Items15The creator’s order
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Endless Falls (2010)Released Jan 1, 2010Loscil
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.0 - 2
Green (1986)Released Jan 1, 1986Hiroshi 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.0 - 3
Depths (1998)Released Jan 1, 1998Windy & 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.0 - 4
The Pearl (1984)Released Jan 1, 1984Harold 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.0 - 5
Cantus, Descant (2020)Released Jan 1, 2020Sarah 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.0 - 6
A Long Journey (2010)Released Jan 1, 2010Chihei 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.0 - 7
For Those of You Who Have Never (And Also Those Who Have) (2016)Released Jan 1, 2016Huerco 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.0 - 8
Maybe They Will Sing for Us Tomorrow (2008)Released Jan 1, 2008Hammock
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.0 - 9
Stil. (1998)Released Jan 1, 1998Taylor 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.0 - 10
Watermusic II (2003)Released Jan 1, 2003William 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.0
