You’ve just been drenched by a massive downpour. You’re cold and soggy. You need your hoody. Your security blanket. And to put on dry clothes and sit down with a cozy, intimate album. You don’t feel like listening to Pharrell Williams’ “Happy” or ELO’s “Mr. Blue Sky.”
Dark skies and heavy rain have put you in a mood. It’s not quite depression, because there’s something different about a thunderstorm vs. plain-old rain and clouds.
Thunderstorms have a powerful aura. The sound of the thunder makes it all different. Eventful. Unsettled. Liberating.
The other day I got caught in thunderstorm while on my bike. When I got home, I listened to the following albums, which seemed to be calling to me on that gray day.
Rainy day albums and songs have a distinct, mysterious quality to them. Sometimes, but not necessarily dark. Other times quiet and delicate. Always moody. But definitely ethereal.
1. Air — Moon Safari (1998)
French duo Air have been putting out high-quality, easygoing electronic music since 1998, when they released their now-classic Moon Safari. The music takes on a sleepy, breezy vibe.
The title of this album is spot-on. This is music that will make you feel like you’re floating in space. Transcendent of its French electro counterparts Daft Punk and Justice, Air is mellow and nonchalant. From the electro pop of “Sexy Boy” to the keen artistic flow, intricate bass line, and live percussion of “La Femme D’Argent,” this is one of the ‘90s best, an album highly deserving of your collection. And not just on rainy days.
2. Radiohead — Kid A (2000)
Radiohead drips with emotion on their fourth album, Kid A. A follow-up to the flawless instant-classic and rock-oriented OK Computer, the band took a more electronic approach this time. At first, the release confused fans, who were expecting a more guitar-oriented record following the prior hit, but as the songs sunk in, it became apparent that this one is quite special.
The enigmatic “Everything in Its Right Place” kicks off the album with the warblings of frontman Thom Yorke and an organ and goes on to feature twinkling piano (the title track), distorted bass (“The National Anthem”), and dance beats (“Idioteque”). Kid A is decidedly moody. And perfect on the occasion of a storm.
3. Joni Mitchell — Blue (1971)
If you have a fireplace, throw this record on and dry off. It’s among the warmest albums of the ‘70s. Joni’s trusty acoustic guitar and piano paired with her signature beautiful balladeer voice is pure honey.
The romantic lyrics on Blue are ravishing. “I want to be strong. I want to laugh along. I want to belong to the living. Alive, alive, I want to get up and jive,” she sings on the opening track, “All I Want.” “Do you want – do you want – do you want to dance with me, baby. Do you want to take a chance. On maybe finding some sweet romance with me, baby. Well, come on.”
The lyrics are poetic, but it’s the sound of Joni’s impeccable voice delivering them that seals the deal. Folk music at its best.
4. Bright Eyes — Fevers and Mirrors (2000)
Sometimes depressing albums aren’t so depressing if they are truly fantastic. So is the case with Fevers and Mirrors, the breakthrough third album from Bright Eyes, the moniker of singer-songwriter Conor Oberst. This record is probably the moodiest of the list. Conor’s signature vivid lyrics are haunting and desperate, depressing to the extreme.
“Now and again it seems worse than it is, but mostly the view is accurate,” he sings on “Something Vague,” also referring to “that coffin you call your apartment.”
Gloom and doom hover over Fevers and Mirrors, but it somehow doesn’t provoke sadness. There’s a mystique about this record that wraps around your body and ironically makes you feel good despite the dark subject matter. Pure poetry.
5. Herbie Hancock — Maiden Voyage (1965)
A concept album about the ocean is a natural fit when talking about the elements. Herbie Hancock — best known to our generation as the mastermind of “Rockit,” the breakdancing anthem of the ‘80s —used to be quite calm and collected on the jazz circuit.
Which is not to say he is plain-Jane. Hancock’s musical vocabulary is eloquent and sophisticated. On Maiden Voyage, Hancock’s piano flourishes are as turbulent as a storm, particularly on “Revival of the Fittest.” You can just imagine the thunder in the abrupt trumpet lines.
6. Mazzy Star — So Tonight That I Might See (1993)
Mazzy Star is a one-hit-wonder from the early ‘90s, but oh what a hit that was. Album opener “Fade Into You” goes down in history as one of the most romantic tunes of all time.
With the shake of a tambourine and a decelerating, near-whisper of a voice, Hope Sandoval sings with utmost allure, tranquilizing the listener into unadulterated exuberance.
7. Nick Drake — Pink Moon (1972)
Tortured artist Nick Drake, a British singer-songwriter who committed suicide by poisoning in 1974, is right up there with the great folk singers. Lesser known than Simon & Garfunkel or Joan Baez, he has posthumously enjoyed a second life of rediscovery by folk-music fans. The title track was even utilized in a Volkswagen ad.
Drake’s music featured just the right touch of melancholy mixed with an understated singing voice and skillful fingerpicking. Enchanting.
8. Miles Davis — Kind of Blue (1959)
Sleepy. Foreboding. Melodramatic. All words that perfectly describe Kind of Blue, the greatest-selling jazz record of all time. If you feel down on a rainy day, this album will harmonize with your mood.
The bass notes on opening track “So What” sound like raindrops, as do the trickling bursts of piano. All of this is punctuated by Davis’ masterful trumpet solos.
The sinister piano on “Flamenco Sketches” is tailor-made to be heard alongside claps of thunder. Kind of Blue is an album where you can be lonely, sit, meditate, and soak it all in.
9 .Joy Division — Substance (1977-1980)
Substance isn’t black. It isn’t white. It’s grey. Just like those dreary clouds in the sky. With thumping, minimalist bass lines, it is in fact the bass that drives this album. And the rhythmic ambience of the record mimics the sound of the rain.
The lyrics hold special meaning for me. “Your hopes, your dreams, your paradise. Heroes, idols cracked like ice,” Curtis sings on “Autosuggestion.” “Take a chance and step outside. Lose some sleep and say you tried. Yeah, lose some sleep and say you tried. Say you tried. Say you tried. Say you tried…” When I was manic, I would stay up all night working on what could’ve been a blog for MTV that never materialized. “Autosuggestion” was my theme song during that process. Its slow, deep bassline and syncopated distorted drums offer a dour outlook, but the lyrics are hopeful.
Joy Division would become New Order after its singer Ian Curtis hung himself. They make music that is essentially electronic dance music without the electronics, save for the keyboards on the band’s hit “Love Will Tear Us Apart.”
Substance is bleak in the best way possible, a love note to kids who relish the darker side of the universe. In other words, goths.
10. Washed Out — Paracosm (2013)
Say you want a soundtrack for your nap — post-downpour. This is it.
Ernest Greene — better known as Washed Out — created Paracosm, a lush album that is soothing to the ear from “Entrance,” the first track, that uses birds chirping to the airy electronics throughout.
More than 50 instruments are featured on the album, from the vibraphones to the harp to the mellotron, in addition to Greene’s signature keyboards and electronic beats.
“All I Want” pulsates with pop, from the chimes at the start to the laser-gun-like hook throughout and strings toward the end. Paracosm is spine-tingling virtuosity perfect for a rainy-day mood.
Bonus!
11. DIIV — Oshin (2012)
This mostly instrumental album by Brooklyn-based chillout indie rockers DIIV is absolutely sublime. It’s my go-to album on the subway ride home after a loud concert. Oshin definitely has a calming effect.
There aren’t many chords on the album; it’s mostly single picking, which is far more common in the surf-guitar genre.
DIIV is the primary project of Zachary Cole Smith, who sings tenderly, as if far away. It’s hard to decipher the lyrics, but this isn’t a bad thing. Smith’s hush volume makes his voice sound like a backing instrument in itself.
The album is gentle and tender, a gelatinous record of mostly quiet guitar music that oozes with emotion. Heaven-sent. Just like the rain.
What is your favorite rainy day album or song? Share it in the comments.
And if you want a taste of these albums, listen to the Spotify playlist I created below. Or better yet, subscribe to it by searching by name: “Rainy Day Albums: The Bipolar Addict Playlist vol. 2”
