Kiley Wellendorf | Blogger

In the midst of a rainy, cold, dreary day, I found peace squished beside my roommate on the futon in our dorm room. One of the worst points of fall is the weather’s indecision of sticking by summer’s side or walking towards the depths of winter. While I have been forced to enjoy winter, I cannot stand the way the wind all of a sudden freezes you in a spot or holds you to make a decision about whether you should leave your dorm or not. Our midterm week was surrounded by both rainy and sunny days, but I felt pretty thankful for the dreary attitude this week took on. These five songs summarized every emotion I felt about the burdens this week brought on: the possibility of seeing some of my best friends from back home, the anxiety I felt about taking midterms for the first time, and the cold weather that caused me to bundle up wherever I went. Let these songs wrap you up when you’re freezing or calm you down when things start to become unbearable.

Track 01: “Drown” by Smashing Pumpkins
The amount of time I spent listening to this song on repeat in middle school is absolutely ridiculous. I found this song on my parents old iTunes account and loved the simplicity. Little did I know that this would be a stepping stone for my love of ‘90s music. My absolute favorite part of this song is the introduction – can you imagine hearing this song live?

Track 02: “Tonight” by Kings of Leon
I have always felt that Kings of Leon was meant for rainy days or driving around in the fall. One of my best friends and I used to listen to their old albums whenever football season came around or whenever we decided to drive around until we had to refill our gas tanks. “Tonight” is featured on their newest album, Mechanical Bull, and resides as one of my absolute favorites so far. My favorite part of Kings of Leon is they somehow summarize every late night feeling in the world. “I don’t know why I keep acting this way, everyone knows it’s strange, and it’s something along the way, it’s something along the way.”

Track 03: “Hurricane” by MS MR
There is nothing more beautiful than a raspy voice matched with the perfect music. I first heard this song from one of my best friend’s weekly mixed CDs. We used to exchange music all the time, and I was lucky enough to have a friend with an incredible variety of music. This song was put on a CD with the subject of graduating high school and being free of our worries. The mellowness of this song sits with you after listening to its simple lyrics and dark trances. I love the idea of relating someone to a hurricane because it describes the uneasiness of never really knowing how someone feels. Let this song clear your stuffy head and silence the overthinking that drops by the moment stress enters the room.

Track 04: “Your Legs Grow” by Nada Surf
I recently put one of my old iPods on shuffle and I realized how much I truly love Nada Surf. This song was always on my “sleep” playlist, and I can’t remember how many times this song calmed me down. The lyrics are absolutely beautiful, and I love how the entire song stays pretty slow and mellow. While this song is short and sweet, its warmness brought me back to the nights spent sitting by the fireplace cuddled up on the couch while it snowed outside.

Track 05: “Symptoms” by Atlas Genuis
I heard of Atlas Genuis from my favorite SIRIUS station, Alt Nation. A huge majority of their songs were played throughout summer, and I had always thought of them as a light, happy band. This song caught my attention by the different feelings I had whilst playing this song. Not only does this song form different rhythms and vocal ranges, but it also sounds like a more personal song that wouldn’t be played on the radio. I absolutely love that this song received such positive feedback from the Alt Nation audience, and I’m glad that I was able to listen to this song for so long without relating it to anything. After this week, I feel like this song sat with me between class times and during study breaks. Although the lyrics paint a different scenario, this song definitely lets you form your own perception.

Graphic by Grace Bodey