Wednesday 13 June 2012

A Playlist for Keir

A few weeks ago I published a post about how a Finnish rock band - The Rasmus - came to be such a huge inspiration on my writing, particularly with Keir. Although I was listening to their three latest albums at the time of writing, there were some specific songs that I feel relate more to Keir and his story than others. So while the music influenced the theme overall, I thought I'd share a few of the special songs that I would (if I could) choose as film tracks if I imagine Keir made it there. :)

Main theme - Justify. So close, so far - I'm lost in time.
Justify by The Rasmus on Grooveshark


Love song - Silently. Okay, so this is a track by Elliot Minor and NOT The Rasmus. So silently you will make this day so unreal and never-ending, standing on the edge believing, that this will never end.Silently by Elliot Minor on Grooveshark

Simply for these lines - Ghost of Love - I'm fading, I'm barely breathing, can't hold on, I'm dying, I must be bleeding, won't be long...
Ghost of Love by The Rasmus on Grooveshark

Secondary tracks -
Open My Eyes
Open My Eyes (Acoustic Version) by The Rasmus on Grooveshark

Shot
Shot by The Rasmus on Grooveshark

Run to You
Run to You by The Rasmus on Grooveshark

Lost and Lonely This feels like the end of time, like something bad is coming, you've been living in a world of lies...
Lost and Lonely by The Rasmus on Grooveshark

Unaffected by Hoobastank (although this was added AFTER I'd written the book). So what should I do, but lay next to you as though I'm unaffected...
Unaffected by Hoobastank on Grooveshark


And although this has become one of the main themes for the sequel - Lost Serenity - this song sparked my confirmed devotion to the band -
Livin' in a World Without You. Something inside me called freedom came alive...
Livin' in a World Without You by The Rasmus on Grooveshark

And of course the song that got me hooked into them in the first place - In the Shadows.
In the Shadows by The Rasmus on Grooveshark

One for Quin - Sail Away. Remember when I swore our love was never-ending, that you and I would never die...
Sail Away by The Rasmus on Grooveshark

With all of these songs either the tone and/or the lyrics have in some way influenced the feel of Keir, or echoed a theme in the story. The concept behind the main album - Black Roses - was based on keywords such as 'martyr' and 'warrior', and the darkness of it suits Keir perfectly. And yet inside it all, there's always an element of hope. :)

Do you have a theme song for your stories? Do you listen to a particular style of music or band for your books, or more specifically for certain scenes? Or do you find it too much of a distraction?

2 comments:

  1. Love this post! For the Mojo books I listened to a ton of old blues, R&B, and soul, with a little classic country - basically what I'd call Southern music. With my most recent book it was vastly different, all Depeche Mode, Faithless, Tori Amos, stuff like that. The playlists I write to always reflect the nature and tone of the story. It helps me fill in the colors of the book's world.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, Sonya. yep, same here. I think this is why one of my other stories came out a touch YA - I was listening to a couple of angsty boy bands as I wrote and I think that had a huge influence.

      Delete

I always love to hear your thoughts.