Study Rock

When it's time to hunker down and hit the books, you need the kind of brainy beats that will feed your head without fouling your focus. In the interest of higher learning, we've assembled some of the most study-friendly songs in all of indie rockdom. Kick off your cramming with a band who formed at Columbia University — the bookish bounce of Vampire Weekend's "Campus" turns the most turgid text into a page-turner. Need to focus on the finer points of some tricky trigonometry? Juggle those numbers to the lean, mean slam of Spoon's piano-pounding rocker "My Mathematical Mind." And if you're navigating some heady world history, the mellow acoustic strum-rock of Wilco's "Impossible Germany" will keep your inner compass centered.

Fit your headphones over your thinking cap for Next Steps.

Ready to dig in to hardcore study mode? Settle in for a smarty party with some of indie rock's coolest Clever Trevors. Those well-read lit-rock kings the Decemberists get all Shakespearean with the Romeo & Juliet-style star-crossed-lovers scene of "O Valencia!" Wondering which tomes to turn to first? Canadian popsters Stars might give you a hint with the sultry coo and gentle bump of "My Favourite Book." And if all that information you're absorbing starts to feel overwhelming, soothe your soul while opening up your mind to the puzzling possibilities of Sun Kil Moon's easy-rolling, folk-rock-flavored "Neverending Math Equation."

Find more brainpower-boosting beats in Deep Cuts.

When you're buried beneath a book avalanche and woodshedding is starting to drive you wacky, take a deep breath while these well-schooled sounds soothe your addled synapses and inspire you to new levels of academic oomph. Beginning to feel there are just too many printed words in the world? Rogue Wave feels your pain on the heart-heaving "Publish My Love." Before you reach for the academic panic button, let the Mommyheads unleash a power-pop smart bomb with the catchy-as-a-common-cold "Help Me." And when the strains of indie-folk troubadour Bonnie "Prince" Billy's "Love Comes to Me" drift in, you'll feel a much-needed warm breeze wafting through your weary, information-overloaded head.

How do you handle the mettle-testing task of stuffing a world full of facts into one human brain? By starting out with a smart soundtrack. From the Beach Boys-meets-Neil Young folk-rock of Fleet Foxes' "Mykonos" to the psychedelia-tinted orchestral-pop majesty of Spiritualized's "Soul On Fire," these are the sonic sparks that will keep your batteries charged without burning out your ears. Sure, caffeine, pizza, and a sturdy resistance to sleep will help you maintain your intensely studious schedule, but only music possesses the power to illuminate your soul while you're busy expanding your mind, and all the shrewdest aural aids for your mental muscle-flexing are right here at your fingertips.