What's The Mood?: September Jams

Dear readers, I have a confession to make. I’m a compulsive Spotify playlist maker. I spend an ungodly amount of time scrolling through my music library compiling playlists for the most specific moods I can think of — playlists which I probably won’t listen to again after making them. I’ve got my decades playlists; my Billy Joel- and Bon Jovi- inundated playlist, aptly titled “White People Songs”; my playlist for driving down one specific road in Arizona (I’m not from Arizona); and a "Risky Business" (1983)-themed dance playlist. I figured I ought to put my neuroses to some sort of use, which is why I created this column, "What’s the Mood?," where I’ll create playlists for different events and situations this semester — some oddly-specific, some less so — and explain some song choices. So with that, I’d like to introduce my first playlist about the month of September.

I view September as a month of liminality. Septembermarks the start of the new school year, the readoption of routine after summer and the general ethos of change. Being a first-year, I’m especially feeling the transition that comes with moving across the country to a place I know will become very cold sooner than I hope it to be. These themes pervade the minds of first-years, and likely other students too, as they all trying to get into the swing of things again after summer or are preparing to exit college for the “real world.” With that context, here’s my first playlist for this column:

1. “April Come She Will” by Simon & Garfunkel
2. “The Modern Age” by The Strokes
3. “Windows” by Prinze George
4. “Don’t Dream It’s Over” by Crowded House (but the cover by The Head and the Heart slaps just as hard)
5. “Island in the Sun” by Weezer
6. “The Suburbs” by Arcade Fire
7. “Helplessness Blues” by Fleet Foxes
8. “1979” by Darlingside (cover of the Smashing Pumpkins)
9. “Are You Ready (On Your Own)" by Distant Cousins
10. “The Past and Pending” by The Shins
11. “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road” by Elton John