Debauchery, in all senses of the word, is something I like to save for the weekend. Exceptions can be made for holidays or birthdays, but Friday and Saturday nights tend to be my home for excess and vice.
If you run those two days properly and make choices somewhere between Lou Reed and John Denver (leaning more towards Lou Reed, hopefully) then you should wake up Sunday morning with a stomach full of regret. If your stomach isn't telling you this, then your head should be.
You roll over in bed and stare at your clock, noting the passing of the midday sun through your window shade. The first thing you do is pull the shade down, careful not to yank it and cause the ultimate travesty of having full blown daylight fall on your wasted physique. Your next step, if you don't return to sleep for several more hours, is to jab away at your keyboard in a vain attempt to trigger the right album to wake up to. After mistakenly entering the pop section of iTunes and accidently triggering a song you forgot you have (usually Duran Duran or some God-awful cover version of a Paula Abdul track), you put more effort into your next selection.
The Sunday morning comedown album (or SMCATM) is a very important element of an above average record collection. Whether you have it on iTunes downloaded from your scenester suitemate, or you are that scenester suitemate and you have it on CD,vinyl, digital, you all have one. There are, however, superior records of this nature that everyone should have, albums that breathe in the acrid and sweat-filled air of a misappropriated weekend and breathe out roses and self-reflection.
A perfect example of the Sunday morning comedown album is The Weakerthans Left and Leaving. This album is the epoch of emo live-journal poetry style writing, except it's good. The songwriting contains some of the best and most evocative passages ever to grace a whining man's voice. Metaphorically speaking, Left and Leaving is like an explanation of what you did the night before, but seen through the eyes of an expressionist painter.
Another less lyrical example of such an album is John Coltrane's Giant Steps. Although the last time you listened to jazz may be that Lexus commercial you saw an hour ago, Sunday mornings are the perfect time to explore this art form. A mentally stimulating affair, Giant Steps may actually get you out of bed before three, a quality of the Sunday morning comedown album that is not to be ignored.
If you're looking for an album with a few more lyrics, but not ones you'll have to pay attention to because they don't really mean anything, then Sigur Ros's ( ) is perfect for you. This Icelandic group has the perfect life-affirming record. It's beautiful, like listening to a trendy opera, but with such awkward recording techniques that one truly has no clue how such sounds are being made. The album was actually recorded in a swimming pool. Remember that to settle disputes with your friends - such a debate is sure to arise when you listen to an album titled ( ).
With a more traditional music design, Jeff Buckley's Grace, a staple of most public radio stations since his death, presents a Sunday with a bit more love. Buckley's haunting voice, which does things no man's voice should be able to, controls this record with lyrics of artistic and emotional quality without pushing it to today's whiny standards. There is nothing more comforting than hearing "Last Goodbye" after an evening gone wrong.
The most effective Sunday comedown album comes from The Verve, with the masterpiece Urban Hymns. Even if you haven't heard of The Verve (no, not that pagan senior year cryfest titled "Freshman" by The Verve Pipe) you've heard them. Their American hit, "Bittersweet Symphony," was everywhere for a while, including the epic end to guilty pleasure film Cruel Intentions. This album was made for recovery moments, with tracks like "Lucky Man" and "The Drugs Don't Work." There is no finer disc to rise to after a weekend of wrong than Urban Hymns.
Albums mentioned
The Weakerthans Left and Leaving 4/5 John Coltrane Giant Steps 5/5 Sigur Ros ( ) 4/5 Jeff Buckley Grace 4.5/5 The Verve Urban Hymns 5/5
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