Some rainy days are nothing but cozy – full of baking, movie marathons, sipping tea and snuggling with your dog. Others can be miserable – walking to class in a downpour, getting splashed by a bus driving through a massive puddle, wind spraying sheets of rain in your face – you get the point.

But whether you love them or hate them, rainy days always tend to make people more contemplative. Nothing sparks forgotten feelings or makes you reminisce about old memories like a soft drizzle outside of your window.

A fitting playlist enhances those feelings. And for those of us who love to ride the angsty train for as long as we can, rainy days are our jam – as long as we have something appropriate to jam along to during them.

Here are my favorite songs to listen to when the forecast reads, “heavy showers”.

“Talking in Code” – Margot and the Nuclear So So’s: This is one of my favorite songs of all time, regardless of the weather. The swooping violins, utter pain in the vocals and heartbreaking lyrics are absolutely killer.

“High Hopes” – Kodaline: Steve Garrington’s voice will stun you in this gorgeous ballad.

“Vincent” – Don Mclean: This sweet and tender song makes you feel as if you’re drifting through the clouds while Mclean sings to you from his own cloud, guitar in hand.

“Elise” – The Greeting Committee: This raw confession focuses on the simple moments of pure bliss that comes with falling in love.

“Big Black Car” – Gregory Alan Isakov: I’ve listened to this song an absurd amount of times, and it never gets old. The instrumentals are effortlessly beautiful and Isakov’s voice is the perfect accompaniment.

“Sunday Morning” – Maroon 5: Obviously, this is sort of a rainy day anthem, with the first lyric being, “Sunday morning, rain is falling/Steal some covers, share some skin”. Can’t go wrong here.

“Dynamite (Acoustic)” – Sigrid: If the rainy day you choose to listen to this song during is a particularly somber one, then this is the perfect backdrop. A rumbling piano plays below Sigrid’s icy voice, allowing us to hear every gorgeous intricacy.

“Carry You” – Novo Amor: This is definitely one of those songs that instantly has you visualizing yourself in a movie, but once the vocals kick in, things are more lighthearted, while still soothing.

“Girlie” – Alexandra Savior: With a sultry chorus and subtle swear words, this song reminds me of a young Lana Del Rey.

“Some Day Soon” – Alexi Murdoch: Not only is this song effortlessly beautiful, it’s featured in the first season of the NBC drama, “This is Us”, so it’s sure to give you major feels.

“Drink You Gone” – Ingrid Michaelson: It’s no secret that Michaelson has a stunning voice. It is showcased here while telling a heartbreaking story.

“Numb” – Max Jury: Max Jury is from Des Moines, Iowa, and has opened for Lana Del Rey. He coaxes listeners into a trance with his smooth voice and sultry music.

“Champagne Supernova” – Oasis: This is a no-brainer rainy day song – it begins with a flood of rain, and anyone who has seen “The OC” knows why this song is so special.

“Boston” – Augustana: Another one of my all-time favorite songs, “Boston” is tender while still building up to a dramatic ending that will have you belting out the lyrics.

“No One’s Gonna Love You” – Band of Horses: This is a classic breakup song if I’ve ever heard one. The aching lyrics will have a flood of memories with ex-lovers washing into your mind with the rain.

“Big Jet Plane” – Angus & Julia Stone: The Stones’ unique voices and whimsical lyrics create a dreamy vibe in this track.

“Fools (Acoustic)” – The Temper Trap: Every facet of Dougy Mandagi’s voice is heard in this incredible song.

“Cherry Wine” – Hozier: This is one of Hozier’s most tender-sounding songs, but the lyrics contrast the sweet vibe with the harsh reality of selfish lovers.

“Brooklyn Baby” – Lana Del Rey: As my favorite Rey song, “Brooklyn Baby” contains every trait that makes me love the singer so much – clever lyrics, insane vocal tricks, and a seductive vibe.

“10,000 Emerald Pools” – Borns: This song will add a little more grooviness to your rainy day with a catchy beat and chill vibe.

“If” – Bread: This seventies soft rock ballad will tug on all of your heartstrings and transport you back to another era.

“Dreams” – Fleetwood Mac: Another obvious rainy day song, beginning with the lyrics, “Thunder only happens when it’s raining”. Electricity flows through this entire seductive song.

“Let’s be Still” – The Head and the Heart: This is one of my favorite The Head and the Heart songs and definitely one of their most relaxing and contemplative, reminding us to live in the moment.

“Hold You in my Arms” – Ray LaMontagne: Another groovy, yet chill vibe oozes from this song, accompanied by LaMontagne’s raspy voice.

“Fly Away” – My Brothers and I: This is one of those songs that you’ll know every word to quickly as a result of listening to it on repeat.

“Blood” – The Middle East: I’ve admired this song for years because of its instrumental that sets me in a trance every single time I listen to it.

“The Girl” – City and Colour: You can never go wrong with this song, but it’s especially beautiful when the sky is grey and crying.

I could go on forever with sad, soothing, eerie, and thoughtful songs that are perfect for rainy days, but I’ll let you get started on this list first. Light a candle, step into your slippers and bask in the feeling that only rainy days can create.

The post The Alt Rock Chick: Rainy Day Tunes appeared first on KRUI Radio.

But Bridgers could care less about the fame creeping up on her – she is focused on her music and her music only. If her debut EP wasn’t enough of an indicator that this singer isn’t amused by bubbly pop albums, Stranger in the Alps will convince you. She takes an unexpected turn into the pop world – she talks about real, serious, scary issues.

Let me warn you: you have to be in a certain mood to appreciate Bridgers’ music. Her voice, sure – that will always sound like soft ripples in a pond on a spring afternoon, but her music in its entirety -that is something different. For such a small person, Bridgers can be insanely heavy.

All three tracks on her EP, Killer, mention death in some way, shape or form. The title itself clearly points to an intense album. Each song includes lyrics with the words “dying” or “death” or phrases like “pull the plug”. I’m not saying that you need to be fascinated by death to enjoy Bridgers’ music.

You simply need to be tired or in the mood to shed a few tears. So, don’t listen to this while you’re getting ready for a night out. Save it for when you’re walking home alone or lying in bed pining over someone. This is music for those who like to enhance their sadness – the sensation seekers.

Stranger in the Alps begins with a soaring ballad, “Smoke Signals”, that may just be the star of the album. The chorus is full of swooping violins and a deep guitar that enhances the eerie sensation created in this track while Bridgers watches TV in a Holiday Inn “Where somebody else makes the bed”. The closest Bridgers comes to mainstream pop is during “Motion Sickness”.

Her falsetto swings through this track above a pleasant instrumental, a necessary break from the dark strings that fill most of the album. This airy sing-along reminds me of a young Ingrid Michelson whispering lovely lullabies into our ears.

Next is maybe the most memorable song off of the album, due to its sheer sadness. “Funeral” details Bridgers’ struggle with singing at a funeral of a “kid a year older than me”. She confesses her own thoughts about death, and more specifically, suicide. It’s tough to listen to, but brutally honest and beautifully sung. A tinge of country is present in the guitar and slight twang of Bridgers’ voice as she cries, “Jesus Christ I’m so blue all the time”.

Other gems on the album include “Demi Moore”, a simple tune full of melancholy “ooo”s and a constant whistling above soft banjos and Bridgers’ voice. “Killer” and “Georgia” make appearances again, but this time “Georgia” is revamped – in a bad way.

This busier version takes away from the simplicity that made the original such a powerful statement. But overall, Stranger in the Alps showcases a young artist with a lot of potential. Bridgers is a dark, tender soul whose bedroom tunes are consistently emotional and beautiful mostly because of her endearing voice.

I had the chance to see Bridgers in Nashville, TN las fall in a dimly lit, intimate venue. My friend and were two of maybe forty people scattered around the place, most gathering near the bar or chatting in booths lining the room. But my friend and I, we hung onto every word Bridgers sang into the microphone, standing there in her black dress and combat boots, blonde bob falling in front of her eyes.

After her set, she pranced around the room with a big smile on her face, mingling with everyone, seemingly a social, confident young woman. Her intense music contrasts this image, but maybe that’s what makes her even more relatable – we’re all putting on a show.

The Alt Rock Chick highlights the best Alternative Rock music out there.

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“My Head is an Animal” may have been my first love affair with the Icelandic band, but “Beneath the Skin” made just as lovely of an impression on me. Although both albums are home to beautiful collections of songs, my top ten favorite tracks by Of Monsters and Men (OMAM) are mostly from their first studio album. Here they are in ascending order:

10. “ Sloom”: The first song I discovered by OMAM is still one of my favorites, but there are nine that I like even better. From the moment I heard this soothing track, I fell in love with the singers’ voices and the whimsical vibe of the band; they’ve only gotten better from here.

9. “ Your Bones” emits a gloomy, doomed vibe that most OMAM trakcs do not possess, whispering, “All that’s left are your bones/That will soon sink like stones”.

8. “ From Finner” blends quiet vocals with loud, intense instrumentals, giving each their own shining moments before merging them together during the chorus. This song evokes several emotions simultaneously – melancholy, joy and desperation. The band captures the feeling of living on your own for the first time in your life perfectly.

7. “Dirty Paws” is a classic OMAM song that every fan knows by heart. Their first album title is rooted in this song, and many animals are referenced, like many OMAM songs. Some references are strange, but they all fit together in their weird beauty. An extended instrumental graces the ending of this song as well, proving the band’s immense talent once again.

6. “Yellow Light” is the ideal song to fall asleep to, wrapped in blankets while Ragnar Þórhallsson sings into your ear, “Just grab ahold of my hand/I will lead you through this wonderland”. The final three minutes of the song are nothing but a lullaby of instruments, making you drift through the sky among the clouds.

5. “We Sink” is majestic from the moment it begins, speckled with “ooo”s and a soft piano and guitars. The lyric video adds to the stunning pain that is present in this song, with six people of different nationalities lip-synching the lyrics.

   

4. “Six Weeks” is a song you want to stand up and dance to, but not in a conventional way. It is dark, deep and cold like the forest in its music video. The music, however, never pauses from its energized, quick pace that excites every listener. This track makes me want to jump around and scream my head off, letting everything escape me at once, shouting “Alone/I fight these animals”.

3. “Organs” is an intense ballad that shows its power through simple instrumentals and a stunning vocal. Nanna Bryndís Hilmarsdóttir’s voice is shown off in this solo, emphasizing her subtleties and cracks like we’ve never heard before. During their concert, this performance stole the show; Nanna stood at a tall microphone with a single spotlight coating her in yellow. All eyes were on her and all ears were caressed by her enchanting voice. It is a performance I will always remember.

2. “Lakehouse” consists of everything that makes OMAM the amazing band that they are – intimacy, roaring instrumentals, peculiar lyrics, and gorgeous vocals. The chorus is catchy and haunting simultaneously – a rare combination. The lyric video adds to the sense of wonder that this song emits.

1. Assuming that I can predict the future, “Slow and Steady” will always be my favorite OMAM song. It is too rare of a gem to outshine, in my opinion. The best way that I can describe how this song makes me feel is by quoting its title lyric, “I move slow and steady/But I feel like a waterfall”. Something about the combination of instruments, the dreamy vocals and the sad lyrics – “I spend my nights dancing with my own shadow/And it holds me/And it never lets me go” – make this song achingly beautiful. I’ll always be drawn in by its lonely seduction. “Slow and Steady” plays on like the mesmerizing flow of a waterfall, but unlike a waterfall, sadly, the flow ends.

   

   After years of searching for a tour stop nearby and being discouraged as I saw lists of coastal towns and cities abroad, I finally saw Of Monsters of Men in 2015. Inside the church pews of the Ryman Auditorium as a freshman in college, I saw all of my favorite songs from my freshman year of high school performed live. It’s fitting that the Ryman is made up of pews, because this performance was almost a spiritual experience for me. I was in the very last row, but I didn’t care. Every note sung was more stunning than I had imagined, and my admiration for this group of dreamers grew immensely. I vividly remember turning to my friend during “Dirty Paws” and shouting above the music, “this makes me want to skip through fields with my eyes closed and wind blowing through my hair.” I felt this desire when I heard them for the first time in that twin bed in Colorado, I felt it when I saw them live in Nashville, and I’m still overcome with this desire each time I listen to Of Monsters and Men, no matter where I am.

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