Rough day? Long week? You've got a few options, audio-wise. Crank up something high-energy to shake yourself out of it. Throw on something super mellow to ease the tension. Or, if you can't quite find the right tune but need some lyrical comfort, might I recommend spending seven minutes in heaven with Bob Dylan as he reads his "Last Thoughts on Woody Guthrie"?
This isn't a song. It's words that are spoken, plainly and without dramatic tricks or backing vocals or any kind of accompaniment, and it's beautiful. Obviously this man knows how to write, but there's something about this particular composition, recited live in New York in 1963, that seems to act as a mental salve when things seem especially crummy (or just a stellar example of sentence-smithery if not!!). Have a listen then look up from the screen. Open the window and peer out, or take a walk around the block. Get some air. Then maybe come back and toss on Blonde on Blonde for the rest of the eve. [The Bootleg Series: Volumes 1-3, Amazon]
Welcome to Soundtrack: what the Gizmodo staff is listening to every night.