The best albums to listen to while studying from Bon Iver to Stornoway

Amy Gibbons lists her favourites, tried and tested when deadlines have been looming

(UBC Learning Commons/flickr/CreativeCommons)

It has never been proven that listening to music helps people to concentrate, but various studies have shown that listening to calming songs can reduce stress levels by blocking out background noise.

Ultimately it all comes down to personal preference as it’s almost impossible to compile a list of tracks that will suit everybody’s working habits. Dr Hauke Egermann, senior lecturer at the University of York, explains: “Generally, I believe that there is no such a thing as ‘optimal’ music, as a listener’s response to music always depends on the situation/context we are in and on many listener’s characteristics.”

As a student who’s worked through the night frantically finishing coursework on more than one occasion, I’m pretty confident in my favourites, tried and tested when deadlines have demanded it most:

For Emma, Forever Ago, Bon Iver

Bon Iver’s debut album was first recorded and released independently by founder Justin Vernon in 2007, following the breakup of his former band DeYarmond Edison. Grieving the end of a relationship and suffering from a bad bout of mononucleosis hepatitis, Vernon took to a cabin in Wisconsin for the winter, where he intended to find catharsis in isolation. Here, spontaneously and entirely organically, the unprecedented success For Emma, Forever Ago was born. A masterpiece which retains a kind of ‘homemade’ feel, this selection of atmospheric, ethereal tracks in falsetto is somehow reassuring – nostalgic almost. It feels far out yet intimate, alternating between emulating experiences of picking at the cold mountains of the Midwest and sitting on a handwoven throw before an open fire. Significantly, Vernon wrote the lyrics to each track after their melodies – fitting words to sounds. This gives the cool harmonies and quiet strumming precedence, allowing you to keep your own thoughts in the foreground and relax while working, your concentration maintained by a steady rhythm like gentle rocking. This being said, if working to For Emma, Forever Ago you might want to keep a coffee nearby, as repetitive, soothing music has also been known to induce sleep; I’m not sure I’ve ever got through the whole album without my eyes starting to feel heavy.

Kiasmos, Kiasmos

Some people really struggle to work to music with any kind of lyrics, however muted. For those who are distracted by words, or significant changes in rhythm or tempo, Kiasmos’ self-titled ambient techno record is ideal. The album was released by Icelandic duo Ólafur Arnalds and Janus Rasmussen in 2014. Entirely instrumental and reminiscent somewhat of the atmosphere created by classical music, Kiasmos is gentle and moving, a fantastic choice for blocking out the world entirely when deadlines are looming. While it’s normally not necessarily a good sign for an album to have almost indistinguishable tracks, the fluidity of this selection works in its favour as a study aid, serving rather as a continuous piece than a musical picture broken into individual pieces. It creates an audible projection of calm, bordering on tangible and captured in its album art – a liquid listening experience that drowns distractions and generates tunnel vision. Repetitive and looping but never boring, Kiasmos stimulates the senses just enough to motivate and maintain concentration.

The Monkeys In The Zoo Have More Fun Than Me, Jape

If it’s quirky stimulation you’re after, electronic-come-alt-come-indie Irish group Jape have the answer, in the form of their pint-size second record The Monkeys in the Zoo Have More Fun Than Me. With discernible but repetitious and infrequent lyrical bouts so as not to compromise on your concentration, Jape’s Yeasayer-esque vibe is strange and soothing, simultaneously grounded and somewhat away with the fairies. Mid-album respite track "The Hardest Thing To Do" is warm and lullaby-like but never dull, and momentum mounts again in "To The Sea" without bringing distractions; Jape’s is not the kind of music you forget you have playing, rather it settles unobtrusively, every now and then picking up as you feel your attention fading. This perfectly peculiar, tinkering selection of the understated group’s early work is one to stick on perhaps for exam revision, rather than essay writing. It’s like a warm blanket with gaudy decoration.

Magnifique, Ratatat

One that I’ve listened to absolutely to death, Ratatat’s genius instrumental experiment Magnifique saw me through a 3,000-word essay over the course of 48 hours last term. Fitting no genre in particular, Ratatat’s jaunty sound ranges from wacky electro-rock numbers "Cream on Chrome" and "Pricks of Brightness", to the neo-psychedelic trance-inducing trips "Drift" and "Supreme". Magnifique might not be exactly soothing, but it’s top of the list for stimulation – coupled with a coffee this music is like nitrous fuel, its sparky sounds conjuring images of neuro-transmitters. Better still, you can play it on repeat – the same tracks over and over again, and you’re almost certain to discover new quirks each time. Amazingly, all this depth and colour is anything but distracting. Due to its use of loops and refrains, Magnifique gives the illusion of being more complicated than it is – it builds upwards rather than outwards, inviting but never demanding attention. The only drawbacks to Ratatat’s fifth record as a study album is its occasional interludes, at the beginning and end of selected tracks. These are interesting but often startling, running the risk of provoking distraction – so Magnifique simultaneously creates and interferes with the optimum working ‘zone’.

Bonxie, Stornoway

Named after the Scottish town on the Hebridean Isle of Lewis, Stornoway are an organic alt-folk band, actually formed in Oxford. Released in April of last year, the group’s fifth album Bonxie is drawn outdoors, fascinatingly ornithological – subtly incorporating the calls of 20 different bird species into its tracks. Following its release the album received great critical acclaim, peaking at number 20 in the UK Charts. Bonxie is a record I think best suited to group work – not entirely fitting the ‘ideal’ criteria for study music (however loose that might be), rather a selection of tracks bursting with character and colour; an upbeat sound which fills the room, delivering a kind of expression which cheers and inspires. Second from the start and end of the album respectively, "Get Low" and "Josephine" are particular favourites – the former setting the scene for conversation and productivity with warm tones and a rousing tempo, and the latter a perfect soundtrack for reflection, boasting gorgeously crafted vocal harmonies and only a quiet strumming in accompaniment. Here, Stornoway fashion an album like a warm breeze, comfortable but not distracting; Bonxie is fresh yet cozy, spirited yet soothing. With sounds of the tide rushing in and out interspersed with its folky melodies, this record sets up a perfect dynamic for group work; and at just under 45 minutes long, you’ll finish up before your brain’s fried.