Falling 2009

I can count all of the things I actually like about living in New England on one hand. On the list would certainly be the fall. Watching the leaves go from green to brilliant shades of yellow, orange, and red is truly a pleasure. You wake up one morning and it's like you're living life in a technicolor movie. Or on an artist's palette. I'll never tire of long walks during this time of year. The perfect fall playlist is a necessity. There are certain songs that bring out the crispness in the air, the crunchiness of the leaves beneath your feet, and the sharpness of life around you. Here is my collection of fall songs.

Falling 2009
1. Noah and the Whale - Blue Skies
Taken from an album called The First Days of Spring, this is my new ultimate fall song. I started listening to this record when the weather started to change, and it encapsulates the perfect fall mood. There's hope in the fall; this season is a time for making changes in the positive direction.

"this is the last song that i write while still in love with you / this is the last song that i write while you're even on my mind / cause it's time to leave those feelings behind / cause blue skies are coming / but i know that it's hard"

2. Elliott - Drive On To Me
This Elliott album is a fall standard. It reminds me of the Pitt campus in October, walking to the radio station early in the morning.


3. Georgie James - More Lights
That there isn't a good YouTube clip of this song is a true shame.

4. Matt Pond PA - So Much Trouble
Even the video has falling leaves. There could have been only one thing on Matt Pond' mind when he worked on Several Arrows Later: fall. With songs like this, "Halloween," and "The Trees and the Wild," it's a great record for a perfect fall afternoon.


5. Jason Collett - Out of Time


6. Ryan Adams - Gonna Make You Love Me
I would have chosen "Halloweenhead," but I'll save that for my Halloween mix (wink, wink). Ryan Adams needs to be on any fall mix. Just cause.


7. Band of Horses - Funeral


8. The Wrens - She Sends Kisses
I was obsessed with this song one fall during college. It's heartache and it's something so familiar, but every time I listen to it I hear something new. But nothing will replace the feeling of autumn permanently timestamped on this track.


9. Wilco - Ashes of American Flags
Back in the days of LiveJournal (way back in the days of LiveJournal!), a friend once commented on a post of mine with these lyrics: "all my lies are always wishes." I think about that line often. One of the worst things I do is lie. I lie about the dumbest fucking things too. Maybe they're less lies and more exaggerations. But are these lies/exaggerations just wishes for what I want to really have happen? I seem to walk around the most during the fall, which leaves me with all the time in the world to think about these things.


10. The Shins - Gone For Good


11. Rocky Votolato - Before You Were Born
Also a complete shame that there isn't a great YouTube clip of this. "Before You Were Born" is a perennial favorite of mine. It sounds like the perfect soundtrack to rolling around in a pile of leaves with a crush. Hooded sweatshirts. Sitting on a bench drinking hot cocoa. Also, nothing beats this line: "under blankets and maps to keep up warm."


12. Josh Ritter - Monster Ballads
The best time to have a crush is the fall. People who say that about the spring or summer are crazy. There is nothing better than having a crush in the fall. It's hard to explain why this song makes me think of that.


13. Jets to Brazil - Cat Heaven


14. Hot Rod Circuit - This Is Not the Time or Place
This is fresh in my mind after seeing Andy Jackson do an acoustic set on Sunday night in Boston. This song = I'm 17 again. (UGH to no good clips…)


15. The Dreadful Yawns - You've Been Recorded
My friend Ross recommended The Dreadful Yawns to me. I've given the album Rest many listens, but the opening track, "You've Been Recorded," is so good sometimes I just stop there and listen to it over and over again. I think it's an excellent fall song.


16. Iron & Wine - Naked As We Came
This song seemed like too obvious a choice to include. But after seeing (and cringing through most of) The Mysteries of Pittsburgh this year, I cannot separate this song from the montage scene of Art, Cleveland, and Jane running around the city. Especially the part of the montage at Point State Park where they're playing football. I sat in a pretty empty theater by myself trying not to cry. But this song, that shot, and my longing to be home again won over and I sobbed.


17. AA Bondy - There's a Reason
This fall, I've been listening to AA Bondy with near (if I were) religious fervor. It's been the soundtrack to my nights, it's been my fallback when I don't know what else to listen to.


18. Alexi Murdoch - All My Days


19. The Lemonheads - The Outdoor Type


20. New Order - Run Wild
My favorite New Order song. One of my favorite all-time songs. I have dreams of writing a screenplay and putting words to paper to go along with all the stories in my head. And this will be the closing song. Without a doubt.

Favorites from: Jimmy Eat World

When I decided to copy Allison and do a "Best of" list, there was no question as to which band I'd choose - Jimmy Eat World. It's safe to say there is no other band or artist I have listened to more in my lifetime. They're one of the bands I've loved for a better part of my life, and hopefully down the road old-person Evan will be cool enough to still connect with JEW.

The first time I heard Jimmy was in the Spring of my Freshman year of High School. I was at the Newbury Comics on Rte 9 in Shrewsbury (RIP) checking out the sample CDs and when I finally got to Clarity, I was blown away. Whenever I went to Newbury, I'd first check out the employee recommendations and then head straight for the headphones. Normally I'd flip through each CD, sampling about 10 seconds of each track. Not this time, though. I listened to every second of the first few songs, and by the end of "Your New Aesthetic," I was hooked.

Clarity just celebrated its tenth anniversary earlier this year, which means I'm both an old man and one who's still happily in love with a band that gave him a boner when he was 15. Through the years, my interest in Jimmy has never faltered, due in large part to their inability to release a shitty album. Their perfectly written and produced tracks are only rivaled by their live performances, the most recent of which (for me) couldn't even be sullied by a crowd full of Paramore fans. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to catch them this year for Clarityx10 because I'm stuck in Singapore.

There are few bands that can capture and share raw emotion and passion better than Jimmy Eat World. The list below* is a bastardization of a catalog that will stay on my side... for the rest of my life.


1 - Look At You (from One Two Three Four)
"My oh my, can you save my life? / It doesn't have to mean looking out for me"

This song is a good example of how I communicate with others. (Also released as "Cars" on their first S/T, "Look At You" is from JEW's first release. I would give a nut to get my hands on this 7")



2 - Seventeen (from Static Prevails)
"Hung up here on a web of comfort / Taking off with nowhere to go / Standing tall with your new cloak armor / Making out like it's all been done / It's harder than it seems / You slip but never fall"



3 - Your New Aesthetic (from Clarity)
"Imitate and water down / Selection breathes on its own / Before the crash I'll write it out / Selection breathes on its own / Make them open the request line / Let selection kill the old / Take back the radio"

I lol'ed when I heard this on BCN one night, the same way I lol when rednecks blast "Born in the USA." Oh, irony.



4 - Over (from Stay on my Side Tonight EP)
"I'm not exactly sure what I should say / Everything I do is a mistake / Your attention is attention / It doesn't matter if it's fake or real / Ill take it if I get it"

Oh, unrequited love. Why are you the subject of so many great songs, yet such a bitch?



5 - Bleed American (from Bleed American)
"And rest, clean your conscience / Clear your thoughts with Speyside with your brain / Clean your conscience, clear your thoughts with Speyside"

Any American with a beating heart has felt the pains and frustrations associated with being American. We either quell it in our own ways, or do our best to break free.



6 - For Me This is Heaven (from Clarity)
"When the time we had now ends / And when the big hand goes round again / Can you still feel the butterflies? / Can you still hear the last goodnight?



7 - Spangle (from Singles)
"Don't think that you'll ever know how you could be so cruel / It's so clear / I can hear, and I'm not gonna share you with no one / Surprise, I've got eyes, now goodbye"

Given the subject matter and lyrical styling, you'd think they wrote this one. Unbelievably good cover.



8 - Let It Happen (from Chase This Light)
"Talk, talking a lot, but it's still talk / Gotta love how it's somehow all on me / All the petty scenes / And all the pretty things / Say whatever you want / Cause I can laugh it off"

I could've used this when I was dumped in 9th grade and was subjected to a mountain of ex shit-talk. Glad I can laugh it off now, though!



9 - Blister (from Clarity)
"Don't try and stop me / Because I'm falling fast into this pit of fire which surrounds us all / In a blanket of fear that I've been wrapped in for years / Don't try and stop me / You can't stop me"



10 - Sweetness (from Bleed American)
"I'm still running away / I won't play your hide and seek game"

I'm pretty sure those "whoaaaaaa's" are screams of frustration, not joy.



11 - Table for Glasses (from Clarity)
"Where do you intend to go with your dirty dress? / Lead my skeptic sight to the table and the light / It happened too fast to make sense of it / Make it last"

My first love.



12 - Pain (from Futures)
"I never thought I'd walk away from you / I did / But it's a false sense of accomplishment / Everytime time I quit"

Pain echoes the mood I loved from Bleed American



13 - Get it Faster (from Bleed American)
"I don't care what you do / I'm getting out / No nothing ever shames me / Don't want a thing from you / I'm going out / I don't care if you're angry"

This is one of my favorites for a few reasons. One, it's badass from the intro, through the roaring choruses, to the screaming dual-guitar soli, right to the bitter end. Two, it's even more badass live. And three, it's one of the few times that the anger/frustration builds to a point where Jim's just like "GAH FUCK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"




14 - Lucky Denver Mint (from Clarity)
"A dollar under water keeps on dreaming for me"

If you can't relate to this song, then you're probably the type of person Jim's singing to.



15 - Disintegration (from Stay on my Side Tonight EP)
"I wonder why I'm so caught off guard when we kiss / I'd rather live my life in regret then do this / What happened to the love we both knew, we both chased? / Hanging on a cigarette, you need me, you'll burn me / You'll burn me"

Disintegration, like most JEW songs, brings you to a familiar place, albeit one loosely constructed by the lyrics, mood, and music. The gaps are filled with your own experiences and emotions. JEW's ability to evoke such personal feelings and memories from the listener through their own deeply emotional music is what sets them apart.



*The sixty-minute limit previously set by Allison kept "Goodbye, Sky Harbor" (among others) off the list, which is why I could never call it a "Best of."

Best Of: Owen

I've been in love with Owen for years. I remember the first song I ever heard from him and everything about that moment when I pressed play. Seeing him live will never cease to leave an ear-to-ear grin on my face for days. Or that creepy stalker/star-struck look I have right up there. I met him. I spoke to him. And I'd never been so nervous!

1. One Of These Days
One of these days I'll make some money / And buy myself those things that I want: / Acrylic paints, acoustic guitar strings, a new bicycle seat / For my ride over to your house each night



2. Who Found Who'se Hair In Who's Bed?
I’m usually not one to speak out / But your decisions of late are, on all accounts / Pretty fucked up / And not in a good way

3. Good Friends, Bad Habits
Well sometimes, like every time a train passes / I get jealous of the long nights / And blurred lights / The red eyes / The bar fights / Where in the hell am I, and how did I get here? / And which way to the nearest train?


4. You Should Do It Now While It's On Your Mind
It's your last chance to change things / I know you've been getting by / But I saw you at the party without a drink in hand or a word in mouth / Nothing to do or talk about / Poor skinny fat kid without any interest in making friends / It's not easy being / But i know, it's not easy being
[This song makes more sense to me than I care to admit!]

5. The Sad Waltzes of Pietro Crespi
Could you love someone who does whatever he wants to do / Whenever I want to? / It's a simple question / I'm only asking 'cause I don't want to die alone


6. More Than Words
[Extreme cover! Excellent.]

7. Femme Fatale
[We've been over this. An Owen cover of a Velvet Underground song about Edie Sedgwick. Perfect?]

8. New Leaves
You'll spend your whole fucking life walking

9. Declaration Of Incompetence
I don't know what I think / I'm unsure that I could or couldn't care less or more / About everyone I do or don't know

10. Breaking Away
We're two bicyles, ridden / Too tired to know / Which one of us of us two / Was dumb enough to choose the other as a lover

11. Bags of Bones
We're two bags of bones / broken and talking of people we both know in common / Amongst other things that I shouldn't mention

12. Never Meant
[This exchange between Mike Kinsella and some dude who doesn't know much is hysterical - and from the Owen MySpace page:

Date: Nov 20, 2008 11:35 PM You should really put Never Meant as a cover since it is by American Football and you didn't write it. :| I apologize if you already did, but I didn't see anything about it. That's one of my favorite songs and that's why I'm reacting like this.

From: OWEN Date: Nov 20, 2008 6:08 PM ummm...but i did write it. mk

Why are you lying? They wrote that song circa 1999. You pretty much changed some lyrics around to make it your own (which really sucks by the way.) What's the harm of putting "cover" after it? You're a disgrace to the music business if you can't even write your own music and steal other people's amazing work.

From: OWEN Date: Nov 20, 2008 11:35 PM um (again)....I can't tell if you're joking or not, but I'm laughing anyway... mk

You are making me facepalm to no end. Why would I be joking about this? And WHY are you playing stupid? You can get in serious trouble for doing this. Hello copyrights. You can stop trying to sound like you're right, WHEN YOU KNOW you aren't. So why are you doing this? Take the song down or change it so it says it's a cover. It's just wrong. How could you do this? Do you have a conscience? And if you really are that stupid.. (Which I doubt) http://www. myspace. com/amfootball - It's right there. Liars like you live the shortest lives.]

13. Nobody's Nothing
Go on, get out of here / You’ve got everything you came for / Warm arms, a warm bed to fall into / When you can’t get what you did out of your head

14. The Ghost of What Should Have Been
What else in this fucking empty room reminds me of fucking you? / An orphaned couch where I spent some long nights / While you went out with our friends
[Here's another that hits where it hurts.]

15. Curtain Call
From now on it's do's and don'ts / To a room of antique maps and ghosts / Where I have been where I will go

16. Places to Go
You were taking a break from life / You were traveling light / (A pair of walking shoes and a sweater) / You were where you were / When you pictured where you'd be: / Anywhere but home
[This was the first song of Owen's I ever heard. And it's still my favorite. Always will be.]

There you have it: an hour of Owen.

A Road Trip to Nowhere

Some things were just made for each other. Coffee and cigarettes. Syrup and pancakes. Sonny and Cher. Driving and music. My mom likes to drive with the music turned down, which blows my mind. Especially if I'm alone, I'm not comfortable in a car without blaring music.

Music + cars can set the scene for so many of life's best moments. Roadtrips with friends. Lonely solo trips at night to nowhere. Retarded YouTube videos. Backseat hookups. Getting pulled over by racist/oldfashioned cops. Car accidents. Music can make the difference between a rather mundane trip from point A to point B and an otherwise awesome experience.

I tried to limit the list to songs that make direct literal or figurative references to the road, road trips, or anything to do with a car. Considering there are about a billion songs that qualify, I guess I didn't limit myself too much.

(This is my "Unlisted" [artists I haven't used yet] list)

1 - Wilson Phillips - Hold On
[See video above intro for clear justification]

2 - Set Your Goals - Flight of the Navigator
"These twelve hour drives / They are nothing when I / I'm with all of you / Yea it's the road that calls my name!"

3 - Bloc Party - Price of Gasoline
I haven't had a car for quite some time now, so I'm not really able to commiserate with the rest of you when you complain about gas prices.

4 - Polar Bear Club - Parked in the Parking Lot of Your Heart
Like most of the bands on here, I'm surprised these guys haven't found their way onto any of my lists.


5 - The International Superheroes of Hardcore - Seat Belt
"Never forget! Never forget!"

6 - Something Corporate - I Woke Up in a Car
Gahhhh this "embedding disabled" shit is finally for real. Fuck you Universal.



7 - Sunny Day Real Estate - Two Promises
"His heart breaks at the road he must take / The road that will lead to the end"

8 - The Mountain Goats - This Year
"I broke free on a Saturday morning / I put the pedal to the floor / Headed north on Mills Avenue / And listened to the engine roar"

9 - Dashboard Confessional - Shirts and Gloves
"When I'm back from the road, and you're out on it / And I'm tired of this distance / And I believe it's over, it's over-rated."

10 - Alkaline Trio - She Took Him to the Lake
"Do you remember when they both drove out of state? / Stealing kisses behind her cousin's back / with a love so strong, tell me, who could wait?"

11 - Tom Petty - Runnin Down a Dream
"I felt so good, like anything was possible / I hit cruise control and rubbed my eyes"

12 - Jason Collett - Almost Summer
There's nothing more high school than driving around aimlessly, getting high in a parking lot, and hooking up.

13 - Matt Pond PA - Curves in the Road
If I were a girl, Matt Pond would make my panties drop.

Curves In the Road (Bonus Track) - Matt Pond PA

14 - Jackson Browne - Runnin on Empty
"Looking out at the road rushing under my wheels / Looking back at the years gone by like so many summer fields"

15 - Dixie Chicks - The Long Way Around
The Dixie Chicks are badass. No way around it. This song resonates a lot with me, and no song on this list fits as well as this one.



16 - Frank Turner - The Fastest Way Back Home
"Darling oh my darling you know that everywhere that I go,
I'm just trying to find the fastest way back home."

17 - Latterman - Fear and Loathing on Long Island
"With my sight and mind blurred within those miles.
I'll get home again feeling lost and alone in these walls i know."

There are no roadtrips in Singapore, and I'm too scared to drive.

RUN BETSY RUN

Betsy Stone is one badass MF'er. She's from Quincy, she hipchecks old ladies on the street, she stole my lunch money in 1989 (even though I didn't meet her til 2001), and on Sunday she's gonna dominate a half marathon.

My bro is a lucky man, but he better watch his goddamn mouth cause she might throw the gloves down one day. Nice knowin ya bro!

Anyways, this is a list for Betsy's half marathon. I don't really know what her pace is like, so hopefully I don't slow her down. Psh. As if it were even possible!

Good luck Betsy!

1 - Queen - Don't Stop Me Now
"'I'm a racing car passing by like Lady Godiva / I'm gonna go go go there's no stopping me!"

2 - Bruce Springsteen - Born to Run
Can't think of a more apt song title for this list.

3 - Butch Walker - Hot Girls in Good Moods
Oh no my bro is gonna kick my ass now!

4 - The Gap Band - You Dropped a Bomb on Me
What pretty much everyone she blows past will be thinking.

5 - Cut Copy - Far Away
Ok don't get too cocky yet. You're off to a good start, but there's still like a billion miles to go!

6 - The Dandy Warhols - Bohemian Like You
Seems like a good song to run to

7 - Ladytron - Runaway
Because the Bon Jovi song of the same name has no business on a list for a total badass.

8 - Earth, Wind & Fire - September
Also a tasty lil groove to run to, even though it's October

9 - Rise Against - Halfway There
(!!!!!!!!!)

10 - The Clash - Police on My Back
If your favorite band and the idea of the police chasing you down (slash harassing you) doesn't keep you going, then bust out the stims!

11 - Third Eye Blind - Faster
FASTER

12 - Great Big Sea - Run Runaway
Now's the time to drop the goddamn hammer!

13 - Head Automatica - Beating Heart Baby
Don't worry. The thumping in your chest is not a baby alien trying to break free.

14 - The Sounds - Running out of Turbo
Ok so the NOS is empty. Steaddddyyyyy

15 - The Teenagers - Feeling Better
Someone just handed you a water, so you dumped it on your head and high-fived the shit out of some unsuspecting bro dude.

16 - Traveling Wilburys - End of the Line
Almost there almost there

17 - The Arcade Fire - Rebellion (Lies)
You end the half marathon to this song because only true champions are allowed to.

18 - Does it Offend You, Yeah? - Epic Last Song
You've made it! And you didn't even pull an Uta Pippig!!!

YOU RULE BETSY

Girls Who Love Boys / Boys Who Love Girls

Evan's Challenge: a playlist comprised of songs from artists you haven't used on a mix yet.

At first, I thought this would be really difficult. Once I compiled the artists I'd already used, I started looking at the other bands' songs and tried to find a key element - something easy enough to see without having to listen to a billion songs and find a common link. After going through artists A-G, I saw a pattern I could use to eke out a playlist: Girls and Boys. Here I present Girls Who Love Boys / Boys Who Love Girls. Enjoy!

1. Blur - Girls & Boys
Perfect opening track for this list!


2. Phoenix - Girlfriend
I was surprised to find I hadn't used a Phoenix song on a mix yet!


3. Friendly Fires - Skeleton Boy
Also very surprised at the lack of Friendly Fires tracks. I love this album. And I especially love how this lead boy moves. This is one of my favorite music videos of the year.


4. Cut Off Your Hands - Girl
Nothing too special about this. I'm not as fond of this track as I am of another song from this group.


5. Discovery - I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend
This Discovery album was kind of "eh." The best track was the reworked "Can You Tell" from Ra Ra Riot called "Can You Discover."


6. Headlights - Market Girl
A pretty little tune.


7. the bird and the bee - Fucking Boyfriend
Fucking boyfriends…


8. Beck - Girl


9. The Cure - Boys Don't Cry
It's okay to cry, boys!


10. The Presets - Girl (You Chew My Mind Up)
This is incredibly fun live!


11. Aloha - Boys in the Bathtub
This is one of my favorite Aloha songs! I love Aloha. Some of the nicest dudes on the planet.


12. Death Cab for Cutie - Technicolor Girls


13. Placebo - 20th Century Boy
ROCK. This song always makes me want to dance and take up destructive bad habits. Velvet Goldmine is one of my favorite movies.


14. Neko Case - Prison Girls


15. Neutral Milk Hotel - Two-Headed Boy
Dear Neutral Milk Hotel, Please reunite and play a couple shows. I will fly to see you. Promise.


16. Ugly Casanova - Hotcha Girls
Something nice to take us out…

Raindrops Keep Fallin on my Head

Here's my most recent "rainy day" mix...the one that prompted this conversation and list. By this time next month, I'll probably have a new one. Every day is a rainy day in Singapore.

1. Matt Pryor - When the World Stops Turning



2. Acceptance - Glory/Us



3. Wilco - The Late Greats



4. Emily Haines and the Soft Skeleton - Our Hell



5. Andrew Bird - Sovay



6. Metric - Love is a Place



7. Iron and Wine - Each Coming Night



8. Jenny Lewis and the Watson Twins - Rabbit Fur Coat



9. M Ward - Post War



10. Kevin Devine - Me and My Friends



11. Actionslacks - Perfect G

(no vid)

12. Stars - Sleep Tonight



13. Against Me! - Eight Full Hours of Sleep



14. Minus the Bear - When We Escape



15. Bon Iver - Re: Stacks



16. Thrice - The Whaler



17. The New Pornographers - Falling Through Your Clothes



18. The Most Serene Republic - The Men Who Live Upstairs



19. Jimmy Eat World - Table for Glasses



20. We Are Scientists - Spoken For

When It Rains, Make a Mix

Evan and I were talking the other day about rainy day mixes and how we've probably made hundreds of these. Today is the beginning of an especially rainy weekend in Boston. So, this morning I made a mix.

1. Loney, Dear - Sinister in a State of Hope
I downloaded this Loney, Dear album on a whim. I was about to take the train home to Pittsburgh for the holidays and I needed new music to keep me entertained on the 12-hour ride. Somewhere on the edge of Pennsylvania, I finally pressed play on this album. "Sinister in a State of Hope" was the first track, and as it started, rain began to fall. Few things comfort me like traveling by train through a steady rain.


2. Noah & the Whale - Slow Glass
The live version of this song here does absolutely no justice to the lushness of this song on the record. I have no doubt that this album - The First Days of Spring - will end up being in my top three of 2009. It's beautiful.


3. My Blood Valentine - Sometimes


4. Woods - Rain On
I sprinkled in some "rain songs" [and then I made that pun]. Be proud of me.


5. The Last Town Chorus - Huntsville, 1989
There's no video for this song on YouTube, and it's not on her MySpace page. But it's an excellent rainy day song, so seek it out.

6. Travis - Why Does It Always Rain On Me?
Here for obvious reasons.


7. Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin - House Fire
The guitar playing in this song sounds like raindrops.


8. Matt Pryor - Dear Lover
Here's another I cannot find a video or MySpace link for. It's delightfully rainy-day-y though.

9. Onelinedrawing - Um…
Onelinedrawing is Jonah Matranga and he grew up in Brookline. This song is sad. And it's OK to be sad on a rainy day like today.


10. Billie Myers - Kiss the Rain
Because it's an awesome song from the '90s that we shouldn't let fade into eternal obscurity.


11. The Album Leaf - One Day I'll Be On Time
Like the SSLYBY song, this song sounds like raindrops. Falling into puddles and onto paper-thin rooftops.


12. Owen - Declaration of Incompetence
My love for Owen is extreme and unwavering. My only wish: that he'd play tracks from his self-titled debut album. He never does, and these songs are undoubtedly my favorites. On rainy days, I often feel a mess. I don't shower in the morning, because it's unlikely I'm venturing outdoors to be with people. I sit and stew and think about the disaster my life has become in Boston [I'm being dramatic]. "If you don't want to see the worst in me … just leave."

13. Rocky Votolato - White Daisy Passing
I remember a night during my sophomore year in college when - on the way to CMJ in NYC - radio station friends and I stopped and stayed with a friend of mine at Bucknell. While my college friends hung out inside, my high school friend and I sat on back porch, the screens just barely protecting us from a cold rain. Though I didn't hear this song until many, many years later, it makes me think about that night on the porch.


14. Phil Collins - I Wish It Would Rain Down
Phil Collins wrote a song with the word "rain" in the title, so of course it's included here.


15. Sunny Day Real Estate - Rain Song
More raindrops!


16. Colin Hay - I Just Don't Think I'll Ever Get Over You


17. AA Bondy - Black Rain, Black Rain
I just started listening to AA Bondy. And I love this song.


18. Bon Iver - re: Stacks
This is one of the most beautiful songs I've ever heard. Bon Iver is perfect for rainy days. Perfect.