Listening to music while doing a close reading of a poem or story can be either beneficial or an unnecessary distraction. The difference lies in the nature or style of the music you choose as a background. Generally, you should never listen to anything that contains words while reading or writing. This may seem strange, but in reality the words being sung around you will steal some of the focus away from the words you are trying to read or write. To test this, try writing a paper while having a spoken conversation with someone and see how easy it is to create quality work. Also, your music choice should reflect the mood of whatever it is you are working on. Listening to something incredibly poppy and happy may not mix well with gothic poetry. No matter what style of music you enjoy, I can pretty much guarantee there is a group or artist that specializes in instrumental versions of that genre. There are instrumental hip hop, rock, metal, electronica, pop groups out there, you may just need to do some research to track them down. And don't forget about the abundance of jazz and classical music out there that has no words.
Need help discovering these types of artists? Many of you already know about
Pandora, a free online radio station that builds a personal playlist for you based on bands or songs that you provide it. This site is a great way to discover new music while at the same time providing a free and appropriate musical background.
Soundtrack suggestion for "The Book of Urizen": Should be dark, epic, and probably rock based.
Bands:
This Will Destroy You
Explosions in the Sky
Isis (there are background vocals but they are almost impossible to understand)
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