Comments on: What should I (not) listen to?

Question: What should I (not) listen to?

serazin — Tue, 29 May 2007 11:58:39 -0800

What's your background music?

I like to listen to music while I work, but a lot of my work is writing or reading, and music, especially with vocals, can be pretty distracting. I've tried jazz, Cocteau Twins, Sigur Ros, and other non-word singing, songs in languages I don't know, and some minimalist stuff, all with some success. I think the ideal background music for me is not super complex, because even a lot of tonal variety can throw me off reading. Unfortunately, a lot of contemporary 'ambient' music makes me want to barf. I guess I'm looking for simple rather than bland. Any suggestions?

Bonus points if you can suggest what I should plug into Pandora to create a station that would meet my needs.

Thanks!

By: twiggy

twiggy — Tue, 29 May 2007 12:10:22 -0800

You might search for terms like "post-rock", "dub", "minimalist" etc on sites like last.fm and pandora.

A good Sigur Ros-esque band to check out: Mogwai

I listen to singer/songwritery stuff and despite the lyrics tend to do just fine with it. Things like Ben Folds, Nick Drake, Iron & Wine, etc...

I also like instrumental stuff, but some may be a little complex if that bothers you. Examples: Aphex Twin (older ambient stuff), California Guitar Trio, etc..

By: The Straightener

The Straightener — Tue, 29 May 2007 12:10:25 -0800

SunnO)))
Earth
Om

By: cashman

cashman — Tue, 29 May 2007 12:16:07 -0800

Kraftwerk?

By: sjuhawk31

sjuhawk31 — Tue, 29 May 2007 12:22:20 -0800

For me, it depends on the intensity of the lyrics. I can easily read and write listening to the Barenaked Ladies' "Call and Answer" but not, say, their "Too Little Too Late."

For good, ignorable singing, I'd suggest you check out msot of Sufjan Stevens' work.

By: danb

danb — Tue, 29 May 2007 12:36:00 -0800

For me it's all about familiarity. I can't listen to new stuff while I work, no matter how simple/minimalist it is, because I'll be paying attention to the music and not my work. On the flipside, albums I'm familiar with work perfectly, even if they're loud, harmonically adventurous, fast, etc.

By: aeighty

aeighty — Tue, 29 May 2007 12:43:39 -0800

Try groove salad on somafm.

By: MathewS

MathewS — Tue, 29 May 2007 12:56:05 -0800

"God Speed! You Black Emperor"

http://brainwashed.com/godspeed/music.html

They have some mp3 tracks for download on the site...

By: wemayfreeze

wemayfreeze — Tue, 29 May 2007 13:13:16 -0800

Some albums on my BGMusic playlist. All pretty minimal, pretty un-boring:

Biran Eno Music for Airports
Slint Spiderland
Lineland Pavillion
Donnie Darko OST
Penguin Cafe Orchestra Broadcasting from Home, S/T
The Wind-Up Bird conduction. convection. radiation., Whips, S/T
Minotaur Shock Maritime, Rinse
All of The Books' albums (there's vocals, but it all fades out for me. YMMV.)

By: O9scar

O9scar — Tue, 29 May 2007 13:14:07 -0800

Boards of Canada

By: theiconoclast31

theiconoclast31 — Tue, 29 May 2007 13:15:31 -0800

Kruder and Dorfmeister
Massive Attack
Thievery Corporation

For me, having a solid, regular, bass beat works. Not too many vocals, but the beat is important.

By: mattbucher

mattbucher — Tue, 29 May 2007 13:21:25 -0800

Air
DJ Shadow
Moby
Yo La Tengo

By: mrmarley

mrmarley — Tue, 29 May 2007 13:24:19 -0800

bossanova is the wallpaper of my life... check out Stan Getz, Luiz Bonfa, Jobim - if you haven't already, you might try lounge/exotica a la Les Baxter

(I like your question bytheway)

By: Crotalus

Crotalus — Tue, 29 May 2007 13:28:07 -0800

Here are some netlabels with free ambient/chill out/experimental electronica that may suit you:

http://www.thinner.cc/main.php
http://one.dot9.ca/2/index.php
http://www.stasisfield.com/index.html

By: Dean King

Dean King — Tue, 29 May 2007 13:38:31 -0800

simple rather than bland:
SND
Monolake/Robert Henke
Frank Bretschneider

By: elendil71

elendil71 — Tue, 29 May 2007 13:39:56 -0800

Anything too sedate puts me to sleep so I have to have something going on there.

Anything Galaxie 500/Luna does it for me - I can put all the recordings on constant repeat and just start working. And I get interrupted once in a while by just the perfect Dean Wareham riff to make me smile.

Also add (in no particular order and off the top of my head); Yo La Tengo (seconded), Willard Grant Conspiracy, The Folk Implosion, and most non-English operas.

By: Rhomboid

Rhomboid — Tue, 29 May 2007 13:46:34 -0800

Goa

By: porn in the woods

porn in the woods — Tue, 29 May 2007 13:51:54 -0800

Stars of the Lid and labelmates Labradford might do you well.

Seconding recommendations of Brian Eno's Music for Airports and all Boards of Canada.

By: Jaltcoh

Jaltcoh — Tue, 29 May 2007 14:00:16 -0800

Steve Reich - Music for 18 Musicians (minimalist classical)

Arvo Pärt (minimalist classical)

Mompou - Musica Callada (classical, like a more dissonant Satie--who I'm surprised no one's mentioned, BTW)

Pole - albums entitled 1, 2, and 3 (electronic)

mum (electronic)

Four Tet (electronic) (caution: disjointed, thus possibly too distracting)

previously on AskMe

By: Afroblanco

Afroblanco — Tue, 29 May 2007 14:08:29 -0800

www.somafm.com
www.di.fm
http://www.pandora.com/?sc=sh139225608338498615

By: gnomeloaf

gnomeloaf — Tue, 29 May 2007 14:18:11 -0800

Seconding AIR.
Zero 7.
If you like Mogwai, you might also like Explosions in the Sky.

By: platinum

platinum — Tue, 29 May 2007 14:30:14 -0800

Does Pandora offer classical music? Outside of work I never listen to classical, but as soon as I sit down at my desk I put on my headphones, turn on my satellite radio, and leave it on the XM Classics station all day long. It's not necessarily "simple" music, but I find that the lack of vocals and the long flowing nature of the pieces really help when I need to really focus on what I'm reading or writing.

By: softlord

softlord — Tue, 29 May 2007 14:34:31 -0800

The Orb
Bebel Gilberto
Bengal Audio (actually, most of the stuff on Six Degrees)
Aphex Twin Selected Ambient Works volumes I and II
n+1 all things Brian Eno

By: ninjew

ninjew — Tue, 29 May 2007 14:45:37 -0800

Do Make Say Think
Explosions in the Sky
American Analog Set
Broken Social Scene

By: Sonny Jim

Sonny Jim — Tue, 29 May 2007 15:39:00 -0800

I have similar needs—I'm trying to finish a Ph.D. thesis and need music to block out noise around me/keep me from feeling like slitting my wrists. I listen to a lot of Boards of Canada (Music Has the Right... and Campfire Headphase work best; Geogaddi, while it's their best album, is also their most distracting), The Orb (UF Orb works perfectly), God Speed You! Black Emperor (F^#A^#[infinity]), and Renaissance polyphony (mostly masses—Josquin du Prez, Thomas Tallis, Palestrina, and so on).

By: citron

citron — Tue, 29 May 2007 15:40:07 -0800

Isolee - Rest

I also like some of the Tallis Scholars choral CDs

By: ludwig_van

ludwig_van — Tue, 29 May 2007 16:07:29 -0800

Mozart
Haydn
Schubert
CPE Bach
Gluck
Beethoven (early works)

By: pwally

pwally — Tue, 29 May 2007 16:21:21 -0800

Peter Bjorn and John --> it's addictive.

By: .kobayashi.

.kobayashi. — Tue, 29 May 2007 16:28:56 -0800

You want Bang on a Can's version of Terry Riley's In C. That's what you want. I'm sure of it.

By: ROTFL

ROTFL — Tue, 29 May 2007 17:03:45 -0800

Choral music, especially requiems. Russian sacred music, especially vespers. Baroque masses and operas, especially Handel. I have a CD of Handel's largos that I'm addicted to. There's something almost mathematically regular about the baroque music, yet it's extremely lyrical; it's as if it can keep both my right and my left brain occupied so I'm free to concentrate, like a parent who sits two noisy toddlers in front of the TV so she can work.

Lately I've been listening to Yahoo Music's smooth jazz channel. No, I'm not a fan of smooth jazz. I find it boring -- and that's the ticket. It's just distracting enough without actually catching my interest or evoking emotions like "real" jazz would. Perhaps you too can find your own magic something that bores you without actually irritating you.

By: hypocritical ross

hypocritical ross — Tue, 29 May 2007 18:06:29 -0800

Leo Kottke
John Fahey

By: devilsbrigade

devilsbrigade — Tue, 29 May 2007 18:28:25 -0800

Portishead & Massive Attack generally plays when I have to write papers.
Classical guitar on last.fm usually plays when I have to do problem sets.
Grateful Dead live sets play when I'm reading, if I'm listening to music. There are words, but when you have a 30 minute song, there aren't that many.

By: HeroZero

HeroZero — Tue, 29 May 2007 18:51:53 -0800

I'm a teacher, and I find I can only grade to the Strokes' first album, lately. The lyrics are ignorable, and it's simple and forward-moving.

By: Joseph Gurl

Joseph Gurl — Tue, 29 May 2007 18:54:54 -0800

ISO

By: paulsc

paulsc — Tue, 29 May 2007 19:04:36 -0800

Bill Evans.
Keith Jarrett Trio.
Joe Pass.
Kenny Burrell.
Wayne Shorter.
Art Tatum.
Billy Taylor.
John Lewis.
Paul Desmond.

These are all people who play/played with great taste, and generally, considerable restraint and simplicity. They tend to create a framework for time, that you fill in.

By: ekstasis23

ekstasis23 — Tue, 29 May 2007 19:40:01 -0800

n+1 Boards of Canada

Bonobo

Blockhead

De-Phazz

DJ Cam

DJ Food

Funki Porcini

Gotan Project

MF Doom's Special Herbs & Spices Albums

Mushroom Jazz

Nightmares on Wax

Royksopp

Thievery Corporation

Zero 7

By: dazed_one

dazed_one — Tue, 29 May 2007 21:39:50 -0800

Great suggestions so far. Try M83 as well.

By: hortense

hortense — Tue, 29 May 2007 21:55:45 -0800

Ravel/Debussy string quartets, my favorite version is by a Dutch saxophone quartet.

By: gakiko

gakiko — Wed, 30 May 2007 00:11:46 -0800

I've only recently discovered that the music I like to listen to while working actually has a label: post-rock. Try using that tag on last.fm or Pandora. Some of the bands I like: Explosions in the Sky, Mono, Sigur Ros, Muse, Mogwai, Red Sparrowes.

I often listen to movie and anime soundtracks. Recent favorites are 300 and Berserk OST.

I also recommend Boy in Static, although I'm not too sure what kind of label I'd apply there.

By: O9scar

O9scar — Wed, 30 May 2007 00:55:50 -0800

Lesser known than Boards of Canada, but similar vibe: tides, by arovane

By: allterrainbrain

allterrainbrain — Wed, 30 May 2007 01:53:46 -0800

I highly recommend 70s/80s Steve Reich (his 90s-and-later music is also beautiful but is more active & varied).

Especially try these beautiful, long & meditative (but very non-bland) pieces:

- Six Marimbas
- Mallets, Voices & Organ
- Music for 18 Musicians
- Music for Large Ensemble

By: safetyfork

safetyfork — Wed, 30 May 2007 06:37:12 -0800

I had success with this Music to think to question, as you can see there is much overlap in answers already. Good luck and enjoy.

By: Flakypastry

Flakypastry — Wed, 30 May 2007 07:30:54 -0800

I've been listening to the Pride and Prejudice soundtrack lately. I listen to it as I set stones or do intricate handwork.

Also seconding Leo Kottke.

By: serazin

serazin — Wed, 30 May 2007 12:34:24 -0800

Thank you all so, so much for these suggestions, and especially for the links to previous related threads.

So far I'm having the best luck with the bossa nova - for some reason it is predictable and repetitive enough to be not-distracting, but also feels like 'real' music instead of, I don't know, synth pan-flutes or something that would make my skin crawl.

I'll delve into the minimalist and ambient stuff yawl have suggested, and start checking out some of the classical work as well.

Yawl rule, as always.