5 Albums by which to Prepare Coffee

Coffee preparation—with its various methodologies—shares many commonalities with album-making: they both involve holistic, sometimes extensive, processes and precision in their approaches. Some types of coffee preparation fit certain moods, just like albums. Whether you’re making coffee for a morning wake-up, an afternoon pick-me-up, or just for taste, here are five albums to best accompany your brew, based on preparation.

1. French Press
Beach House, Depression Cherry
The composed, even-tempered start to Beach House’s Depression Cherry pairs nicely with the patience required to make your coffee via french press. Starting the album as soon as the boiling water is poured over the coffee grounds, the opening track “Levitation” also serves as a good timer. Clocking in at about six minutes, when the song ends, your coffee should be well-steeped and ready to drink. As the airy synths fade out, the second track, “Sparks,” opens with a huge, cathedral-like reverb that’s sure to wake you up calmly and peacefully.

2. Automatic Drip
Diiv, Is The Is Are
Chances are, if you’re brewing your morning coffee in the machine, you don’t have tons of time to spare with the waiting that accompanies most other preparation methods. Is The Is Are wastes no time in getting straight to the point, thundering into the opening track “Out of Mind” with a quick drum fill. The fast-past opener will surely help kickstart your morning together with the java.

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3.Stovetop Espresso (Americano)
Courtney Barnett, Sometimes I Sit and Think, and Sometimes I Just Sit
More so than other methods, making an Americano with stovetop espresso preparation requires a lot of deliberate, measured action. Filling the basin of the moka pot with water, topping of the grinds, filling a kettle and setting both on the burner to bring both containers of water not only requires a significant amount of planned actions, it requires a good deal of patience. Sometimes I Sit and Think, and Sometimes I Just Sit perfectly captures the spirit of the process. Barnett’s songwriting is so specific and calculated, both patient and restless, that it reflects the Americano process perfectly. Once the water is boiled and the coffee is brewed, the mixture of coffee and hot water is up to the drinker.

4. Pour-Over Coffee
Case/Lang/Viers, Case/Lang/Viers
Steeped with outdoorsy imagery, lush with reverb, and beautifully tied together with folksy guitars and stacked harmonies, Case/Lang/Viers accompanies this method of preparation that’s a favorite among campers. Requiring multiple pours to allow the water to percolate through the grinds and drip into the cup, the gentle opening track “Atomic Number” matches the method: drips accumulate slowly but surely, eventually building into something whole.

5. Irish Coffee
The Rolling Stones, Some Girls
Technically the coffee itself can be brewed using any method, but once that’s ready it’s mixed with brown sugar and whiskey, and topped with heavy cream, the result reflects nicely the self-titled opener to Some Girls. Smooth, sexy, and saturated with imagery of a neon-lit city at night, this 1978 Stones LP is a great match to the buzz that accompanies the mixture of caffeine and alcohol.