3 Instrumental Albums That Don’t Need Vocals to Set a Mood

There are times when you need music to be more than background noise while not being a distraction. That’s where instrumental albums come in. These collections of songs are powerful enough to set–or change–a mood without the use of lyrics. At the same time, they’re the perfect solution for those who need something playing in the background but need to focus on a mentally demanding task.

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There are countless instrumental albums on the market today. However, the three listed below stand out because they are memorable, impactful, and will serve as perfect mood music when used in the correct context.

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1. Saurian Meditation by Karl Sanders

Karl Sanders is best known as the guitarist and vocalist of the technical death metal band Nile. The band’s lyrics are deeply influenced by Sanders’ interest in Ancient Egyptian and Mesopotamian folklore and stories. Those influences carry over into his solo work. However, the band’s hard and heavy sound does not. Instead, he taps into ambient and Egyptian folk music for his solo projects.

The first of his solo albums, Saurian Meditation is mostly instrumental. “Of the Sleep of Ishtar,” “The Elder God Shrine” and “Whence No Traveler Returns” contain some vocal elements, but they don’t break the overall mood of the 9-track collection.

Saurian Meditation isn’t what you would call a “happy” album. However, it is a great record to put on when you’re looking to focus or clear your mind. As the title implies, it contains songs that are a wonderful companion to meditation or relaxation.

2. Mother Earth’s Plantasia by Mort Garson

Mort Garson was a pioneer of electronic music and a master of the Moog synthesizer. His 1976 album Mother Earth’s Plantasia is a wonderful example of his work. While Garson created the album for plants to enjoy, humans will also find plenty of replay value. This is especially true for those looking for an instrumental or ambient album to put some pep in their step.

This 1976 didn’t initially get a wide release. Originally, it was only available to those who bought houseplants from a store called Mother Earth in Los Angeles or customers who purchased a Simmons mattress from a Sears outlet. However, Sacred Bones Records gave the album a wide release in 2019. Additionally, the album opener “Plantasia” appeared in a 2023 TurboTax ad.

Mother Earth’s Plantasia is endlessly upbeat, at times feeling like it could be the soundtrack to an epic voyage through a dense forest. For those who enjoy electronic music, this album is an almost guaranteed mood booster.

3. The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly by Ennio Morricone

This is a film score from a classic Spaghetti Western starring Clint Eastwood. But, it still fits the mold. The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly is a masterpiece created by a legendary songwriter and composer. While not everyone has seen the film or listened to the original soundtrack, they’ll likely still recognize some of the music because it is deeply ingrained into pop culture.

Italian composer Ennio Morricone was a master of movie scores. He created music for a wide range of films from horror movies to comedies and everything in between. However, his work on Sergio Leone’s Dollars trilogy–A Fistful of Dollars, For a Few Dollars More, and The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly–is among his finest. His work on the final installment of the trilogy gave us one of the most iconic pieces of music in cinematic history. Most listeners will instantly recognize the opening notes of the album’s title track even if they’ve never watched the movie.

Epic, beautiful, familiar, and brilliant, The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly is among the finest film scores and instrumental albums available today.

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