.” For many, however, it is not that simple. It has been estimated that about one in every eight Americans suffer from insomnia, and, while this statistic may alarm you, it perhaps does not have to be this way. My secret to getting a good night’s sleep is almost always throwing an album on to lull me into my REM cycle. While there are a number of albums that really do the trick, I am going to leave you, insomniacs of the world with five of my personal favorites presented in alphabetical order by the band’s name.

The Beach Boys – Pet Sounds

Certainly among the best albums recorded ever, its a drifty arhythmic masterpiece of sweeping multipart vocals and heavily layered instrumentals. It is certainly an album you should take a listen to while you are awake and conscious, but for me those horn lines on low volume are like musical NyQuil.

Bon Iver – For Emma, Forever Ago

This low-fi masterpiece from 2007 has some heavy lyrics that may be off-putting to the average sleeper, but the drifty wistful nature of Bon Iver’s musicality easily deposits me into dreamland by the third or forth track of the album. Its earthy and elemental stripped down nature is something special.

Jens Lekman – Night Falls Over Kortedala

I can be fairly confident in saying that when “night falls” is in the title of an album, it more than likely is a pretty good album to sleep to, and, indeed the Swede Jens Lekman’s third album is a gem in the sort-of falling-asleep subcategory of music. This album is nominally a very clear and bright recording with some delightful violin parts that, more than often, transport me into my slumber quite easily.

S.E. Rogie – Dead Men Don’t Smoke Marijuana

While Mr. Rogie is now among those no longer smoking marijuana, this relatively obscure album by the Sierra Leonean guitarist remains one of my all time favorite albums as well as a brilliant sleep enduser. Listening to this album, I am often drawn to the amazingly intricate instrumentation that is, in large part, performed on one guitar by Rogie. He sings in English and three other languages, so it is very easy to neglect his lyrical themes in favor of closing one’s eyes for a few hours.

Sigur Ros – ( )

As far as super ambient post-rock is concerned, I have yet to find an album quite as good as this offering from Iceland’s famed musical export. Its clean and fluid nature is engaging enough to clear your mind and the combination of Icelandic and “Hopelandic” (The band’s non-language language) vocals are enough to get your eyes closed and your mind destined for another place and time.

-Doug Ray

Doug Ray is the Co-Host of Saltimbocca and Escargot on WRBC (8-10 PM Sunday)

Tags: ( ), Bon Iver, Dead Men Don't Smoke Marijuana, For Emma Forever Ago, insomnia, Jens Lekman, Night Falls Over Kortedala, pet sounds, S.E. Rogie, Sigur Ros, Sleep, the beach boys

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