You know that early morning feeling on the way to class where you’re just too tired to interact with human beings? The caffeine from your Wiggins coffee just hasn’t hit yet, and the thought of opening your mouth to have a conversation with a person just seems too daunting. No worries, we’ve all been there! Here’s a couple of tunes that are both totally groovy and sooo “liberal arts!”
“All I Want is You”—Barry Louis Polisar
Source: http://atreelinedstreet.blogspot.com/2012/02/all-i-want-is-you.html
Okay, how fun and cute is this song? The Juno soundtrack is legendary, so obviously it had to make an appearance on my walking playlist. Whenever I listen to this song, I feel the need to recreate the opening scene of Juno, with a jug of Sunny D in one hand, and my hair in that effortless, trademark ponytail. In any case, it’s such a bop, and always puts me in a good mood, even in the morning!
“Cherry Wine”—Hozier
Source: https://gralefrit.wordpress.com/tag/hozier/
To me, this song is the moment when you’d wake up on a weekend morning before anyone else in the house, and it felt like you were the only person alive in the world. He recorded it live on a building rooftop, and if you listen closely, you can hear birds chirping in the background. Don’t listen too closely though, because the lyrics aren’t too happy, but the tune is a sleepy kind of peacefulness that puts me in a good mood right away as I walk to class. And the beat is so folksy that you can’t help but bounce a bit!
“lover’s carving”—Biblio
Source: http://www.amazon.com/lovers-carvings/dp/B002CMUIPG
The long intro leading into this song is perfect for those mornings where your head is too foggy to process lyrics right away, and the simple tune just sets the right mood. I love it because it lulls you at first, and then once the lyrics start, the song picks up to just the right amount of energy. It’s such a unique song, with a mix of electronic and folk that I’m so into at the moment. I don’t think you can listen to this song and not feel happy.
“Step”—Vampire Weekend
Source: http://pitchfork.com/reviews/tracks/15133-vampire-weekend-step/
Hi everyone, my name is Ari and I love puns. The atmosphere of this song rocks, and Ezra Koenig is a god, so obviously it had to make the list! The way that they made Ezra’s voice echo gives the song a very dreamlike feel, and the beat is great for setting a walking pace. And if you’re feeling brave, you can take the time to try to and interpret what this song means—if you figure it out, let me know because I have no idea. Honestly, any Vampire Weekend song is perfect to listen to when walking to class at Kenyon because it’ll definitely put you in that introspective, pensive mood that’s perfect for any liberal arts class!
“Long Way Down”—Robert DeLong
Source: http://www.ustreetmusichall.com/event/712035-robert-delong-washington/
I was lucky to hear this song for the first time performed live, and what I love about it is that it works great in a large concert setting, but it’s also a great song to jam to on your own. Delong really likes to create what he calls “body music”—music that just makes you want to wake up and feel things. The beat is fun and the vocals are so passionate that I just want to listen to this song over and over and over, and you get the point. Yeah maybe it’s weird for me to want to listen to rave music at 9 am on the way to my philosophy class, but to each their own. It’ll definitely wake you up, that’s for sure!
And there you have it, a compilation of songs perfect for those days when you’re sleepy and Middle Path is empty and you just need a pick-me-up without being totally awake and peppy. Happy listening!