Copyright © 2026 OyList. All Rights Reserved.
Share
Items15
1
Endless Falls (2010)
Released
Loscil
The title track opens with actual rain. Wait for the low tones to rise behind it and listen for the moment when the sounds outside could just as easily belong to the record. The closing piece introduces a spoken voice, a change if you want to keep the room wordless.
More about Endless Falls2
Green (1986)
Released
Hiroshi Yoshimura
“Creek” sends bright, small keyboard notes across a nearly still background. It gives a rainy room a little light and works at low volume, where the notes can seem to answer the smaller sounds you already hear.
More about Green3
Depths (1998)
Released
Windy & Carl
In “The Silent Ocean,” the guitar loses its sharp edge and spreads into a low, slow-moving layer. Put it on when the rain seems to have settled in. The music has a soft surface, with a little pressure underneath that keeps it from fading out of mind.
More about Depths4
The Pearl (1984)
Released
Harold Budd & Brian Eno
The piano notes in “Against the Sky” keep their shape for a moment before the echoes take them. This is a good choice for light rain and long gaps in conversation. There’s space to hear where a note ends without having to wait in silence for the next one.
More about The Pearl5
Cantus, Descant (2020)
Released
Sarah Davachi
Try “Stations II” when the rain feels more like a change in the light than a sound you have to listen to. The sustained organ tones change slowly, so small shifts in their weight become the event. Other parts of the album have a more solemn, enclosed feel.
More about Cantus, Descant6
A Long Journey (2010)
Released
Chihei Hatakeyama
There’s a light wash behind the notes in “Morning Arrive on the Island.” It leaves the brighter tones just clear enough to come and go like details across the street. Start there if you want the rain in the foreground and the album in the distance.
More about A Long Journey7
For Those of You Who Have Never (And Also Those Who Have) (2016)
Released
Huerco S.
“A Sea of Love” repeats a fuzzy phrase that never seems to sit quite still. This is for steady rain when a hint of pulse feels better than a long held chord. Listen quietly enough and the roughness in the loop becomes as important as its tune.
More about For Those of You Who Have Never (And Also Those Who Have)8
Maybe They Will Sing for Us Tomorrow (2008)
Released
Hammock
Start at “Gold Star Mothers” if you want the sound of a guitar growing less distinct as it hangs in the air. The swells have more lift than most of this list, so it’s a good choice for watching a storm ease off or for an afternoon that could use a little drama.
More about Maybe They Will Sing for Us Tomorrow9
Stil. (1998)
Released
Taylor Deupree
In “Snow-Sand,” tiny sounds sit close to a longer, barely moving tone. The album’s restraint makes it especially useful at a window where the rain itself is already loud. Turn it down until you have to lean in a little.
More about Stil.10
Watermusic II (2003)
Released
William Basinski
This long piece returns to the same hazy shape until its small changes start to register. Choose it when you’d rather put one thing on and leave it there. You can look away from the window for a while and come back without feeling that you missed a turn.
More about Watermusic II11
A Winged Victory for the Sullen (2011)
Released
A Winged Victory for the Sullen
“Steep Hills of Vicodin Tears” lets the piano mark a few points before the strings fill the distance between them. This is a more dramatic choice for the end of a rainy afternoon, when you want the record to change the room as much as the weather does.
More about A Winged Victory for the Sullen12
The Tired Sounds of Stars of the Lid (2001)
Released
Stars of the Lid
“Requiem for Dying Mothers, Part 2” lets a warm, sustained melody emerge almost without an entrance. Save this for rain that seems to slow everything down. It gives you long stretches to sit with one sound before it begins to move again.
More about The Tired Sounds of Stars of the Lid13
A I A: Alien Observer (2011)
Released
Grouper
A voice comes into focus briefly on “Alien Observer,” then sinks back into the sound around it. Pick this when the day is already dim and you want something that meets that mood. A little of the melody stays with you even when the words are hard to catch.
More about A I A: Alien Observer14
Still Way (Wave Notation 2)
Satoshi Ashikawa
Start with the ensemble version of “Still Park.” The little points of sound give you something to follow while keeping enough space for the rain outside. The piano solo later on takes the same idea into a quieter room.
More about Still Way (Wave Notation 2)15
Healing Is a Miracle (2020)
Released
Julianna Barwick
The layers of voice in “Inspirit” gather above a bass sound you feel before you quite notice it. It’s a good place to start if you want the warmth of a singing voice while the rain keeps the room quiet. The record can swell to fill the space, especially with the volume up.
More about Healing Is a Miracle
