What do you listen to while you work? I listen to a lot of different stuff including NPR (even during the pledge drive—I know…that’s love), upbeat guitar-driven jazz like Wes Montgomery, something fun like LCD Soundsystem, and albums to which I know most of the words, like most of the Ted Leo and the Pharmacists or Wilco catalog. Also, my wife and I are expecting our first kid and we finally took the time to scour our iTunes catalog and make some fun mixes for the baby, so shuffling through the playlists have taken over lately.

How do you listen? If I’m home alone, I’ll listen to NPR on the radio or the iPod via an iPod dock. If I need quiet, I’ll listen through JVC noise-canceling headphones.

Do you have any favorite music websites/providers? I also enjoy Pandora, but I find that the selection gets a bit repetitive on the free version.

Does music influence your work? Yes, but not in a visual way. I think it just allows me to concentrate and get lost in my work.

Where do you find music recommendations? Who influences your musical taste? To stay on top of what’s new and good, I’ll get recommendations from my friend Brent and my friend Amanda, who is a music writer for the New York Times, Pitchfork, Spin and others. I’ve trusted her musical taste since middle school.

JOHN’S PLAYLIST

Too Late to Turn Back, El Michels Affair

Red and Purple, The Dodos

Little Lion Man, Mumford & Sons

Award Tour, Tribe Called Quest

Home, LCD Soundsystem

Parallel or Together?, Ted Leo and The Pharmacists

How Low, Jose Gonzalez

Start a War, The National

The Afterlife, YACHT

Juveniles, The Walkmen

Warm Heart of Africa, The Very Best

The Boy with the Arab Strap, Belle and Sebastian

West Coast Blues, Wes Montgomery

Images: John Kim