Bonobo - Dial M for Monkey
In a Space Outta Sound by Nightmares on Wax
then either their Piano Nights or Black Earth. Slow darkjazz that sets up an atmosphere and doesn’t distract that much.
Don’t do albums or long playlists, because every time it ends you’ll realize time has passed and you’ll stop studying. Instead pick a song or two or three and just play on repeat so you lose track of time. But if you must, then Toxicity by System of a Down.
Battlestar Galactica OST by Bear McCreary
Something semi ambient, preferably without lyrics: Tycho, Bonobo, Nujabes
Autechre’s NTS Sessions. All of them work great, but start with the fourth one.
Perlence subrange 6-36 is good too
I like any of the Nujabes albums. He makes chilled, mainly instrumental, hip hop music.
Not really a album but MyNoise.net has a lot of good generators for background noise. Radio Free Fedi’s Comfy channel also is great for chill study music, and it only plays indie artists that have Fediverse accounts with links to the artist support pages where you can either buy their albums (or songs to build your own piecemeal) https://radiofreefedi.net/.
Use something mellow in a different language from your own, it is less distracting.
I like to listen to brasilian Bossa Nova like this Getz/Gilberto Album
Or something without lyrics like Yiruma if you like Piano music.
Little Songs About Raindrops - Lullatone
Anything from Hammock. The older albums mostly.
Nils Frahm’s Felt, or the soundtrack to Victoria
Atomos or the self titled album by A Winged Victory for the Sullen
Almost anything recent by Carbon Based Lifeforms but Alt:01, Alt:02, or Stochastic especially
Loscil is great but not a single album stands out though Submerz and Endless Falls are smooth
Hammock’s soundtrack for the movie Columbus
Brian Mcbrides The Effective Disconnect
I would recommend Stars of the Lid, but they are too sleepy for me. However, when Brian Mcbride and Adam Witzie do their own thing it is usually less sleep inducing-
Jan Garbarek - Visible World
Any rando lofi channel on YouTube/Spotify/Online Radio Stations
I think this is a really good answer. Just search for a focus playlist on whatever platform and let it run.
If I’m picking out music more specific, I find myself thinking about that, and what it’s like, and if it’s helping, and maybe I should hey this other album or artist.
Don’t let picking the music distract too much from focusing on what you want to do.