Bookish Beats: Elysium OST


Bookish BeatsMusic, 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. 


Elysium (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)

Composed by Ryan Amon


Listen to with:

A science-fiction epic

Such as:

Red Mars by Kim Stanley Robinson

Ryan Amon appears yet again in this week’s Bookish Beats, though this time his compositions are taking centre stage. The soundtrack to Elysium has been rattling around my head ever since I saw the movie (numerous times I admit) and is the perfect accompaniment to a science fiction novel. It’s tense, exciting and is interspersed with incredibly beautiful moments which consistently take my breath away.

The best soundtracks are those that allow you to be swept along with whatever it is you are watching or reading; Elysium is no exception. This soundtrack goes from thrilling action tracks, to tense dramatic pieces, to eerie and emotional vocal led numbers at the… well at the change of a track. But every one of those tracks is unique, highly emotive and memorable, each one building to a crescendo and becoming the perfect backdrop to innumerable scenes.

Elysium has become one of my favourite movie soundtracks; I get goosebumps listening to it. Whether to transport myself back to Mars or to Elysium or to somewhere else entirely, this soundtrack will always occupy a place in my collection. Elysium is an incredible movie with an amazing soundtrack and I recommend both highly, and if you haven’t seen the movie – worry not! Just put on this soundtrack and be transported to new worlds.

Favourite Track

29 – New Heaven, New Earth

Top track for action

02 – Fire Up The Shuttle

Top track for tension

25 – Fire and Water

Top track for emotion

27 – Breaking a Promise

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Bookish Beats: Assassin’s Creed Unity


Bookish BeatsMusic, 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. 


Assassin’s Creed Unity (The Complete Edition) [Original Game Soundtrack]

Composed by Chris Tilton, Sarah Schachner and Ryan Amon


Listen to with:

An action-packed historical or fantasy adventure

Such as:

A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab

Last week’s Bookish Beats post sank into oblivion after a wonderful weekend away at the Liverpool International Music Festival – I think I can class that as research, right? This Sunday’s post may have gone the same way (hello glamping weekend) but hurrah! I remembered and scheduled it early! Don’t fail me schedule! If you’re a regular reader you might also notice a slightly different look to this post; in an attempt to be more tablet and phone user friendly I’ve changed the layout around to avoid (m)any dodgy text placements!

This week’s Bookish Beats features the Assassin’s Creed Unity Soundtrack. I have big love for game soundtracks and those of the Assassin’s Creed franchise in particular. They make some pretty damn good music. So good, in fact, that I would have a hard time choosing a favourite. With three new composers on-board, Unity is no exception; a long and comprehensive soundtrack, it combines brooding atmospheric pieces with heart thumping action tracks which truly enhance the reading experience.

The complete soundtrack is made up of three volumes, each of which is by a different composer, all of whom bring a unique and brilliant component to the score. Chris Tilton’s lengthy volume is saturated in tension and arguably has the best action tracks; Sarah Schachner captures the unique combination of sci fi and history with beautiful baroque string compositions underlined with modern synths; and Ryan Amon’s tracks resonate with tension and atmospheric ambience. Choosing favourites is always hard but this soundtrack was particularly difficult, though it did mean I could listen to it repeatedly!

I always find game soundtracks an excellent accompaniment to books, they’re rarely intrusive to reading and often add to the dramatic tension. Assassin’s Creed Unity is a wonderful example; you can feel the stealth, the tension and the intrigue in almost every track and you have three stylistically different but complimentary volumes to choose from. Every time I listen to this soundtrack I am instantly transported back to the world of A Darker Shade of Magic and I cannot wait to listen to it with another book.

Volume 1 – Chris Tilton [1] | Volume 2 – Sarah Schachner [2] | Volume 3 – Ryan Amon [3]

Favourite Volume

Volume 2 – Composed by Sarah Schachner

Favourite Tracks

01 – Unity [1]

04 – Dark Slayer [2]

01 – DeMolay’s Condemnation [3]

Top tracks for action

20 – Belle of the Balloon [1]

07 – Treachery and Butchers [2]

01 – DeMolay’s Condemnation [3]

Top tracks for tension

13 – To Your Stealth [1]

08 – Storming the Guilty [2]

04 – Paris Gateways [3]

Top tracks for emotion

23 – The Bottle of Solitude [1]

01 – Rather Death Than Slavery [2]

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