Ambient Music Recommendations for Finals

I think it’s safe to say that, in 2024, most college students like to listen to music while they study. For some, it’s lofi. For others, classical. For years now, what has gotten me through several essays and readings is: ambient music.

Wikipedia defines ambient music as “a genre of music that emphasizes tone and atmosphere over traditional musical structure or rhythm.” There are no verses or a chorus. Most ambient works are minimalistic variations on a theme: a singular melody or harmony. Like all music, they deliver emotional release. But they are not looking for the same kind of attention you would give a two to three minute song. Ambient music is long, with the average duration of the music in this article being approximately sixty-four minutes. Ambient music is something you sink into. Peter Suchin, in his “miniature history” of ambient music, writes “[ambient music is] intended to be perceived as music and yet to be ignored.” Something that I think says a lot about the genre is that it feels strange to use the word “song.” Words like “piece” or “work” feel more appropriate.

If I am feeling low on concentration or motivation, or just want to listen to music while I work, I like submerging myself in this kind of music. It has a cinematic effect, and allows me to see new possibilities and approach different vantage points. The following are some ambient music I recommend for working on finals. (All links are YouTube videos.)

“Discreet Music” by Brian Eno

“Discreet Music,” recorded in the 70’s, is considered Brian Eno’s first ambient work. It is part of a larger album of the same name, but I have only ever listened to this first track, which is thirty minutes and thirty-five seconds. I discovered “Discreet Music” during my first semester of college, and within seconds, it transports me directly to that time. “Discreet Music” is more melodic and “happy-sounding” than some of the other works listed here, but like most ambient music, I wouldn’t call it “happy”. For me it is deeply nostalgic, and I’m sure whether it is working on an architecture model, or reviewing for a test, “Discreet Music” will allow for beautiful work, and become something very special to you.

“Thursday Afternoon” by Brian Eno

Another ambient classic here. “Thursday Afternoon” is a light ambient work. But still deep in its own way. It sounds like the afternoon. I feel like it depicts the mid-day, melatonic sleepiness you feel after lunch and before the evening.

I have a strange rule of only letting myself listen to “Thursday Afternoon” on a Thursday in the afternoon. When this happens, it feels like a celebration of something kind of random. Yet, with this song, I’m forced to take a pause, and notice the subtle passage of time and the beauty in the mundane: Alone on a Thursday afternoon, we’re in the middle of a week, most likely submerged in some sort of work, or franetically getting through Houston traffic, or anxious about college, or friends, or the future. Now instead, you can listen to this wonderful one hour and fifty second piece, and take a breath before you start your work and feel thankful you’re alive. Or something like that. It’s sort of similiar to whenever I notice it’s 12:51 and I hear “12:51” by The Strokes play. (“Twelve! Fifty! One!”)

“Watermusic II” by William Basinski

Basinski is actually from Houston! This makes him the coolest Houstonian to date and we are all now 2% cooler by association. I don’t make the logic.

A clasically trained musician, Basinski eventually turned to ambient music. My first introduction to Basinski was this video of “Watermusic II.” This piece has less of a clear, melodic structure. It is more atmospheric. It feels like a sonic portal to another world- a world submerged under water. I first listened to it while reading a fiction book, and I try to listen to it sparingly. Basinski’s music is more emotionally evocative to me than Brian Eno, and I may use it to write something or do work that allows for more emotionality, like writing, drawing, or reading something particularly cool. I won’t let “Watermusic II” near my industrial/organizational psyc textbook, for example.

“Watermusic II” is approximately one hour and six minutes long.

In general, Basinski’s work is melancholic. This piece is one of his “happier” ones, but other works like “The Disintegration Loops” and “Melancholia” are darker. If you like “Watermusic II” I would definitely recommend listening to more of Basinski. I like to put on these other songs when I am feeling depressed or just experiencing some negative affect. When I listen to something like “The Disintegration Loops,” I feel like I can still sit in my sadness but also push myself to work a little bit.

Quiet Forest by Hiroshi Yoshimura

Quiet Forest is playful and cool. Distinct from the other songs on this list. It sounds the most like “normal” music; It verges on instrumental. But it has an environmental intent that I think still puts it in the ambient category. It has some French narration by a friend of Hiroshi Yoshimura. At one point, you hear him say “La musique parfume de la forêt.” “The music perfumes the forest.”

Quiet Forest is an album. It is approximately forty-two minutes. Sonically, there are so many cool transitions and elements to the songs that make it very stimulating to listen to while you work. If you want to feel cool, and also like you’re studying in a forest with a French man, Quiet Forest is here.

“Stone in Focus” by Aphex Twin

There are many “Stone in Focus” loops on Youtube. It’s become a thing to set the loops to a real video of a monkey that looks like it’s meditating, or in contemplation. Apparently, “Stone in Focus” is originally only ten minutes and fourteen seconds long, but I have only ever listened to YouTube loops of the original. The loops are generally one or two hours. “Stone in Focus” loops are the most repetitive of the options in this article, but this repetition is beautiful. The same structure with some sonic variation is repeated over and over. Additionally, the sound of a clock ticking is subtly placed into the song, coming in and out.

If I am in a crunch, and feel like I need some music to study, I am putting on “Stone in Focus.” If this video is on, serious business is happening. I recommend it for long stretches of work and deep concentration.

Listening to music while doing something is a distinct pleasure in and of itself. It produces a layer of meaning and experience that cannot be found in cold silence. Allow ambient music to serve as a subtle addition to working on any task. I wish everyone the best of luck on their finals, and a wonderful winter break. Take care!