Mixtape Mondays : School's In

So to kickstart my resolution of doing more blogposts, I've decided to go with a routine I can follow for the week. The good thing about being a student in the University of the Philippines is that technically, Monday isn't a school day (unless you pick out a PE or have a test on a Monday). Which leaves it as the perfect opportunity for cramming, going out to a movie or doing whatever the eff you want - which in my case I shall be wasting my life away on a computer to bring you guys - MIXTAPE MONDAYS.

I've always wanted to do something like this, and I'd always imagined doing it on a Youtube Video platform. But seeing as editing videos on my beat up old laptop (Guess what? It's the exact same one I've had since two years ago!) is quite an ordeal, I've settled for a blogpost each week, featuring songs that I've been listening to since I was a child or just recently discovered, come to like, and generally fit the theme of the week.

To skip the banter and go directly to this week's playlist, click here.

As you might have already guessed by the title, the theme for the first ever Mixtape Monday is School's In. Well, technically only for people in the Philippines. For all you other effers out there in the northern hemisphere, summer's just begun so the rest of you can all spend your time laughing your asses off at the rest of us who have to suffer schoolwork and classes. Boo.

If you're concerned that I'm going to be flooding you with crap like High School Musical, Teenage Dream, Taylor Swift and other cliche songs for the start of the school year, worry not. I have better taste than that ;)

That being said, what better way to start off school by wishing it was still summer? Yes, we all go through this phase - denial. Those days of staying up 'til four in the morning and waking up late in the afternoon are long gone. It sucks to actually type it out and admit it, but it's true. It's so true it's almost tempting to skip the first few days of school because god knows nothing substantial ever happens in the first few days anyway. But then what kind of scholarly example would I be setting if I promoted such ghastly behavior?

Nope, I'm not going to do that.

In the spirit of snapping out of the summer slums whilst treasuring every fond memory of those lazy days in the process, Barenaked Ladies, or BNL brings us one of their more iconic works, Pinch Me, sending off the 90's in style with it's late 2000 release.

Peaking at #15 in on the Billboard Hot 100 in November of 2000, Pinch Me remains as one of the group's most popular works. Fans of BNL should be familiar with the song, Ed Robertson's signature quirky way of singing and not to mention, by far the most endearing line of the song: "I can hide out under there. I just made you say underwear." A combination of that line, the symbolism of the music video and the catchy tune, has gathered the band a cult following. Plus, the song is pretty appropriate for the back-to-school blues. So just in case you guys are still hung up over summer, this song pretty much does the job of helping you wallow in your self-pity whilst gearing up for more ambitious goals for the school year.

Speaking of being ambitious, a new school year and semester is all about getting a head start and making something of yourself (or at least we all hope to do so in the long run). Why not start the year right by setting up some goals and objectives you guys can try to work to achieve? It's always good to have that Freshman Syndrome going on, even if you're a sophomore with no more fucks left to give. Donkeyboy's Ambitions is quite sardonically, the song for you.

Haven't heard of Donkeyboy? Hipstermode Activate. 

The Norwegian pop band, formed in 2005 started off as an indie band on MySpace (go figure) and has since then gained widespread popularity in Europe. Go Norway! And even if you're not familiar witht hem, the song Ambitions, released in 2009 has seen widespread use, especially in Joe McElderry's much gayer and less meaningful cover. Oh yeah, it was used in GDragon's advert for Bean Pole as well. The music video has an ethereal feel to it and is damn trippy with this made up disease which affects people who have given up in life, making them disappear into nothingness after a few months. Scary.

That aside, the song tells a story of how in life, ambitions are always the first to go, and if you want to get anywhere in life, you're gonna have to stop thinking people deserve things more than you do and just take a damn chance damnit. What an awesome mantra to take into the next school year. ;)

The next song is for all those misunderstood teens out there who still have the liberty of paying due attention to all those shallow things we all used to hold dear before reality roundhouse-kicked us all in the face. Don't worry. I still feel 'ya. Which is why I still enjoy this song by American Hi-Fi. 

You may remember American Hi-Fi from their song 'Geeks get the Girls' which gave them their fifteen minutes of mainstream fame in the hit reality show Beauty and the Geek. Flavor of the Weak is the epitome of teen life in a catchy punk rock song reminiscent of Simple Plan before they sold out. The video itself is a hilarious parody of  the documentary "Heavy Metal Parking Lot", making fun of heavy metal and categorizing American Hi-Fi's music as Heavy Metal despite it being intrinsically punk. This song in paricular isn't actually as back-to-school specific as it is boo-hoo-I'm-a-teen-and-have-problems generic, but it has that perfect upbeat tune to listen to whilst passing the time between breaks and readjusting yourself to school life.

On the same note, it would be a sin not to include Teenage Dirtbag by Wheatus.

I've always loved the movie Loser, and for that sole reason, this song is in the list. It's a song everyone should listen to once in their life or every time they're in school, just to put all the effers in place. We're all teenage dirtbags and it's best we all start school knowing we're not alone in this world. What ever happened to Wheatus anyway? Last we heard, they've had a slew of former band members and don't seem to be stopping. It's too bad the band can't get their shit together cuz they actually make some decent music.

For all the people who're past their pubescence and are now dealing with the realities of college fees, loans, student starvation and budget cuts, this next song sets a more mellow tone for your back-to-school needs. Blur's Coffee and TV was one of the iconic songs of my childhood, despite my being only six years old when it was released and even now, it remains so. It was just that good.

The video is equally entertaining as it documents a milk carton's search for the band's lead guitarist. It's won numerous awards between 1999-2000 and is worth a watch and a listen. Despite the song not being innately about school life, (in fact it's more of a social commentary than anything) all I can say is really, a little coffee and TV wouldn't hurt once you're stressed and counting down the days til your next vacation.

I know I said I wasn't going for cliches on this list, but I thought this one was permissible considering the fact that I have found no other song more appropriate to end this playlist with. Nirvana's  Smells Like Teen Spirit, despite being defiled by the likes of Miley Cyrus has stood its ground as the ultimate teen (or feeling-like-a-teen) anthem.

Imagine walking through the hallways to your next class with this song playing like battle music in the background. It'll be like the most epic entrance in the imaginary feature film that is your life. If there was any right way to start a semester, this would be it.

That's it for this week's Mixtape Mondays. There are a whole lot of other songs I really wanted to include, songs by Blink182 and a few foreign ones as well to mention a few, but I'm saving those for other MTMs and limiting myself to 6 songs a week. To view the full playlist on playlist mode, feel free to visit my youtube channel or go directly to the playlist here.

Stay tuned for more Mixtape Mondays and comment below for next week's theme suggestions!