1. “I Hope to Be Around”  – Men I Trust

• “I Hope to Be Around” is truly a jack of all trades. This is a great tune for whenever you need a relaxing sound, for homework, art, or simply for spending time with friends. 

2. “Oh! Sweet Nuthin’” – The Velvet Underground

• The Velvet Underground has always been one of my favorite bands to get me through the midwinter monotony.

3. “The Scoop on Heaven” – Mac Miller 

• Mac Miller truly has a perfect album for everything, and “I Love Life, Thank You” is no exception. “The Scoop on Heaven” is an upbeat, beautiful song that puts you in a great mood as soon as it comes on. One of my all-time favorites.

4. “Change” – J. Cole

• J. Cole has a song that is genuinely perfect for every mood. “Change” is uniquely sad and beautifully written, and has been one of my favorites this past month.

5. “Soul Kitchen” – The Doors

• The Doors have always been one of my favorite bands I’ve kept close to my heart. Their self-titled album has no shortage of fantastic tunes!

6. “Vancouver” – Mac DeMarco

• Mac DeMarco’s newest album, Five Easy Hot Dogs, came out on January 20th of this year. It is entirely instrumental and recorded during a road trip from Los Angeles to New York. I like to try and emulate that by listening to it on my drives to school.

7. “Stormy Weather” – Etta James

• This song is a soulful testament to the gloomy mid-winter feels. Etta James is right about not having sun and lots of rain, but there’s still time for a snow day… right?

8. “Make You Feel My Love” – Adele

• Maybe you had a Valentine, or maybe you stayed off of social media for the day. Hopeless romantics and lovebugs alike are entranced by Adele’s beautiful vocals and Bob Dylan’s songwriting. 

9. “Philly Dog” – Booker T. and the M.G.’s

• Booker T. and the M.G.’s started as a house band for Stax Records, playing backup for greats like Otis Redding, and shaping the sound of Southern Soul music. Snappy sax-guitar combo to celebrate the greatest city in the world losing 3 championships in a row. I hate being an Eagles fan, its awesome!

10. “Genius of Love” – Tom Tom Club

• A zany song sampled by greats like Tupac Shakur and Mariah Carey. The song elicits feelings similar to that of chewing candy on a sunny playground. Some funky jams to keep things light in the new year!

11. “Don’t Think Twice, It’s Alright” – Indigo Girls

• When taking tests don’t second guess your instincts! Unless your first thought is wrong, in that case you can think twice, its all right. 

12. “Westcoast Collective” – Dominic Fike

• A little moody jam with some surf-style guitar angst. 

13. “One of These Days” –  Bedouine

• Every day during this time of year just feels like any day, but maybe one day we’ll have one of these days. 

14. “Virtual Insanity” – Jamiroquai

• Having to pull out the E-hallpass everytime you leave class!? That’s some virtual insanity.