Music To Study & Work To

I need a particular kind of music when I’m in serious work/study mode. Here’s some of my favs:

The Album Leaf – A chorus of storytellers

If you haven’t yet, you really need to. This one is wonderful, and I’ve listened to it, like, 90 million times since it’s right towards the top of my iTunes library. It’s lush, it’s melodic, it’s sort of droning, it’s all good.

The Field – From here we go sublime

Ok, think of it as minimal electronic: the beat goes on and on, but it’s not all get fired up and start humpin’ something. It’s subdued, but it moves. Another great choice, though some may find it repetitive… but you’re working, so don’t worry about it.

Four Tet – There is love in you

Lots of acoustic/live samples sequenced to create an interesting reality in this one. Overall the atmosphere is similar to The Field, but with much more of a “recorded live in a cabin”kind of vibe. Like Bon Iver electro.

Fuck Buttons – Tarot sport

I’m serious on this one… that’s what it’s called. And it’s good too! Real good. Very driving and gritty… it pushes you on for a while, slowly building, and then it takes you into some heavy, long melody that gets you all fired up without breaking concentration. I find it’s really easy to get lost in what I’m doing when this one’s on.

Jaga Jazzist – What we must

Jaga Jazzist is one of my all-time favorite bands. They’re basically a jazz super group from somewhere that’s not America, where eons ago the people killed dragons, drank blood, etc., which is why these guys are so insane with musicality. This album is not jazz, it’s far, far remotely related, in the best possible way. The tracks are smart – it’s like they have a conversation with you, and play along with your line of thought, nodding, before BAM!, check mate, bitch! So, anyways, this is good stuff.

Lindstrøm – Where you go I go too

This album is three tracks, 55 minutes of, like, some mellow happy trip where you’re, like, running super fast through some crazy woods, and it’s all early morning light and scary, but, like, nothing can hurt you cuz you’re one of those werewolves from the twilight movie, and you’re running super fast through all these old trails, and you feel hella good, like, “F YEA!”… and then there’s these moments where you come to some crazy-ass cliff and you’re on this huge rock overlooking the ocean and the wind is blowing and it’s pre-dawn, and you feel all super bad-ass and stuff. You know?

M83 – Saturdays = youth

I love this one so hard. It’s so lush. It fills every crack, every space with sound. Also, it appeals to that lil’ emo kid in me, the one with the jansport and the Promise Ring shirt. Deep tracks, really spacey orchestration and production. Highly recommended.

Stars Of The Lid – The Tired Sounds Of Stars Of The Lid

This stuff is basically ambient – there’s melody, but there’s often not a real rhythm to it. Lovely little stings and other instruments being stretched and manipulated electronically to create music that’s more like landscapes than songs. This is an excellent choice for when you’re all tired from being a werewolf and running through the forest all night.

Telefon Tel Aviv – Immolate yourself

The first track on this album, The Birds, is so perfect – it just builds and builds and then keeps going as this deep, electric, driving train of a song with these minimal, almost Depeche Mode sounding vocal tracks layered on top. The rest of the album doesn’t relent… Not quite pop electronic with a modern day lean on the early hay-days of the synth, with a deep/emotional kind of twist.

Tagged as: Editor's Pick