Playlist: As If A Dream

There are some nights where, no matter what you do or how badly you need it, sleep will just not come. This playlist is the next best thing. Composed to sound like how sleep feels, these songs take you from hazily still conscious all the way through the night until the peaceful optimism of a brand new day brings you back to the waking world. 

Starting with Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith’s “Labyrinth II”, the playlist starts off with the first sign of falling asleep. The playful high notes of your still active mind bounce around the low methodical hum of sleep lingering in the background. The next few tracks reinforce this idea until the melodies become less pronounced, and elongated echoing sounds come to the forefront. By “Articulate Silences Part I”, your mind has fully come to rest and the last buzzings of consciousness have fallen away to the thrum of subconscious thought and deeper, longer breaths.

At Marconi Union’s “Weightless Part 1”, REM sleep has started, and the only activity comes from the metronomic drone of your heartbeat. Small plucks and tinklings provide some signs that the mind is still working, but they’ve lost any structure and instead float around as sensory impressions.

Kusanagi perfectly encapsulates the act of waking up. Chimes of thought return and the recognizable sound of voices gently rouse you from sleep. The bright tones of a guitar are reminiscent of sun peeking through a window onto your bed until you’re fully awake. And then it’s time to start your day.