When it rains, I find myself overlooking the inevitable wet socks and favoring the damp hair. Love it or hate it, rain is a part of the Eugene lifestyle, so you might as well make the most of it and throw on some good tunes.
Here are some moody tracks to help round out that rainy day playlist of yours.
“Goodnight Jade” – Squarepusher
The progressive drum and bass and electronic musician Squarepusher steps out of his usual musical stylings on “Goodnight Jade.” The track is a brief, slow and pensive reprieve from the rhythmic pressure on his 1996 classic album “Feed Me Weird Things.” The echoing bass and bright synths make this song sound almost at odds with itself. Good luck imagining any type of day other than a rainy one when hearing this mellow song.
“Reaper” – Clairo
The multi-faceted Clairo delivered yet another mood destroyer on her 2021 album “Sling.” On her slowest album to date the song “Reaper,” backed with its somber acoustic guitars, could be the rainy day song on an album full of them. This is a great song to play at a fireplace post-stroll in the rain, or if you’re lucky enough, the snow.
“Scenic” – Ozean
“Scenic” perfectly describes itself. This song is more focused on imagery than direct meaning and it becomes all the more beautiful because of it. The three track EP has been recently remastered and re-released on streaming services for new audiences to hear. While all of these songs are marvelous, “Scenic” especially stands out. Depending on headspace, this track could be a great summer song as well, but the peaceful guitar melody and reverberating vocals draw only images of cold, wet rain for me. Make sure not to get too attached to Ozean, or you will surely become heartbroken upon discovering they only made three songs.
“It Never Entered My Mind” – The Miles Davis Quintet
“It Never Entered My Mind” is in my opinion the crowning achievement of the first great Miles Davis Quintet. Each member of the legendary cast of musicians provides top tier performances, this song is raindrops lit by streetlight. But what stands out the most is a heartbreaking trumpet performance from Miles Davis himself paired with Red Garland’s piano. This recording — featured on the ‘Round About Midnight Legacy Edition — is the definitive version for rainy day listening.
“I Know It’s Over” – Jeff Buckley
A match made in heaven for the rain lovers: Jeff Buckley and The Smiths. While I usually find preferring covers blasphemous, Jeff Buckley’s performance of this classic song does justice to the original on this compilation album. On lyrical content alone, The Smith’s entire catalogue could make this playlist. But paired with the angelic vocals of Jeff Buckley, this track is quintessential listening for wet winter days.
“Peaceful Easy Feeling” – The Eagles
To me, the Eagles are first place contenders for the “Best summer band of all time” award. But even considering their monopoly on 1970s bright guitar rock, some songs end up sounding more fit for a rainy evening. “Peaceful Easy Feeling” might evoke some longing for warm weather, but it’s an excellent song to just sit inside and wait for the weather to subside.
“August 10” – Julie Doiron
Ignore the name “August 10,” and this is clearly a cold weather song. Rather than embracing the weather, this track feels like reminiscing on dryer summer days. Julie Doiron’s voice soothes over a distorted simple guitar on this song. Despite being released in 1996, the audio sounds as if it’s being piped in through a 1950s radio. All of these elements make for a great listening experience.
“Polly Armour” – bar italia
Bar italia is my pick for the most exciting band of the past five years. Their music is hard to place, but “Polly Armour” in particular fits the playlist well. The blanketing guitar sounds like a warm reprieve in the cold before the vocal fry between the three singers snaps you back to reality. While this song has been in my rainy day playlist for a while, I’ve had a hard time keeping it out of all the others too.
“Wash Me Clean” – k.d. lang
Rounding off the list is the amazing k.d. lang and her track “Wash Me Clean.” One of the greatest singers of all time, k.d. lang shows off immense vocal talent on this track. It was hard to choose just one song from her impressive catalogue — especially given her cover album “Hymns of the 49th Parallel” — but this one fits the bill all too well. The frequent allusions to water make this an amazing rain-soaked-walk-home-anthem, and if looking out the window on a rainy drive is your vibe, this is also the song for you.
