Lyric-free music for good concentration while working?
November 13, 2013 9:00 PM Subscribe
When listening to music and working, I find I concentrate better when the music is lyric free. Please share some of your favorite music without words that helps you get into the zone and also drown out noise while working. I'm open to most kinds of music. So far I'm listening to things like the Tron Legacy soundtrack, Ottmar Liebert, Bernie Williams and some classical music.
Passion soundtrack by Peter Gabriel.
The Songza app also had some nice curated playlists for music without lyrics.
posted by arcticseal at 9:05 PM on November 13, 2013
The Songza app also had some nice curated playlists for music without lyrics.
posted by arcticseal at 9:05 PM on November 13, 2013
I don't know if you have the ability to stream music while you work, but Songza has a lot of lyrics-free playlists.
posted by Sara C. at 9:05 PM on November 13, 2013 [3 favorites]
posted by Sara C. at 9:05 PM on November 13, 2013 [3 favorites]
I'm a big fan of Odesza for this type of thing.
posted by too bad you're not me at 9:17 PM on November 13, 2013 [1 favorite]
posted by too bad you're not me at 9:17 PM on November 13, 2013 [1 favorite]
Space music, which is a sort of meta-genre which I find great for working. For a taste, try the "Deep Space One" and "Space Station Soma" stations on Soma FM.
posted by Jimbob at 9:20 PM on November 13, 2013 [3 favorites]
posted by Jimbob at 9:20 PM on November 13, 2013 [3 favorites]
I was recently introduced to classical composer Eric Satie. You will probably recognize some of his stuff, it's often used in movies. Very pretty, not distracting. I have found a lot of his stuff on Spotify and listen to it at work a lot.
posted by radioamy at 9:29 PM on November 13, 2013 [2 favorites]
posted by radioamy at 9:29 PM on November 13, 2013 [2 favorites]
Best answer: I know just what you mean. What I like is classical guitar - things like Andres Segovia's recordings, or Manuel Barrueco. It has enough depth and groove not to bore me, but I can hyperfocus to it without feeling distracted by it.
posted by Miko at 9:30 PM on November 13, 2013
posted by Miko at 9:30 PM on November 13, 2013
Best answer: How about some post rock? Explosions in the Sky, Caspian, This Will Destroy You, Mogwai, Mono, etc.
posted by sacrifix at 9:31 PM on November 13, 2013 [4 favorites]
posted by sacrifix at 9:31 PM on November 13, 2013 [4 favorites]
I also came in to suggest Explosions in the Sky, and Mogwai. Added bonus:the songs tend to be long, so it gives you a good long stretch of music to work through without the distraction of a song change.
posted by FirstMateKate at 9:37 PM on November 13, 2013
posted by FirstMateKate at 9:37 PM on November 13, 2013
Songza has a lyric free section in the "working" and "studying" concierge categories.
posted by Brent Parker at 9:40 PM on November 13, 2013
posted by Brent Parker at 9:40 PM on November 13, 2013
Tortoise is my go-to for this.
Jim O'Rourke's Bad Timing
Moondog
John Fahey, Steffen Basho-Junghans, Sir Richard Bishop (if you avoid his noisy electronic stuff)
posted by hydrophonic at 9:42 PM on November 13, 2013
Jim O'Rourke's Bad Timing
Moondog
John Fahey, Steffen Basho-Junghans, Sir Richard Bishop (if you avoid his noisy electronic stuff)
posted by hydrophonic at 9:42 PM on November 13, 2013
I second the songza response.
posted by phoenix_fire at 9:46 PM on November 13, 2013
posted by phoenix_fire at 9:46 PM on November 13, 2013
I like listening to the Aperture Science Psychoacoustics Laboratory tracks while working, which is the lyrics-free electronica soundtrack from Portal 2. Valve have made the tracks freely available on the Portal 2 website.
posted by gemmy at 9:48 PM on November 13, 2013 [1 favorite]
posted by gemmy at 9:48 PM on November 13, 2013 [1 favorite]
Phillip Glass?
posted by oceanjesse at 10:02 PM on November 13, 2013
posted by oceanjesse at 10:02 PM on November 13, 2013
You need to get some stuff done right now? The Pacific Rim soundtrack is basically wordlessly punching monsters in the face for 90 min.
posted by WidgetAlley at 10:03 PM on November 13, 2013 [1 favorite]
posted by WidgetAlley at 10:03 PM on November 13, 2013 [1 favorite]
No one's mentioned Ratatat! My go-to programming or focus music. In fact I try not to listen to it any other time so I don't get tired of it. I also like Radical Face, but some of their songs have words.
posted by Gravel at 10:11 PM on November 13, 2013 [1 favorite]
posted by Gravel at 10:11 PM on November 13, 2013 [1 favorite]
How about video game music?
POTION: Relaxing with Final Fantasy, Shin Megami Tensei II: Sound Relation, ICO OST, Shadow of the Colossus OST, Flower OST, Final Fantasy IV Piano Collections, pretty much any Suikoden soundtrack or album.
posted by Redfield at 10:11 PM on November 13, 2013
POTION: Relaxing with Final Fantasy, Shin Megami Tensei II: Sound Relation, ICO OST, Shadow of the Colossus OST, Flower OST, Final Fantasy IV Piano Collections, pretty much any Suikoden soundtrack or album.
posted by Redfield at 10:11 PM on November 13, 2013
Tim Hecker. Harmony in Ultraviolet, in particular, is fantastic music to write to.
His occasional collaborator, Daniel Lopatin/Oneohtrix Point Never, is also great.
posted by R. Schlock at 10:32 PM on November 13, 2013 [2 favorites]
His occasional collaborator, Daniel Lopatin/Oneohtrix Point Never, is also great.
posted by R. Schlock at 10:32 PM on November 13, 2013 [2 favorites]
Definitely Phillip Glass. I have his Solo Piano and Glassworks albums, they're perfect.
posted by 9000condiments at 10:59 PM on November 13, 2013
posted by 9000condiments at 10:59 PM on November 13, 2013
you also want long stretches of music so you don't have to think about tracks starting or ending. DJ sets are perfect for this -- hours of seamless, wordless music. see if this 4 hour set of house music is up your alley.
posted by serif at 11:22 PM on November 13, 2013 [1 favorite]
posted by serif at 11:22 PM on November 13, 2013 [1 favorite]
Sasha and Digweed. The Social Network soundtrack. B + A by The Beta Band.
posted by Courage is going from failure to failure at 11:56 PM on November 13, 2013
posted by Courage is going from failure to failure at 11:56 PM on November 13, 2013
Lyric-less work music is a big priority for me, too.
Lately I've been into Bach's fugues, J Dilla (previously), and 9th Wonder.
Longstanding favorites include Groove Salad (which has some lyrics, but which are usually muted and abstract), Hypnotic Brass Ensemble, and Ikebe Shakedown. I apologize that many of those links are single-song only; I try not to stream and rather listen from a rip of the entire CD.
posted by daveliepmann at 12:03 AM on November 14, 2013
Lately I've been into Bach's fugues, J Dilla (previously), and 9th Wonder.
Longstanding favorites include Groove Salad (which has some lyrics, but which are usually muted and abstract), Hypnotic Brass Ensemble, and Ikebe Shakedown. I apologize that many of those links are single-song only; I try not to stream and rather listen from a rip of the entire CD.
posted by daveliepmann at 12:03 AM on November 14, 2013
The Oblivion soundtrack by M83 (I think like one track has vocals).
posted by EndsOfInvention at 1:14 AM on November 14, 2013
posted by EndsOfInvention at 1:14 AM on November 14, 2013
Darkside's new album "Psychic" rocks this boat for me.
posted by gijsvs at 2:27 AM on November 14, 2013
posted by gijsvs at 2:27 AM on November 14, 2013
I have spent literally years carefully training a Pandora station for this exact purpose.
Enjoy: Instrumental Trance Music for Work
posted by Jacqueline at 2:39 AM on November 14, 2013
Enjoy: Instrumental Trance Music for Work
posted by Jacqueline at 2:39 AM on November 14, 2013
Redfield has a good point about video game music. I've used music from the first two Katamari Damacy games for a similar purpose to what you're going for, especially Angel Flavor's Present.
posted by Coatlicue at 3:25 AM on November 14, 2013
posted by Coatlicue at 3:25 AM on November 14, 2013
Rachel's - post-rock chamber music. And this album by Trans am- Surrender to the Night - also post-rock, but more minimalist and electronic and less classical-y.
posted by cilantro at 3:46 AM on November 14, 2013
posted by cilantro at 3:46 AM on November 14, 2013
Best answer: I think you should explore scores from movies that have resonated with you. Personally, I love 'The Piano' score by Michael Nyman, 'The Gladiator' score by Hans Zimmer and Lisa Gerrard, and of course the 'Lord of the Rings' trilogy by Howard Shore.
posted by h00py at 4:07 AM on November 14, 2013
posted by h00py at 4:07 AM on November 14, 2013
I like listening to Spanish guitar and classical. I've also found that listening to music with non-English lyrics achieves the same goal (currently into Zaz and Carla Bruni; the Amelie soundtrack is also good).
posted by melissasaurus at 4:30 AM on November 14, 2013
posted by melissasaurus at 4:30 AM on November 14, 2013
Everyone here at Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce is working to the mellow sounds of Seeburg1000.com.
posted by JoeZydeco at 5:00 AM on November 14, 2013
posted by JoeZydeco at 5:00 AM on November 14, 2013
My dissertation will be written to the gorgeous sounds of Òlafur Arnalds. Think Explosions In the Sky meets Arvo Pärt meets Yoyo Ma.
Warning: occasional tracks may be distracting due to their intense beauty...but a little transcendence in the middle of a work day isn't a bad thing, right?
posted by Dorinda at 5:27 AM on November 14, 2013
Warning: occasional tracks may be distracting due to their intense beauty...but a little transcendence in the middle of a work day isn't a bad thing, right?
posted by Dorinda at 5:27 AM on November 14, 2013
I find, FWIW, that music with lyrics that are in a language I 100% do not understand can be as effective for this sort of thing as lyric-free music ...e.g. Sigur Rós
posted by Z. Aurelius Fraught at 5:44 AM on November 14, 2013
posted by Z. Aurelius Fraught at 5:44 AM on November 14, 2013
Listen to prog rock. Explosions in the sky for studying all through my final week in college.
Perfect instrumental with no vocals, also fades into the background after a while letting you do your thing(Flow some might say)
posted by radsqd at 7:16 AM on November 14, 2013
Perfect instrumental with no vocals, also fades into the background after a while letting you do your thing(Flow some might say)
posted by radsqd at 7:16 AM on November 14, 2013
Ghosts is a 36 track instrumental album from Nine Inch Nails. Not super-heavy or industrial. Very easy to listen to in the background.
posted by ish__ at 7:25 AM on November 14, 2013
posted by ish__ at 7:25 AM on November 14, 2013
Post-rock / djent favorites: Pelican, Cloudkicker, Russian Circles, Red Sparowes, Tuber, Kasper Rosa. All available through Bandcamp so you know the artist is getting their fair share of your dollars.
posted by komara at 7:28 AM on November 14, 2013
posted by komara at 7:28 AM on November 14, 2013
God is an Astronaut
Trentemøller
Clams Casino
Zoë Keating
Lindsey Striling
Bonobo
Tommy Guerrero
Nine Inch Nails - Ghosts
posted by tenaciousmoon at 8:42 AM on November 14, 2013
Trentemøller
Clams Casino
Zoë Keating
Lindsey Striling
Bonobo
Tommy Guerrero
Nine Inch Nails - Ghosts
posted by tenaciousmoon at 8:42 AM on November 14, 2013
I like to listen to early electronic music such as Morton Subotnick and Pauline Oliveros when I read.
posted by Chenko at 9:31 AM on November 14, 2013
posted by Chenko at 9:31 AM on November 14, 2013
Best answer: Back in April of last year, Doleful Creature posted a link to the blue about MusicForProgramming(); which has several 45 minute-hour long collections of music with no/few drums and vocals, specifically chosen for aiding concentration.
posted by JDHarper at 9:03 PM on November 14, 2013
posted by JDHarper at 9:03 PM on November 14, 2013
My favorite word-less "focus and get work done" music is Steve Reich - Music for 18 Musicians.
posted by Zephyrial at 10:28 PM on November 14, 2013
posted by Zephyrial at 10:28 PM on November 14, 2013
I've been listening to a lot of movie soundtracks. I seeded a pandora station with John Williams, Jerry Goldsmith, Howard Shore, John Barry, and a couple of specific movie soundtrack tracks, and went from there.
posted by rmd1023 at 6:28 AM on November 15, 2013 [1 favorite]
posted by rmd1023 at 6:28 AM on November 15, 2013 [1 favorite]
Apollo Vermouth (not the famous one) Shimmering ambient guitar drones
posted by j03 at 9:41 AM on November 15, 2013 [1 favorite]
posted by j03 at 9:41 AM on November 15, 2013 [1 favorite]
Any of the soundtracks by Cliff Martinez - I particularly like the Solaris one.
posted by piyushnz at 7:35 PM on November 15, 2013
posted by piyushnz at 7:35 PM on November 15, 2013
Electronic: Theo Parrish and The Field come to mind - looping, loping sounds that you can get lost in, but not in a bad, sleepy way.
Liquid drum'n'bass mixes is a site where you can stream or download some subliminal mixes of DnB, though they're not all purely instrumental. Check the tracklists for "featured" artists, who are often vocalists/singers.
In a similar, but more blissed out vein: Marina Faib - Worn Out Places, and its sequel, if you can find it. They were free MP3 "mixtapes" posted by Faib, but it's been a few years.
On the instrumental music side, John Jenkins (Classical.net), viols, and baroque music in general make me happy.
posted by filthy light thief at 9:04 PM on November 15, 2013
Liquid drum'n'bass mixes is a site where you can stream or download some subliminal mixes of DnB, though they're not all purely instrumental. Check the tracklists for "featured" artists, who are often vocalists/singers.
In a similar, but more blissed out vein: Marina Faib - Worn Out Places, and its sequel, if you can find it. They were free MP3 "mixtapes" posted by Faib, but it's been a few years.
On the instrumental music side, John Jenkins (Classical.net), viols, and baroque music in general make me happy.
posted by filthy light thief at 9:04 PM on November 15, 2013
Bombay Dub Orchestra
Tango music (a good bit of it is wordless)
Ali Farka Toure (as with others, I find that lyrics in a language I can't begin to decipher just fade out)
Bela Fleck
Nthing the recommendation of SomaFM.
posted by GrammarMoses at 6:08 PM on November 16, 2013
Tango music (a good bit of it is wordless)
Ali Farka Toure (as with others, I find that lyrics in a language I can't begin to decipher just fade out)
Bela Fleck
Nthing the recommendation of SomaFM.
posted by GrammarMoses at 6:08 PM on November 16, 2013
seconding Boards of Canada. Also, Odd Nosdam, The Valerie Project, and Victoire.
posted by taltalim at 10:21 AM on November 17, 2013
posted by taltalim at 10:21 AM on November 17, 2013
Try out Ezekiel Honig, one of my favorites if you're into more textured music (see also Concrete and Plastic). Also Anouar Brahem for classical oud mixed with other delightful instruments. Also Max Richter though sometimes he can throw vocals in
posted by northxnorthwest at 6:36 AM on November 18, 2013
posted by northxnorthwest at 6:36 AM on November 18, 2013
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posted by mynameisluka at 9:03 PM on November 13, 2013 [8 favorites]