Editor’s Note: “Local Voices” is an occasional feature of the Muscatine Journal, spotlighting Muscatine-area columnists. Any opinions expressed are the personal views of the writer.

My biggest addiction is my headphones. I listen to them when I am walking, driving, cooking, studying, cleaning, exercising or just relaxing. Basically, I listen to music whenever I possibly can, even if it’s slightly inappropriate.

If you haven’t tried creating a playlist for your daily life, I highly recommend it. It’s an excellent form of self-reflection and creates something to enhance every daily activity.

It’s really easy to do once you get all your music onto your computer. Just think about what songs you associate with a certain activity and then pile them all together with clever name such as “Shopping Sounds.”

When exercising, cleaning or doing something that requires effort or ample amounts of adrenaline, I listen to aggressive music. Bands such as Rage Against the Machine, The Offspring, and Nine Inch Nails make even the most mundane tasks seem thrilling and slightly terrifying.

When just relaxing by yourself or with a small group of friends, bands such as Spoon, As Tall As Lions, Minus The Bear, or Wilco are ideal. Slow-paced, slice-of-life lyrics and catchy rhythms are definitely a requisite for creating optimum “chilling out” ambiance.

Unwinding after a particularly overwhelming day is a lot easier with The Decem-berists, Muse, or Smashing Pumpkins since listening to them is the equivalent of spending every evening at Tailgaters without the headaches and weight gain.

It’s impossible to not feel classy when listening to Frank Sinatra or Joe Tex, even when spending all day in your pajamas. Musicians such as Etta James, Alicia Keys, and Death Cab for Cutie are more therapeutic than going to a sauna filled with psychiatrists and comfort food due to their soulful lyrics and smooth melody.

Michael Jackson and James Brown make even self-conscious terrible dancers like myself move better (or at least makes us think we do). In my experience, Explosions in the Sky, Imogen Heap, and Luis Enrique Bacalov make time spent studying more productive .

Maybe Marilyn Manson, Rob Zombie, AFI and Mindless Self Indulgence have horrifyingly morbid lyrics, but at least my room is clean thanks to them.

Maybe Yellowcard, The Flaming Lips, Destiny’s Child, and The Ataris aren’t as popular as they once were, but I still listen to them when they fit my mood.

I find it humorous when browsing friends’ mp3 collections that they feel it necessary to explain why they own everything ever made by the Backstreet Boys and the Spice Girls.

Why feel ashamed by what you enjoy? Listening to the same music you did as a child creates brilliant moments of nostalgia even if it means admitting you know all the words to TLC’s “Scrubs.” If you still enjoy it, then it’s still good, no matter what everyone else thinks.

AC/DC, The Rolling Stones, and The Beatles are great, but they are played constantly by radio stations and at sporting events. So although their music is old, it is also heavily woven into the mainstream.

It may get a little annoying to hear “We Will Rock You” during every hockey game, but that’s a part of the experience. So even if a song is terribly annoying it can still be excellent when played at the right time. For instance, nobody really loves “Happy Birthday,” but it is expected every time someone has a birthday.

Maybe the bands I listed aren’t synonymous with those activities for anyone else but myself. But surely everyone has a song in mind that would go great with whatever it is they are doing.

Muscatine native Matt Naber is a senior at the University of Iowa, double majoring in English and Secondary Education. Contact him at mega_matt87@hotmail.com