Discover Hidden Gems: Rainy Days

In grade school, I always loved rain, since they brought all my classmates together. During lunch break, everyone would stay in our cozy home room as the storm raged outside. Despite the chills beyond the window, we found warmth within those walls and glow inside our hearts. Nowadays, rain means my 20 minutes hike across the campus to WMUC will be particularly grueling. If I didn't prepare accordingly, I'd feel my feet soaked, elements penetrating to my bare skin. Nonetheless, I never stopped loving listening to the pitter-pattering rain as I doze in my blankets.

Indeed, no weather makes as strong but varied of an impression as rain does, demanding its own aesthetic and playlist. This week, music team shared each of our favorite rainy-day tracks by underappreciated artists and discussed a few of them in this newsletter. From the Savanah to the Cyberpunk future, we explored rain in all its contexts through the language music.

Jon Wayne - Brittle Brian

Pick of the Week

Jon Wayne is an inherently tumultuous track from Brittle Brian. It’s hard to put into words how simultaneously careless and precise the guitar playing is. It feels frazzled but purposeful. The vocals especially add to this attitude, consisting of layers upon layers of lyrics and hums, all of which follow the guitar's lead. One can see themself anxiously frolicking through the rain as Victoria Rose forlornly chants her lyrics. -C.S.

Notes -

• FCC safe
• Genre: Indie Folk

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Swamp - Mid-Air Thief

The mysterious folktronica producer hailing from South Korea, Mid-Air Thief, has become a cult classic since the release of Crumbling, which had subsequently won Best Dance & Electronic Album at the Korean Music Awards. Their debut under Gongjoong Doduk, or Public Morality, was even more heavily rooted in folk music. Acoustic guitars over sounds of chimes ringing through the winds, "Swamp" thoroughly carries the outdoor organic aesthetics of folk despite its electronic progression. The song's progression is akin to a light evening drizzle over the serene garden you’ve built in Minecraft, to a rejuvenating storm that sweeps by Mr. Roger's Neighborhood at night. The song culminates in a serene dawn in the end, bathed in tranquility, serenaded by the chorus of morning birds. -J.L.

Notes -

• FCC safe
• Genre: Psychedelic folk, electronica

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He looks at her all the time (הוא מסתכל בה כל הזמן)- Yossi Babliki

Yossi Babliki and his duet partner sing over humble strings and piano, conjuring the imagery of a sunshower wedding under rainbowed sky at the finale of a movie. The song balances between happiness and melancholia, challenging the notion that rain-inspired tracks must be gloomy.  - J.L.

Notes -

• FCC safe
• Genre: Singer-Songwriter

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恢复 - 2 8 1 4

What is rain in the sprawling steel jungle of the metropol? What is rain, when there’s no leaves quivering from its touch, only tangled cables between transmission towers, where no streams meander towards rivers, only gutter channeling rain to the sewer? "恢复" by 2 8 1 4 provides the synth-laden ambient soundtrack to driving through the city that never sleeps, where sunshine’s supplanted with the neon lights reflecting off street puddles. - J.L.

Notes -

• FCC safe
• Genre: Vaporwave, Ambient

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Woolworm - Indian Summer

A 90s emo band out of Oakland discovered and re-issued by Numero, Indian Summer’s 7-minute track is like an immersive experience in the unpredictable weather of savannah, where lightning storms could come and go in a matter of minutes. In the quieter parts, the fuzzy guitar riffs and vinyl grains are like the soft, continuous rain that is melancholic yet comforting, but the introduction of intense screaming are like sudden downpours interrupting a drizzle.  -J.L.

Notes -

• FCC safe
• Genre: Emo/Screamo

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Foggy Rain - Cicada

The Taiwanese 5-piece neo-classical ensemble Cicada, renowned for their instrumental storytelling since 2009. "Foggy Rain" off of their most recent album is a testament to their ability to evoke imagery and emotions without words or complex production. Connections to rain might not be immediately drawn for the unsuspecting listener, but Cicada guides the audience’s imagination and worldbuilding through the track title and album cover. The rhythm of arpeggio in the piano mimics the soft pitter pattering of rain, while the sparse bell hits resembles the clear sounds of water droplets. If you allow yourself to be immersed, we see this might be what it’s like to experience rain in the enchanting world of a Ghibli film. -J.L.

Notes -

• FCC safe
• Genre: Chamber

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No Embrace - Dirty Projectors, Björk

Both Dirty Projectors and Björk are known for their genre-bending and unconventional pop sounds, and “No Embrace” is a perfect encapsulation of their eclectic and adventurous spirit. The song does not evoke the mood of rainy days through instrumentation but rather acapella-like wispy vocal arrangement. Listening to “No Embrace” feels like sitting in a cozy coffee shop next to a hiking trail during a downpour with thunderous cymbals. -J.L.

Notes -

• FCC safe
• Genre: Art Pop

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Matt’s Song - deathcrash

When listening to deathcrash’s sophomore album, this track may play as an interlude amongst their sprain-esque style of slowcore. By itself and in the context of rainy songs on the other hand, it flourishes. The song is strictly clad in acoustic melodies which elicit strong images of longingly watching rain drops drip down a window. This notion in tandem with the lo-fi production and indiscernible chatter in the background creates perhaps the rainiest song of all time.  -C.S.

Notes -

• FCC safe
• Genre: Slowcore

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Satchel - Steph Green

Satchel by Steph Green makes you feel as though you're a cowboy on the last leg of a long, tiresome journey. Green delivers her lyrics in an apathetic tone, adding to this sense of restlessness. When it comes to rainyness however, the track falls a bit short as the overt country influence creates a scene a bit too dry for rain. While we may not have found it particularly rainy, it certainly falls under the umbrella of y’all, earning it a strong 5 horses. -C.S.

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Notes -

• FCC safe
• Genre: Singer-Songwriter, Folk

Misty Morning - Travis Bretzer

Its mid december, youve been back from college on your first winter break. Your parents are clearly getting older though, and that fills you with a feeling unknown before. They like reality TV and takeout now, its a far cry from what you were used to in high school. You see your friends at a mid diner afterwards, it's nice to see them but everyone has new friends and new experiences that, very crucially, don’t involve you or all of them. Things are moving too fast, but you have a new semester of weed-outs to think about, so its ok. - Dennis

Notes -

• FCC safe
• Genre: Psychedelic Pop

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