Looking for your favorite relaxing (instrumental) albums

[Train of Naught]

Hey guys

Ever since I discovered God Is An Astronaut through 425's final EP in my first roulette I found out that I love to have this type of music playing while studying/reading, it's perfect. I'm being bombarded by assignments for papers, business reports and group projects right now so I'd like to not just have Helios / Erebus on repeat all the time. (I listen to all their albums but this one has been the one I return to the most lately)

So yeah just share some of your favorite ambient/post-rock/whatever bands albums. Instrumental is a bonus but not an absolute must. Like the stuff I've heard from Ulver's "Shadows of the Sun" sounds really promising aswell. Not really a fan of classical but if you think I should really really check out a certain piece go ahead. Oh and I've already checked out the This Will Destroy You album (s/t) and I liked it. Deathconsciousness is on the list to check out too.

[Sacul]

Imo Deathconsciousness is an album one has to listen to closely because it's damn depressing and engaging. Same for Shadows of the Sun. I can recommend you some stuff tho:

Nils Frahm - Solo
Nils Frahm - Wintermusik
Kashiwa Daisuke - 88
Ludovico Einaudi - Divenire
William Basinki - Disintegration Loops II (or any of them tbh)
Brian Eno - Ambient I: Music for Airports (literally the first ambient album ever)
Stars of the Lid - …and their Refinement of the Decline
Ed Harrison - Neotokyo

And ofc

Sun O))) - Monoliths and Dimension

[Art]

Ulver - atgclvlsscap
Laniakea - a pot of powdered nettles

[Train of Naught]

Imo Deathconsciousness is an album one has to listen to closely because it's damn depressing and engaging. Same for Shadows of the Sun.

Fair point. I guess I don't put my focus as much on the music as some people do with ambient then. I just kind of go with the flow and let the moods and moodswings in the music speak for themselves, not really focusing on each and every detail. The music quickly unravels itself after consecutive listens and at that point it starts to become worse "background" music but at the same time better music in general to me. But I don't mind studying with an album like Deathconsciousness playing in the background for my first (few) listens. Maybe that'll change later though

Anyway good stuff so far, heard of a couple of them but haven't heard any material of those albums apart from the one Ulver song from that album Sacul sent me.

[Bolsters]

BT - This Binary Universe
BT - If The Stars Are Eternal So Are You And I
BT - Morceau Subrosa

Not at all like the album I chose to send you a song from, these are almost entirely instrumental ambient electronica albums. I'd recommend them in the order listed. For what it's worth Stars is my favourite and I'm not a big fan of Morceau Subrosa (too much ambient for me and it's more noise than music at times) but it is worth mentioning, as it fits what you're looking for.

I can't think of anything else to recommend off the top of my head, ambient is rarely my thang.

[Train of Naught]

That's fine. I'll add Stars for now and see where it brings me

[Kotowboy]

Patashnik by Biosphere.


Amazingly perfect for late night driving.

[Sacul]

Also Bohren & der Club of Gore, both Sunset Mission and Black Earth. Quite dark records, love them. Also Dolores if you want something happier.

[home]

I really love Einoudi's music for relaxing, it's pretty simple/minimalistic and very beautiful. Some songs are a bit overused in commercials though.

Have you listened to an album by Maybeshewill yet? I really think you might appreciate it despite Red Paper Lanterns not scoring too high in your roulette 

[Crow]

hammock and eluvium tbh

[Zantera]

Aphex Twin (Selected Ambient Works)
Boards of Canada (all their albums)
Cloudkicker (Let Yourself Be Huge)
Stars of the Lid (And Their Refinement of the Decline & Tired Sounds of Stars of the Lid)
Tangerine Dream (Zeit & Phaedra)

[Train of Naught]

Love Let Yourself Be Huge. I have saved the Maybeshewill album on spotify but somehow never got around to it. I'm kind of impartial to Ludovici Einaudi, never really got into it.

Patashnik by Biosphere.


Amazingly perfect for late night driving.

I'm not much of a late night driver (hell, I don't even have a drivers license) but late night driving music sounds p-cool

Will probably get around to everything eventually but it's a lot so I might just sample everything and go from there, though that's not as easy to pull off with relaxing music for me.

[Kotowboy]

I was a passenger when my friend was driving us back from London at 2am one day after a gig and he put that album on and because the motorways were so empty - it was just PERFECT.

[Anguyen92]

Lindsey Stirling albums are pretty relaxing if you like violins mixed with electronics and trance stuff.  My first thought on those albums was, "If I was still playing World of Warcraft, this is the kind of music I want to hear when grinding it out in the game."

[Lowdz]

Marty Friedman - Scenes and Introduction

Some of Buckethead's Pikes. There is an Internet guide to them by style. His Colma, Captain Eos Voyage and Electric Tears albums are great too.

[seasonsinthesky]

Ash Ra Tempel – Friendship
Klaus Schulze – Shadowlands (particularly "The Rhodes Violin")
Bass Communion – the "Drugged" song trilogy, but especially II

[Prog Snob]

Oresund Space Collective. They're this brilliant space prog band. It's like Pink Floyd but without lyrics. Even my six year old daughter got hooked on it. She could be running around in circles. If she hears that first song come on, she literally stops everything lays on the floor and just stares into space.   

[Train of Naught]

Have added everything that's been mentioned and is available fairly easily so far, but it'll need some time.

I'm loving BT's "Stars" album though.

[Sacul]

I'd also recommend NIN's Ghosts I-IV album, though it has some very intense moments like 31 Ghosts IV, it's quite calm for the most part. And instrumental.

[Elite]

Deathconsciousness was already mentioned, so here's some more:

Godspeed You! Black Emperor - F#A#Infinity
maudlin of the Well - Part the Second
Ulver - Perdition City
Nordic Giants - A Séance of Dark Delusions
Massive Attack - Mezzanine (okay, not instrumental)

Bonus: De Huilende Rappers - Verkleed Als Sukkel

[Train of Naught]

Hahaha I know De Huilende Rappers dude, they're the guys from Noisia. But let's just say it's not my thing

I'd also recommend NIN's Ghosts I-IV album, though it has some very intense moments like 31 Ghosts IV, it's quite calm for the most part. And instrumental.

Feel like this would be way cooler than just the one outro song you sent me in the EP, look forward to it

[Sacul]

Listen to the song I mentioned, the album goes back and forth between that style and the minimalist one from my EP.

[PixelDream]

Sub Conscious by Phutureprimitive. (Album highlight: 'Spanish Fly (Flamenco Dub Pt. 1.))
Every album by Boards of Canada. (I'd recommend The Campfire Headphase to start with.)
Substrata and Dropsonde by Biosphere.
Every album by Shpongle. (Tales of the Inexpressible would be a fine introduction.)
B.P. Empire by Infected Mushroom. (Check out the track Dancing With Kadafi.)
Every album between '89 and '01 by Ozric Tentacles. (Check out the track Eternal Wheel.)
Sunset Mission and Black Earth by Bohren & Der Club of Gore. (If it rains, late at night. Somber atmosphere.)
The Last Resort by Trentemoller.
Immunity by Jon Hopkins.
Herbstlaub by Marsen Jules.

[Zantera]

Mogwai would make for good relaxing music I think, definitely the best Post-Rock band after GYBE and Sigur Rós I'd say. They have some heavier songs and some heavier sections, but overall it's really great music to chill out to. Songs like "Mogwai Fear Satan" (that flute!) and "Music for a Forgotten Future (The Singing Mountain)" are not only some of the best Post-Rock songs recorded, but they have that ability to take you on a wonderful ride. 

[King Postwhore]

[sneakyblueberry]

Fripp & Eno - Evening Star.  Especially that title track, it is gorgeous.

[goo-goo]

Gordian Knot S/T and Emergent

Both GK albums are desert island albums for me.

[Sacul]

Every album by Shpongle. (Tales of the Inexpressible would be a fine introduction.)
B.P. Empire by Infected Mushroom. (Check out the track Dancing With Kadafi.)
Sunset Mission and Black Earth by Bohren & Der Club of Gore. (If it rains, late at night. Somber atmosphere.)

Seconding these, and Converting Vegetatarians II by IM.

[Bolsters]

I'm loving BT's "Stars" album though.

[Elite]

Hahaha I know De Huilende Rappers dude, they're the guys from Noisia. But let's just say it's not my thing

And that's all you have to say about my recommendations?

[Scorpion]

Gordian Knot S/T and Emergent

Both GK albums are desert island albums for me.

They're great albums (though I prefer the s/t by quite a bit), but I think they're a fair bit busier than what ToN is looking for.

If you're into soundtracks, I'd recommend the The Fountain soundtrack - it also involves Mogwai, whom Zantera recommend, a recommendation that I can whole-heartedly second.

Also, I'm sure that Zantera won't recommend this for obvious reasons, but he's actually made a post-rock-ish album that I really enjoy listening to as background music. It's called The Stars in the Sky Are Distant Cities on Fire.

[Zantera]

Also, I'm sure that Zantera won't recommend this for obvious reasons, but he's actually made a post-rock-ish album that I really enjoy listening to as background music. It's called The Stars in the Sky Are Distant Cities on Fire.

Aww thanks man! 
I've heard from several friends that some of my albums make great studying music, I guess with the exception of something like Fade Into Oblivion which might be too much for some people with the guitar feedback.

[Train of Naught]

Hahaha I know De Huilende Rappers dude, they're the guys from Noisia. But let's just say it's not my thing

And that's all you have to say about my recommendations?

I stopped commenting on every single one because the suggestions started to overflow me but I'll get around to them eventually and comment on them one way or another, either this thread or in "What album are you listening to?".

I like Gordian Knot's Emergent but yeah not exactly the stuff I'm looking for with this indeed. Still, good album, will get around to S/T aswell sometime.

And the Zantera music sounds interesting. Where's the Sacul music at tho


P.S. @Anguyen The Lindsey Stirling album is cool, listened to the self-titled.

[Tomislav95]

Train, do you like jazz?

[Phoenix87x]

1. An evening with petrucci and ruddess is pretty relaxing, for me at least.

2. Jim matheos: First impressions and Away with words

For those who like electronic:

1. Tycho is incredibly relaxing, beautiful and uplifting

2. Home (Artist) and his album odyssey