Best Rainy Day Albums
Grey-sky records for staying in.
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1OK ComputerRadiohead
OK Computer
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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2For Emma, Forever AgoBon Iver
For Emma, Forever Ago
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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3Pink MoonNick Drake
Pink Moon
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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4Either/OrElliott Smith
Either/Or
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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5BoxerThe National
Boxer
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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6DummyPortishead
Dummy
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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7GraceJeff Buckley
Grace
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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8BlueJoni Mitchell
Blue
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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9PunisherPhoebe Bridgers
Punisher
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.