On Repeat

This is in reference to an earlier post "Sad Little Moon."

I have the habit of listening to an album on repeat when I'm stressed or have a lot of homework to do. By "repeat" I don't mean two or three times. I mean, I will listen to an album over and over again until I realize five hours have passed and I should probably turn off my music altogether out of courtesy for my poor housemates who have also been listening to the same album and might like to get some rest.

Last semester John Vanderslice's Emerald City was my album of choice and I racked up well over a hundred plays (thanks, iTunes Play Count). This semester it has been all Magnetic Fields, all the time. I'm sure that will come as a shock to many of you.


Get Lost has received the prize for "Most Played" this semester. Many tracks are upbeat, but there are also a few ballads here and there. Either way, I rate this album most accessible out of the Magnetic Fields canon - or at least a close runner-up to I. I suggest playing "Why I Cry" and "When You're Old and Lonely" until your ears bleed.



The Wayward Bus/Distant Plastic Trees has been a long time favorite. This is a double-album with 21 tracks (including one track of silent intermission between albums) of mellow tunes sung by Shirley Simms. Recommended tracks: "Tokyo A Go-Go," "100,000 Fireflies," "When You Were My Baby," and "You Love to Fail."

If you'd like to enter a body-transcending trance in which you can sit for twelve hours while you write a paper due the next day, you should put either of these two albums on repeat and have at it. When you hit a wall, I suggest listening to Distortion and yelling "Three-way!" at the top of your lungs.