1. "Time Spent In Los Angeles" by Dawes

I'll be the first to admit that this song is a little bit too reliant on its chorus, but it has some awesome keyboard work, a cool bridge and its lyrics hit home (in a quite literal way) for me.

2. "Feeding Line" by Boy & Bear

Stick Mumford & Sons, Arcade Fire and Fleet Foxes into a blender (please don't) and you get this awesome band. This is definitely one of the better songs off their debut album Moonfire, which came out in August.

3. "5 Years Time" by Noah & The Whale

Starting with the carefree whistle in its opening, this song will put you in a great (if not a bit nostalgic) mood. It reminds us of how we change and grow, and the ways our perspectives shift.

4. "Half Moon" by Blind Pilot

This song is even better than the delicious shake of the same name served down at Max­well's. Unlike that sugar-packed drink, this song will calm you down and leave you feeling serene. Perfect study song or chill-out tune.

5. "Wax & Wire" by Loch Lomond

With folksy jamming juxtaposed with slow piano parts accompanied by soulful lyrics, this song is certainly a bit of a tour through this band's varied style. Take what you want from this song; it makes some people sad, others happy, optimistic, reflective, etc.

6. "Big Black Bird" by Blitzen Trapper

This song really lets the guitar sing to you without letting it overpower the vocals or other instruments. Enjoy it while you can: at two minutes and 47 seconds, it's the shortest one on this list.

7. "Endless Summer" by The Jezabels

Despite the fact that we've just returned from fall break, it's never too late to say goodbye to summer. With its fasts-and-slows and highs-and-lows, this is a genuinely interesting song that always puts me in a great mood.

8. "Tropical" by FM Belfast

So it's not off their awesomely popular June album Don't Want to Sleep (try "American" or "Vertigo"), but it's arguably their biggest song to date. Who can complain with nonsense lyrics like these: "Playing keyboards is my monkey Pedro. He's tropical. He's chimpanzee."

9. "Broken Heart" by The Novel Ideas

A feel-good despite its name, this song starts and stops (sometimes) without warning and is full of surprises. This group reminds me of some kind of Okkervil River variant with a Neutral Milk Hotel-style penchant for lo-fi recordings and raw vocals.

10. "Pray For You" by Jaron and the Long Road to Love

Watch the music video on YouTube when trying this song out. It's essentially an anti-love song. As he sings about a variety of horrible things happening to his lover ("I pray your tire blows out at 110"), Jaron essentially gets the living daylights kicked out of him by his nasty lady.

11. "Eileen" by Tin Sparrow

This indie folk quartet has only released an EP but I have high hopes for them, espe­cially considering their similarities in sound and circumstance to Boy & Bear. This might not be the best song on the EP, but it fits well in this group and, if it leaves you wanting more, you can go listen to "Fool's Gold" (not to be confused with The Middle East's song of the same name).

12. "Brazil (2nd Edit)" by deadmau5

As the only example of progressive house on this playlist, "Brazil" is certainly the odd-track-out. Anyway, this is a great song for driving on empty roads late at night. It has both a calmness and an energy that interplay wonderfully. Plus it's deadmau5 at his best.

13. "Time Could Do Better" by Eyes of 99

As the thirteenth song on this list, enjoy the free download on the web as your own mu­sical baker's dozen. It's a cool – if slightly generic – song with a vocals-driven sound and a chorus that rises out of the chill several times.

Contact James Bourne at [email protected].