Albums, films, and books for a rainy day

By Ken Coseto

There’s something about a rainy day. The drip drop of the precipitation is the equivalent of counting sheep. A bit sleepy but not tired enough to slumber. Reminds me of the times when I was a kid praying that classes would be suspended and when it does, spend the day with my Gameboy still in bed.

Snug and in my safe place, the damp and cold calls me to stay in the covers and remain in my night guise. It’s the period when marinating at home isn’t considered lazy, but can lead to thoughtful wandering and introspective discovery. A rainy day serves as the perfect time to disconnect from the online and seek refuge.

I’m sharing a list of sweater weather companions for those afternoons in search of contemplation or some company for those moments of staring at the ceiling.

Albums

The Queen is Dead by The Smiths

No one can beat the calming sound of Steven Morrissey’s voice on a fine rainy day. His British accent full of emotion, you really feel every lyric often contemplating about love, heartbreak and pretty much every topic The Smiths would mull over. The synthbeats and mellow instrumentals combined with the background of the sound of droplets create the ideal melancholy situation for deep life exploration.

Blue Film by Lo-Fang

Multi-Instrumentalist, Matthew Hamerlein, professionally known as Lo-Fang, wrote Blue Film while getting lost in the jungles and bodies of water of Cambodia and Bali. Listening to the dramatic combinations of instruments Lo-Fang plays himself, you’ll immediately feel like soul-searching and the need to get lost. Blue Film is not so much about the lyrics but about the music; it’s music that embraces finding yourself, not sure where it’s heading but getting there.

Books

What I Talk About When I Talk About Running by Haruki Murakami

When I pick up a book by Murakami, I’m expecting the surreal and thought awakening. Instead, What I Talk About When I Talk About Running is very real, but still as awakening to the mind. Taking in the words of his quasi-memoir, it feels like getting to know a friend over coffee and listening to him regale about his hobbies, occupation and musings about his everyday. There seems to be nothing as gratifying in the rain than getting to know someone, especially someone as wise and sage as Murakami.

East, West by Salman Rushdie

Reading Salman Rushdie’s collection of short stories, East, West, is like devouring an order of McDonald’s nuggets, small bites of happiness and insight. It feels like you’re next to the warmth of a fireplace reading his stories that incorporate pop culture (like MTV), traditional Indian culture, and mundane details that seem like he wrote them down on a journal in his travels. After each story, you’ll feel a ton lighter and as if a lesson has been encrypted into your life (Do books even teach lessons these days?).

Films

Frances Ha

This undated publicity photo released by the Independent Film Channel shows Greta Gerwig, left, as Frances dancing in front of fountain in a scene from the film, “Frances Ha.” (AP Photo/IFC)

Watching a black and white film while cooped up at home with backdrop of a storm is a classic situation, Frances Halladay isn’t. She’s sort of an adult, sort of a dancer; she’s sort of a lot of things. As audience to France’s life imploding and being puzzled back, as a millennial that’s unsure about everything, you’ll feel hopeful. You’ll be wishing you were twirling across New York City just like Ms. Halladay.

Lost in Translation

There are almost 14 million people in the city of Tokyo; it’d be hard to imagine feeling lonely in such a packed and multi-cultural metropolis. Bob and Charlotte find that language is truly a barrier and become unlikely friends. You’ll feel warm, cozy and excited when Bob and Charlotte roam Tokyo Nightlife (wild karaoke, futuristic strip bars and all) and find solace in each other’s company.

The Dreamers

The premise of The Dreamers is that age-old story of two close friends who take an interest in an outsider. Those two friends happen to be a gorgeous pair of French siblings and the outsider an idealistic American. The three share an intense love of cinema. Your eyes will be glued to the screen as they lazily and lavishly spend days at home acting out scenes from classic and new wave cinema. It’s being at home at its finest and most imaginative behind an atmosphere of youth protest vis-à-vis a raging thunderstorm.