For me, rainy day music can follow one of two paths. The first accentuates your miserable conditions. These songs are bleak, achy reflections of the weather, serving only to dampen your spirits. Take this James Blake ditty, for example. Such pathos! The second path is much less dreary. It’s a screw-your-umbrella and sing-in-the-rain kind of song. There’s nothing like an upbeat but not in-your-face Paolo Nutini tune to get you out of your rainy day funk. Never mind that the Scottish songwriter is actually singing about recreational drug use. – @mcortellucci
I like Arts & Crafts. They are the label that introduced me to Broken Social Scene and without them the soundtrack to my early twenties may well have sounded more like this and less like this. Naturally, I have developed an earned trust with the label which is why I’ve been listening to I predict a graceful expulsion by Cold Speck , or Al Spx as her parents call her. The 23-year-old’s first record is full of memories and wisdom from the old souls that inhabit her body. Her soulful voice is what drew me in but grim lyrics like “Into dust we will all return” is what kept me there. – @AlenSadeh
Foxy Brown featuring Spragga Benz – Oh Yeah (Parental Advisory: Explicit Content)
Foxy’s a bit of a loose cannon, isn’t she? Nevertheless, homegirl knows how to rip a show. I actually have no idea if she does or not, but she scares me so I wanted to follow up with something nice, leave me alone. The few years on either side of this song coming out were outstanding for hip hop. Black Rob had his.. single. Wu Tang were, not surprisingly, destroying everything in their path. DMX was less on drugs. Probably. Jay Z and Nas were both so mad at eachother, and both putting out what would soon become timeless car-driving, veranda-loitering staples. Was anyone else listening to Jason and Iyare on BBC’s 1xtra all the time? I’ll give you a dollar if you owned the same god-awful, camouflage tank top as I did. Don’t blame me, blame Foxy. – @anniehennessey
