Bah!
I use music to shut out the noise in the office when I'm serious about what I'm doing.
I prefer something that doesn't grab my attention for this so normally it has to be instrumental and not avant-garde in rhythm changes.
Lately this has been stuff like movie soundtracks for LOTR, Star Trek, Alien and the Myst game soundtracks. Other faves include the soundtrack to Enemy at the Gate (but that one is too distracting sometimes) and the sountracks done by Peter Gabriel. At the end of the 90s I wrote a massive web-delivered utility to the music of Sky (as yer Mum) and Mecca Bodega (a NY local world music band with a killer Hammered Dulcimer player who seems to get paid by the note).
Commute music has been Glass Hammer, Dream Theater and just recently Mark Knopfler and King Crimson. I like to change stuff up and have around 800 albums ranging from 1930s Hot Jazz to Electronic Minimalist on my laptop to choose from.
Biting the hand that feeds IT
