Light Sadness: 15 Road Trips for Sadness

Contents:

• Dark Melodies: "Graveyard" by The Devil Makes Three
• Mother Mother - Piece by Piece
• Jason Mraz - Plane
• Ado - Crime and Punishment
• 3 Doors Down - Circles of Destiny
• «Angry River: Art and Wisdom in Music from The Hat, S.I. Istwa and Father John Misty»
• Track «Love Will Come Through» Travis
• Underwood — Polka Dot Dress
• Zhenya Trofimov — Inspiration in the Sky
• In the Hallway — Waiting for Your Arrival
• Goodbye, My Love
• Terelya — A Creature with the Soul of a Dog
• Natalya Nelyubova — Winter Flight through the Sky
• Sirotkin — Heartbeat: It's Time to Act
• Naadya — Movement

We've put together a playlist of our favorite tunes that are perfect for hitting the road, taking off, sailing away, saying goodbye, leaving it all behind, mourning the past, and looking forward to the days to come.

Dark Melodies: "Graveyard" by The Devil Makes Three

Listening to the steady clatter of the wheels and watching the rain stream down the glass, I'm driving down a road that leads from one uncertainty to another.

Best Lines:

It all starts with whiskey and wine, A couple miles down the road and unforgettable moments. But it all ends in a gloomy corridor, Where there are no windows or doors.

The Devil Makes Three is an American acoustic trio whose sound intertwines elements of folk, bluegrass, country, and punk. Their music features guitar, banjo, and double bass, as well as Pete Bernhard's signature raspy vocals. The atmosphere of a dimly lit bar, shrouded in smoke, with whiskey poured three fingers high, no ice and no hope.

Mother Mother - Piece by Piece

Listen: with a backpack on my shoulders, a hood pulled up to my eyes, a harmonica in my pocket and a firm determination to leave all this once and for all.

Best lines:

No, I won't take too much with me. Maybe some waterproofs in case it rains. Maybe just a good book and a heart to break.

Mother Mother is a Canadian indie band that gained popularity thanks to their unique polyphony and Ryan Guldemond's distinctive vocal style. Their strength lies in creating contrasts. The music is characterized by a dense, aggressive sound, unusual harmonies and a clear rhythm, while the lyrics are a clash of deliberate simplicity with sophisticated verbal constructions. The song "Bit By Bit" perfectly illustrates this concept, suggesting a confrontation with something, followed by a slow retreat with the line, "Fuck you all."

Jason Mraz — Plane

Watching planes take off from an airport window when you're in no hurry anymore.

Best lines:

If the plane crashes, damn, I'll remember where love was found.

If for some reason you haven't noticed the album with the simple title Mr. A–Z, you're really missing out. It's an optimistic and welcoming soft-pop that, despite its lightness, is not without depth. The compositions are palpably filled with hope and confidence in the future. Among Jason's most famous tracks are Lucky, Life Is Wonderful, Look For The Good, and Living in the Moment. Thus, the song Plane represents our way of experiencing melancholy without excessive drama. It's not in the spirit of Diaghilev, but rather in the spirit of Pushkin: "I am sad and light; my sorrow is bright; My sorrow is filled with you."

Ado — Crime and Punishment

Warning: in the thick of city streets, amidst the symphony of car horns, police sirens, conversations of passersby and bright flashes of neon signs.

Best lines:

静寂を破るドイツ車とパトカー

サイレン 爆音 現実界 或る浮遊

Ado is an enigmatic figure in the music world. At the age of seventeen, she released her hit "Usseewa," which instantly gained popularity and topped the charts, making her one of the most talked about figures in J-pop. The artist prefers to remain incognito, not showing her face, and at live performances, she uses lighting that only emphasizes her silhouette. Crime and Punishment is a great way to immerse yourself in an atmosphere of mystery, as if you were an anime character whose appearance is hidden under long bangs, and whose sad smile is lost in the semi-darkness. A lingering gaze. A rose falls to the ground. A glass shatters. Credits.

3 Doors Down — Circles of Fate

Imagine: you are in a car with the top down or racing on a motorcycle along the high-speed highway, feeling the wind ruffling your hair and filling your heart with hot excitement.

Best lines:

Spinning, spinning, spinning, spinning, but where it will lead - no one knows.

3 Doors Down is an American post-grunge band that emerged on the music scene in the early 2000s, combining elements of radio rock and alternative sounds. The song "Round And Round" is a prime example of the sound characteristic of the album Time of My Life: rich guitar riffs, raspy vocals and a sense of deep disillusionment. It feels like road dust, the smell of gasoline and the desire to sort out your own experiences while sitting on the hood of a car at the edge of the forest.

«Angry River: Art and Wisdom in Music by The Hat, S.I. Istwa and Father John Misty»

Listening to the sounds, I wander through the tangled and gloomy corridors, hoping to find at least a spark of light.

Best lines:

The bitterness of feelings, the hidden face of a forgotten and lost child. The deepest need, The slow flow of time, A debt that remained unresolved.

"Angry River" is a track from the first season of HBO's True Detective. It's a slow, dark folk tune with a Southern, almost gothic feel. The music perfectly captures the atmosphere of the series, which explores themes of religious fanaticism and moral decline. It serves as the perfect backdrop for observing the world around you, especially when you take a closer look at Rust Cohle's face—an expression that could easily be in a weights and measures cabinet labeled "Disillusionment."

The track "Love Will Come Through" by Travis

Listening to the music during the closing credits of another stage of life, you remember all those who left their mark on it.

Best lines:

I find myself at a crossroads, where paths intersect - some lofty, others more mundane. And I have a feeling that I'm on the right path.

The single "Love Will Come Through" has become one of the band's most iconic compositions and serves as a gold standard in its genre. Its melancholy melody, built on small movements, endless repetitions, and mesmerizing swirls, perfectly illustrates comforting reflections on love and hope in a world where these feelings are conspicuously lacking. Moreover, listening to this song, you can easily imagine yourself as the main character of the final episode of the series, who leaves the familiar world after enduring many trials, but remains strong, ready for new achievements - and the audience eagerly awaits the next season.

Underwood - Polka Dot Dress

On the edge of a coastal road, in the midst of the summer heat, one of the travelers shields his eyes from the scorching sun, and with the other hand tries to open a bottle with something that could bring relief.

Best lines:

The summer was cheerful, with a snub air, and hair exuded the scent of apricots. We watched the sherry with bewilderment, but still couldn't see the bottom.

Russian-language pop-rock before Underwood could be compared to Russian poetry before Mayakovsky. In 2001, the band unexpectedly burst onto the music charts with the memorable track "Gagarin, I Loved You." The following year, 2002, they released the album "Everything Will Pass, Darling," which featured the lines: "We stuck pegs into Cinderella's bald head and moved like meltwater, to the sound of rock 'n' roll, bluebells bloomed and a boy grew a beard." While "The Polka Dot Dress" doesn't have the same level of intellectual and linguistic intent, it's still a wonderful story about summer, the sea, freedom, and some strange love—or lack thereof, it's hard to say.

Zhenya Trofimov — Inspiration in the Sky

Listening, I look out the window, where familiar streets flash through the clouds at dawn, and the memory of my first love tragedy comes to mind.

Best lines:

You are always in my thoughts, from the moment of takeoff to the moment of landing. What do your planes hide in their tails?

Zhenya Trofimov once noted during his performance that listeners can be divided into two categories: fans of the song "Trains" and lovers of "Planes". And if anyone present decides to doubt the depth of this music, considering it exclusively for young girls, let them better turn to their inner snob and think about it. Within each of us lies a sensitive, romantic teenager, ready to experience strong emotions, and it is in this context that "The Culture Room" masterfully activates this hidden side.

In the Corridor - Waiting for Your Arrival

Listen: in a dimly lit compartment carriage, returning from a tour, to the flickering lights flashing past the windows.

Best lines:

The road passes through towns of varying sizes, crosses forests and fields, climbs steep passes, penetrates valleys and rises to heights, leading to old piers. I realize that soon everything will start again.

In the early 2000s, the band "Koridor" filled concert venues from the capital to Novosibirsk. It was real Russian rock, which is associated with the golden days of "Nashe Radio". Although one could call it "provincial", one cannot bring oneself to such a definition. The song "You're Waiting for Me" was an undoubted hit, which the audience sang together, losing their bracelets and hair accessories in the crowd of dancers. Today, those over forty still remember these melodies. The band's leader, Alexey Kostyushkin, had barely passed that age: ten years ago, he passed away "into the open sky" after a long illness. Thus, his work remained eternal, albeit a little naive, but sincere reflection of that era.

Farewell, my love

With lightness in my soul and with a small suitcase in my hands, I set off on a long-awaited journey from a place where no one needs my presence anymore.

Best lines:

With a stormy wind that came suddenly, With a world split into fragments, With melodies that sound with you and without - Farewell.

"My Dear" is a musical ensemble that combines elements of pop, rock, jazz, and folk. The group's founders are Olga Sanina and Mikhail Klyushnikov, who, before forming the group, composed music for theatrical productions. This theatrical component is certainly felt in their songs, but it manifests itself not in a loud sound, but in gentle melodies and an intimate atmosphere, in the interplay of nuances. The song "Farewell" is perfect for those moments when, setting off on a journey, you experience mixed feelings - you want to cry and laugh at the same time.

Terelya - A Creature with the Soul of a Dog

Listening, you feel joy, quickly running away from everything that fettered you: from tiring work, from the stuffy city and from indifferent relationships.

Best lines:

Someone accidentally loosened the grip on the leash, and now you rush forward, and a fresh wind blows around you and an abundance of stars sparkle. Nothing can stop you, and going back seems impossible.

"There are moments when you feel like you're on a rope, tied to a certain place or situation. And you only have a little space to run around and see the world," Nastya Terelya shares her thoughts, commenting on her new track. "Overall, this song is about how to free yourself from these bonds." The album is called "Escape Instructions" and includes nine stories about various ways to leave the familiar reality - be it sailing on a cruise liner, escaping on a UFO, or simply breaking free from the leash.

Natalia Nelyubova - Winter Flight through the Skies

Imagine: you are walking through a snowy forest, where silence reigns all around, and your only companions are the black paws of mighty spruce trees and snowdrifts. Cold and frost envelop you, creating the unique atmosphere of this winter landscape.

Best lines:

Winter hovers in the sky. It lasts long and inspires fear. Winter flies across the sky, and on the ground Siberia stretches silently - forever. And in my heart there lives something dark as pitch, dark as pitch.

Natalia Nelyubova, as she humorously notes, is "a veteran of the Kulai culture, a rapper-shaman and a supporter of taiga art house." Her musical repertoire includes songs in Russian, Arabic, Tuvan and Hebrew. She masterfully adapts the works of Alexander Vertinsky and Petr Leshchenko into a jazz format. The album "Somana Kukun" is a creative interpretation of ancient myths - something between a shamanic ritual and a scary bedtime story.

Sirotkin - Heartbeat: It's time to act

Entering the unknown with enthusiasm, you experience a moment of freezing, filled with both fear and anticipation.

Best lines:

Everything that causes fear of loss should be left behind, laughing heartily.

Sergey Sirotkin asserts that "a song should be either completely fragile and quiet, or, on the contrary, bright and emotionally rich, without any halftones." The composition "Beat, Heart", first presented in 2016 on the album "Marble", captivates the listener with such delicacy that the heart is about to break. Special thanks for the touching, angry, and truly beautiful video clip go to director Oleg Trofim, who later won the hearts of many young people with the story of Major Grom.

Naadya - Movement

Listen: through the headphones of a spacesuit, slowly plunging into the endless darkness of outer space.

Best lines:

The silence, the power of words, and their attraction are easy to perceive, but it is more difficult to accept. I am unable to stop the flow of events. Continue your journey without me.

Nadezhda Gritskevich's ethereal electronic track seems to fill the space with cosmic vibrations: the rhythmic pulse of stars, sparkling clouds of nebulae, and the swift trails of comets. This is the perfect sound palette for a dreamy flight into the vast distances, allowing you to watch with tenderness, but without sadness, how what once seemed an integral part of life passes away.

Check out other playlist collections:

• 12 melodies for a perfect summer outing in the fresh air.
• How to start the morning: 20 music tracks for a positive mood.
• Twenty of the most wonderful compositions dedicated to the sea.
• 15 of the most wonderful love songs.