The Best Geek Music That Should Be On Your Playlist

Music can lift your spirits when you’re down or put you in the right mental state when you need to focus. And having a good go-to soundtrack is vital to your healthy music habits. For those of us of the Geeky persuasion, we might not find that a lot of mainstream pop music speaks to our souls. Sometimes, we just need to discover new artists that share our geeky nature. Here is some of the best geek music you should include on your favorite music playlist.

Jonathan Coulton

I first discovered Jonathan Coulton back around 2007 after his ambitious Thing a Week project was completed. A former computer programmer, he wanted to record music instead, so he did. His songs are a mix of geeky references ranging from zombies to sea monsters and everything in between.

Not all of Coulton’s songs can be considered comedy. His thoughtful compositions are sometimes framed in sci-fi terms but tap into the greater human condition. It’s hard to pick just one song from his lengthy catalog to introduce you to his work if you’re unfamiliar, so let’s start out with a bang…literally.

Check out more essential JoCo here.

Oliver Boyd and the Rememberalls

Did you know there is an entire genre of geek music called Wizard Rock? These are all bands inspired by the Harry Potter universe. There are too many to count individually but probably the most famous is Harry and the Potters.

However, I have discovered a favorite Wizard Rock band and I think you’d like them too. Oliver Boyd and the Rememberalls is the wizarding persona of Canadian folk rock musician Christian Caldirira who has since hung up his cloak and moved away from the genre musically. His music is still well worth listening and is a fine addition to your nerdy playlist.

“Weird Al” Yankovic

Okay, I had to add the godfather of Nerd Rock in this mix somewhere. “Weird Al” Yankovic was doing nerd rock before anyone else even had the idea. Most known for his witty parodies most often referencing a pop-culture phenomenon, many of his songs are massively nerdy. Some geeky songs on the list include “The Saga Begins” and “White and Nerdy.”

Along with the parodies, “Weird Al” writes a lot of original songs as well. Some are what he considers “style parodies” since they aren’t a specific individual song but share similar style with popular music. My favorite original is this one.

Kirby Krackle

One of my very favorite artists is Kirby Krackle out of Seattle. His real name is Kyle Stevens and he’s put out a ton of music about video games, science fiction, and other general nerdery. His albums have been on heavy rotation in my music collection for a while.

What I love about Kirby Krackle’s music is the upbeat nature of every song from the simple eukalele song In "Another Castle" to the rocking anthem "The Day My Powers Arrived." But here is my current favorite.

Rachel Bloom

I have to end this list with my personal music and comedy idol. I didn’t discover Rachel Bloom until I found her CW series Crazy Ex Girlfriend, a musical comedy about someone trying to figure it all out. The series is over now and if you haven’t watched it, I seriously recommend it. Don’t let the title fool you, it’s actually a heartwarming story about the title character.

But Rachel Bloom got her start doing musical comedy on the internet. And one of those songs is well worth a listen to.

What's on your essential geek playlist?