Well, that is what it feels like these days, and it very often has very little to do with the weather itself. You just get that gloomy feeling that rain is the cause of all the grief that (can) surround us.
Of course, except where the sun shines and these places are rare these days, even if you live where it is summer in January.
Musicians are often able to cover these gloomy states, sometimes by describing them perfectly, sometimes, by trying to bring up the mood and force a change that way.
One of the reasons so many artists picks up to cover that Creedence Clearwater Revival classic ‘Have You Ever Seen The Rain,’ often not much better than Willie Nelson and his daughter. Or, CCR themselves, for that matter.
The Go! Team - Gemini
This band is one of the better experimenters, in pop, or you could say, the band is not afraid to bring fresh air to pop. Here, they do that with an upbeat number.
Neutral Milk Hotel - Little Birds
There’s always something mysterious about these nineties alternative favorites, their fandom not waning a bit decades on. Probably the reason, their upcoming box set might be a hit, this live version included.
Bad Bad Hats - It Hurts
Minneapolis duo Bad Bad Hats seem to insist on keeping things as simple as possible, but at that, you have to be perfectly at a point to make it right. Here they prove that some good vocals, strumming, and whistling can do the trick.
Big Joanie - Cactus Tree
This trio is dubbed black feminist punk. Don’t know about their social life views, but their music is so much more than just punk in any shape or form, and this track definitely proves it.
George Winstone - Part II
Sometimes you don’t need words to describe a state. That was a great guide for London-born, New York-based saxophonist George Winstone, whose ‘Part II” here definitely fits into that rainy day mood theme.
American Thrills - Alive And Well
Connecticut quartet American Thrills like that second part of their band name very much, and obviously don’t want a bad mood to get them down. Very often the right approach, and they take that with ease here.
The National Parks - Sunshine
Another sunny approach is not just to name your song sunshine, but take on sunshine pop as a genre. Here with some updated approaches too. The National Parks could actually summon some sunshine with this one.
The Van Pelt - Punk House
A somewhat deceiving title from these New York veterans, cropping up after quite some years. This is more in the vein of Echo & The Bunnymen or Cure, than punk itself. Works anyway.
Blair Gun - Man of The Hour
Post-punk as a genre often relies on the memories of best Velvet Underground (their louder phase) or Iggy Pop at his prime (or his late, witness the new album). These San Diego guys follow that blueprint to the tee.
Eleni Drake - Guts
“Guts is really about when someone holds a space for you that makes you feel so full. Being able to open up to someone, share experiences with them, and they respond with such love and care for you, is such a beautiful thing,” says London’s Eleni Drake and she keeps true
to her words with this one.