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Although I’m sure no one sets out to make an album for Sunday mornings, modern popular music is populated by records that seem meant to be listened in that specific time.

These are LPs that blend into the scenery of an easygoing morning. The perfect set of tunes to listen to while lingering over the Sunday paper on your lanai or while slowly sipping your second cup of coffee.

They shouldn’t be challenging, but not boring either. After all, you don’t want to be put back to sleep, just to a comfortable conduit to a relaxed day — a luxury you don’t have time for the rest of the week.

I’ve picked out some of old favorite and new additions to my personal set list. Pop one of these in the next time you are planning on a lazy Sunday morning and see if it doesn’t fit the mood just right.

Old favorites

“The World Won’t End”

Pernice Brothers (Ashmont)

If you listen too closely to the lyrics on this record, you’ll end up depressed. But Sunday morning listening isn’t really about what they are saying, but how it’s being said. And like Bobby Darin before him, frontman Joe Pernice is a master of lamentations wrapped in joyous packaging. On this record, Pernice perfects the mellow pop style that the Shins and Iron & Wine will later ride to greater commercial success.

“John Coltrane & Johnny Hartman”

John Coltrane & Johnny Hartman (Impulse!)

Most Coltrane records are too powerful for Sundays, sounding better with Scotch than coffee. But this record, his only one to feature a vocalist, is just about the perfect accompaniment to brunch. Coltrane’s warm but restrained tones balance Hartman’s immaculate baritone. Only six songs and 31 minutes long, this album is impeccable from start to finish, with cannon-level readings “Lush Life” and “They Say It’s Wonderful.”

“Pneumonia”

Whiskeytown (Lost Highway)

By the time of it’s release, Whiskeytown had broken up and its mercurial frontman, Ryan Adams, had released his stunning solo debut, “Heartbreaker.” Still this beautiful pop record was a breathrough of sorts for a band always burdened by the label alt-country. If the Smiths had made a country record, this is what it would sound like. Lush and brooding with aching steel guitars and fiddles, the music provided a great backdrop to Adams’ songs of longing.

“Either/Or”

Elliott Smith (Kill Rock Stars)

You might think an album that draws its name from a Kierkegaard book might be a bit too cerebral for casual listening. But despite the depth of both the music and the theme of aesthetics versus ethics, this is a surprisingly pleasing background album. Smith’s vocal layering and sweeping arrangements harken back to the Beach Boys and the Beatles, but with a decidedly more low-key, low-tech vibe. But you don’t need high-tech equipment when you have melodies as beautiful as “Angeles.”

“Takk...”

Sigur Rós (Geffen)

God only knows what they are singing about, since the lyrics are all in Icelandic, but damn if it doesn’t sound glorious. These songs seem tailor-made to greet a sunrise and then to linger over the wonders of a suddenly illuminated world. Most of the songs here start out slow — almost a little groggy — and swell into waves of synths and strings on which the atmospheric vocals float.

“Dots and Loops”

Stereolab (Elektra)

While it was 1996’s “Emperor Tomato Ketchup” that brought jazz into Stereolab’s electronic palette, it wasn’t until the next year with “Dots and Loops” that they firmly embraced it by making a bossa nova record. This is what Stan Getz would have sounded like had he been born in early ’70s. “Dots and Loops” sounds like a spring breeze feels — light, airy with a hint of warmth.

“Twentysomething”

Jamie Cullum (Verve)

Although this record is steeped in jazz tradition, it isn’t a jazz record. File it somewhere just outside easy listening, a la Harry Connick Jr. But there’s something remarkably hip about it despite being four years old. In part, it’s the song selection — a handful of originals mixed with smart covers of Jeff Buckley and Pharell Williams alongside Cole Porter and Lerner and Loewe. But it’s also that Cullum isn’t really all that talented of a singer or pianist. He’s an over-educated Everyman who is just good enough at both to be a success.

New in 2008

So far a few albums have come out that seem tailor-made for Sunday morning relaxation.

-- “Vampire Weekend,” Vampire Weekend (XL)

Lots of upbeat, rhythmic guitar picking from Africa and even more references to upscale clothing (Benetton, Louis Vuitton).

-- “Two Men with the Blues,” Willie Nelson & Wynton Marsalis (Angel)

Two legends in their own right meet in the middle of their genres (country and jazz) to make a mellow, jazz-influenced blues album.

-- “Albertine,” Brooke Fraser (Sony/BMG)

Cross the glacial chill of Norah Jones with the vocal prowess of Sarah McLachlan

-- “Pacific Blue (Reissue),” Dennis Wilson (Caribou)

A classic late-’70s record from the forgotten Beach Boy. Grittier than his work with the band, but no less melodic.

-- “Loverly,” Cassandra Wilson (Blue Note)

For a jazz singer who made her bones singing songs outside the canon, it’s kind of odd for Wilson to do an entire album of standards. But the tight band and a slightly off-kilter approach make even a standards record great.

Some you might already have in your collection

These are all records you never think about playing, but can’t seem to turn off once they are on.

-- “Come Away with Me,” Norah Jones (Blue Note)

The melodies are nice, but make sure to down that first cup of coffee before putting this one on.

-- “Unplugged,” Tony Bennett (Columbia)

There’s a reason why people still pay good money to hear Bennett sing — his honey-tinged burble.

-- “Getz/Gilberto,” Stan Getz & Joao Gilberto (Verve)

Maybe the greatest bossa nova record ever made. Just try not humming along to “The Girl from Ipanema”

-- “Time Out,” Dave Brubeck Quartet (Columbia/Legacy)

This album is much better than you remember. Once you turn it on, you’ll wonder what keeps you from playing it more often.

-- “Graceland,” Paul Simon (Warner Bros.)

“Diamonds on the Soles of Her Shoes.” Enough said.