It’s one of my favorite days: music sharing day.
Here are 11 instrumental albums I am currently using to “get things done” (one of them is free if you look hard enough).
At the end of the post, I want to hear yours. Enjoy!
  | Hammock: Departure Songs If there's one instrumental album you purchase this year, this has to be it. Loaded with massive soundscapes that will leave you breathless. Seriously incredible. This is one of my favorite bands across all genres. |
  | Rhian Sheehan: Seven Tales of The North Wind This guy's music has really been surprising me lately. Beautiful sounds ala Hammock with a nice classical influence. |
  | Rhian Sheehan: Standing in Silence Again, beautiful. This album includes some fantastic electronic beats. Not to be missed. |
  | Brian McBride: The Effective Disconnect If you like to sleep to music, this is the album. Sometimes I put it on and forget it is playing. Minimal and beautiful. |
  | Helios: Unleft Anything by Helios is absolutely wonderful. In addition to this album, check out their most recent, Moiety, which is a FREE download: Helios: Moiety |
  | M83: Hurry Up We're Dreaming While not completely instrumental, something about M83 fires me up. There is a ton of great synth music here. |
  | Sigur Ros: Valtari You know I had to include a little Sigur Ros. There new album here is very unique to the others. Very low key and minimal. I was expecting the music to explode at times, but it remains patient and steady. A soothing listen. |
  | Jonsi: We Bought A Zoo (Motion Picture Soundtrack) My favorite movie soundtrack. Probably ever. |
  | Olafur Arnalds: Living Room Songs A recent discovery of mine. Love this guy's minimal, neo-classical sound. Beautiful strings and piano, taking you on a journey. Gorgeous. |
  | Explosions in the Sky: Take Care, Take Care, Take Care When some of the other instrumental music puts me to sleep, I go to Explosions. Still atmospheric but with glimpses of bombastic energy. Essential. |
Question: What are your “getting things done” music choices? I always look forward to this. Let the recommendations fly.
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David, thanks for sharing and turning me on to new music to work and relax to. I’ve created a playlist of all these albums on Spotify. Instrumentals Albums To Work To: http://open.spotify.com/user/chadritchie/playlist/4jXjdQ1USTh0GId1zLYVvC
Nice! Great idea.
I was just about to do the same thing. Nice work!
Hey David: I’m a BIG fan of all of the albums listed above. They are always on steady repeat at home or at the office during creative or even devotional times.
Check out music by Bonobo (a bit more on the ambient beats side like St. Germain) and Johann Johannsson. Both a bit “newer” to me in the last 4 months. Really great stuff. But Helios still tops them all.
Will do, Drew! Listening now
Any album by This Will Destroy You.
So good.
Agreed!
I made a fat playlist for this exact purpose.
http://open.spotify.com/user/1218150179/playlist/0EQja7p95GB6DFpy8klRzi
Fat playlists are awesome.
Deepspace is great. You can get some free music from his site – http://deepspacehome.com/index.php?p=discography
Nest is also superb and atmospheric – http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Nest/
Carl Sagan’s Ghost is also great – http://carlsagansghost.bandcamp.com/
Sweet! Thanks for this.
Try Port Blue (from Adam Young of Owl City), and not strictly instrumental though some of it is, and still one of my favs Journeys of Life from Kevin Prosch
Perfect! Thanks Jonny. I wasn’t aware of Port Blue.
anything by tycho (http://tychomusic.com/)
Love this stuff. Thanks.
I guess I can suggest the music I make too.
Although not as ambient as the rest of the music here my songs move around the ambient melodic electronica ./ downtempo / triphop realms.
My project is called The X-Structure. All the music can be download from here – http://thexstructure.com/
I hope it inspires you.
Awesome. Thanks!
Thanks for the list…Just made a Spotify playlist of all these…looking forward to listening to them. I am a high school band director (in addition to worship leader) and some of my students had already told me about Explosions in the Sky.
Explosions is incredible. My favorite album is “This Earth is Not a Cold Dead Place”
Long time reader, first time commenter!
A huge chunk of my music collection is instrumental, but most recently the albums that have left the biggest impression are:
Rudresh Mahanthappa – Kinsmen
Flying Lotus – Cosmogramma
Karl Hector & The Malcouns – Sahara Swing
Messiaen – Chronochromie Pour Grand Orchestre
David Torn – Prezens
Welcome to the comments! Hope to see you here more often
These are all new for me. Thanks.
Thanks for the choices of Instrumental Music
Some albums to listen to when working from my playlist – Enjoy….. bit eclectic in taste but always something i want to listen to!
A Tribe Called Quest – Midnight Mauraders
Adele – 21
Augustus Pablo – King Tubby Meets Rock
Buena Vista Social Club
Bon Iver – Bon Iver
Cafe Del Mar – anything from them
Dido – Life for Rent
Gnarls Barkely – St Elsewhere
Mike Oldfield – Tubular Bells
Miles Davis – Bitches Brew
Moby – Play
Morcheeba – Big Calm (or anything else from them)
Mumford & Son – Babel
Orb – Cydonia
Orbital – Insides
Robert Johnson – King of The Delta Blues
Seal – Seal 2
Mike Oldfield – Tubular bells
Vangelis – 1492 Conquest of Paradise
Nice! Definitely an eclectic mix here.
Ok, so, this post by David is a few months old, but it really inspired me. After reading it I decided I needed to piece together a real masterpiece collection of instrumental music. Over the past few months, I’ve spent something like 50 or 60 hours making this playlist and I feel it’s finally time to share it with people.
The goal wasn’t to have a playlist that was just a great instrumental collaborative, but rather a playlist that took you on a glorious musical journey. I wanted something I could listen to while living my life – everything from working, reading, sleeping, praying, and relaxing with the fam – and not feel like it was obtrusive or distracting.
If you’re a fan of instrumental music, then this 28-hour playlist will take your listening experience to a whole new level. Set your Spotify playback to a 12 second crossfade, and listen as each song blends perfectly and seamlessly into the next, by both key and feel. You can literally start on any song in the playlist and let the music do its work. (Often times I’ll go through 5 or 6 tracks without even noticing!)
Give it a listen, and of course, if you have feedback (or new artists I should add to it when the time comes), feel free to let me know.
Enjoy
http://open.spotify.com/user/1236448834/playlist/70MpukdmiaOB8pbo5iqJcv
Bro! I need an rdio playlist!
Sorry dude, the UI change last summer did me in and I migrated to Spotify. Plus Rdio doesn’t have a crossfade option