Four Albums For A Sick Day

My son Henry was scheduled to get his MMR vaccination next week. Unfortunately, he caught the R this week - the dreaded rubella, aka German measles. He's covered head to toe in an itchy rash and is just about as miserable as you can imagine. We're listening to soothing music to help him out - here are my picks for four discs that make a sad, rainy sick day a little easier to deal with.

Japancakes - If I Could See Dallas Athens, Georgia indie drone band Japancakes specializes in swirling, oceanic soundscapes anchored by beautiful pedal steel guitar. Their debut album is completely vocal-free and boasts eleven gorgeous, shimmering shoegaze jams.

William Basinski - The Disintegration Loops Minimalist composer Basinski's most famous work was created when Basinski was trying to transfer old analog tapes to a digital format, but the aged magnetic tape began to disintegrate under the playhead, creating a rich, meditative audio document.

Rafael Toral - Electric Babyland Brazilian sound artist Toral uses a heavily treated guitar, analogue synthesizer and music box to create these disarming, soothing experimental tracks that are equal parts drone and lullaby.

Dirty Three - Ocean Songs The Australian trio's music can be a little challenging, but this 1998 album strikes a perfect balance between gorgeous compositions and waves of instrumental texture from Warren Ellis' expressive violin. What are your favorite songs for a sick day?