It's finals week at The College of New Jersey, and stress is at an all-time high right now. Sleep deprivation and hours of intense studying aren't an uncommon aspect of finals week, and we could be up to our eyeballs in completing work for our other classes. Finals week is also a time where students prepare to go home for the summer, and that involves trying to pack your belongings before leaving. Finals week is a maddening time for students at The College of New Jersey, but a good way of letting out stress is to listen to some noise rock. Here are some extremely noisy tunes to bang your head to.
1. The Velvet Underground - "I Heard Her Call My Name"
Hailing from The Velvet Underground's 1968 classic 'White Light/White Heat', "I Heard Her Call My Name" is a perfect song for letting out your frustration towards finals. Wild solos push the guitar to its breaking point, and excessive feedback grabs you in a threatening manner. "I Heard Her Call My Name" sounds like a speeding car that's out of control, and it's a wonderfully harsh way of motivating you for finals week.
2. Dinosaur Jr. - "Tarpit"
This offering from Dinosaur Jr's 'You're Living All Over Me' is a slightly subdued version of noise rock. Blending J Mascis' drawn out vocals with a methodical pace, the song features distorted guitars that still have a melodic touch to them. "Tarpit" explodes at the 3:02 mark, featuring squeals of screeching feedback and a whirlwind of deafening noise that swirls around in your ears. Relax and sit back, as your studying sessions are accompanied bv the atonality in "Tarpit".
3. Sonic Youth - "Silver Rocket"
If you need a shot of adrenaline to get you through finals week, then Sonic Youth's "Silver Rocket" is a great way to do that. Coming from the 1988 classic 'Daydream Nation', "Silver Rocket" is basically Sonic Youth's attempt at a punk rock song. It erupts into a sonic assault with feedback that could destroy skyscrapers, and the atonality that comes up would make Lou Reed proud. The distortion that the song bludgeons you with is blissful in an odd sort of way, and it's perfect to lose yourself in as you're trying to study at three in the morning.
4. Big Black - "Kerosene"
Big Black's classic song from 1986's "Atomizer" can bring some energy into finals week. A drum machine provides the pounding beat that drives the song, and a stylish bassline immediately hooks you. The guitars feel like spikes that are stabbed into your ears, and the rush that this song gives off creates a lot of motivation for finals week. Instead of drinking your fifth cup of coffee, listen to this tune.
5. Unwound - "Message Received"
Coming from 1996's 'Repetition', "Message Received" is a blazing combination of noise rock and post-hardcore. Featuring jagged guitars that scream with dissonance and rage, Justin Trosper yells at you while you're assaulted with riffs that scrape against your eardrums. The song is bolstered by a buoyant bassline, and 'Message Received" shows what can happen if you mix the energy of punk with a touch of noise.
This time of the semester is the hardest part of being a college student, and it can seem incredibly tempting to just give up. However, you have to push through it. Your hearing might suffer, but put in your headphones and play some noise rock during finals week. An atonal guitar riff is all that we need to get us through the day, and there's no shame in enjoying some dissonance every now and then. Check out these songs, and play them loud.
