By Emera L. Riley
With less than eight weeks until finals and Thanksgiving Break still a month out, there has never been a better time to buckle down and hit the books. To ease the pain of all that relentless studying, here’s a playlist that will make the sound of turning pages almost enjoyable.
- “Altered Beast,” Kithkin, Rituals, Trances & Ecstasies for Humans in Face of The Collapse: Nothing screams psychology like doomsayers literally screaming about their divided consciousness to a loud drum beat. If nothing else, the noise from your headphones might get you kicked out of the library.
- “Ways To Go,” Grouplove, Spreading Rumors: This cheerful little diddy is a reminder that unfortunately we too still have a long way to go. If worse comes to worse, there’s always the circus.
- “Your Town,” LP, Forever For Now: What’s any epic playlist without one love song? LP hits all of the right notes in all the right places.
- “So Long, See You Tomorrow,” Bombay Bicycle Club, So Long See You Tomorrow: The buildup of this tune is simply divine and it is a good reminder of what we’ll all be saying to our textbooks when December rolls around.
- “Whale,” Yellow Ostrich, The Mistress: Because who hasn’t wanted to serenade a whale whilst traveling the ocean blue? Whales are sexy.
- “Gravity,” Nico Vega, Nico Vega: Contrary to popular belief, rock- n’- roll lives on, and Nico Vega will make you feel like you can eat nails for breakfast, without any milk. Confidence, after all, is a must-have for a good study session.
- “American Music,” Violent Femmes, Why Do Birds Sing?: With its tell-all lyrical style, this oldie but a goodie blast from the past will surely keep the knowledge flowing.
- “Bought For A Song,” The Terrible Buttons, Runt: Selling your soul to the devil may seem like a plausible plan for getting out of your finals, but The Terrible Button’s croony yet creepy ballad is a reminder that peddling body parts usually ends badly.
- “The Story I Heard,” Blind Pilot, 3 Rounds and a Sound: Fulfilling the second love song requirement of any good playlist, this ballad cements the feeling of rainy Portland in a beautiful way.
- “Shake It Out,” Florence and The Machine, Ceremonials: Ending on a high note, beloved Flo reminds us all to shake off the bad, and keep on moving. When all else fails, close the books and go dance!
