A Guide to Listening to Music With the TV on Mute

TV on mute, music on: Drake

Romantic comedies are trill, and while everyone loves them—whether publicly or in private—we all still make fun of how corny they are. But if you're ever sitting at home by yourself, drinking wine, thinking about your ex, listening to Drake while a romcom plays in the background on your silent TV, you're going to find yourself having a moment.

TV on mute, music on: Yeezus

Kanye West's Yeezus may not have anything to do with dragons and armies, but watch this whole clip above while listening to "Blood on the Leaves." Yeah, Kanye West's Yeezus might not be about dragons and armies, but then again MAYBE IT IS ABOUT DRAGONS AND ARMIES.

TV on mute, music on: Disclosure

I can't even listen to Disclosure without doing these workout routines anymore. I don't know how to dance, so I just work out at the club like a goddamn pro athlete. You'd think this would be weird but people love it. Trust me on this one. My pre-game is just tons of drugs and a little stretching. My body is bloated but my muscles are swoll.

Alternative:

TV on mute, music on: Jónsi

Nature shows used to be so simple—animals fighting and fucking, basically. Cameras were so primitive that it was impossible to capture anything beautiful, so shows had to go the cheap route and do a COPS-style show about animals living that wild life. It was great, because animals really never gave a fuck about shit, but we were missing out on Planet Earth style footage that uses cameras so advanced that they can zoom in on a fly's butthole. Sorry, this post got out of hand. What I'm trying to say is that thanks to high-tech cameras, nature shows are beautiful these days. Pair them with something expansive and euphoric, like Jónsi.

TV on mute, music on: Salem

If you ever find a horror movie playing on silent in the background, Salem is a must. It's not that Salem makes music just for horror movies—there are plenty of good situations to play Salem:

- Nighttime at the cemetery

- Creeping around abandoned insane asylums

- Running from a mysterious creature deep in the forest

Stuff like that. But Salem most definitely works great for horror movies on mute too.

TV on mute, music on: Woodkid

Because Woodkid creates music that makes you feel like a hero.

TV on mute, music on: The Uncluded

Claymation lives in a confusing (at least confusing for me) spot between reality and animation. The Uncluded's (Aesop Rock & Kimya Dawson) music lives in a confusing spot between dark content of a serious nature and quirky tunes in the style of children's sing-alongs. Together, claymation and The Uncluded go beautifully.

TV on mute, music on: Jack White

You might be tempted to go old school with Westerns and soundtrack with some Allman Brothers or Grateful Dead. You wouldn't be wrong, but try pairing some Jack White with a good shootout and you'll realize that somewhere deep down in the soul of Jack White, there is almost certainly a cowboy.

TV on mute, music on: Death Grips

Remember the first time you saw Ninja Warrior on TV and thought, "What the hell is this?" If you're a reasonable person, that was probably the same reaction you had when you first heard Death Grips. Pairing the two just makes sense, and it will add a new dimension of complete and utter chaos to the sight of contestants losing the ongoing battle between human beings and gravity.

TV on mute, music on: Sampha

Alright, "Indecision" is probably about love between two humans, just like all beautiful songs, but when you watch it with some animal rescue TV, that "let it all work out" line takes on a new meaning, very clearly about things working out for these helpless animals in need of a good rescue. And when you're watching a rescue show, the animals will get rescued, and it does work out. Satisfaction.

TV on mute, music on: 2 Chainz

Obviously, because 2 Chainz is the Zack Morris of rap.

TV on mute, music on: Daft Punk

I don't get what kids watch anymore. Like, when I was younger it was really wholesome stuff. At worst, they'd sneak in "ass" jokes for the parents, but that was like once every three episodes. These days, cartoons are trippy as fuck and little kids are all drugged up on who-knows-what, just taking handfuls of pills at a time then watching this weird ass psychedelia on their smartpads, or whatever. To be honest, I don't even know if shows like Adventure Time are for kids or adults who smoke weed, but I do know that Adventure Time and Daft Punk go together well and make you feel like your eyes are getting bigger, then smaller, then bigger... wait, is that your heartbeat? Is your heart beating through your eyes? Oh shit, who is at the door. Oh, right, the Chinese food. Yesss.