Friday, December 7, 2007


::SOUNDTRACK OF A RAINY DAY::

So, there's something I've been meaning to do for a while...and what better a day to do it than today? Filled with sporadic showers and overcasting clouds, my car stereo was flooded with songs to fit the mood. I have always been drawn to that "rainy day" type of music. I'm not quite sure what it is about it that makes me want to be driving in the rain for hours on end when I hear a certain song, but nonetheless, it's how I feel. I have gone through my music library (27.16 gigs...yikes) and selected 10 songs that I feel fit the mood for the day. Maybe these aren't your ideal rainy day picks...but these are mine, and I'll share them with you anyway.

1. "And We All Become Like Smoke", The Ataris (Welcome the Night, 2007)

This song is one of many atmopsheric, rainy day songs (one of which is appropriately titled "A Soundtrack for this Rainy Morning") from The Ataris' most recent release, Welcome the Night. This song, featuring swelling guitars, minor chord progressions (the chorus sounding a bit more major, yet still maintaining the minor feel to it) and distant, reverb filled guitar hooks, will make you feel just what the title implies...if you let it.

2. "Limousine", Brand New (The Devil and God are Raging Inside Me, 2006)

A song from a band that has previously found its way into an earlier post, "Limousine" capitalizes on crescendos/decrescendos, guitar effects, and screechingly poignant lyrics from frontman Jesse Lacey ("I love you so much/Do me a favor, baby, don't reply/'Cause I can dish it out/But I can't take it"). After the first five and a half minutes, the song finally launches into the hauntingly explosive guitar break we all knew was coming and sets the perfect mood for driving around in that cloudy, rainy weather.

3. "The Conversation", Motion City Soundtrack (Even If It Kills Me, 2007)

One of the only piano laden songs on the record, "The Conversation" tells a lyrical story as the emotional, heartfelt melodies get us wrapped even more into it. Reminiscent of 2005's "Hold Me Down", we find Justin Pierre once again crafting a song so wonderfully realistic, making the listener think, "Whoa, I totally understand." With lines such as "I had a pocket full of dreams/But I gave them all to you/Now I think I want them back/So can you tell me if I'm crazy or confused?/Don't ever change the way you are/I've never loved anyone more" finishing off the tune, we're left with a feeling of hope, albeit a lost hope, but nonetheless, a fitting atmosphere for such weather.

4. "My Time in Exile", Third Eye Blind (Blue, 1999)

From the first notes struck on the distant, distorted piano sounds to the soft, clean tone of the guitar entering in late in the song, this song never ceases to amaze me. Though the song isn't as dramatic as such tracks as "Limousine" or as ethereal as "And We All Become Smoke", the song is so well put together, musically and lyrically, that it almost doesn't matter. Lyrically, the song starts in one spot (a reminiscent standpoint of a relationship), progresses to the present (describing the routine nature of current events), and finishes off with the hopeful lines of "That's my year spent in exile/Second guessed and dressed up in tatters/My both feet didn't take this path/And I'm still looking for a life that matters".

5. "Open Water", Thrice (The Alchemy Index, Vol. II: Water, 2007)

"Open Water" is a brilliant tune about the treacheries of the open sea...but it's much more than that. With lines "I'm starting to believe the ocean's much like you/'Cause it gives/And it takes away" dominating the chorus, we quickly find that all the metaphors of the ocean ("The open water chills me to my bones/But it's the only place that I feel alive") are only subtle hints to a single person. With the verses being haunted by muted piano loops and minor chord progressions, a single guitar enters in halfway through and builds, like a wave about to crash on the shore, until the hopeful major sound of the chorus is finally upon us. Though this song seems like an obvious choice for this mix (Open Water? Come on...), it couldn't have been more fitting.

6. "Night Drive", Jimmy Eat World (Futures, 2004)

A song filled with innuendos, passionate lyrics, swelling verses, and an outro filled with wonderful instrumentation practically screams rainy weather. "Night Drive", from 2004's Futures, wasn't one of my favorite Jimmy Eat World tracks right off the bat. The song, featuring risqué lines ("Kiss me with your cherry lipstick/Never wash you off my face/Hit me, I can take your cheap shots/Leave you with the love we made") and an almost hopeful bridge, filled with "na na"s and major chords, never quite hit home with me...until recently. No, it wasn't just because of the weather. Actually, I started listening to the song on repeat about five or six days prior to hearing it was going to rain...the timing was great. This song has become one of my recent favorites, and has gotten more plays because of this weekend's meteorological conditions.

7. "Currents", Dashboard Confessional (Dusk and Summer, 2006)

The song starts off with distant synthesized sounds, sweeping chords, and immediate dissonances...and from the first :30 of this song, you know it's going to be good. I'm not quite sure exactly what it is about frontman/lyricist (everything, basically) Chris Carrabba's writing that makes me want to go write, but there is just a cohesiveness about his words that just...works. Lines such as "The air is visceral around us/Turning in its simple steps on slow currents/And I watch as it pirouettes and spins/In slow motion/A long drag becomes a slow dance/In a halo of ember" highlight this heartfelt tune, and with help from the vocal harmonies and instrumentation push it ahead of other songs and onto the list.

8. "The Sun and the Moon", Mae (The Everglow, 2005)

Mae, widely known for their use of piano in many songs, released this sentimental tune on 2005's The Everglow. The lyrics seemingly paint a masterpiece on an already brilliantly crafted musical canvas ("And it was just like the sun/But more like the moon/A light that can reach it all/So now I'm branded for taking the fall/So when you say forever/Can't you see?/You've already captured me"). The music, showcasing the musical talent of all five members, ranges from piano to synthesizer and strings to crashing cymbals all within a semi-lengthy seven minutes...but by the end, you'll wonder how it passed so quickly.

9. "How's it Going to End?", Daphne Loves Derby (Good Night, Witness Light, 2007)

Daphne Loves Derby, originally gaining a large fanbase for their acoustic, emotional tunes, let us all know with this song that they are more than just a second-rate emo band. The song, though starting off with a solo acoustic guitar, doesn't stay that way for long. After no time at all, we find the song filled with jingle bells, drums, vibes, strings...the list could go on. As experimental as the quartet's sound went on this song, I still feel that the music and the lyrics share a connection stronger than most may recognize. The semi-spacey feel of the music and the lyrics ("I spread my wings and flew over a blurring sea/The sun kissed the moon and the sky fell into the deep/I fell asleep/I've felt myself sink and crash into the sea/All I could do was sleep, for now/Sleep for now") seem to fit together like two pieces of a newly cut puzzle, and the airy feel of the tune makes it perfect for this list.

10. "Home", Foo Fighters (Echoes, Silence, Patience, Grace, 2007)

"Home", the album closer for the 2007 release of Grammy-winning act the Foo Fighters, leaves the listener feeling exactly the way Dave Grohl intended them to feel: at home. The first time I listened to this song, I instantly fell in love with it. I'm a sucker for a slow song, and the mellow feel of the piano, strings, and light drums seemed to speak to me. Over this past Thanksgiving break (don't worry...this has a point), I spent a lot of time listening to music, this album being one of the ones repeated fairly often. The break was spent at a cabin in the mountains of northern Idaho, and this song fit the mood of the weekend perfectly. As I sat on my bed, wrapped in a blanket, and looked out the loft window at the snowfall, I felt at home. Though the song came alive to me while watching the snow, I felt that it was appropriate for this list. After all, rain is still precipitation.

And there you have it: my current top 10 rainy day tunes. Feel free to steal this playlist, make a mix CD with these songs, add to it, anything. Rainy weather (especially for us here in Arizona) is just too good to be spent without good music.







1 comment:

KristenLindell said...

Trevor!
First of all, HI how are you?!
Second of all, while avoiding studying for finals I was puttsing around on myspace ans saw your bulletin about your blog! My sister has a blogspot too so I'm quite familiar with it and I LOVE reading everyones so it was very exciting to find yours and find out it was about MUSIC nontheless, which I should have expected.. haha. Either way, I've only just read over this Rainy Day section and I've taken the liberty to listen to all the songs on the list which I enjoyed very much, some I knew already and agree they are very much rainy day songs, but unfortunately it's not raining anymore so I'm not getting the full effect, but hey, It's music, do you ever really need an excuse to listen? Absolutely not.
Anyway! I love how we have a very similar interest in music and I'm excited to continue to read your blog and I think you should check out OneRepublic. No one gives them the attention they really deserve becasue all they listen to is the Timbiland version of "Apologize". Which personally, I'm more fond of the original. But I've just got their CD and have fallen in love with their rhythm and unique bass line that they add to their alternative style. So if you haven't yet heard the rest of their music, listen, my friend, listen. My personal favorite is "Say (All I Need)"

Peace!
Kristen Schalliol