I tend to, regrettably, go the little-sleep-lots-of-coffee route. I also throw in rewards to keep me going: candy, dance sessions in my dorm room, showers (desperate times call for desperate measures), half-priced ABP runs, Netflix sessions and more candy. Unfortunately, these rewards usually require a break from my studies (and health-contentiousness) to indulge. Fortunately, I am here to present a calorie-free reward than can be appreciated while studying: a playlist.
With dreary weather furthering this week’s already dismal mood, studying to a purely instrumental or Bon Iver lullaby-esque playlist will leave you knocked out in no time. This midterm week calls for tracks that will provide ample motivation to keep you awake and alive in the wee hours of the morning at Club Hes.
“Adult Diversion” Alvvays
With its sunny beats and loopy chords, this track will start you out in a great mood to delve into your studies.
“The Staunton Lick” Lemon Jelly
This song begins with a miniature guitar lesson — if you brought your guitar with you to the library, you obviously weren’t planning to study very hard anyway, so strum away a few chords and provide your peers with some entertainment. The track continues into a hypnotizing instrumental piece with an intriguing overlay of reiterated tunes.
“April’s Song” Real Estate
Continuing with the up-tempo instrumental music to keep you in a concentrated yet uplifted mindset, Real Estate carries through with this synthy diddy.
“Tornado” Jonsi
With a uniquely soothing voice and strong instrumental backing, this track delivers the calm before the storm.
“Lose Control” Missy Elliot
Okay, you deserve this. You just did a solid 16 minutes and 37 seconds of studying. Lose Control. If you’re in your dorm room: go crazy. If you’re anywhere else: go crazy in a controlled fashion, a la Taylor Swift in her seat at the 2014 VMAs.
“Unaccompanied Cello Suite No.1” Yo-Yo Ma
Time to get back to work. Now I may only know Yo-Yo Ma from that “Arthur” episode where D.W. has to go to his concert and mistakenly refers to him as “Yo Mama,” however, this song never fails to make me feel sophisticated and therefor prepared to pour over books.
“Desire Lines” Deerhunter
The mesmerizing guitar riff repeated during the second-half of the song will tranquilize you into a state where differential equations can become your friends.
“Genesis” Grimes
The track’s whistle-like sounds and Grimes’s unique, echoic vocals make for the perfect upbeat study companion.
“Our Love” Caribou
The futuristic title track off Caribou’s Oct. 7 album, this song provides the perfect backdrop for a late-time cram session.
“Hardest Geometry Problem In The World” Mark Mothersbaugh
The fast-paced violin and background chimes on this song from the soundtrack to Wes Anderson’s “Rushmore” is there to aid you in solving the hardest geometry, calculus or linear equation in the world.
“Send It Up” Kanye West
In classic Kanye Wes Anderson fashion, we move from “Rushmore” to “Yeezus.” This track is my go to pump-up for when the clock hits 2 a.m. and you’re still in Club Hes. The siren noise in the background combined with Kanye’s nonsensical, narcissistic lyrics makes for the perfect library session revival. “Yeezus (and you) just rose again.”
“Wakin' On A Pretty Day” Kurt Vile
Now that you have been abruptly awoken by Yeezus, continue your middle-of-the-night rejuvenation by pretending you have just awoken “on a pretty day anywhere besides the Hesburgh Library in South Bend, Indiana.” The song continues for nine minutes and 31 seconds, but the spellbinding instrumentals combined with Vile’s crooning never stale.
“lovers’ carvings” Bibio
The reiterative intro leads into a groovy, mollifying sound attuned to invigorate your senses.
“Jubel” Klingande
The drums, lively beats and stimulating saxophone will leave you head bobbing along in an exceptional mood as the repeated lyrics, “save me” ring too true to your situation as one of the last to remain sitting in Hesburgh’s Fishbowl.
“Where Is My Mind?” Pixies
It’s that time of night when only paid-programming graces the television (not that you have had time to so much as glance at a TV in weeks). You start to regret not getting two croissants at the ABP half-price sale two hours ago. You try saying “croissant” in different accents. You continue on to rap “I Am A God” under your breath. You try taking the Pixies’ lyrics to heart and switch up your positing in the chair “with your feet in the air and you head on the ground.” You get some weird looks. You question your sanity. You trudge on.
“Descent Into Madness (feat. Thundercat)” Flying Lotus
As the lyrics, “Can't you see the walls are closing in/Closer to the end/Welcome to the descent/Into madness,” from this track off Flying Lotus’s Oct. 6 album, “You’re Dead!” eerily mimic your situation: go to sleep before the album title applies to your life as well.
Listen to this playlist and more from the Scene Staff on our Spotify account, ObserverScene.
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