Music, much like literature, has the power to drive your imagination; it can lift the soul and create real emotion.This is Bookish Beats, a feature which will showcase some of the soundtracks which have enriched the worlds I’ve found between the pages.
Phenomena
Audiomachine
Listen to with:
An action-packed fantasy adventure
Such as:
This week’s Bookish Beats features Audiomachine, a production company who produce music for movie, TV and game trailers. Audiomachine’s composers, Paul Dinletir and Kevin Rix, have written music for countless trailers including those of The Hobbit, Harry Potter and Prometheus, and I first came across them whilst listening to the Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare soundtrack, which they composed alongside Harry Gregson-Williams.
Phenomena manages to capture epic and grand scale action perfectly, combining powerful brass and percussion sections with soaring strings and choral vocals. Those tracks which start off slow gradually build to a crescendo, each one a snapshot of a moment – an epic scene. It is not hard to visualise wars and battles, and quests and adventures when listening to Phenomena, and its tracks have featured on the Lego: The Hobbit game trailer, Exodus: God and Kings film trailer, and even the 2014 Winter Olympics.
And if you’re reading a fast-paced, action-packed novel then Phenomena is a perfect compliment. Every single track is sure to sweep you away, whether on a tide of eerie vocals and strings or in a surge of blood-pumping percussion. Stand-out action tracks include Blood and Stone and Lords of Lankhmar; Crossing Destiny and God of the Drow are brimming with tension; and Ice of the Phoenix and Epiphany are the epitome of triumph.
Phenomena may be chock full of ‘triumphant’ tracks but it’s not without its quiet moments either… quietly epic that is; Red Sorrow, Fortress of Solitude and Legacy of the Lost are tracks filled with emotion – the slower and drawn out pace capturing the full spectrum of sensations. Or tracks such as The Last Ember are a mind-blowing combination of action, tension and emotion.
If you’re looking for something to read epic or heroic fantasy to, then look no further; Phenomena is a phenomenal soundtrack for movies, games and books alike. And if Phenomena whets your appetite, Audiomachine has a whole host of other albums to keep you hooked. This is definitely one for the playlist.
Favourite track
Top track for action
Top track for tension
Top track for emotion
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