Music to our ears, part 3

It's another addition of our series on the music we listen to while we work. Graphic designer Hilary listens to a long list of great musicians. Are any of your favorites in there?

Death Cab for Cutie, The Bravery, Pretty Recklace, The Killers, Rilo Kiley, The Innocence Mission, Muse, Snow Patrol, Tegan and Sara, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Carolina Liar, The Afters, Puscifer, The Black Lips, and of course Johnny Cash!

The man in black is a favorite of Hilary's...and mine!

Music to our ears...continued

In our latest edition of posts about music to work to, we get a look at the many musical moods of art director Bob Lentz. Who knows why Metallica unlocks his creative blocks? It just does. Read on:

When I’m working on a new design: Personal faves such as Ben Folds, Jason Mraz, Fountains of Wayne, Coldplay, and Foo Fighters.

When I’m stumped creatively: Punk music like MXPX and NoFX; and heavy metal legends such as Iron Maiden, Def Leppard, and Metallica.

When I’m doing production work: 70s and 80s R&B, including Al Green, Lionel Richie, and lots of Motown. A great accompaniment to relaxing, monotonous tasks.

When I’m designing a series with a more epic, cinematic scope: Classic film
scores like Star Wars, Indiana Jones, and E.T. There’s something very inspiring about the works of John Williams, especially, that elevates a book visually from so-so to film-worthy.

Guilty pleasures: Let’s just say that I’ve been busted on two separate occasions for listening to Hall & Oates and Olivia Newton-John, respectively.

Music to our ears...

This week, I asked the fiction crew what they like to listen to as they write, design, edit, and work in general. The answers were surprisingly detailed and varied. So I thought, "Why not make this a reoccurring feature?" It is interesting to consider how one art form influences another.

First up is our editorial director and in-house writer, Michael Dahl. Michael recently created a whole new world for his upcoming series Troll Hunters. And this is what he listened to while he was there....

I needed to get my mind into a new universe, a world of light versus darkness, good versus evil, epic battles, close escapes, and otherworldly creatures. Sounds like Beethoven to me. I love big, sweeping, emotional, orchestral music, and Beethoven is perfect for that. I can put on his 5th or 6th or 9th Symphony. What power! And the music changes so much, just like a battle, first one side gains power, then the other, back and forth like ocean waves.

For some specific sections of the story:

The ending of Book 3, I listened to Widor’s Toccata from his 5th Organ Symphony. Turn out the lights and listen to this at night! It sounds like something swirling and rising and soaring into the heavens. Inspiring and triumphant. Perfect for the action at the end of the final chapter.

For the encroaching battle in that same book, I listened to the weird, war-like song O Fortune! from the eerie and dramatic Carmina Burana by Orff.

And when I was writing the chase scene at the end of Book 1, I put on John Williams’ soundtrack for The Empire Strikes Back and selected The Asteroid Field. One of the coolest, most exciting pieces of music ever written, not to mention that it’s pure fun. You can see the asteroids rolling toward you, or in this case, the giant trolls at your heels! Run!

-Michael Dahl