A well-groomed monthly playlist to start your morning right. February’s Theme: Gradual Alarm Clock.

We’re big advocates of long, hot showers. A good steam will soothe your muscles, clear your head and soften your stubble before that all-important shave. A great soundtrack will make the whole process a faster and more enjoyable experience.

The gray mornings of February can really test one’s resolve. We don’t blame you for wanting to stay in bed for just five more minutes. In fact, we’ll help you out with a gimme: a nice little mellow tune by early San Francisco stargazers Moby Grape. The time is now “8:05,” and your five minutes are up. Get on your feet and get ready to kick some…shower. Yeah, we need five more minutes, too. So here’s another smooth one, “Silver Timothy.”

February Shower Sessions: Gradual Alarm Clock

 
These are mornings that need to be eased into. So for February, we’ll let this playlist work like a gradual alarm clock. Songs to peacefully, painlessly rise you up—towards the great re-energizer: the morning shower. These times are strange, The Mumlers sing as they advise you to “Shake Your Medication.” Take what you need while the water warms up, then soak in the lessons from Joe Hicks, you gotta be on a team, if you’re gonna win.

Feel the music ticking faster as you begin to scrub. Things start to get a little dancey with the one-two punch of Boney M.’s “Daddy Cool” (a song we’re playing in your honor) and Franz Ferdinand’s “Right Action.”

But there’s only so much time for dancing in the shower. There “Ain’t No Rest for the Wicked,” so turn the alarm louder with the likes of Mystic Braves, Johnny Kidd & The Pirates and Darrel Rhodes. Just like Rhodes’s “Lou Lou,” you too will soon be taking this town. Don’t be held down by “Pressure and Time.” Or the effects of season. It may seem cold now, but as you listen to “Melt Me,” you’ll realize you also have the power to melt any ice around you.

It’s almost like you’re wearing a “Sun Medallion.”

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