Rileys Tunes:
1. Vitamin String Quartet Performs Modern Rock Hits 2011, Vol. 1
2. "La valse d'Amélie "-Yann Tiersen
3. "Holocene"-Bon Iver
4. "Santa Fe"-Beirut
5. "Heart It Races"-Dr. Dog
6. "Electric Relaxation"-A Tribe Called Quest
7. "Change Is Gonna Come"-Pretty Lights
8. "Zorbing"-Stornoway
9. "Intro"-The xx
10. "Lights (Shook Remix)"-Ellie Goulding
11. "I Walked"-Sufjan Stevens
12. "Skin Is, My"-Andrew Bird
13. "Shangri-La"-M. Ward
14. "You Really Got a Hold on Me"-She & Him
15. "Where Is My Mind? (cover)"-Trampled by Turtles
If you're sitting in College Library, sweating profusely from climbing four flights of stairs in a down coat and scarf, thinking about flashcards after finally finding a place to sit, only to find the person next to you is loudly chomping down on their Fritos, you are not alone. We face this situation semester after semester, and the sophomoric tendency to tear our hair out goes far beyond our sophomore year. Thus, I present to you a playlist that will really help you get down to the dirty work at hand.
The Vitamin String Quartet Performs Modern Rock Hits 2011, Vol. 1 may not be a single song, but it is included because it is worth listening to in bulk. The beautiful interplay between string instruments, which compile all Vitamin String Quartet works, gives the chance to listen to songs by popular artists without the lyrics-a perfect combination to prevent distraction.
"La valse d'Amélie," by composer Yann Tiersen has a similar quality of non-distracting escapism. The track, one of many beautiful tracks on the "Amélie" film soundtrack, gives one the aura French refinery. If you can imagine being transported to a quirky café on a Parisian street, it just might seem chic to study.
"Holocene" by Wisconsin native Bon Iver is only fitting to rally to, and "Santa Fe" by Beirut and "Heart It Races" by Dr. Dog (a cover) are both energizing tracks that give you the gumption to pick up that book, or at least strut your stuff over to a library. Beirut even gives some encouraging advice regarding test-taking bravery: "Whatever comes through the door / I'll see it face to face."
I usually have trouble studying to hip-hop and rap, but "Electric Relaxation" by A Tribe Called Quest has a fitting groove that reminds us to relax, whether it be through meditation or Phife and Q-Tip's bedroom-oriented methods.
"Change Is Gonna Come" by Pretty Lights, "Zorbing" by Stornoway, "Intro" by The xx and "Lights (Shook Remix)" by Ellie Goulding are optimal for studying in the thick of things. Their smooth and low-caliber harmonies, combined with steady backbeats keep your mind moving.
Then step away from your notes-"I Walked" by Sufjan Stevens, "Skin Is, My" by Andrew Bird, "Shangri-La" by M. Ward and "You Really Got a Hold on Me" by She & Him are cool-down tracks that are relaxing enough take out the knots in your shoulders.
Finally, there's Trampled by Turtles' rendition of "Where Is My Mind?" when you walk in to the exam and realized you're screwed anyway.
-Riley Beggin
Jeremy's Jams:
1. "Summer of '89"-Butch Walker and the Black Widows
2. "Last Known Surroundings"-Explosions in the Sky
3. "Coffee and Cigarettes"-Jimmy Eat World
4. "Totally Fucked"-Spring Awakening Cast
5. "Wagon Wheel"-Old Crow Medicine Show
6. "Eager For Your Love"-Tristen
7. "Bright Spring Morning (Piano version)"-Suburban Legends
8. "Throw Your Sets Up"-Whole Wheat Bread
9. "Take Me to the Riot"-Stars
10. "Drive"-Incubus
11. "Cannons"-Youth Lagoon
12. "Queen of Hearts"-Fucked Up
13. "She's Lost Control"-Joy Division
14. "Appetite"-Marvelous 3
15. "Let's Hear it For Love"-Smoking Popes
Writing papers is much easier with an interesting playlist, and as an English major, all I do is write papers. If you're like me though, writing papers (or articles) usually results in 14 tabs open in your web browser, only two of which have to do with what you're writing about. A playlist like this, with a good mix of slow songs I can ignore and jams that keep the ADD part of my brain entertained, usually keeps me focused and working hard.
A sing-along chorus isn't normally a good thing when you need to study, but if you're like me you need a lot of motivation to actually do your assignments, a little fun every now and then can keep you going. That's where "Summer of '89" comes in. The song is simple, but fun, and it keeps my brain entertained while I write.
"Last Know Surroundings" is an instrumental that lasts eight minutes. Eight minutes during which I will get a ton of work done because my head will be focused on my work instead of the fact that I'd rather people watch.
If you've ever been in the middle of a paper and realized that you were writing the wrong prompt, "Totally Fucked" is great to have on your playlist. There's energy and harmonies that will keep you focused without distracting you too much.
"Bright Spring Morning" makes you want to just be done with school, and this is the one song on the playlist that backfires sometimes. On the one hand, it can motivate you to finish strong (good for that middle slump), but on the other it can also make you just want to say "fuck it."
Youth Lagoon's Year of Hibernation is such a great album that I could probably listen to the whole thing while writing. Variety is important when writing though, and "Cannons" contrasts very well with "Queen of Hearts" and "Drive," keeping you on your toes and out of that rut.
Sometimes more abrasive is better, which is why my list is peppered with faster and louder nuggets like "Queen of Hearts" and "Throw Your Sets Up." Songs like these keep me from falling into a rut in my writing and spending 45 minutes looking up the perfect study food to have delivered to the library instead of discussing the finer points of postcolonial British Theater.
-Jeremy Gartzke
