Assignment 23 - Christian Lauritzen

You know that feeling where you zone out and just stare into space, eyes half way crossed, not really thinking about anything but feeling somewhat blissful?  This is my playlist for that feeling.  All of the songs are pretty chilled out and spacey.  (I recommend listening to this song either softly to not rip you out of this mindset, or super loudly to drain everything out.  Also put it on shuffle, it makes it easier to listen to multiple times.)

https://open.spotify.com/user/12162089790/playlist/6m2d8tdqITXtTexXSFQxhB

1. Pink Floyd - Money - I was originally going to pick Time, but the beginning with all of the clocks and alarms is too harsh for this mindset.  Money almost does that at the beginning by its rhythmic and sort of soft so it's ok.  This song is a perfect example for this playlist.  It's vaguely repetitive, has a pretty cool saxophone solo, and large spots with no words are perfect for just draining everything out and focusing on the music.

2. Halsey - Castle - I feel kind of bad for putting this song on here for the reason I do, but oh well.  It's on here because the instrumental (if you can call it that), is thick, bassy, and feels like it moves along with your thoughts (flat, lol).  Now, normally this many words would be bad, but I listen to a lot of her music, and at this point all of her lyrics sound the same and she sings low enough in this song where I don't really notice it that much.

3. BØRNS - Past Lives - Honestly, you could substitute most of the Dopamine playlist for this song, but I picked this one in particular because the start is really nice.  BØRNS's voice is hypnotic in a way because of how high it can go and how smooth it is.  His music is really just nice to listen to.  It's hard to explain why, but if you find the time, just listen to the whole Dopamine playlist without doing anything else and see how much you zone out.

4. Coldplay - Clocks - I really wish I could just have a song of the intro to this song extended.  Its a really nice, repeating melody that makes it feel like you are lying on your bed or in a field just looking at the sky (maybe I'm just weird, but that's how it makes me feel).  Coldplay normally is a tad too loud for a playlist like this, but this song and the few lyrics it has excuse it.

5. Gerry Rafferty - Baker Street - You have almost definitely heard the main melody in this song before.  Saxophone seems to be a bit popular in this playlist, maybe because of how smooth it sounds.  There is something about seventies and eighties pop and how stretched out it is (as in the songs are longer and they linger on everything longer) that is perfect for a forget who you are and just listen kind of feeling, and this song is a perfect example of that.  The melody is soft and smooth but almost swingy, but it sort of makes me think of Bob Ross for some reason, which also contributes.

6. M83 - Midnight City - This is the kind of song you would listen to in a taxi driving through New York city at night with bright colorful lights flashing across your eyes.  The melody really just pulls me out of my head and makes me focus on only the things I'm looking it.  It's just a very visual song to me despite there being very little imagery used.  It gives me a similar feeling to Clocks in the lying down and zoning out respect.

7. AaronicStuff - Take A Walk - This one is very similar to Midnight City, in that both are Electronic House music which feel very visual and drown out your thoughts.  This one is unique to this song, but the lyrics, both the sound of the voice and the words themselves, help to get in that zoned out feeling because he emphasizes syllables right where the bass is, and along with the kind of scrapey sounding electronic music, feel hypnotic.

8. Milky Chance - Stolen Dance - The Indie-ness of this song contributes to it's place on this playlist, but one word sort of characterizes it for me: lazy.  The singing is slurred, the instrumentals are repetitive and simple, and while normally it would pass me by, the laziness feels perfect for this playlist.  It almost makes you feel lazy, which is one aspect of how this playlist should make you feel.

9. George Michael - Careless Whisper - Similarly to some of the other songs on this playlist, it feels repetitive (and has saxophone!), leaving not too much thought to be had.  It feels like you listen to this song on the way home from a disappointing party, just watching lights go by and craving your bed.  While perhaps a somber feeling, it's a feeling of emotional exhaustion, which contributes to just wanting to zone out and listen to the music.

10. Mr. Mister - Broken Wings - Another eighties pop song which is probably the most repetitive on this playlist.  But the bass feels like it is rocking you to sleep, and the high pitched notes pull you out of that lull just enough to stay awake.  It drifts around and the instrumental bit right after each of the chorus's feel like it is opening up your mind and turning it all to mush.