Sunday Soundtrack: Attack on Titan

Well, Valentines weekend is over, effectively reminding all the single people in the world how lonely they are.

Or I guess that's how some single's felt. But its hard to feel alone when you hole yourself up in a room with your fellow single friends, a cookie cake and Sherlock.

This is our special Valentines Day Cake :)

Yes, we spent the whole evening marathoning Sherlock, as well as various different animes. Why have real men when the ones on screen are just so delicious?

Of course, I have other reasons for liking shows besides the incredibly attractive men and interesting plot lines (Though don't get me wrong, those are GREAT reasons to like a show). I'm also a sucker for good music. I'm a musical person, for those who don't know. I like making music videos for movies and TV shows in my spare time and I've played the piano since I was five. I just have a really good sense of rhythm and melody. So its not surprising that music has a huge impact on how I view media and the world. Its a source of inspiration for me.

In any movie or show, the music is an often under appreciated ingredient. It compliments the images but its not always the first thing people look at. Never the less its a vital part of setting the tone for the images on screen.

Sherlock, for instance, has a very eclectic soundtrack that fits well with the tone on the show. Sometimes its tense and suspenseful, sometimes its fast paced and action packed, and sometimes it utilizes silence to its advantage. It also has some great stand alone pieces. Particularly in the final episode of season 2.

Music is also probably the most terrifying element of horror movies, heightening the sense of anxiety in the audience on a psychological level that makes the images much more terrifying. Ever try watching a horror movie without the sound? It suddenly loses many of its scares.

Why do I bring this up? Because music can also be a source of inspiration and motivation for writing and whenever my fingers start flying, they are never without musical accompaniment. So, since music is so important to me, I've decided to start this new segment: Sunday Soundtracks. Every Sunday I'll talk about a new piece of music or band or singer or film score which inspires me to write. Some will be suited to specific genres or characters and some won't. Either way, you might find something to listen to and enjoy.

So what's the subject of today's Sunday Soundtracks? A little anime called Attack on Titan.

This little piece of awesome

I'll probably do another post on the anime as a whole, because it really is a triumph in a lot of areas, especially in its animation, action, fast paced plot, and likable characters. But today, let's focus on the music.

The opening theme alone took the anime community by storm with the show first aired. Its a fast paced combination of heart stopping instrumentation and exuberant, dramatic choirs, backing a passionate singer with wonderful vocals. Everyone was talking about the opening theme. And one would think it would be hard to top such a masterpiece. You can watch it here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8OkpRK2_gVs

But the entire show has a consistently amazing soundtrack. It has a lot of wonderful music for action scenes, as one would expect from the opening, but it also has some heart wrenchingly beautiful piano music and softer vocals that really hit you right in the feels. The soundtrack has music for everything. The high points, the low points, the moments when all is lost and the spirited comebacks that make you want to cheer. Nearly every track hits it out of the park and the variety makes it perfect music to to type too. 

For those who are easily distracted by music with lyrics, most of the singing is done in Japanese, so unless you know Japanese, the vocals become just another instrument with the ensemble. I recommend it for anyone who's writing an epic fantasy or sci-fi action novel. Dystopians and post-apocolyptic books can find inspiration here too. There's just a grandness to the music that suits an epic setting, both bleak and hopeful.

There's a mix of the music on youtube here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4PCgJGxz-FU

You can get a since of whether or not you like the music pretty quickly. And if you do, I definitely recommend buying it. My personal favorite music is in the first five minutes. Its just so beautiful.

For those who want to watch the show, you can find it on Crunchyroll.com. I highly recommend it, but be warned it does get a little (okay, a lot) bloody and its not for the faint of heart. Basically if you get scared by zombie movies... this might not be your thing.

The titans make scary faces like this... So tread lightly

Think this music is good for your writing? Have your own writing tunes you want to share? Leave a comment and let me know!

Enjoy the rest of your weekend, and get some good writing done before the daily grind starts up again!