iPhone shuffle. Let fate decide the soundtrack to my day. Or the soundtrack to my work commute, at the very least. A random set of songs from the 2,000 odd beauties in my phone. Sometimes they don’t quite fit right in sequence, but still sound great on their own. And sometimes they follow each other in perfect harmony and manage to capture a mood while travelling on the tram or walking and taking in the various sights and sounds. Such as walking through Trinity College en route to the office, as spring sunshine breaks through and just the right song comes up. Like Hoppipola by Sigur Ros.

Or sometimes the soundtrack can change a mood, for the better. Early morning work angst anticipating issues or problems during the commute. Then a belter of a song comes up on random play and negative thoughts turn to positive ones. Like Sabotage by Beastie Boys. Or Go With the Flow by Queens of the Stone Age. Or Next Year by Foo Fighters.

Anything can happen on any given day. Radiohead followed by Beach Boys. Vampire Weekend followed by Arcade Fire. A beautifully understated Camera Obscura track sandwiched between manic Pixies and Weezer tracks. Pink Floyd then Modest Mouse.

Then there are my own playlists for certain moods and situations. One for running, full of energy and euphoria. Crossing the finish line of a half marathon in Vienna with the sounds of Invincible by Muse in my ears was some feeling! On the totally opposite end of the spectrum, there’s a playlist of chilled songs that works perfectly on flights especially when some private time is needed and maybe a nap. Nodding off to Bjork’s All is Full of Love or Birds by Bic Runga is very pleasant indeed.

The random play soundtracks are the most interesting though, keeping me honest and entertained on the morning route to work before they slowly dissolve into the order of the day.  One tune might stay with me during the day however, until I’m out of the office heading for home and another random playlist takes over. Wonder what little gems tomorrow morning will bring…