As a final Otto-Tune hurrah, the outgoing NewsHouse staff chose a few tracks as the soundtrack to the semester's end. Some silly and some serious, we hope these songs will get you through the last week of finals.

Melanie Deziel, assistant executive producer: "The Final Countdown," Europe



Meera Jagannathan, lead producer: "Faded," Soul Decision

Although it's barely raining in Syracuse yet, Syracuse University has canceled classes through Tuesday. So, grab your flashlights and snuggle up at home with a steaming cup of tea to enjoy our list of songs to survive the storm:

Alyssa McKinley, lead producer: "Not the Sun" by Brand New

When the realization of midterms’ looming presence finally becomes a bitter reality— that inevitable convulsion of clarity a splinter in your mind you’ve been picking at for five weeks but only now grasp, and you descend upon the library with your fellow classmates in droves, long serpentine lines of sweat pants three-days worn and iPhones fast-tracked to Wikipedia shimmering in the sun and headphones planted in ears with the dependency of pacemakers, and every study room is...

It's not yet December and already Christmas lights adorn porches and radio stations throughout Central New York are playing nonstop Christmas music. While the unstoppable Christmas machine may already be in motion, it's never too late to stop and remember a holliday that doesn't get many decorations or FM air time: Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving may not boast the same volume of topical music allotted to Christmas or Halloween, but here are some key songs that should be a part of everyone’s celebration: