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I have always needed to have some sort of music on while working. Generally, I listen to something I am familiar with that I can tune out, but still know it's playing in the background. I have friends who have to have the television on instead. So I was wondering if you guys are the same way, and what kind of music/movies/podcasts/TV shows you listen to while working. --Matt Klempa

Tasha Robinson 90 percent of my average workday is editing text, and I have to keep my head pretty clear of competing words if I'm going to do that efficiently. So unfamiliar music with English lyrics is right out. So are podcasts, TV (or anything with a video component), and too-familiar, catchy music that I might want to sing along to. And yet I often need to have music on as a form of white noise to filter out the competing conversations around me in the office. So I usually look for music with non-English lyrics, which are just noise and won't catch my attention and distract me. And I tend to like lush stuff that completely fills up my ears and shuts out everything around me. Vas , Mediaeval Baebes , Altan , Sigur Rós , and Ghazal are all pretty good for this. So is Peter Gabriel 's Passion soundtrack , and large parts of the Black Hawk Down soundtrack . (I really need to get more into Middle Eastern rock.) Some Cocteau Twins music works. But if I'm deep enough into editing and I have enough deadlines going, then English doesn't distract me anymore, and I usually wind up either listening to my obsession of the moment (currently Lady Gaga ) or defaulting to The Decemberists , much of which is pretty low-key and meandering, and familiar enough at this point to not be distracting.

Genevieve Koski My work-music requirements are pretty much the same as Tasha's, and I have a bunch of instrumental/non-English music that I'll go to, depending on my mood. I don't usually go the classical route, since it's a little too unobtrusive, but if I need some calming down while I work, I usually go with an old Mozart For Your Mind album that I've been using since high school. More often, though, I need something a little peppier to keep me going through the day. Weirdly, I often turn to bluegrass music for this; it's propulsive and upbeat without being in your face about it. I have a playlist that includes some instrumental tracks from Union Station , Nickel Creek , and  Cherryholmes , along with a mostly instrumental four-track suite from progressive bluegrass/acoustic group Punch Brothers called "The Blind Leaving The Blind," which clocks in around 40 minutes and is varied enough in its composition that it doesn't have the repetitive nature of more traditional bluegrass. But when I can't stand any more goddamn banjo--usually an hour, tops--I'll turn to more rock/pop-oriented fare. Explosions In The Sky is my go-to instrumental band, and I also really enjoy the Planet Terror half of the Grindhouse soundtrack ; both have an epic quality that makes copy-editing seem a lot more exciting. But sometimes you just need to hear a human voice in your ear, provided you can't understand what it's saying. Sigur Rós and Spanish flamenco-electronic band Chambao are what I usually turn to, unless I'm in need of a serious energy boost, in which case I have a few French hip-hop/pop acts in the ol' iTunes, namely MC Solaar , NTM , and Yelle .

Noel Murray Unless I'm writing about music, I typically don't listen to music while I work. One major exception: If it's late at night, or if I'm working in a crowded spot like an airport or a park, I'll crank up some music to keep me focused. Any kind of music will do, but I work best to what I call "middle-of-the-night music":