It’s that time of the year. We’re all hermiting away, our ears replaced with headphones and our fingers callousing from the keyboard. So you know what we need? A good f’ing mixtape. A study mix that we can put on and enjoy in the background.
I’m not talking about a victory mix (big, pumping, exciting songs for when we’re finally done and eating Danes ice cream while yelling and getting excited for the end of the year party.) We’ll do that in two weeks. I’m talking about a Study Mix.
I’ve been listening to two mixes I made on repeat and I need more!
I want your picks! I want to make a fabulous mixtape (I could even burn copies and place them in my mailbox for the taking.) Here are 10 of my picks and some examples of what we don’t want after the jump. Add your own, and we will have a mighty fine mix..
- “3rd Planet” - Modest Mouse (It’s old, but so good.)
- “Is There a Ghost” - Band of Horses (A little harder, but sometimes you need that.)
- “Time” - Ben Folds
- “Goodbye Lenin” - Yann Teirsen (also good: his entire soundtrack to Amelie.)
- “How It Ends” - Devotchka (This was on the trailer for the movie version of “Everything Is Illuminated” and I’ve been listening to it ever since. It was also in Little Miss Sunshine. I’m big on soundtrack songs for studying.)
- “Wild Horses” - Rolling Stones
- “M79” or “Oxford Comma” - Vampire Weekend
- “The Wolves (Act 1&2)” - Bon Iver (He/They just came to the university and I’m pissed I missed them. This is the ultimate study music.)
- “Bleeding Love” - Leona Lewis (Pop pop pop.)
- “Buildings” - Regina Spektor
Examples of things my friends like to listen to when they study that would kill me and my outlines.
- “We Will Rock You” - Queen. My friend Sean listens to this on repeat. Without headphones. I think we can all agree that this is not conducive to Con Law II outlining.
- The entire “Blackout” album - Britney Spears. Two of my friends put this album on and let it run on repeat. This would be an example of a “victory album” for me. I mean, don’t get me wrong, I love me some Brit, but not while making my Evidence tables.
Well? What are your study songs? It’s okay if it’s Queen, just lemme know!
Steve Wieland
fsford
timhilton
smahieu
Morgan N. Engling
maryiowa
jaimiesuzi
jarens
kevinjames
brieanne
lcm
Andrew
sandista
enwinfield
you are silly. brit brit helps students get good grades. who is the other brit fanatic? don’t forget, i burned you britney’s greatest hits in addition to blackout. maybe you can listen to it after corps.
Cat Power has a soothing, don’t-shove-your-highlighter-through-your-eye voice.
Pandora (my new best friend after new BLB policies made me move all my music to an external hard drive to make room for Windows Vista on my MAC) has also suggested several fun new (to me) artists: Elana Arian, Morning Recordings, Maria Taylor.
Sia is a late favorite; Tift Merritt is a fave as well (if you enjoy a twang now and then) …
And I am almost embarrassed to admit this on a widely-read discussion board, but when you’re REALLY freaking out, Enya brings you down a notch. It’s like going to therapy.
Sara Rae has some Amish folk music that I highly recommend…but it is only available on hand-cranked phonograph, so that might be a problem if you study anywhere outside the home.
I listen to Cat Power, Beirut, Iron & Wine, Bon Iver, Wilco, Badly Drawn Boy, Radiohead, Air, but sometimes I simply cannot concentrate with lyrics. I’ve been listening to a lot of Miles Davis, Stars of the Lid, Mozart, and Mercan Dede this year.
I can’t have any words in the music while I am studying or I start singing along in my head and my Crim Exam answer reads…”Baby when I met there was peace unknown, I set out to find you like a fine tooth comb.”
Instrumental Music I would recommend…
1. Miles Davis - Live from the Plugged Nickel
2. John Coltrane - My Favorite Things
3. Power of One Soundtrack (I know there is singing, but I can’t speak the language, so its not the same)
4. Herbie Hancock - River: The Joni Letters
5. Paris Combo - Motif (same thing as #3)
Oh Timmy, you’re such a sucker! If you’re interested though, you can get Amish polka cassette tapes in Kalona… not that I know from experience…. (printer/dollar store in the central shopping center across from the Amish woodworking center/furniture store)
I’m too spastic to listen to music that has words when I study. I find that I space off and listen to the lyrics and whatever I’m reading goes in one eyeball and runs right out the other without the benefit of making to my cerebral cortex fist. I listen to lots of Mozart, Bach, Brahms, Beethoven, and Tchaikovsky. Just to name a few. Any of Mozart’s piano concertos are the way to go in my humble opinion.
I’d suggest every album Shaggy ever cut. Listen to “Boombastic” and “It Wasn’t Me” and you will be primed to kick your final’s ass.
I highly recommend anything by Belle and Sebastian to listen to.
Steve recommended Thievery Corporation to me last week, and I’ve been finding that they’re pretty excellent for study music. I also like Erlend Oye, and for fun stuff to keep you pumped without going crazy, take a trip back to the early ’90s with the Spin Doctors. Little Miss Can’t Be Wrong, indeed.
Also, as far as wild celebration music goes, Gogol Bordello. Hands down the wildest, craziest, funnest stuff you’ll ever listen to.
Vince Guaraldi, hands down. Either “Freda With the Naturally Curly Hair” or “Skating” will do, for a start.
That or the “Very Sorry Song.”
i feel like law school makes you somewhat of an expert on study music. heres what i got:
Grateful Dead: American Beauty. totally the best study album of all time. if you listen to this album and dont want to go have a picnic at a lake or soemthing, you are probably a communist.
My Morning Jacket: Okonokos. sweet live album from one of the best live acts out there right now.
Paul Oakenfold: Tranceport. like an hour-long caffiene burst for your ears.
STS9: Artifact. awesome jam/electronic/funk. usually any band with an obnoxious genre description is totally lame, but these guys kick ass.
Tribe Called Quest: Low End Theory. one of the best hip hop albums of all time.
I’d definitely agree with Lindsay and say Cat Power while studying, but also songs off of the Once soundtrack and Matt Nathanson do the trick!
Would Miley Cyrus count as part of the ‘pump up’ mix?
joke.
Ford, I’m all about the soundtracks. In the past month, I’ve wasted way too much money on iTunes. I justify it as an investment. My top picks:
Gone Baby Gone
Braveheart
Road to Perdition
Asides from that, Sigur Ros is also good stuff. I usually can’t concentrate with lyrics… I guess Icelandic lyrics are the exception.
Philip Glass is AWESOME instrumental music, as well …
Too many choices…20 randoms
1. Andrew Bird - Sovay
2. Jens Lekman - Pocketful of Money
3. Essex Green - The Late Great Cassiopa
4. The Besnard Lakes - Disaster
5. Ryan Adams - Oh My God, Whatever, Etc.
6. T. Rex - Bang a Gong (Get It On)
7. Spoon - Lines in the Suit
8. The Roots - The Seed (2.0)
9. Paul Simon - Late in the Evening
10. Eels - Novocaine for the Soul
11. Once - Falling Slowly
12. Apples in Stereo - 7 Stars
13. Archer Prewitt - Way of the Sun
14. Muse - Sing for Absolution
15. Beirut - Rhineland (Heartland)
16. Blonde Redhead - 23
17. Sharon Jones & the Dap Kings - How Long Do I Have to Wait for You?
18. Bruce Springsteen - Radio Nowhere
19. Calexico/Iron & Wine - He Lays in the Reins
20. Camera Obscura - Lloyd I’m Ready to Be Heartbroken
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zhWGDGHupYA
You all can chill out. I’m gonna Regulate for the next two weeks.
Brian Eno’s ambient stuff, Radiohead, Boards of Canada and schizophrenic free jazz.
Miley Cyrus. The search should stop there.
I just found a danish group called Alphabeat. Can’t stay still while listening to them. Other favorites while studying…Rent, Nickelcreek, Colbie Caillat, Jason Reeves. If you like Regina Spektor, check out Ingrid Michaelson.
I’m not usually much of a rap fan, but for some reason Talib Kweli’s “Quality” album really works when I’m studying. It’s just jazzy enough to not be distracting but not so jazzy as to be pretentious.