3 Classic Albums That Are Perfect “Background Music” To Play and Ignore

If you love putting on albums to serve as the backdrop of your day, you might really appreciate a few old-school (and newish) records on this list. From classic rock to electronica, here are a few albums that are perfect for everyday background music.

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‘Presence’ by Led Zeppelin (1976)

Led Zeppelin isn’t exactly known for “background music.” They’re known for producing some of the most powerful rock tunes of the 20th century. Still, their album Presence is very suitable for pressing “play” and promptly zoning out. The band themselves weren’t really as into it as previous releases, and Robert Plant was famously dealing with personal life issues that can be heard in the distantness of his vocal track. That took away some of the edge that Led Zeppelin is known for but didn’t result in a bad album. Rather, Presence is perfect as a soundtrack piece for one’s life, especially if you’re a fan of the band.

‘Mother Earth’s Plantasia’ by Mort Garson (1976)

Short, sweet, and the kind of toned-down electronic album that could encourage a little plant to grow. And what are we, as music enjoyers, but little seedlings that need good sounds to make us happy?

Mother Earth’s Plantasia is a classic in electronic music history. Produced by space age pop artist Mort Garson in the early years of synthesizers, this record was composed specifically for plants to listen to. But I’d say this is a great album for humans, too.

Fun fact: This album has become a cult classic in recent years, but it originally had a very limited release. Fans could only get their hands on it if they bought a houseplant from the Mother Earth nursery or a Simmons mattress from Sears in Los Angeles at the time.

‘Syro’ by Aphex Twin (2014)

This one’s a personal favorite in my own background music collection. Aphex Twin has released some pretty diverse electronic music, all married together by a sound that is uniquely the producer’s own. This particular record has an intricate synth-funk acid sound to it that is (for the most part) a relaxing and pleasant listening experience. Just be prepared for a few jarring and unsettling tracks. That’s part of the Aphex Twin experience, after all!

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