Top 5 Songs to Fall Asleep To

Right now it's 6:50am and I've been up since 4:30am. All I want to do is go back to sleep (and I'm about halfway there right now), but work beckons, so sleeping is out of the question. If I were planning on falling asleep though, here are the Top 5 Songs that would do me in; not because they're bad, just because they're calm and soothing. Put them on your iPod ladies and gentlemen, and start them up right before you hit the bed tonight. You can thank me tomorrow.

#5: The American Analog Set - "Born On the Cusp" - Generally speaking, I'm not a huge fan of this Austin band. Although, the only thing I've ever listened to was their 2005 album, Set Free. It was good, just not my style. That being said, if you need some sleepytime music, it just may be the perfect album. This track just so happens to be the most soothing among a whole bunch of soothing songs. Guitars are quiet, drums are soft, and singer Andrew Kenny never raises his voice above a few decibels. It's the perfect song to get you well on your way to nighttime bliss.

#4: Sun Kil Moon - "Gentle Moon" - Like The American Analog Set, Sun Kil Moon's Ghosts of the Great Highway is a really great album to put you to sleep. I know this because I used it for this exact purpose on more than one occasion while in college. "Gentle Moon" is the obvious choice for the most sleep-inducing song on the album if for it's title alone. First, it's gentle, which is exactly what you need. And then it's got "moon" right in there! It's a total bedtime song before it even starts playing. Once it does, it only gets better. Mark Kozelek's voice is smooth as all hell, and he never really enunciates as you think he should, slurring line after line. It may be a bit off-putting in the daytime, but after a few minutes of it while you rest, you'll be dreaming in no time!

#3: The Notwist - "Consequence" - This song off of The Notwist's brilliant 2002 album, Neon Golden, is perhaps the most chill. Markus Acher's soft crooning of "Fade with consequence, lose with eloquence and smile" is all the more effective as you're drifting off to dreamworld (or Imaginationland if you watch South Park). Though the band has a clear electronica influence, they never let their glitchy compositions be jolting or obscenely loud. It is a nice change of pace from the other songs on this list, and definitely worth putting on your nap time playlist (or, you know, buying).

#2: The Shins - "Those To Come" - I wasn't entirely sure if I should put this song on the list or not. Being a song by The Shins, I'm much more likely to sing along to it than fall asleep. But after giving "Those to Come" a few extra listens, I'm convinced that this would be a completely awesome song to fall asleep to. James Mercer's vocals are soft and constrained, and the guitar part is simple and hypnotizing. It's basically the same thing repeating for the length of the song, and it's beautiful. As it slowly fades out, you'll fade out with it. And just in case you don't, there's always song #1.

#1: Sigur Rós - "Untitled Song 3" - Holy crap, did you guys just see that totally awesome segue? Go ahead and chalk that one up as the greatest of all time! Back to the song though. This instrumental track from Sigur Rós' now legendary untitled album (aka "( )") is the absolute best song to fall asleep to. First of all, it's instrumental, so you don't have to worry about having lyrics stuck in your head while listening to it. Secondly, it's rather repetitive (or hypnotic) while remaining entirely beautiful. Lastly, it's Sigur Rós, perhaps the greatest sleepytime artist of all time! Of all the tracks on ( ), this one is the clear choice for this list. I guarantee it! I do, however, have a quick caution. Do not, under any circumstance, attempt to listen to all of ( ) while sleeping. I did so once during my college years and awoke halfway through through the album shaking and scared out of my mind. I have no idea why, but I remember feeling unsafe and paranoid. So take my advice and just listen to track 3 while falling asleep. It's a much better experience (though not nearly as memorable).