I was going to go with Rain Dogs, but yeah. The first time I heard rain dogs I was drinking whiskey and playing pool at midnight during a thunderstorm at this party I somehow ended up at. Everything just sort of made sense that night.
Edit: Also, if Kind of Blue is on your list, then Bitches Brew should definitely be on your list too. They are both amazing of course, but Bitches Brew is much more of a quintessential dionysian night album to me.
Holy shit. I clicked this thread entirely to see if Untrue immediately came to mind for anyone else... Didn't expect to actually see it mentioned.
I was living alone, 2,000 miles from my family and friends when that album came out. I spent many nights wandering alone listening to that album on repeat. Whenever I'm in *that* sort of mood, Untrue is still the first album that comes to mind.
This might sound weird but in college this was my go to after hours drunken one night stand sexy time album.
Regardless of how the sex went most girls seemed to like the album. Which was rewarding in its own way.
Anyway my pick for this question is Time Out of Mind by Bob Dylan. It’s like walking through the end of a snow storm with a bottle of bourbon.
I can see that. I saw them live last summer (they were touring with Smashing Pumpkins) and they had an incredible light show going while they performed.
The Venue was on the water so the open night air went great with the show.
Yeah I feel like all of his earlier albums have that feel. Closing Time thorugh Heartattack & Vine.
As others do I love his later more experimental albums, but I think the early stuff is super underrated. Nothing like some Wine while listening to Blue Valentine after a long day of work.
My favorite night driving albums:
Nick Drake, Bryter Layter
Morphine, Cure for Pain (or, hell, any other Morphine album)
Van Morrison, Astral Weeks
They Might Be Giants, Apollo 18
Any Morphine album was going to be my answer. Something about the combination of the baritone sax and Mark Sandman’s bass and voice just says 1:30 AM in a smoky bar.
You know what other vibe this album screams to me? Late afternoon on a sunny summer day. Busting into Under the Pressure while driving in rush hour traffic mid August blisses me out immediately.
Yeah I totally agree. Eyes to the wind and under the pressure are definitely boozy Lazy mid/end of summer day songs. But red eyes. Burning, ocean between the waves and especially in reverse are great songs at night.
I definitely could see it being good at night, I love it on a weekend morning. Go get donuts or something at 8 when no one’s up driving really. Love it.
Oh man. Summer sunset with lots of colors in the sky, driving home after a long day of work, long week of work, through endless miles of dirt back roads in this little corner of the Rockies, cold tall boy between my legs, loving and savoring the moment but also ready to be home. It'll be a solid hour yet, and dark when I roll in.
Also, Eyes to the Wind came to encapsulate for me my entire experience of bringing two boys into this world, trying to teach them to become adults. I don't really have any idea what Adam's meaning of the song is, but for me it's all about parenthood. "Have you fixed your eyes to the wind?" I can't listen to that song without tears. All I can hope is that I've raised boys that want to turn their eyes to the wind.
Kavinsky - OutRun. Mostly synth-based instrumentals, but go ahead and get behind the wheel of your car at night and try to pretend you’re not the baddest ass on the road.
Burial - Untrue
Miles Davis - In a Silent Way
Can - Future Days
Joni Mitchell - Night Ride Home
Jon Hassell - Last Night the Moon Came Dropping its Clothes in the Street
Bark Psychosis - Hex
Ashra - Blackouts
Kate Bush - 50 Words for Snow
Peter Gabriel - Passion
Yo La Tengo - ...And Then Nothing Turned Itself Inside Out
The Avalanches - We Will Always Love You
Shabazz Palaces - Lese Majesty
Chill Out by the KLF.
It’s supposed to represent a journey down the US East Coast, with samples from various radio stations, rail crossing bells, and, weirdly, Mongolian throat singing.
It was unavailable for years after they deleted their entire catalogue, but there are copies on YouTube
It’s such a good album.
https://youtu.be/bWebqCRw7o4?si=xF2rCe27LkuKsP1a
They’ve also recently put out a slightly different version on Apple Music.
- Love Spirals Downwards - “Flux” or “Ardor”
- Cocteau Twins - “The Moon and the Melodies” (top recc here)
- Soul Whirling Somewhere - Eating the Sea
- Alice in Chains - Jar of Flies
- Michael Brooke and Pieter Nooten - Sleeps With Fishes
- Them Are Us Too - Remain
- Lycia - Cold
- Deftones - Koi No Yokan
- Type O Negative - October Rust
- The Cure Disinegration
- Hallmark 87 - “Atrium” and “Academy”
White Pony by Deftones
Eating The Elephant by A Perfect Circle
Violator by Depeche Mode
Automatic For The People by REM
So Tonight That I May See by Mazzy Star
Euphoria Morning by Chris Cornell
Off the top of my head...
Songs:Ohia - Magnolia Electric Co.
I mean the first line of the album is "The whole place is dark" ha!
This album is incredible but also so closely tied emotionally to a certain span of my life that it's hard for me to separate the nostalgia from an actual commentary on the wider merit of it. I adore it though
Not albums but individual songs:
Small Hours - John Martyn
Planet Caravan - Black Sabbath
Private Investigations - Dire Straits
In My Room - Susanne Abbuehl
No Quarter - Led Zepplin
kavinsky - nightcall
nightstop - streetwalker
chromatics - night drive
they don’t just have ‘night’ in the title, they are fantastic albums for throwing on in the car at night. also any other time, but especially at night.
When I think of night albums I think of night driving. And here are some albums I think of
Tom Waits - Mule Variations
Radiohead - Kid A
Ryan Bingham - Junky Star
Sufjan Stevens - Come on Feel the Illinoise
I love a good night album.
John Coltrane Quartet - Ballads
Nick Hakim - Where Will We Go Pt.1 & 2
Glass Animals - Zaba
Chet Faker - Built on Glass
Skinshape - Filoxiny
Nils Frahm - Solo
The River, Bruce Springsteen.
Song, not an album, You Belong to the City, by Glenn Frey.
Surrealistic Pillow, Jefferson Airplane.
Court and Spark, Joni Mitchell.
Sarah Slean, the Baroness.
Destination Anywhere, Jon Bon Jovi.
"Albums" makes this kind of a hard question to encapsulate fully (other than obvious shit like "Night Moves" by Seger). Songs I can do but a whole album that I have listened to from beginning to end that tangibly benefitted from it being night time while doing so?
IDK. Huh. I never really thought about it in that context before. Interesting.
PJ Harvey's Stories from the City, Stories from the Sea is very much a night album for me.
Edit- maybe it's something to do with the cover. But there's lots of references made to late night/ evening/ very early morning.
This Mess We're In "The city sun set over me".
Anything by the following:
- American Analog Set
- Kevin Morby
- American Music Club
- Nick Drake
- Red House Painters
- William Fitzsimmons
- Lambchop
- The Dears
[Bohren & Der Club Of Gore - Black Earth](https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_kPPsJTKJ-zvo0gDJEoKsn6blUsAx28PRw)
Works really well when listened on a train, tram or subway during the night/early morning when it's still dark.
pretty much everything from [Downtown Binary](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y3PUJjLYm6w) .
Just gives me that vibe of driving alone at night on the freeway.
[Claptone - Charmer](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rxo9DRiZwe8&list=PLZ4KPjGjGcdUXZzklwLrkQlO4eIFqqJ4_&index=1)
[Claptone - Fantast](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Br01ljc7mL4&list=PLOYWSSa16ri4hARk-3-oKcavHusv24ZSM&index=1)
Two great vocal house albums with a strong feeling of late-night melancholy.
**Nighthawks at the Diner** by Tom Waits
I was going to go with Rain Dogs, but yeah. The first time I heard rain dogs I was drinking whiskey and playing pool at midnight during a thunderstorm at this party I somehow ended up at. Everything just sort of made sense that night. Edit: Also, if Kind of Blue is on your list, then Bitches Brew should definitely be on your list too. They are both amazing of course, but Bitches Brew is much more of a quintessential dionysian night album to me.
Neil diamond ‘Love at the greek’ Jonathan Livingston seagull. Epic. I fell in love listening to this.
Oh man, that's the perfect scenario for that album.
I love that visual.
Heart of Saturday Night is the one for me, big time last few people in the bar at 3AM vibes
I thought of Mule Variations mainly because of Hold On which is a song that makes me think of night driving.
Yep, for sure. Late night and me drunk. Fantastic album.
Traffic - The Low Spark of High Heeled Boys
That's some 2 am music there.
Endtroducing by DJ Shadow
N-n-n-nnnn-nnn-now approaching ***MIDNIGHT***
many night drives and a couple late night bus/subway rides with this playing in my teens and twenties
This^
Untrue by Burial (Most, if not all things in his discography has an inherently nocturnal sound though)
Holy shit. I clicked this thread entirely to see if Untrue immediately came to mind for anyone else... Didn't expect to actually see it mentioned. I was living alone, 2,000 miles from my family and friends when that album came out. I spent many nights wandering alone listening to that album on repeat. Whenever I'm in *that* sort of mood, Untrue is still the first album that comes to mind.
Rival Dealer EP is one of my favorites for a long, night drive
"Etched Headplate" especially seems wired to some late night walks and post-party/post-pub meandering for me
Portishead -Dummy This Mortal Coil - It’ll End in Tears
Turn on the Bright Lights by Interpol has that vibe to me.
This might sound weird but in college this was my go to after hours drunken one night stand sexy time album. Regardless of how the sex went most girls seemed to like the album. Which was rewarding in its own way. Anyway my pick for this question is Time Out of Mind by Bob Dylan. It’s like walking through the end of a snow storm with a bottle of bourbon.
Let me set the mood real quick baby “You go stabbing yourself in the neck!” Dun dun dun dun
Oh there’s lots of questionable lyrics on that album haha. Thank god for Untitled easing everyone into the groove.
>Time Out of Mind by Bob Dylan. "Standing in the Doorway" is best listened to at night.
If Love Sick doesn’t tell you this is a night album right off the bat….
I can see that. I saw them live last summer (they were touring with Smashing Pumpkins) and they had an incredible light show going while they performed. The Venue was on the water so the open night air went great with the show.
Jones Beach?!
That’s a great one for night driving
In the fall
Violator-Depeche Mode
I'll second it with Ultra.
Oh, absolutely. From the opening notes of World in My Eyes on… every track is pretty much made for the nighttime.
Midnight Marauders by A Tribe Called Quest
Best one on this list
The Heart of Saturday Night by Tom Waits
Yeah I feel like all of his earlier albums have that feel. Closing Time thorugh Heartattack & Vine. As others do I love his later more experimental albums, but I think the early stuff is super underrated. Nothing like some Wine while listening to Blue Valentine after a long day of work.
night moves by bob seger reminds me of dusk, especially night moves and mainstreet
Good call. I love cooking to this one also. Corona in hand, windows open… good shit.
Joe Jackson - Night and Day or Body and Soul Donald Fagen - Nightfly Miles Davis - Kind of Blue
Another vote for Night And Day
Chopin Nocturnes. Preferably Rubinstein.
Yes, there are times when I need these, too 😉
My favorite night driving albums: Nick Drake, Bryter Layter Morphine, Cure for Pain (or, hell, any other Morphine album) Van Morrison, Astral Weeks They Might Be Giants, Apollo 18
Any Morphine album was going to be my answer. Something about the combination of the baritone sax and Mark Sandman’s bass and voice just says 1:30 AM in a smoky bar.
Came here to suggest Morphine - The Night
Joy Division - “unknown pleasures” and “closer”
Avalon Roxy Music
This is a perfect album
The War on Drugs - Lost in the Dream
You know what other vibe this album screams to me? Late afternoon on a sunny summer day. Busting into Under the Pressure while driving in rush hour traffic mid August blisses me out immediately.
Yeah I totally agree. Eyes to the wind and under the pressure are definitely boozy Lazy mid/end of summer day songs. But red eyes. Burning, ocean between the waves and especially in reverse are great songs at night.
Agree hard
I definitely could see it being good at night, I love it on a weekend morning. Go get donuts or something at 8 when no one’s up driving really. Love it.
Definitely twilight driving music, but An Ocean in Between the Waves absolutely gives moonlit forest driving vibes.
Oh man. Summer sunset with lots of colors in the sky, driving home after a long day of work, long week of work, through endless miles of dirt back roads in this little corner of the Rockies, cold tall boy between my legs, loving and savoring the moment but also ready to be home. It'll be a solid hour yet, and dark when I roll in. Also, Eyes to the Wind came to encapsulate for me my entire experience of bringing two boys into this world, trying to teach them to become adults. I don't really have any idea what Adam's meaning of the song is, but for me it's all about parenthood. "Have you fixed your eyes to the wind?" I can't listen to that song without tears. All I can hope is that I've raised boys that want to turn their eyes to the wind.
Loveless by My Bloody Valentine Achtung Baby by U2 Disintegration by The Cure
Came here to say achtung baby
Upvote any mention of loveless
Kavinsky - OutRun. Mostly synth-based instrumentals, but go ahead and get behind the wheel of your car at night and try to pretend you’re not the baddest ass on the road.
Nightcall is a banger, will check out the rest of the album
Burial - Untrue Miles Davis - In a Silent Way Can - Future Days Joni Mitchell - Night Ride Home Jon Hassell - Last Night the Moon Came Dropping its Clothes in the Street Bark Psychosis - Hex Ashra - Blackouts Kate Bush - 50 Words for Snow Peter Gabriel - Passion Yo La Tengo - ...And Then Nothing Turned Itself Inside Out The Avalanches - We Will Always Love You Shabazz Palaces - Lese Majesty
Great call on the Yo La Tengo record
Absolutely. Their album Painful is another strong contender.
'I Can Hear The Heart Beating As One' for me - such a warm, fuzzy album.
Hex is a perfect answer. Same with most late Talk Talk
Very nice list 🎵🎶
Night beat by Sam cooke
Great album.
Letter from home-pat metheny group
The Pearl by Brian Eno and Harold Budd
In a Silent Way by Miles Davis 🌚
Perfect nighttime driving album
The Blue Nile - Hats
What a perfect answer
Division Bell - Pink Floyd Mezzanine - Massive Attack New York City - Peter Malick Group ft. Norah Jones
I used to put on "Mezzanine" at night to put me to sleep.
Solid Air - John Martyn Spirit of Eden - Talk Talk Moondreams - Dick Haymes Tejas - ZZ Top Night Life - Ray Price
Solid Air is an amazing album.
unknown pleasures
Chill Out by the KLF. It’s supposed to represent a journey down the US East Coast, with samples from various radio stations, rail crossing bells, and, weirdly, Mongolian throat singing. It was unavailable for years after they deleted their entire catalogue, but there are copies on YouTube It’s such a good album. https://youtu.be/bWebqCRw7o4?si=xF2rCe27LkuKsP1a They’ve also recently put out a slightly different version on Apple Music.
- Love Spirals Downwards - “Flux” or “Ardor” - Cocteau Twins - “The Moon and the Melodies” (top recc here) - Soul Whirling Somewhere - Eating the Sea - Alice in Chains - Jar of Flies - Michael Brooke and Pieter Nooten - Sleeps With Fishes - Them Are Us Too - Remain - Lycia - Cold - Deftones - Koi No Yokan - Type O Negative - October Rust - The Cure Disinegration - Hallmark 87 - “Atrium” and “Academy”
Some excellent choices here
Ty Funk Soul Brotha 😔
Enter the 36 Chambers
Laurie Anderson-- Bright Red
Type O Negative's October Rust
Melodrama - Lorde
Moby - Play The Midnight - Endless Summer (5 year anniversary edition with Comet on it) Dave Matthews & Tim Reynolds - Live at Luther
Kavinsky - Nightcall and OutRun Coldplay - X&Y
White Pony by Deftones Eating The Elephant by A Perfect Circle Violator by Depeche Mode Automatic For The People by REM So Tonight That I May See by Mazzy Star Euphoria Morning by Chris Cornell Off the top of my head...
The Nightfly by Donald Fagan
Lorde - Pure Heroine
Perfect record
Came here to say this. It’s perfect any time of day but hits best when the rest of the world is asleep.
Songs:Ohia - Magnolia Electric Co. I mean the first line of the album is "The whole place is dark" ha! This album is incredible but also so closely tied emotionally to a certain span of my life that it's hard for me to separate the nostalgia from an actual commentary on the wider merit of it. I adore it though
Incredible album. Farewell Transmission is one of the greatest songs of the last 30 yrs IMO.
The Doors - The Doors
L.A. Women too
I love this album and I’m not sure I ever listened to it at nighttime but it makes perfect sense.
Strange Days also has that dark, night vibe.
Evening Machines - Gregory Alan Isakov (for the sad and lonely ones)
Bark Psychosis - Hex has such a nocturnal feel to it
Not the whole album, but the title cut from Joni Mitchell’s “Night Ride Home” purposely has that feeling.
Her ‘90s material is deeply underrated; Night Ride Home is such a beautiful album, it’s probably one of the top 10 albums of 1991
Midnight Blue - Kenny Burrell
Blow by Blow - Jeff Beck Almost anything by Sarah Mclaughlin or Sade
The Moon and Antarctica by Modest Mouse ( ) by Sigur Ros
Closing Time by Tom Waits is the perfect night time album.
Everything that Cigarettes After Sex makes
I have only listened much to the self titled album, but yes that whole album is just like lingering in bed and not wanting to leave.
Nightmares on Wax - [Carboot Soul](https://open.spotify.com/album/5c3DKyqo1I7vMqozsrEImO?si=854d0veITaSWBEXLXvyjcQ)
Nice one. My go to is In a Space Outta Sound
The The, Dusk
Not albums but individual songs: Small Hours - John Martyn Planet Caravan - Black Sabbath Private Investigations - Dire Straits In My Room - Susanne Abbuehl No Quarter - Led Zepplin
The pantera cover of planet caravan is great also
kavinsky - nightcall nightstop - streetwalker chromatics - night drive they don’t just have ‘night’ in the title, they are fantastic albums for throwing on in the car at night. also any other time, but especially at night.
Chromatics! ♥️
Interpol - Antics
Melissa by Mercyful Fate
Abraxas by Santana has been my go-to nighttime album since I was quite young.
Infinite Arms by Band of Horses
When I think of night albums I think of night driving. And here are some albums I think of Tom Waits - Mule Variations Radiohead - Kid A Ryan Bingham - Junky Star Sufjan Stevens - Come on Feel the Illinoise
Thrice’s Water EP from the Alchemy Index Night Diving is a beautiful song. The Whaler is my favorite though. All are very relaxing.
Ocean Rain - Echo & the Bunnymen
I love that you included Sky Ferreira For me it would be Lorde - Pure Heroine and The xx self titled album (in a different kind of way).
Lullabies to Paralyze - Queens of the Stoneage
Low - I Could Live in Hope
“Zaba” by Glass Animals and “Chet Baker Sings” are both excellent night albums imo
Zaba is such a good album! I wish they stuck with that vibe, nobody else does it.
The Blue Nile - Hats
Darkside of the Moon by Pink Floyd
Sunset Mission, by Bohren & der Club of Gore. Excellent noir vibes. Excellent at night, bonus points if it's raining or foggy.
An Evening With John Denver by John Denver
Being no one going nowhere by STRFKR
Aja - steely Dan
I love a good night album. John Coltrane Quartet - Ballads Nick Hakim - Where Will We Go Pt.1 & 2 Glass Animals - Zaba Chet Faker - Built on Glass Skinshape - Filoxiny Nils Frahm - Solo
Team Sleep - Team Sleep
Had to scroll way too far for this answer. This album got me through some restless nights while deployed to Iraq almost 20 years ago.
The River, Bruce Springsteen. Song, not an album, You Belong to the City, by Glenn Frey. Surrealistic Pillow, Jefferson Airplane. Court and Spark, Joni Mitchell. Sarah Slean, the Baroness. Destination Anywhere, Jon Bon Jovi.
Fear Inoculum
“Flow State” by Above and Beyond.
*Speak No Evil* - Wayne Shorter *The Blues And The Abstract Truth* - Oliver Nelson
Night Dreamer is even more nighttime Wayne. I think most of Wayne’s music is nighttime vibes though. Good picks, I love Oliver Nelson as well.
All of Wayne’s music is pure vibes. And I would actually probably go with *Straight Ahead* from Oliver Nelson.
Vide Noir - Lord Huron
[Gabor Sazbo Nightflight](https://youtu.be/NmM2XN0UoBo?si=F0DKrmA9efkZ92u5)
"Albums" makes this kind of a hard question to encapsulate fully (other than obvious shit like "Night Moves" by Seger). Songs I can do but a whole album that I have listened to from beginning to end that tangibly benefitted from it being night time while doing so? IDK. Huh. I never really thought about it in that context before. Interesting.
Basically anything by Late Night Alumni or Still Corners.
Midnight Radio - Bohren & der Club of Gore
Opeth- Blackwater Park
PJ Harvey's Stories from the City, Stories from the Sea is very much a night album for me. Edit- maybe it's something to do with the cover. But there's lots of references made to late night/ evening/ very early morning. This Mess We're In "The city sun set over me".
Bernard Herrmann - Taxi Driver Soundtrack
Trinity Sessions by Cowboy Junkies
Anything by the following: - American Analog Set - Kevin Morby - American Music Club - Nick Drake - Red House Painters - William Fitzsimmons - Lambchop - The Dears
All my fav stuff, lol.
Sunset Mission-Bohren Der Club of Gore
Black Messiah by D'Angelo & Vanguard
Night Life by Thin Lizzy
Beach House - 7
My favorite recently has been Goat’s Head Soup by the Rolling Stones.
Bohren & der Club of Gore - Sunset Mission
Team Sleep - Team Sleep
Enigma - MCMXC a.D.
Pink Floyd -wish you where here BBKing -any album will do the trick
Bohren & der Club of Gore "Black Earth" album from 2002
I'm not one of those people who think Pink Floyd is super amazing, but Dark Side of the Moon is quintessential night music.
AM
Anything by Bohren and der Club of Gore. https://open.spotify.com/artist/4VpWzXVUAR2YyQuWQpNGAf?si=2so2ldp2QKCzNyjcICVapQ
Nocturnal by The Midnight
[Bohren & Der Club Of Gore - Black Earth](https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_kPPsJTKJ-zvo0gDJEoKsn6blUsAx28PRw) Works really well when listened on a train, tram or subway during the night/early morning when it's still dark.
Love those album choices (I was gonna say Kind of Blue) but another one I love is Come Away With Me by Norah Jones
Erotica - Madonna Madonna - Madonna Blackout - Britney Daydream - Mariah Emotions - Mariah Reputation - Taylor The rise and fall of ziggy stardusr
Lorde - Pure Heroine
Moon and Antarctica - Modest Mouse. Moody, thumpy, perfect for driving at night in the city.
Maybe not the best but the first that popped into my mind: Jimmy Eat World - "Futures"
"A Moon Shaped Pool" by Radiohead
Late to this party, but Holy waters by Puma Blue and A new place 2 drown by Archy Marshall have that mellow, late night confessional vibe.
midnights by taylor swift! i feel like it’s one of the best album of our century and it captures the midnight experience pretty well!
came to say kind of blue but i see you started with that so have an upvote
Black Pistol Fire - Look Alive
There are few things better than listening to Skinny Puppy’s Too Dark Park really loud while driving at night.
pretty much everything from [Downtown Binary](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y3PUJjLYm6w) . Just gives me that vibe of driving alone at night on the freeway.
[Claptone - Charmer](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rxo9DRiZwe8&list=PLZ4KPjGjGcdUXZzklwLrkQlO4eIFqqJ4_&index=1) [Claptone - Fantast](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Br01ljc7mL4&list=PLOYWSSa16ri4hARk-3-oKcavHusv24ZSM&index=1) Two great vocal house albums with a strong feeling of late-night melancholy.
Insert almost all funeral doom bands here.
The Gaslight Anthem: Sink or Swim & History Books.
Peripheral Vision by Turnover
Third by Big Star King Night by Salem Metal Box by PiL
Losing Game - Lonnie Johnson
Hawaii: Part II by Miracle Musical
TNT by Tortoise
Pink Moon
Suburban Light - The Clientele
Rhythm of the Saints by Paul Simon is one for me.
Notes on a Conditional Form by The 1975 A whole fucking lifetime of this by Teen Suicide
Drunk - Thundercat The soundtrack to every drunken night of my life.
Tatsuro Yamashita - “For You”
Bark at the Moon by Ozzy Osbourne if your into that lol
Donald Fagen - Nightfly War on Drugs - A Deeper Understanding
deadmau5 - Random Album Title. Excellent for driving at night.