Epic Trailer Music and Soundtrack Mayhem

I know I’ve written about this before, but music is so important to my creative process that I just have to continue sharing it!  So, get on the mother F-ing mother ship and strap in while I crank some tunes!

I’m always trying to update my music library, and probably spend way too much time (and money) on background music for writing.  But, like I just said…important.  When I find the right album to match whatever mood I’m trying to create in my story, it’s magical.

Case in point, once I found out the Conan soundtrack offered on iTunes was incomplete, I instantly became obsessed with finding a recording of the complete score.  To me, Basil Poledouris crafted probably the best score ever (sorry, Junkie XL), and a standard by which all other epic fantasy scores are compared.  I’m no music theorist, but you can hear elements of Howard Shore’s Lord of the Rings, and Ramin Djawadi’s Game of Thrones throughout, even though it was composed 20-30 years prior to them.  Plus, the fact that Poledouris also composed the score for Robocop makes him a legend in my book.

And yes, I finally found it, in the UK.  And no, I can’t stop listening to it!

Of course I have other favorites.  Junkie XL’s Mad Max: Fury Road score comes in a microscopically close second.  Honestly, on some days, depending on my mood, it’s tops.  Junkie XL’s collaborations with Hans Zimmer never disappoint.  They’re a match made in Hollywood heaven.

Of course, Hans Zimmer.  I mean, Inception, Man of Steel, The Dark Knight?  All incredible.

Then there are my own Dark Knights.  Mark Mothersbaugh (yes, the guy from DEVO), did a spectacular job with Rushmore, and his Thor: Ragnarok score is fantastic.  Brad Fiedel; T2, James Horner; Aliens, Daft Punk; Tron: Legacy, and even Trans-Siberian Orchestra; A Clockwork Orange all find themselves in regular rotation.

And when all else fails, I go to my Epic Trailer Music Cache, and that’s where I get completely fucking lost.  I can’t tell you detail one about how these production studios are organized, can name only a handful of their composers, and am so confused by industry vs public release dates that it makes my ears spin.  Plus, there’s so damn much of it out there, I barely know where to begin!  I’ve been down that rabbit hole a few times, so I’m going to save you the trouble of doing the same and give you my short list as a public service.

Badass Sci Fi’s not nearly definitive list of top Epic Trailer Music Producers (or something like that).  This is based solely on number of plays on my iTunes-

• Two Steps From Hell
• Future World Music
• Brand X Music
• Audiomachine
• Immediate/Immediate Music
• Heavy Melody
• Epic Score
• White Wall

My most recent download.

I have a lot of this on the website’s soundbar, so check it out!  Let me know if you like, have any suggestions, or want me to upload something else.  I think, after a listen, you’ll understand the power of music.

John Carpenter.  You thought I forgot and wasn’t going to mention him.  There, I mentioned him.  Of course, John Friggin Carpenter and his frequent collaborator Alan Howarth.  I mean, Halloween , Escape From New York, The Thing, Big Trouble in Little China…

Wait, there.  I just downloaded this.  Are you happy now?  I am.

So, until next time, don’t bother me.  I’m rockin’ a book!

Ragnarockin’ a book!