What up, Offbeatles.
So by now we're all
settling into university life: doing your own washing, trying (or failing) to
get up in time for lectures, cursing the U1 for being late and/or full all the
bloody time and regretting that last drink in Kelsey's at 2am last night.
But we are at one of
the best universities in the country and, sooner or later, we all need to
knuckle down and do some work. That's right. I said it. Work.
And in that vein, as I
enjoy the last week before I need to get cracking on my four non-assessed essays
that are due in at the end of term, I thought I'd try and make things easier
for you by making a list of some of the best music I've found to listen to
while you work. Or if it's the case that you always have to work in complete
silence, the best music to listen to to chill out after a hard afternoon's
graft (by which I mean reading – I am a social sciences student after all).
1.
And So I Watch You From Afar
Three-piece post-rock
band from Northern Ireland – mostly instrumental, really atmospheric, totally
wonderful. As with the best contemporary instrumental bands, their music is so
well crafted it makes you feel like you're going on a journey and feeling emotions
along the way, even if there are no words to shape it, and as such are better
to listen to while working than some more generic rock music. Their album
'Gangs' is definitely the best to listen to: its throaty guitar riffs and rich
crescendos mean it's lively enough to flitter at the edge of your
consciousness, but the lack of vocals mean unless you deliberately pay
attention, it shouldn't distract you too much.
2.
Bonobo
I am absolutely and
completely in love with this artist. He's a DJ-producer type who produces
ambient progressive house music. I discovered it when really, really drunk,
lying on a friend's sofa about to pass out. I listened to it again when sober
and discovered it's not only just the thing to soothe you into sleep, it's also
a great study aide. (No, that isn't a contradiction in terms). I particularly
recommend his DJ sets on the Soundcloud website (www.soundcloud.com/bonobo) –
they're incredibly easy to listen to which is why they work so well, and the
textures and patterns of his songs blend into one another so well that it's a
real treat for the ears. I listened to the two of them on repeat while in the
library revising for my exams last year.
3.
Ali Farka Touré
This man is a Malian
singer and guitarist. I doubt you've heard of him, despite him being one of not
only Mali but the whole of Africa's most famous musical exports, and one of
Rolling Stone magazine's '100 Best Guitarists of All Time'. But you should. His
music helps me work because the rhythms are so complex and deep – although he
uses the guitar, the blues-infused African style means the song's structure is
very different from what we're used to. The vocals are virtually never in
English, so they don't distract you from what you're doing; they just
complement the music. His work is also very strange and atmospheric –
especially 'Radio Mali' and 'Cinquante Six'. I am not ashamed to admit I learnt
about this guy from my Dad.
So there you have it.
Three bands/artists whose music will help you knuckle down and get that work
done – meaning on a Wednesday after a good few hours' work you can feel
satisfied in a job well done and toddle down to Idioteque for a celebratory
drink (or three).
