Writing is hard. Being creative is harder. So, to write creatively… with writer’s block around any and every metaphoric corner? HA. Lord help you. It’s like chipping away at steel.
Don’t give me that, you know exactly what I’m talking about. You’re doing your thing, click clacking away… dare I say ‘vibing’… when suddenly it all goes to sh*t. I mean WHAT THE HELL, your masterclass smuggler, Vega Morningstar (maybe ditch the name) was just about to nab that prized Blorgornian jewel you pictured in the shower this morning when… BLAM. The blast walls drop, standing between you and the clarity you had 3 coffees ago.
You guessed it, writer’s block.
Like any character worth reading, you’re in need of a bad@$$ arsenal at your disposal. A toolkit, to make light of the steel walls between you and your flair. And no, that doesn’t mean Grammarly, a YouTube tutorial or some ‘5 TIPS TO BECOMING A BETTER WRITER’ blog post…
…you need music.
However, you can’t start a fire with wet wood. So, what better than Mr. Hunter’s white hot, FIRE as f&*k album list to melt those walls into the creative juices you crave. Whether you pump them into some medieval heist, a heart-throb’s betrayal or some lovecraftian tendril stuffed erotica (erm, hit me up if you’re working on that last one)… you can thank Mr. Hunter on the way to your closing chapter.
The full playlist can be found at the end of this article!
NOW HOLD UP, if you think this is a list of this week’s Crapital FM hits like Ed Sheeran’s ‘BAM BAM’ or Adele’s ‘Easy On Me’ then let me tell you this politely… you’re missing the trick (and I’ll see you in the parking lot, you uncultured swine). Orchestral, Choral, Piano, whatever… musical scores should be the de facto lifeblood of any creative writer’s inspo. I promise, you’ll never look back.
NUMBER 1: ISLE OF DOGS (ORIGINAL SCORE)
Peculiar. Novel. Unpredictable. This album will have you moodily veer from poignant contemplation to plucky indignation, with an emotional palette that unapologetically collides Japanese motifs with unmistakably jazzy flourishes. Far from conventional, this album embodies the recesses of Wes Anderson’s mind, bravely interpreted by Desplat. Highlights being ‘Sushi Scene’ and ‘6 Months Later + Dog Fight’, this album is perfect for depicting squabbling couples, family strife or any drama stuffed offering you’ll now create.
NUMBER 2: THE MANDALORIAN SEASON 3 SOUNDTRACK VOL. 1 (Chapters 17–20)
Cosmic. Wondrous. Climactic. This Star Wars series oozes laser scorched glory, precisely due to Joseph Shirley’s mastery of Ludwig Göransson’s musical style. Synthy beats and whistling treats, this score will boil your blood hotter than Tauntaun soup, only to wind you back down with lo-fi beats smoother than a Mos Eisley cantina’s Blue Milk. Seriously, this packs a shimmering chromatic wallop unlike anything your eardrums have experienced, whilst somehow feeling right at home in any western, war epic or espionage spy thriller. Have at it, because ‘Attack on the Gauntlet’, ‘High Magistrate’ and countless other tracks will give you plenty to chew on.
NUMBER 3: UP (ORIGINAL MOTION PICTURE SOUNDTRACK)
Playful. Mournful. Adventurous. Somehow translating Amelia Earhart’s exploratory spirit into music, Giacchino’s tracks here will help you create untold wonders of worlds yet to be conjured. The emotional range this album guides you through massages your amygdala, revealing those literary gems you’ve been seeking. Whether it’s Married Life or Seizing the Spirit of Adventure, grab a tissue and brace yourself. Winning an Academy Award for Best Original Score, this album is a certified masterpiece, beckoning you to write yours.
NUMBER 4: KILLZONE 2 (ORIGINAL SOUNDTRACK)
Oppressive. Grandiose. Melancholic. Although depicting a sci fi war between the ‘Helghast’ and ‘UNSC’ (translation: the US vs space nazis), totalitarian chants echo the horrors of fascist conquest. If you’re working on a WWI or II epic, or perhaps some elseworld war with colonial overtures, then ‘The Second Helghan March’ and ‘Templar’s Last Stand’ are absolutely for you. Let Joris swallow you whole and bring you face to face with the depths of tyrannically charged warfare.
NUMBER 5: LEGION, VOL. 1 & 2 (ORIGINAL TELEVISION SERIES SOUNDTRACK)
Weird. Psychedelic. Experimental. You can literally hear the abstract cogs turn in Stanley Kubrick’s A Clockwork Orange with this mind-bending, mental health twist on psychic powers. Jeff Russo’s energy here is like a kid in a sandbox, except that sand is a rainbow-infused blend of pixy dust and acid powder. Listen to ‘174 Hours’ to ease you in, then fall off a cliff into a sonic K-hole with ‘David’. Plenty of material here to build vistas, neuroticize characters or have them drool into the carpet of a sadistic asylum.
NUMBER 6: REMEMBER ME (ORIGINAL SOUNDTRACK)
Elegant. Bombastic. One of a kind. This album is a hidden miracle. As if you’re stepping into a techno-sphere of philharmonic glory, these tracks glitch your senses into overdrive. If you think I’m being dramatic, I DARE YOU to stick on ‘Remember Me’ and ‘Chase Through Montmartre’ without thinking Elon Musk’s Neuralink has jacked into your cerebral cortex with a battalion of A.I. percussionists — Olivier, you’re a genius. So, never again stumble over how a techno-shanty should feel, how a spacecraft should crash or how any sci fi fantasy you’re envisioning should zap into being.
NUMBER 7: CREED III (ORIGINAL MOTION PICTURE SCORE)
Powerful. Hostile. Triumphant. This album is the mother of all training montages. Like an emotionally intelligent kick to the system, ‘Training Montage’ (hard to miss) and ‘Showtime Promo’ will have your characters face off against bitter rivals, and surmount near Sisyphean adversity. Maiya Syke’s vocals are nothing short of breath-taking (literally, just listen to ‘Void’ and get back to me).
NUMBER 8: GOD OF WAR II (OFFICIAL SOUNDTRACK)
Raw. Outlandish. Biblical. If you’re writing a character wronged by the world, your world or any world, and won’t take it sitting down… look no further. Steeped in testosterone with an overtly masculine choir, the brutality of these tracks demand vengeance. Whether it’s a warrior left for dead, a nobleman turned warlord, or a pantheon of gods seeking ascension, tracks like ‘Tython Mountain’ and ‘Phoenix Rising’ will fuel your character arcs like a petrol doused bonfire.
NUMBER 9: DETROIT: BECOME HUMAN (ORIGINAL SOUNDTRACK)
Now, this one? This one’s cheating. Essentially 3 albums in one, with a composer attributed to each… COINCIDENCE? certainly not. Each track purposefully sets out to manifest the essence of the lifelike androids they’re named after. Connor — synth-heavy, unabashedly artificial instrumentation matches his sterile, robotically precise outlook on the world. Kara — string heavy vaunts of sombre sorrow reek of the character’s emotional complexity and unchecked empathy. Markus — Headstrong, but burdened with the weight of a leader’s tenacity in the wake of persecution, emboldened by operatic intensity. BOOM. 3 characters written for the price of one, fleshed out and ready to inspire yours. Nothing short of dystopian magic.
NUMBER 10: FARGO (SOUNDTRACK)
Ominous. Stirring. Maudlin. With a sweepingly chilly atmosphere, perfectly capturing the snow laden landscapes of the series it embellishes, Jeff Russo (yep, this guy again) just kills it. Far more traditionalist than his bash on Legion, this is the stuff of small-town noir. Ideal for a murder mystery in need of familial tragedy, a street-wise detective or a blood-soaked finale to create the page turner you’ve earned.
So, there you have it. 10 albums you NEED to listen to if you’re a creative writer, or even just someone needing a shock to the cranium. Of course, I could provide you with more but 10’s a nice number and let’s face it… I don’t need the competition.
WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR? Get another coffee, bang on these classics and reconnect with your talent.