The Playlist: Sweater Weather

With freezing conditions all but shutting down cities throughout Texas — prompting concerns of an Atlanta-like "snow jam" — we open this week's Texas news-inspired playlist with "Sweater Weather" by The Neighbourhood.

This edition marks the one-year anniversary of The Playlist. As always, the easiest way to enjoy it is to download Spotify, which is a free program. But even without it, you can still follow along. Here are this week's other selections:

Greg Abbott, the leading Republican gubernatorial candidate, laid out a $300 million border security proposal this week, so we added Otis Redding's "Security." Meanwhile, his likely future opponent, Wendy Davis, received friendly fire from her fellow Democrats after embracing reforms that would allow for open carry of handguns, and Sean Lennon's "Friendly Fire" was put on the playlist.

Texas A&M University officially welcomed nine renowned researchers into a group that administrators have nicknamed the "Genius Corps," so "Genius" by Kings of Leon was included. It's followed by Keane's "It's Not True," which is a reference to a letter University of Texas System Chancellor Francisco Cigarroa sent to a legislative committee countering alleged misinformation disseminated in their hearings.

According to a new report, Texas led the country in exonerations in 2013, inspiring the selection of "Exonerated" by The Hood Internet. A highly anticipated report on the state's electric grid did not appear to sway opinions in the ongoing debate over how to handle it, so we added Bob Mould's "If I Can't Change Your Mind."

As four Republicans running for Texas railroad commissioner work hard to differentiate themselves, we included "Different People" by No Doubt. Then, we have Robert Earl Keen's "Farm Fresh Onions," since Congress passed a farm bill that could mean big changes for Texas agricultural producers.

And finally, in light of the  launch of a new affordable online bachelor's degree at two Texas higher education institutions, we close with Katie Costello's "Virtual Diploma."

Enjoy!