The Michigan winter is usually a fickle mistress, but this year, she's being an outright tease. She was all over the state in November, got much milder in December and January, but as February rolled around, she moved in, unpacked all her stuff and isn't giving any indication of leaving.
It is during times like these that my advice to you is, "Look to your stereo, young sir or madam!" Or better yet, look to your Walkman, iPod or whatever portable music device you choose because chances are, if you're reading this, you're an MSU student, and you've got plenty of walking to do on this frozen tundra of a campus. You might want to hear something more aesthetically pleasing than the howling wind.
So give the following songs a listen and let them sympathize with you, shake you out of misery or show you the occasional majesty of winter. And remember, though she's leaving her belongings all over the place, they will eventually melt.
"Narcolepsy" Ben Folds Five
The intro to "Narcolepsy" could be the musical portrayal of a perfect evening snowstorm. The piano plays the initial flakes. It's nice, but you want some more. So the bass joins in, and the snow falls a little harder. Suddenly, there's a huge gust of wind and everything gets louder, the bass is fuzzed out, while Ben Folds and drummer Darren Jessee punish their instruments. Before you know it, the strings lift you up and you're waltzing in a wintry swirl.
"Treefingers" Radiohead
"Treefingers" isn't much of a song, just a good deal of droning. It sounds like the artwork for the album "Kid A" looks — a vast expanse of icy landscape, with occasional peaks reaching for the sky. I leave it to you to insert your own joke about Michigan here.
"Felt Tip" Love Is All
"Felt Tip" is somewhat of a sonic cousin of "Treefingers," only with an upbeat melody and chirpy boy-girl vocals. "Love Is All" is from Sweden, so the band members know a thing or two about rising above harsh winter conditions.
"Christmas Time is Here" (instrumental) The Vince Guaraldi Trio
I'm a big advocate of leaving Christmas music to the Christmas season, but without the kiddy chorus, this — the theme to the greatest Christmas special ever — is just a great, sedate jazz number. And if "The Royal Tenenbaums" and "Arrested Development" can use it out of context, why can't I?
"The Good That Won't Come Out" Rilo Kiley
This song is an obvious choice, given its references to "frozen lakes," but also because of the cold combo of Jenny Lewis' detached vocals and mechanized drums. The coda — featuring a warmer Jenny, drums played by a human and big ol' bells — is like coming home to a cozy dorm room.
"Expo '86" Death Cab For Cutie
"Sometimes I think this cycle never ends," sings Ben Gibbard, and I think, "Yeah, I know what you mean. What is the deal with this weather?" Speaking from personal experience, the tempo of "Expo '86" is well suited for trudging through the Brody Complex courtyard during months when trudging is the only appropriate mode of locomotion.
"I Just Wasn't Made For These Times" The Beach Boys
The university really ought to have the student body participate in a large-scale case study for seasonal affective disorder during the winter months. It is my professional opinion that melancholia goes down smoother with the harmonic tones of The Beach Boys.
"Care of Cell 44" The Zombies
Save this one for the end of March or whenever the first signs of spring begin to show. One of the lovers in this song has just been released from prison, so it plays as a sunny song of freedom that might as well be about the end of winter's tyrannical reign.
Erik Adams is a State News freelancer. Reach him at adamser9@msu.edu.
