A perfect soundtrack for your fall 2013

Fall's mantra should be "chill out." School's getting tougher and it's getting more and more frustrating to pick which of your sweaters, in your arsenal of stylish autumn attire, is the cutest. It's time to get focused and stay warm. It's time to read a book, curl up on your couch and drink soothing tea. It's time to think deeply. This is why jazz music is the perfect soundtrack for fall.

Jazz is everywhere, and it can be a medicine for relieving stress and stretching the mind. Here are ten tracks from SCO to get you focused while calming your nerves and putting you in the fall mood:

"Corcovado" Stan Getz and Astrud Gilberto
Key Lyrics: "Quiet thoughts and quiet dreams/Quiet walks by quiet streams"

First, let's keep summer in mind and make this year's goodbye to the season nostalgic, not painful. Coming back to school is a window for new experiences, the same way a solo in the middle of a jazz tune gives way to sounds never uttered before.

The tropical taste of bossa nova, or Brazilian infused jazz, is a quiet farewell to a memorable summer. That's what makes Stan Getz and Astrud Gilberto's "Corcovado" the perfect intro. With everything starting to get stressful and the papers coming, Gilberto's crooning voice is as reassuring as a good read.

"Earl Grey" Rizzle Kicks
Key Lyrics"It's just tea, it's only tea, but it's a very simple pleasure I need."

Shining a very small, but bright light in the hip-hop game is Britain's Rizzle Kicks. They are a rap-singing duo of charming 20 year olds, Jordan and Harley. Rizzle Kicks is remarkably witty, conscious and well versed. Although the duo has gone platinum in the UK, they still remain relatively unknown in the States. "I just think that they have a really different- not necessarily original- sound and I wish they had a more fame in America" senior Chala Tshitundu says.

Still, Rizzle Kicks doesn't seem to worry about that, and that's the premise of "Earl Grey." It's an accurate observation of 21st century morals, and it reminds us that it's the simple things in life that keep us going. Rizzle Kicks never forget to add a good laugh for their listeners. "If I were Jay-Z and Beyonce, I'd send Blue Ivy to the ghetto 'till she was eleven, and say surprise you're a millionaire!"

"Award Tour" A Tribe Called Quest
Key Lyrics: "Sit back, relax, get up out the path/If not that, here's a dancefloor"

Before the conscience lyrics of Rizzle Kicks, there was A Tribe Called Quest. Although they don't fit into the jazz genre, their music is still perfect for fall. According to junior Hakim Lachnani, "They are revolutionary Muslim black people who seek to increase the relevance of the black man versus the white man." Lachnani isn't wrong, but Quest is most famous for unifying people through universal hip-hop music. Quest are also masters of grooving beats that allow the mind to wonder. Award Tour is an exploration of Quest's purpose, and the things that make humans human. With everything starting to move fast, it's hard to do something for yourself, or have any patience for other people. Even so, while Quest's Award Tour is an introduction to the band, allow its lyrics to relieve your stress.

Cinnamon Tree- Esperanza Spalding
Key Lyrics: "I just think of one stirring conversation/With you and my cup is filled with new infusions"

Esperanza Spalding is the definition of cool. She sports the coolest afro there is, huge and independent. The coolest is she sings while she plays the double bass. And that's what fall should be: cool. Weather-wise, it's about 50 degrees. Individually, it's time to show who you are in the new year. It's also a fortuitous time to make new friends. "Cinnamon Tree" is a metaphor for the glories of friendship. Her voice is sweet and soft like honey in tea, and in a way encouraging. "I love it, It's very jazzy. I just think she's a fellow bassist because she knows- she can like play very well," junior bassist Joe Agger says.

Royals- Lorde
Key Lyrics: "We crave a different kind of buzz"

Lorde is the ultimate high school inspiration, she's almost seventeen and dominating the billboard charts. "She is really cool. I love her music. I love that she's sixteen and that she made a hit on her first EP," junior Savitri Singh says. Although she's not directly jazzy, the number one goal of this playlist is to get you to chill. Take "Royals" to heart. While you're making new friends and getting your work done, just remember to be yourself. When you do that, it takes an incredible weight from all your other responsibilities. Next time, don't stress about the next sweater you're going to wear. Just go with that gut feeling, relax, and sip earl grey.

Tracklist

1. Corcovado- Stan Getz
2. Earl Grey- Rizzle Kicks
3. Cinnamon Tree- Esperanza Spalding
4. I Could Write a Book- Harry Connick Jr.
5. Maybe So Maybe No- Mayer Hawthorne
6. Award Tour- A Tribe Called Quest
7. The Coolest- Jaden Smith
8. Sweet Life- Frank Ocean
9. Everything is Embarrassing- Sky Ferreira
10. Royals- Lorde

Make sure to check out the MusicChips playlist on 8tracks and listen to all the songs mentioned in this article. Happy listening Blazers!