VA - Songs of Angst (A Butterboy Compilation) Box Set (6 x CDs)

ANGST

VA - Songs of Angst (A Butterboy Compilation) Box Set (6 x CDs)

Angst isn’t just a mood, it’s a kind of emotional static that hums beneath the surface, especially during adolescence. The word itself comes from German, meaning fear or anxiety, but in English it’s evolved into something more existential. It’s that gnawing sense of unease when you’re not sure who you are, what you want, or how to fit into a world that feels too big and too indifferent.

Songs of Angst is a 6 x CDs box set I curated to explore the emotional terrain that most compilations shy away from. It’s not built around hits or genre loyalty, it’s built around feeling. Across 150 tracks, this set traces the arc of alienation, heartbreak, existential dread, and the quiet ache of being misunderstood. It’s a collection for anyone who’s ever felt like they were falling apart while the world kept spinning.

This set unfolds across six carefully titled discs, each tracing a distinct emotional terrain. 

CD1, Teenage Angst, Suburban Static & Bedroom Walls, captures the raw confusion and identity crises of youth, where rebellion meets isolation in the glow of a bedroom lamp.

CD2, Romantic Collapse, dives headfirst into the wreckage of love, obsession, and heartbreak, with songs that ache and unravel.

CD3, Existential Reckoning, shifts inward, exploring spiritual dislocation, dread, and the search for meaning in a world that often feels indifferent. 

CD4, Quiet Acceptance, offers a more subdued palette, songs of resignation, reflection, and the slow surrender to life’s complexities. 

CD5, Maximum Angst, is the emotional apex: devastating, unflinching, and often overwhelming, it’s where grief, despair, and isolation are laid bare.

CD6, Powerpop, Hooks & Heartbreak, brings melodic relief without losing emotional depth, bittersweet anthems that marry catchy choruses with lyrical ache. Together, these discs form a cohesive emotional archive, sequenced not by genre but by feeling.

The first disc opens with the Replacements’ “Androgynous,” a song that still feels radical in its empathy, and sets the tone for what follows: punk, indie, and alt-rock tracks that capture the rawness of youth and identity crisis. From “Teenage Dirtbag” to “At Seventeen,” these songs don’t just speak to adolescence, they embody it. Later discs dive deeper into romantic collapse, poetic despair, and full-blown existential unraveling. By the time you reach Lou Reed’s “The Kids” or Mount Eerie’s “Real Death,” the emotional stakes are devastating.

I’ve included rarities and overlooked gems throughout. Nick Drake’s “Black Eyed Dog,” released posthumously in 1979, is one of the most harrowing recordings ever made. Tufano & Giammarese’s 1973 cover of “I’m a Loser” reframes Lennon’s self-loathing through a soft psych lens. The Shivvers’ “Teen Line” and Blue Ash’s “Abracadabra” are powerpop obscurities that carry more emotional weight than their genre typically allows. Even Scott Walker’s “Clara” a 12-minute avant-garde descent into historical horror earns its place here.

But this isn’t just a descent into sadness. There’s catharsis in the sequencing. Fiona Apple’s “Sleep to Dream” and PJ Harvey’s “Sheela-Na-Gig” are defiant. Angel Olsen’s “Windows” and Bill Callahan’s “Too Many Birds” offer glimpses of grace. And the presence of artists like Vashti Bunyan, Judee Sill, and Linda Perhacs ensures that the quieter voices of emotional storytelling aren’t drowned out by louder ones.

The Songs of Angst compilation is a sprawling emotional atlas, tracing the contours of alienation, heartbreak, existential dread, and the quiet ache of being misunderstood. It captures the full spectrum of human unraveling, from teenage disillusionment to adult collapse, with a precision that’s both archival and deeply personal. It’s about truth, connection, and the songs that say what we’re often afraid to admit. If you’re looking for comfort, confrontation, or just a place to feel understood, this set is for you. (B)

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Track lists

CD1 Teenage Angst, Suburban Static & Bedroom Walls

01 Replacements - Androgynous 3:10 1984

02 Broken Social Scene - Anthems for a Seventeen-Year-Old Girl 4:35 2002

03 Jawbreaker - Boxcar 1:55 1994

04 Breeders - Cannonball 3:35 1993

05 Radiohead - Creep 3:55 1992

06 Hole - Doll Parts 3:31 1994

07 Modern Lovers - Hospital 5:31 1976

08 Smashing Pumpkins - I Am One 4:06 1991

09 Lemon Twigs - I Wanna Prove to You 3:41 2016

10 Cure - Jumping Someone Else's Train 2:55 1979

11 Juliana Hatfield 3 - My Sister 3:24 1993

12 Elliott Smith - Needle in The Hay 4:16 1995

13 L7 - Pretend We're Dead 3:55 1992

14 Weezer - Say it Ain't So 4:18 1994

15 Fiona Apple - Sleep to Dream 4:08 1996

16 Sonic Youth - Teenage Riot 4:17 1988

17 Replacements - Unsatisfied 4:01 1984

18 Smiths - What Difference Does it Make? 3:51 1984

19 Placebo - Teenage Angst 2:41 1996

20 Alice Cooper - Teenage Lament '74 3:52 1973

21 Wheatus - Teenage Dirtbag 4:03 2000

22 Janis Ian - At Seventeen (Single Version) 3:55 1975

23 Nirvana - Smells Like Teen Spirit 5:01 1991

24 PJ Harvey - Sheela-Na-Gig 3:24 1992

25 Teenage Fanclub - The Concept 6:06 1991

CD2 Romantic Collapse

01 Jesse McCartney - Just So You Know 3:54 2006

02 Rilo Kiley - Portions for Foxes 4:44 2004

03 Cranberries - Ridiculous Thoughts 4:33 2012

04 Libertines - Can't Stand Me Now 3:23 2004

05 Angel Olsen - Spring 3:23 2021

06 Paul Westerberg - Things 3:22 2005

07 Bill Callahan - Too Many Birds 5:27 2009

08 Cat Power - Cross Bones Style 4:32 1998

09 Tori Amos - Crucify 4:59 1992

10 Jeff Buckley - Lover, You Should've Come Over 6:43 1994

11 Mazzy Star - Fade Into You 4:57 1993

12 Liz Phair - Fuck and Run 3:08 1994

13 Sundays - Here's Where The Story Ends 3:52 1990

14 Bright Eyes - Lover I Don't Have to Love 3:59 2002

15 Interpol - Obstacle 1 4:11 2002

16 Garbage - Only Happy When it Rains 3:56 1995

17 Alanis Morissette - Perfect 3:07 1995

18 Lorde - Ribs 4:18 2013

19 Kate Bush - Moments of Pleasure 5:17 1993

20 1975 - Somebody Else 5:47 2016

21 Verve - The Drugs Don't Work 5:07 1997

22 Rosanne Cash - Blue Moon With Heartache 4:28 1981

23 Paramore - Decode 4:22 2008

24 Bonnie Raitt - I Can't Make You Love Me 5:32 1991

25 Elvis Costello - I Want You 6:43 1986

CD3 Existential Reckoning

01 Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds - People Ain't No Good 5:40 1997

02 Emmylou Harris - Red Dirt Girl 4:19 2000

03 Scott Walker - Rosary 2:41 2006

04 Bruce Springsteen - Streets of Philadelphia 3:17 1994

05 Lucinda Williams - Sweet Old World 4:03 1992

06 Marianne Faithfull - The Ballad of Lucy Jordan 4:10 1979

07 Low - Lullaby 9:50 1994

08 David Bowie - Thursday's Child 4:26 1999

09 Richard Thompson - Walking on A Wire 3:51 1982

10 Tracy Chapman - Behind The Wall 1:49 1988

11 John Cale - Fear is A Man's Best Friend 3:53 1974

12 Randy Newman - Guilty 2:35 1974

13 Lou Reed - Magic and Loss 6:39 1992

14 Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds - Into My Arms 4:15 1997

15 Scott Walker - It's Raining Today 4:01 1969

16 Velvet Underground - Candy Says 4:00 1969

17 Scott Walker - Clara 12:43 2006

18 Slint - Good Morning, Captain 7:39 1991

19 Radiohead - How to Disappear Completely 5:56 2000

20 Mount Eerie - Real Death 2:27 2017

21 PJ Harvey - The Dancer 4:05 1995

22 Arab Strap - The First Big Weekend 4:52 1966

23 Nine Inch Nails - The Great Below 5:16 1999

24 Angel Olsen - Windows 4:07 2019

25 Elliott Smith - King's Crossing 4:58 2004

CD4 Quiet Acceptance

01 Joni Mitchell - Amelia 6:46 1976

02 Bill Fay - Be Not So Fearful 2:46 1970

03 Leonard Cohen - Famous Blue Raincoat 5:15 1971

04 Vic Chesnutt - Flirted With You All My Life 4:41 2009

05 Joni Mitchell - The Circle Game 4:55 1970

06 Sinead O'Connor - Troy 6:33 1987

07 Mark Kozelek & Jimmy LaValle - You Missed My Heart 5:40 2013

08 Lisa Germano - Cry Wolf 4:59 1994

09 Ray LaMontagne - Empty 5:17 2006

10 Phoebe Bridgers - Funeral 3:52 2017

11 Jose Gonzalez - Heartbeats 2:40 2003

12 Julie Byrne - I Live Now as a Singer 4:04 2017

13 Vashti Bunyan - If I Were 2:15 2005

14 Aldous Harding - Imagining My Man 5:52 2017

15 Mitski - Pearl Diver 2:44 2012

16 Judee Sill - The Kiss 4:36 1973

17 Joanna Newsom - Baby Birch 9:30 2010

18 John Martyn - Go Down Easy '73 3:35 1973

19 Anne Briggs - Go Your Way 4:14 1971

20 Linda Perhacs - Hey, Who Really Cares 2:35 1970

21 Tim Hardin - Reason to Believe 1:58 1966

22 Nick Drake - Riverman 4:18 1969

23 Sibylle Baier - Tonight 2:26 1973

24 Sampha - (No One Knows Me) Like the Piano 3:34 2017

25 Keaton Henson - You 4:42 2012

CD5 Maximum Angst

01 Lou Reed - The Kids 7:51 1973

02 Nick Drake - Black Eyed Dog 3:26 1979

03 Kinks - Dead End Street 3:21 1966

04 Nina Simone - Mississippi Goddam 4:57 1964

05 Peter Gabriel - I Grieve 7:24 1998

06 Randy Newman - Losing You 2:46 2008

07 Low - Lullaby 9:50 1994

08 Smiths - I Know It's Over 5:49 1986

09 Radiohead - No Surprises 3:48 1997

10 National - About Today 4:10 2004

11 Sufjan Stevens - John Wayne Gacy, Jr. 3:19 2005

12 John Lennon - Isolation 2:53 1970

13 Microphones - I Felt Your Shape 1:55 2001

14 Frank Zappa - Trouble Every Day 5:49 1966

15 Pink Floyd - Brain Damage 3:50 1973

16 Joni Mitchell - Both Sides, Now 4:29 1969

17 Tufano & Giammarese - I'm A Loser  4:46 1973

18 Beatles - Yer Blues 4:13 1968

19 XTC - Dear God 3:38 1986

20 Neil Young - Sugar Mountain 5:46 1964

21 Ani Difranco - Not a Pretty Girl 3:58 1995

22 Rolling Stones - I Am Waiting 3:11 1966

23 Bee Gees - I Started a Joke 3:03 1968

24 Julien Baker - Go Home 5:04 2015

25 Exploding Hearts - Shattered (You Left Me) 3:33 2006

CD6 Powerpop, Hooks & Heartbreak

01 Beck - Loser 3:57 1993

02 Big Star - Thirteen 2:34 1972

03 Posies - Dream All Day 3:04 1993

04 Alice Cooper - Eighteen 2:59 1970

05 Jellyfish - The King is Half-Undressed 3:46 1990

06 Tommy Keene - Places That Are Gone 3:55 1986

07 Records - Starry Eyes 4:25 1978

08 Nerves - Hanging on The Telephone 2:04 1976

09 Dwight Twilley - The Lonely One 4:22 2011

10 Sloan - Underwhelmed 4:42 1993

11 dB's - Black and White 3:07 1980

12 Material Issue - Valerie Loves Me 3:05 1991

13 20-20 - Yellow Pills 4:20 1979

14 Plimsouls - A Million Miles Away 3:34 1982

15 Game Theory - 24 2:48 1986

16 Blue Ash - Abracadabra (Have You Seen Her?) 3:04 1973

17 Bill Lloyd - Lisa Anne 3:20 1987

18 Matthew Sweet - Girlfriend 3:40 1991

19 Wheatus - Teenage Dirtbag 4:03 2000

20 Exploding Hearts - Modern Kicks 3:18 2003

21 Shazam - Super Tuesday 3:18 1999

22 Shivvers - Teen Line 3:38 1980

23 Buzzcocks - Ever Fallen in Love (With Someone You Shouldn't've) 2:40 1978

24 Sloan - The Lines You Amend 2:51 1996

25 Fearless Vampire Killers - Exploding Heart Disorder 3:34 2012

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Music weaves itself into the fabric of our emotions, dances through the corridors of memory, and whispers to the soul of who we are. Sharing these stories deepens the connection, turning the experience into something timeless and profound.

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