I almost always listen to music when I write. Music is a fantastic way to block out everything else, I find - I tend to get very distracted otherwise. For me, the best albums to help me write are ones that I'm fairly familiar with (so I don't end up stopping writing to listen to them), have minimal or no lyrics (to stop the lyrics seeping into my writing, and me singing along), and are fairly atmospheric (though this changes depending on what I'm writing).
My top five albums to write to changes on a daily (if not hourly) basis, but right now, at this precise moment, I'd go with:
1. Ghosts - Nine Inch Nails
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0p0IbHYMOxM&feature=related]
2. Requiem - Mozart
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fRWov2pdJkE]
3.
Inception (soundtrack) - Hans Zimmer
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=imamcajBEJs]
4.
Dracula (soundtrack) - Wojciech Kilar
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mi80O9uKB30&feature=related]
5.
Whatever You Love, You Are - The Dirty Three
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iLAlRFioyA0]
What's your favourite music to listen to (or read to)?