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Best Rainy Day Albums

Albums made for grey skies and staying in — records that reward close listening on a quiet afternoon.

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  1. 1
    OK ComputerRadiohead

    OK Computer

    Radiohead · 1997 · Alternative & Indie

    A prescient album about alienation in a wired, accelerating world, expanding rock with electronics, odd time signatures and dread. 'Paranoid Android' and 'No Surprises' anchor a record that still sounds like the future arriving. Frequently named among the greatest ever made.

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  2. 2
    For Emma, Forever AgoBon Iver

    For Emma, Forever Ago

    Bon Iver · 2007 · Folk & Singer-Songwriter

    Recorded alone in a remote winter cabin, its falsetto and layered harmonies feel both raw and otherworldly. The origin myth fits the music. A quietly influential debut.

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  3. 3
    Pink MoonNick Drake

    Pink Moon

    Nick Drake · 1972 · Folk & Singer-Songwriter

    Recorded in two nights with just voice and guitar, it is spare, intimate and quietly devastating. Overlooked in his lifetime and now treasured. Hushed perfection.

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  4. 4
    Either/OrElliott Smith

    Either/Or

    Elliott Smith · 1997 · Folk & Singer-Songwriter

    Hushed, intricate songwriting of real darkness and melody, the album that brought him wider notice. Intimate and devastating. A cult masterpiece.

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  5. 5
    BoxerThe National

    Boxer

    The National · 2007 · Alternative & Indie

    Slow-burning, literate indie rock built on Berninger's baritone and intricate drumming. Understated and rewarding. The album that won them devotion.

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  6. 6
    DummyPortishead

    Dummy

    Portishead · 1994 · Electronic

    Smoky, cinematic trip-hop built from scratchy samples, spy-film guitar and Beth Gibbons's wounded vocals. Atmospheric and singular. A defining record of the Bristol sound.

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  7. 7
    GraceJeff Buckley

    Grace

    Jeff Buckley · 1994 · Folk & Singer-Songwriter

    A soaring, romantic debut of extraordinary vocal range, home to the definitive 'Hallelujah'. His only studio album, and a treasure. Singular and beautiful.

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  8. 8
    BlueJoni Mitchell

    Blue

    Joni Mitchell · 1971 · Folk & Singer-Songwriter

    An intimate, confessional landmark of singer-songwriter craft, spare in arrangement and emotionally fearless. Mitchell's melodies and open tunings are extraordinary throughout. Routinely named one of the greatest albums ever made.

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  9. 9
    Tea for the TillermanCat Stevens

    Tea for the Tillerman

    Cat Stevens · 1970 · Folk & Singer-Songwriter

    Warm, melodic folk-pop of searching and faith, home to 'Father and Son' and 'Wild World'. Gentle and enduring. His defining record.

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  10. 10
    Blood on the TracksBob Dylan

    Blood on the Tracks

    Bob Dylan · 1975 · Rock

    Often called the great break-up album, its songs of love gone wrong are among the most affecting Dylan ever wrote. The arrangements are spare and the storytelling extraordinary, especially 'Tangled Up in Blue'. Mature, wounded and beautiful.

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  11. 11
    PunisherPhoebe Bridgers

    Punisher

    Phoebe Bridgers · 2020 · Alternative & Indie

    A hushed, devastating indie-folk record of wit and dread, building to the cathartic 'I Know the End'. Intimate and acclaimed. A defining album of its moment.

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