Spring time is here and so are weeks of cloudy weather but fear not, the KJHK staff has some music to help get you cozy on a rainy day.
Name: Liz James
Position: Rotation DJ, Content Staff
Year: Senior
Rainy Day Recommendation: “Crying in Public” – Chairlift
“Crying in Public” was my personal favorite off of Chairlift’s incredible 2016 album, Moth. This song captures every feeling you could have on a rainy day. Maybe you’re feelin’ cozy watching Netflix in bed with your boo, or maybe you’re lamenting the loss of a bike ride through town. You could be on the bus on the way to a meeting or walking to class without an umbrella. The music video features Caroline Polachek wandering through town crying in the post-snow dreariness, but rainy days fit just as well.
Listen here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VQ3h0ZA3FQ0
Name: Garrett Mould
Position: Content Staff
Year: Junior
Rainy Day Recommendation: “Fast Car” – Tracy Chapman
A song that has been remade a number of times, but nothing beats the original. This is the type of song that can make you sad in a way that you enjoy. Bonus points if you watch her perform it live at the Grammy’s in 1989, when she earned a standing ovation with just her voice and a guitar.
Listen here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uTIB10eQnA0
Name: Mason Kilpatrick
Position: Station Manager, Host of Plow the Fields
Year: Senior
Rainy Day Recommendation: “123” – Girlpool
“1, 2, 3 will you list it off to me?
How you’re sorry you feel weird in a jubilation dream
And you’re sorry about the load
feeling sorry about the load”
The difference of you waking up in the morning to sunshine or rain is a huge. That difference isn’t exclusive in the amount of time it takes you to figure out what to wear because of the weather. The difference can be found in how your mood changes. When rain is present, my mood shifts. Not in a negative way, which is the stereotyped emotion associated with rain, but in a more self-inquisitive one.
Girlpool’s most recent single, “123,” is the perfect track for the long, rainy day walks you take after a morning of debating whether or not you should even get out of bed. Rainy days are the ultimate reinforcement of whatever mood you hold. The sprinkling pitter-patter of raindrops on your window help urge you to chill down for a moment and reconsider.
“123” definitely encourages me to reconsider.
Listen here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8uAhIt1UFCY
Name: Michaela Behymer
Position: Beatlovers DJ, Music Staff
Year: Freshman
Rainy Day Recommendation: “That’s Life” – James Brown
It wouldn’t be me if I wasn’t recommending some soul. But this isn’t just any soul song, it’s a cover of Frank Sinatra, who is basically the king of rainy day music. The scratchiness that comes with an original recording is ever present here and James Brown makes this song completely his own. But just describing it isn’t going to give you that rainy day feel, you’ll just have to listen.
Listen here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WcWI0_KL2oc
Name: Graham K. Cannon
Position: Multimedia Staff
Year: Junior
Rainy Day Recommendation: “Knocks Me Off My Feet” – Stevie Wonder
I believe that rainy days are full of blues and nostalgic pick-me-ups, and Stevie Wonder’s soulful lyrics always remind me of a gloomy afternoon. It really helps me get through sad days and makes me think of when I would play in the rain as a kid. It just makes the day seem better after one listen. The entire Songs in the Key of Life is quite the experience, so give this a listen and your gloomy day may have streaks of sunshine.
Listen Here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dkJgAZriAww
Name: Cody Boston
Position: Content Director, Host of Live @ KJHK and Pixelation Relation
Year: Senior
Rainy Day Recommendation: “Differently, Still” – BADBADNOTGOOD
OK this is the last BBNG track I’ll recommend, I swear. From their third album, this track just sounds like rain. From the pitter patter of piano keys to the constant brush on the snare, this song is the perfect backing track for the next time you find yourself staring wistfully through a rain dropped window with a cup of coffee in hand.
Listen here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pTloZPT62IM
Name: Savannah Adams
Position: Music Staff
Year: Sophomore
Rainy Day Recommendation: “Good side in” – The Japanese House
You wake up, and hear the faint and unmistakable sound of rain on rooftops and pavement. For me, this is one of the greatest things to wake up to, especially if you don’t have to do anything or be anywhere for a bit. However, when I think of songs to listen to while the constant drizzle goes on in the background, I almost immediately thought of this track by The Japanese House.
As soon as you put on “Good side in,” you are greeted with that same feeling of waking up out of a haze to what sounds like marbles lazily rolling along the floor. The slow rise of the intro in combination with the setting of a rainy day makes the listen a true experience. Not to mention, the song has this groove that you wouldn’t expect to work. I’d say more, but it’s something that’s better to hear for the first time rather than be told to expect it.
Listen Here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C8KyBtGCj9M
Name: Miranda Roberts
Position: Rotation DJ, Street Team, Live Music
Year: Freshman
Rainy Day Recommendation: “In Dreams” – Ben Howard
Ben Howard’s 2014 record “I Forget Where We Were” lyrically shows his struggles and his venture to come out stronger. Whether there is a torrential downpour, or your mind is just feeling a bit cloudy, I believe everyone can benefit from the image of coming out of a similar state stronger. I chose “In Dreams” because it captures the contemplative nature of a rainy day. I immediately thought of Ben Howard because there is nothing quite like some English folk, a cup of tea, and a fire to enjoy a drizzly day.
Listen Here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KB_AQXtcQyU
Name: Scott Knettle
Position: Music Staff
Year: Junior
Rainy Day Recommendation: “Slowdive” – Siouxsie and the Banshees
This song off Siouxsie and the Banshees’s 1982 release, A Kiss In The Dreamhouse, is the soundtrack to a perfectly witchy candle-lit dance party during the middle of a midnight thunderstorm. The full moon is April 10th. Plan accordingly.
Listen Here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7n20NhBSDuk
Name: Josh Gaston
Position: Malicious Intent DJ, Music Staff
Year: Graduate student
Rainy Day Recommendation: Untrue – Burial
From cool jazz, downtempo/chill house music, and atmospheric black metal, it’s really hard for me to choose even one genre for rainy days, much less one song or album. However, the first album that comes to my mind is Untrue by Burial. It’s not an album I would necessarily play while avoiding the rain at home, but rather when I’m walking around a city in the rain. For me, this album reproduces the feeling you get when you feel alone in a crowd. The whole album is dark and mysterious with an amazing sense of emotional depth. The perfect soundtrack to a wistful or pensive rainy day in the big city.
Listen here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X-VmiLA3nqg