I don't know if this discussion has been made already, hopefully not. I don't know how many people listen to music before they go to sleep, but I do almost every night.

My favorite band to fall asleep to is Ratatat. Their music is so warm and soothing, it puts me right to sleep. Also, the fact that they don't sing, makes it even better. For me, when I have the lyrics of a song memorized, I sing them in my head as the song plays and it makes it more difficult to fall asleep. I do put on some Coldplay to fall asleep occasionally, despite the fact that the songs have words.

What are some other sleepytime favorites?

Probably whatever you love will work, but mostly it depends on your state of mind. If you aren't tired, it'll be tough. If you're "being rocked to sleep in your mama's or papa's arms", then I think what you love is super fine. That means for me, The Beatles (White Album) or maybe Nick Lowe's last one.

A few that have worked for me:

Godspeed You Black Emperor!, f#a#infinity
Mogwai, Happy Songs for Happy People
Miles Davis, Bitches Brew
Jolie Holland, Escondida
Bonobo, Animal Magic
Jesse Sykes & The Sweet Hereafter, Oh, My Girl
John Coltrane, Blue Train
Underworld, Dubnobasswithmyheadman
DJ Krush & Toshinori Kondo, Ki-Oku

I usually listen to music when I go to bed. It doesn't happen every night, but sometimes when I'm just on the edge of going to sleep the music kind of transforms and takes on different meanings. It's really strange, but it's also one of the coolest things. Lyrics can take on entirely different meanings than ever before, and instrumental tracks can summon strange visions. I imagine it's somewhat like listening to music when your high, except I've never taken anything but prescription drugs. One example: Once I went to bed listening to Four Tet's Rounds. I was tired so I fell asleep pretty quickly, during the first track, the first track, "Hands." Somehow the music conjured some strange jellyfish type creature in my mind with tentacles and and all sorts of stuff reaching out in all directions when those inchoate pulsations in the song occur. If you listen to the song, you might understand what I mean. Anyhow, I didn't mean to bore everyone to death. Here are some of my sleep favorites:

Four Tet - Rounds
Aqualung/Mazzy Star (I have a mixtape of my favorites from them)
Elliott Smith - XO
Smog - Red Apple Falls
Songs: Ohia - Didn't It Rain, Ghost Tropic
Beck - Sea Change
Boards of Canada - Music Has the Right to Children
Sufjan Stevens - seven Swans
George Winston - Forest
Mum - Finally We Are No One, Yesterday Was Dramatic--Today Is OK
Onelinedrawing - Sketchy EP's #1 and #2
Red House Painters - Songs for A Blue Guitar
Bedhead (appropriately enough) - Transaction de Novo, What Fun Life Was
Nick Drake - Pink Moon, Five Leaves Left

Sleep...to Ratatat???
I dont see that.I cant help but dance whenever i listen to it.

Anything with beats does not work on me.

Anything ambient puts me out quick.
Gas-Pop---for example

There is also a disc of piano tracks done by Rupert Huber "dubbed" by Richard Dorfmeister.I think it is the bonus disc for the Dehli 9 album by Tosca.That is a great one for sleepy time.

I can't fall asleep to music period, unless it's the kind of music that doesn't draw your attention at all.

Sigur Ros would work.

Edit: Or better yet. Explosions in the Sky - The World Is Not A Cold Dead Place

Any low key minimalist-ish instrumental stuff.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Bobthespirit,

Sigur Ros usually works for me. Usually I'm out midway through Staralfur. I also play EITS occasionally, and Godspeed You! Black Emperor. I tried playing Smog the other night, but I end up trying to listen to the lyrics and couldn't fall asleep.

edit: Thought of another, Iron & Wine.

I don't find it insulting to a band that you can fall asleep to it...for a long stretch in the mid 90's, when I had a roommate whose late night escapades with his various female friends were, shall we say, energetic, I would have to put music or the TV on to drown out the more amourous sounds nearby.

One of my all-time favorite albums, Scud Moutain Boys' Massachusetts, was a late-night fave and helps me sleep because of its calmness and gentle melodies. But I love playing it while awake, as well.

I also really like Spiritualized at bedtime.

Great topic, as falling to sleep with your headphones on is something I do once every 1/2 weeks. It's funny, because when you see the headphones beside you, or on the ground in the morning, I always wonder which song got me to sleep. Some nights I listen to the full CD and take the Hphones off...but I enjoy sleeping through a few tracks.
I also prefer non-lyrical music, or minimum singing, and some radiohead works well. A lot of similiar stuff already mentioned but I'll list my usual suspects:

Sigur Ros
Some Trance - Digweed, PVD, Sasha
Orbital
M83
Labradford
Cocteau Twins

lyrical albums that work sometimes:
Radiohead - Kid A
Bjork - Homogenic, Vespertine
Joseph Arthur
Spiritualized
Stereolab

I used to go to sleep to music quite a bit, though not for many years now. I used to asume that I could only fall asleep to downtempo, melodically simple music, though I learned better in the late 80s when I was on a heavy James Brown and Prince kick and found myself drifting off to a peaceful sleep to them each night.

Now Playing: "Slow Life" Super Furry Animals Songbook Volume One

Anything by the following:

Lambchop
Tindersticks
Mazzy Star
Brian Eno
Penguin Cafe Orchestra

Also, anything on top 40 radio.

These days I tend to listen to talk radio as I fall asleep but for a long time I listened to music. I can't tell you how often I've fallen asleep to Pink Floyd, usuaylly The Wall or The Final Cut. Leonard Cohen was also something that for a time, I listened to quite often.

When I was much younger, I would listen to all my favourite songs and imagine I was performing them. Lots of Rock Ballads were at the top of my list back then... Journey, Styx, stuff like that.

Bjork - Vespertine
Sigur Ros - any of their stuff
Iron and Wine - The Creek Drank the Cradle

I enjoyed dropping off to Sufjan's Seven Swans. I had it in my car for ages and, cos I make mainly short journeys, I never heard The Transfiguration while awake. It was in my subconscious and was a total joy when I heard it in the car finally on a longer journey. It affected me so much I nearly went to church that Sunday!

I'd say that's a reaction.

Ambulance LTD - LP (where i learned what the term "shoegaze" meant)
The Notwist - Neon Golden

the key is having some comfortable headphones.

led zepplin "stairway to heaven" evry time

golden by the coloured lights http://www.colouredlights.tk ... it's serene

Kid A always makes me tired. The other night I listened to it but had to turn it off after Treefingers because I was so exhausted. And if I do happen to make it all the way through, it doesn't get any better than "Motion Picture Soundtrack."

Try Black Tape For A Blue Girl, Lycia, Steve Roach, Lovespiralsdownwards, Soul Whirling Somewhere or Judgement of Paris. All of these can be found on Projekt Records.

I love Projekt, such soothing stuff. These are mostly ethereal, darkwave, or ambient. Enjoy!