Songs Not Designed to Study To
by Michael
I originally thought of this post back when people actually had finals, but I was also busy with finals, so this is a special one for all those High Schoolers and kids going to Summer school.
*Note: You probably wouldn’t listen to most of these songs anyway*
“Heroin” – The Velvet Underground
This song tricks you. It seems happy and mellow, but then the repetitive guitar riff begins to speed up, and the drums kick in, and suddenly everything is faced paced and disjointed (possibly signifying heroin use?) until the end is a mess of noise and rocking out. Either you will hate it so much you can’t focus and need to turn it off, or you will get so wrapped up in how amazing it is, you will keep listening to it over and over again.
“Between My Legs” – Rufus Wainwright
This song is damn catchy (even for Rufus Wainwright), and simple toe tapping or pencil shaking is not enough to even consider handling it all.
“Underground” – Ben Folds Five
You have to love classic Ben Folds Five (look how young they are), and this has to be one of my all time favorite Ben Folds Five Songs. It gets distracting with all the high pitched parts, and who doesn’t stop and get ready to sing along with “buh-BYE bye” I know that I do.
“Upon This Tidal Wave of Young Blood” – Clap Your Hands Say Yeah.
Clap Your Hands Say Yeah probably shouldn’t be listened to on any occasion aside from listening to Clap Your Hands Say Yeah. Either you are gonna spend the whole time trying to figure out what they hell they are saying (it isn’t important), or you are gonna be completely caught up in the upbeat rhythm and sheer good timey-ness of the music. It is impossible for a person to ever even consider studying to something so amazing.
“The Next Messiah” – Jenny Lewis
I actually found that listening to “Acid Tongue” before my finals really relaxed me (like we’ve discussed before, I’m a sucker for a pretty voice), but “The Next Messiah” is completely different. With the constantly changing tempo, mood, and style of the song, you become enraptured. Then the song completely stops and starts again with a song just as much amazing, with even more dramatic shifts. I have to say, it rivals Modest Mouse for the most dynamic and intricate song.
“Mashed Potato vs. Vampire” – Uncle Monsterface
“Mashed Potato vs. Vampire” – Uncle Monsterface
Do I even have to explain? IT IS A SONG ABOUT A MASHED POTATO (which can apparently be singular?) FIGHTING A VAMPIRE. If you head doesn’t explode comprehending that, you are insane.
“Holy Roller Novocaine” – Kings of Leon
I’ve said before that this is my favorite Kings of Leon song, and its pretty easy to see why it is so distracting. With the bluesy guitar, upbeat tempo, juxtaposed with parts of near total distortion, this song wraps you up in its warmth of awesome, and you need to at least clap and sway along if not get up and dance like crazy.
