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User
Reviews 25
Approval 94%
Soundoffs 41
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Album Ratings 1091
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Last Active 12-15-20 6:14 pm
Joined 02-19-11
Review Comments 262
| Music for Reading, Writing, and Introspection
It feels as though I have spent the majority of my past five years indulging in various text-based formats. I don't do much outdoors, I don't see many movies, or even play many video games. My academic career has bled over into my free time: When I'm done with a book for school, I pick up a book for myself. When I finish an essay, I attempt my own creative fiction. I'm emerging from this lifestyle with a feeling of accomplishment and satisfaction, but with all certainty, it would feel a lot more empty without the fulfilling company of music. The albums listed here, while certainly rife with elements of ambiance, are more than background noise. They're albums that I pretentiously want to call 'mind-pieces.' They change the way I think and write, using their subtleties and moods to pull ideas from my head without being (too much of) a distraction and give a certain flow to my thoughts. At this point, I feel as inspired by these albums as I do with my more 'traditional' favorites. The rankings here are arbitrary in terms of quality- I'm simply listing as they come to mind. Limit one per artist- though you can be sure most of these bands have more wonderful stuff for reading and writing. | | 1 |  | Boards of Canada
Geogaddi
Everyone knows these guys, and if you don't, what the hell have you been waiting for? This album is a trip. It pulls you into another world that is by turns terrifying and beautiful, and sometimes both at once, but always stimulating. Countless hours of paper writing have spun by with this album, and BoC in general, in the background. | | 2 |  | Stars of the Lid
The Tired Sounds of Stars of the Lid
At first, Stars of the Lid can feel like monotonous droning. A whole two hour album can creep by without it feeling like you're even listening to anything. The pieces on this album revealed themselves to me one by one, and now I feel like I have the whole thing memorized. This band can heal a mind, fill in the missing pieces that haunt your thoughts. | | 3 |  | Hammock
Departure Songs
I hear these guys were really inspired by Stars of the Lid, and I'm pretty sure both bands are from Texas. The formats of each band hold a lot of similarities, so it's hard not to notices the linkages between their sounds. Regardless, Hammock has it's own flavor, and I'd say that their sound is more immediately palatable and melodic- there's not the same "unearthing" to be done, and there are some really good vocal parts from time to time. Departure Songs might be a little busy for some readers/writers, but to me, its a huge, sprawling record that oozes with creative spark. Soothing, nostalgic and inspirational. | | 4 |  | Autechre
Garbage
It's really hard to decide which Autechre album to put here. Seriously, though- look at their artist page. Tons of material, and pretty much any of it makes for wonderful reading/writing music. I picked Garbage because of the night time feel and a strong balance of palatable beats and melodies. It feels like a good mix of their more ambient early sound and the weirder stuff they would later venture into (but more heavy on the ambient). Any of their albums and most of their EP's could go here. | | 5 |  | Aphex Twin
Selected Ambient Works 85-92
A lot of later Aphex Twin can really sap your concentration, and just get too noisy and strange to have on as a secondary focus, but this album and the couple after it are simple enough for these purposes. This album in particular is a classic, and most songs are subtly catchy- I've found it strange how they worm their way into mind even though I've rarely listened to his music with undivided attention. | | 6 |  | Mogwai
Happy Songs for Happy People
Who doesn't love Mogwai? Any album by these guys could be here, even if they have slipped quite a bit over the past decade. Happy songs for Happy people is my personal favorite- while it can sometimes turn your thoughts in depressing directions, the melodies found here do a wonderful job of adding purpose and direction to mental work. | | 7 |  | Godspeed You! Black Emperor
Lift Your Skinny Fists Like Antennas to Heaven
Wonderfully cinematic all around, Godspeed does what they do best here. The four tracks here are massive and sprawling, at times upliftnig, at times hectic, and others chilling. They can make even the most arduous writing task feel more surmountable. | | 8 |  | Swans
The Seer
Swans are one of the few bands on this list that couldn't offer the majority of its discography to the purposes of reading/writing. Repetition has always been a big part of their sound, but a lot of the early stuff is just too vicious and gritty- but hey, maybe you really wanna set a harrowing mood for what you're doing? Regardless, The Seer seems to mix everything that makes Swans an awesome band. There's lots of noise, but the way the songs slowly build from hypnotic repetition to beautiful transcendence makes for a listening experience that is absolutely sublime. Perfect for any introspection. | | 9 |  | Skinny Puppy
Too Dark Park
Skinny Puppy isn't for everybody, but I think most serious music lovers owe Too Dark Park a listen. A lot of SP records have ridiculous filler that can get annoying, but Too Dark Park is a huge exception. The album is front to back brilliance, and while the noisier parts can deter from focus, I can't help but love the way it sets atmosphere: the Industrial sprawl, alive in a night time glow, gnarled metal tangled in gnarled foliage, glints of moon peaking out from between spires of metal and smoke-stacked skies. It feels like cyber-punk, and it rules. | | 10 |  | Boris
Boris At Last -Feedbacker-
Ya know, maybe I should put Flood here, but I just love Feedbacker way too much. Yes, the majority of Flood is soothing, full of calming repetition and ambient noise, but the way Boris builds and builds on itself is something to be admired. Just be sure to take a break from whatever you're working on for it's incredible third part- it explodes with an energy I have never heard matched in any other music. Absolutely essential. | | 11 |  | Talk Talk
Laughing Stock
It's strange to think that a fairly cheesy New Wave type band eventually made some of the most influential post rock albums, but its hard to argue with the influence of Talk Talk's last two albums. I'd describe Laughing Stock as absolutely blissful, with that calm freshness of a warm evening after a heavy rain. You can smell the setting and see the rainbow of such a setting in these sounds | | 12 |  | Bark Psychosis
Hex
I always thought it was a shame Talk Talk didn't keep going- but Bark Psychosis gives us an idea of what that could have been like with Hex. More night time feels than what I described with my write up of laughing stalk, I always wind up leaving Hex mesmerized by its bells and drums. The far too late follow up, "Dustsucker" is pretty enjoyable as well. | | 13 |  | Yo La Tengo
And Then Nothing Turned Itself Inside...
If i were making a "most romantic albums" list, this would surely be on there as well. It's hard for my heart not to get all fluttery when a song like "On Our Way to Fall" starts playing. This one actually has a lot of sentimental attachment to my first semester of college when I originally discovered the band. It was perfect for exploring that new world and falling in love with it. While not every song here is great for reading/writing, the ones that are good for it are amazing, especially the closing epic, "Night Falls on Hoboken", which nears the 20 minute mark and still begs you to hit the repeat button. | | 14 |  | Tim Hecker
Harmony in Ultraviolet
This a more recent discovery of mine, but it may be one of the best for the purposes of this list. There's so much beauty peeking (peaking?) its way out from between the noise. Tim Hecker almost sounds like a sound architect of sorts, and his music is dystopic, fog-laced and beautiful. | |
laughingman22
05.12.15 | I've tried studying to skinny puppy, but I get too absorbed in the music and forget where I am.
Sonic Youth's Daydream Nation has always been my go to album for study sessions, don't know why a slacker-esque album can get me so motivated. | PappyMason
05.12.15 | Sweet picks. These are some of my favs, recently, for working/reading:
Yagya - Rigning
Fripp & Eno - Evening Star
Tangerine Dream - Rubycon
Yo La Tengo - And Then Nothing Turned Itself Inside... | PappyMason
05.12.15 | Bark Psychosis - Hex, too! | Rik VII
05.12.15 | anything by Alcest | TheWrenKing
05.12.15 | Bark Psychosis (2)
Black Moth Super Rainbow come to mind for some reason, as well as Broken Social Scene, Dirty Three, Timber Timbre, The Verve and Neu. Oh, and Tim Hardin and Young Marble Giants | RadicalEd
05.12.15 | Jakob | Aftertheascension
05.12.15 | burzum - filosefem instrumental | MyNameIsPencil
05.12.15 | Really heavy music helps my creative drive | Gameofmetal
05.12.15 | i listen to a lot of black metal when I write
if its a review im writing it's probably the album in question though | Pangea
05.12.15 | musk ox - woodfall | Deadwing42
05.12.15 | I added a few pieces that you guys reminded me of. Can't believe I forgot about those albums! Thanks for all the recs, I will give them a listen in due time. | PappyMason
05.12.15 | Hey, you expanded this. Nice write-ups!
Yeah I don't what it is about Yo La Tengo, but their music makes me feel so peaceful. It's hard to explain, but they're such a great band. | Cyberduck
05.12.15 | Nice to see Skinny Puppy in here, although the more subdued albums like "Bites" and "Cleanse, Fold And Manipulate" would seem like a more obvious choice for me. Anyway, if you like some Recs:
Headcase - Crosseyedrabbit (A bit of everything)
System 7 - Power Of Seven (Ambient/Techno)
Scorn - Gyral (Minimal Dub)
Bitstream Dream - Spiralglide (Ambient/Trip Hop/Techno)
Infected Mushroom - B.P. Empire (Psy-Trance)
Pitch Black - Ape To Angel (Ambient/Trance)
Receptor - Room 302 (IDM/Trip Hop)
Semiomime - From Memory (Ambient)
Tapage - Eight (Trip Hop)
I'm not sure if all of these are suited for concentrated work, but surely worth a listen if you're very sound focussed and a bit "overanalytic" like me. | chemicalmarriage
05.13.15 | Lold at list title |
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