Whenever I’m writing a paper there are two albums I can’t get enough of: The Shepherd’s Dog, by Iron & Wine, and Wincing the Night Away, by the Shins. I become obsessed with these albums whenever I’m working. I couldn’t tell you why, but playing them back to back on a loop is how I have written every paper since my third year of undergrad. At this point the association with essay writing is so strong that I can’t listen to them if I’m not working, or I start to feel like I’m procrastinating.