Music for Every Mood

When I got back to Seward after Thanksgiving, the first thing I did was run over to Walmart for a quick stop at the pharmacy. I walked in expecting the usual quiet mood of bustle and business. Instead, I walked in, and behold: Christmas! There were decorations by the entrance, stacks of Christmas cookies, and freakishly soft Christmas sweaters (what? I couldn’t help it if I touched them). Despite the decorations, it was still plain Walmart. Why did it feel like the world had flipped itself backwards in time? I got all the way to the pharmacy window before I discovered the actual culprit: they were playing a peppy version of “Let it Snow.” 

You know what I’m talking about. There’s something about the right kind of music at the right time that just changes everything about an experience. So, in the spirit of Christmas, here’s my present to you: music for every mood. 

Now obviously, I’m a single person in a gigantic cosmos of great music, so as much as I try to branch out and learn to enjoy new kinds of music, I don’t listen to everything. Here is what I do listen to. It’s perfect for studying or brainstorming. That said, catch me on campus and suggest something new to me, and I’d love to try it. 
 

If you’re looking for instrumental background music, like I said, I have a plethora of suggestions. Here are some of my favorite composers and channels, but there are always tons more to explore: 
 

• Debussy. This is impressionistic classical. Try his Violin Sonata, Cello Sonata, and Piano Trio 
• George Winston. This is relaxing piano. Try his album, Plains  
• Ludovico Einaudi. He’s one of my two favorite composers of all time. I suggest you try ALL of his albums, but you can start with Elements  
• Gifts from Crows. Try their album, Holding a Thought Forever  
• Falling Up. Try their album, House Full of Caverns  
   

If you’re looking for something more contemporary or peppy, but still lyric-free, you should always try: 
 

• The Piano Guys. They make fun renditions of old and new songs alike. For example, I love their version of The Jungle Book/Sarabande  
• Any collection of “epic music.” If you love intense, cinematic music (especially string music), “epic” is what you want to type into the search bar, cheesy as it sounds. Try: MEMORIES FORGOTTEN, or SOUL STORIES 2.   
• HDSoundi. This is a channel that collects contemporary instrumental music on YouTube. Here is a sample: WILL OF THE PEOPLE 

Movie and TV soundtracks have a ton to offer, and you can look up any movie you want online. Here are some of my favorites: 

• The Attack on Titan  soundtrack by Hiroyuki Sawano   
• The Pride and Prejudice  soundtrack  
• The Hugo soundtrack. This is a favorite of one of my friends.   

Okay, so what if you’re done studying and want something you can actually sing along to? Two suggestions: (1) Look up Veggie Tales. It’ll make you laugh. (2) This is where my exploration of music is limited; I love instrumental music. But if you want to try something new, this is what I like: 
 

• Sleeping at Last. This is my other favorite composer/group of all time. If you like to analyze poetry, this is the music for you. Here is their best album, in my opinion, though you should definitely try them all: Atlas: Year Two 
• Alisa Turner. Christian contemporary. Here is one of her albums, Miracle or Not  Sarah Reeves. Christian contemporary. Here is one of her albums, Easy Never Needed You   
• Alex Zurdo. He is a Christian Reggaeton artist. You can practice your Spanish with Lo Mejor de Alex Zurdo 
• Anime openings and Japanese pop. This admittedly works better if you’ve seen the animes, but this playlist always cheers up my day: Anime Music  

And there is an extensive list of music recommendations! As a final salute, here is a beautiful song by Ryuichi Sakamoto to get your music binge rolling: Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence