Indie Music Madness: A Seven-Song Playlist of Spring Stompers

Spring has officially sprung! What better way to celebrate the changing of the seasons than with these seven springtime songs? They're a helpful reminder about life and how fast it moves. Remember to take advantage of your time while you still have it. Resolve to slow things down a bit, to savor each day for the beautifully delicious treat that it is.

To help you do just that, you can soak up this seven-scoop wallop of golden nuggets to clear and cheer your cobwebby third — and heard — eye chakras:

1. Yeasayer — "Sunrise"

Just as a new day begins with sunrise, this new playlist begins with a song about sunrise. Spring arrives when the sun moves north across the celestial equator. Each day in spring becomes longer than the last, with the longest day occurring on the first day of the summer solstice. Longer days mean earlier sunrises. Earlier sunrises are fine by me, especially when indie bands like (the now split-up) Yeasayer accompany my spring days with sick beats such as those found in "Sunrise."

2. I'm from Barcelona — "Always Spring"

Just from the title alone, this track is an obvious pick for a springtime sampler. But trust me. This springy song will put a sunny smile across your sassy face. It will also make you want to go outside to blow dandelion seeds across a meadowy valley of silkweed, nutsedge, and switchgrass.

3. Walk off the Earth — "R.E.V.O."

Any song that has banjo in it I immediately associate with the outdoors. Part of the reason I love the outdoors, and particularly the lush and green woods, is for the calmness and serenity nature offers. Peaceful placidity helps to ease the mind and sparks creativity. Quiet clarity is where mental revolutions occur, such as this helluva handclappin' hit from Canadian indie-pop purists Walk off the Earth with "R.E.V.O.," a title which stands for "revolution."

4. Marching Band — "Another Day"

I'm a sucker for songs that include piano, and this song immediately pulls listeners in with its playful arrangements of chords on the keys. Sure, the lyrics to this tune are a tad trite. But all of us could use a reminder every now and again to try a bit harder, take more calculated risks, and make room for the little things that matter the most. This bucolic bopper of a hopper leaves you with enough energy to innervate, as well as elevate, you for "Another Day."

5. U.S. Royalty — "Equestrian"

You know when a song hits you because of how magical it is? This magical masterpiece, a topnotch track, builds a world of wonder around melodic guitar riffs and meaningful mantras that together thaw like ice receding on warming topsoil. Laden with natural imagery, both lulling and beguiling, U.S. Royalty explores the harmonic landscape of indie folk-rock in a way that's true and timeless without sounding overused or old. "Equestrian" settles on a sound that embraces rustic roots, both musically and geographically. It will catch the eardrums of even the most cynical music critics with its ambitious and sprawling cycles of sonic optimism.

6. Foals — "Milk & Black Spiders"

A sweaty and melodramatic rumbler from British rockers Foals, here we have ourselves a pedal-infused paragon of alternative-pop perfection. Grungy guitars and giant-slaying hooks are woven together with the heavy use of stringed instruments. The gritty emotional intricacy bends and twists and turns into a grandiose aesthetic, which culminates in a spine-tingling climax that incinerates all within earshot.

7. Frightened Rabbit — "Living in Colour"

I just love spring flowers with all of their verdant and vibrant colors. Don't you? No? Okay then, Grumpy Pants. Immerse yourself in this auditory awesomeness and try not to feel just a whit more winsome. Betchya can’t. This frolicking folk-rockin' gambol of glee will leave you light with the flight of levity.