Ambient 1: Music for Airports-Brian Eno

Just about any ambient album could fit in this slot, but Music for Airports remains as one of the founding releases of the genre, as well as one of its most renowned achievements. In the first of his attempts at creating “sonic landscapes,” former Roxy Music keyboardist Brian Eno employs looping pianos and vocals that evoke the sanitary public atmosphere of an airport. Inspired by minimalist paintings, the sparse arrangements are given room to breathe, and make the album easy to lose yourself in.

Daydream Nation-Sonic Youth

Daydream Nation finds the world’s most popular noise-rock group at their least abrasive, and when turned at lower levels, their feedback washes over the listener, lulling anyone into a nap-like state. As soon as I hear the hazy tones of opener “Teenage Riot,” I almost instantly break into a yawn. Not because the album is boring, in fact when the volume is cranked up, nearly each song turns into an absolute anthem. It’s just that the aforementioned haze that falls over the album perfectly evokes that of a lazy daydream, one that I am almost always powerless to resist.

 Instrumental Mixtape-Clams Casino

The debut mixtape from premier “based” hip-hop producer Clams Casino comes together as more than a collection of beats. His music holds almost the same “haze” as the previously mentioned Daydream Nation, each song holds a diffuse, dreamlike quality that will easy any late-night case of insomnia.