Have you ever wasted valuable study time putting together a study playlist, only to find yourself disenchanted with your music and further distracted by your choices? Here are five albums to freshen up your distraction-free study sessions.

Themes for Dying Earth by Teen Daze:
This album is perfect for lovers of easy-listening electronica. Teen Daze is an expert producer who really shows off his producing skills with this elegant work. On top of being a great study album, Themes for Dying Earth also pairs well with late-night drives and evening walks. Its companion album, Themes for a New Earth, is just as sonically impressive, so you have twice the musical material to study with.

The Life Aquatic Studio Sessions Featuring Seu Jorge:
While I don’t recommend listening to vocal-driven songs while studying — voices are distracting, after all — sometimes you just need the comfort that words bring. This pick is a compromise that sees Seu Jorge acoustically cover several Bowie tunes in Portuguese, so while beautifully familiar, this album won’t disrupt your studies by being too catchy.

Sketches I by Black Elk:
This album is 45 minutes of gentle, ambient droning layered with sparse string arrangements. The simplicity of the album is what makes it great for studying — there’s nothing distracting about it. Beyond being a great study album, Sketches I is a beautiful and somber soundscape. If you like what you hear from this album, you’re in luck — Black Elk has four other Sketches albums just like it.

Chopin: Piano Works by David Fray:
Most people know that piano-based music is great to study to, so it’s just a matter of finding a musical artist that suits you. I recommend Chopin for studying any day of the week. This album sees David Fray innocuously perform some of Chopin’s most famous work — so it’s unobtrusive while you study. What’s more, listening to Chopin will make you feel classy as all hell.

Baby Sleep White Noise by Natural White Noise Relaxation:
Hear me out before you judge me on this one. Yes, the title is ridiculous, and yes, white noise can be disconcerting, but it can also provide you with what you need most in your study sounds — background ambience. This album is comprised of 32 all-natural white-noise pieces — instead of hearing annoying, pulsating TV static, you’ll be listening to calming waterfalls and whispering winds. I consider this album the crowning jewel of studying music.

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Tanner Bayne / Culture Editor