Great Music to Listen to While Working

The Chemical Brothers - If it’s fast and energetic that gets you in a working mood and wakes you up in the morning, you really can’t do better than putting on a Chemical Brothers disc. With seven full-length studio albums and counting, it’s almost certain you’ll find one you like. 1999′s Surrender may be their most well-known work to date, but the 2007 release We Are the Night has quality tunes throughout.

Aphex Twin - The solo project of Richard D. James may be known for hardcore, nearly industrial tracks like “Come to Daddy” and “Windowlicker,” but a large portion of his music is intelligently-composed ambient music that is perfect for getting you through the work day. Selected Ambient Works, Volume II and Druqks are good places to start if you’re trying to sift through the vast Aphex Twin discography and don’t know where to look first.

Anouar Brahem - Tunisian instrumentalist and composer Anouar Brahem’s music is often described as “desert jazz,” but there’s very little jazzy about it, and in fact much of what he writes is very reminiscent of the soundtrack to a deep and mysterious movie. Conte de l’Incroyable Amour is a fantastic album if you want something a little more serious and thought-provoking while you work, but it’s also calm enough that it won’t get in your way or distract you.

Philip Glass - If you like the idea of classical music in theory, but don’t really see yourself working to Beethoven or Vivaldi, you might want to try a Philip Glass album or two. His pulsing rhythms and cyclical composition helps keep your momentum going, but it’s still music that’s calm enough if you’re not into anything with a heavy beat.

Lemon Jelly - Sadly this duo is now on hiatus (perhaps permanently – it’s been four years now), but at least they managed to release three full-length albums of engaging mostly-instrumental music before they decided to take a break. Their tracks tend to be long and kind of repetitive, but it comes across as a groove rather than a rut, and is great for getting through a long work day.

Trent Reznor - Most people know Trent as the frontman from industrial band Nine Inch Nails, but he has released several albums of fantastic instrumental music. The soundtracks to The Social Network and The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo are both worth having, but the Nine Inch Nails album Ghosts I-IV will give you the most bang for your buck where good working music is concerned.

Brynn Alexander writes, lives, and enjoys all things music. When not blogging about her favorite bands and concerts, you can find her at festivals and shows. She’s always looking for the latest underground sensation!