A spiral of CDs appeared on the brick circle outside of Founders Memorial Library Thursday.

Not being one to ignore curiosity, I took a closer look. I was rewarded with something called “A Modern American Playlist: Disc 1.”

To whomever was behind this pleasant surprise, I applaud you.

“Modern American Playlist” may be the coolest thing to happen to this school in the entire five years that I’ve been here. Some bright NIU student has apparently taken it upon themself to take 13 of their favorite songs and distribute them physically to their peers, forgoing blogs and Facebook in an attempt to reach a wider audience.

The CD’s content is standard, “mainstream indie rock” fare. Pseudo-eclectic electronica prevails whenever possible. I know I’ve heard a few of these songs before, but with no accompanying track list, I was unable to discern many titles and artists. Beck, Vampire Weekend and the Black Keys were the only performers to grace this experiment that rang instant bells with me, and I was disappointed that I had no reference sheet to figure out what exactly I was hearing.

My minor criticisms and elitist tastes aside, though, I’m beyond excited and impressed by the student who thought to put this little project together. It is incredibly rare to see this kind of thing anywhere, let alone in a small “boondock” community like DeKalb. The art of the mixtape is one that has been lost on our generation. Our parents are all too familiar with the pains and rewards of waiting around the radio all day for the only song that would work between “Stairway to Heaven” and “Inna Gadda Da Vidda” so that the special someone they were trying to impress knew exactly how they felt about them.

Technology may have changed the rules about how we share and distribute music, but the mastermind behind this thing has seen fit to bend them, at the very least. It almost makes me wish I still carried a Discman around and fantasized about where I might next find something of this caliber.

Students, I implore you — nay, I challenge you: follow this lead. Buy a pack of CDs, some cheap paper sleeves and go nuts. Leave your collage of emotions lying around campus and see if you can’t get someone else to see the world through your eyes. While you’re at it, send us a copy. Maybe there will be space in our fine publication to spread your personal message even farther.

To the compiler of the first disc of the “Modern American Playlist,” get in touch. Let’s see if we can take what you’ve done and make it as big as we can.