2012
06.13

10 Albums That Can Inspire Any Genre

I’ve stated many times in the past how I am a big believer in cross genre inspiration when it comes to song writing. This doesn’t just apply to the metal genre either. Whatever genre you are writing for, it’s always a good idea to look outside the box for ideas. Here are ten albums which can really get the creative juices flowing in the right direction.

Danny Elfman – Music For a Darkened Theatre Volume 2

Chances are you’ve all ready heard his music from one of the many movies he scored, but this album gives you a more focused look into the man behind the madness.

The Doors – The Doors

Guitarist Robby Krieger was one of the first pioneers to use heavy distortion by turning his amp up so loud the speakers would literally distort the sound.

Air – The Virgin Suicides

It’s a hauntingly unique score blanketed with lush mellotron sounds that will transport you back to a somber 1970s sonic landscape.

Enya – Watermark

A great tip for writing a song inspired by Enya is to try and create the same fantasy driven orchestration, but without using keyboards.

Tom Waits – Beautiful Maladies: The Island Years

This is the perfect place to start if you’ve never delved into the twisted mind of the greatest song writer to ever play a dumpster with strings on it.

Prodigy – Fat of the Land

An intense example of how digital music can be heavier than many of the metal bands who rely on stacks of guitar amps to capture brutality.

Al DiMeola – Elegant Gypsy

This album has some of the fastest guitar runs you will ever hear, and the majority of them are done on an acoustic.

Pink Floyd – The Wall

Easily one of the best demonstrations of creating space inside of a song. Unlike so many bands we hear, Pink Floyd knows what notes not to play.

Robert Miles – 23am

Certain albums like this are not only inspirational, but can also take a snapshot of your life at a specific moment in time and hold those memories in a musical time capsule.

Fleetwood Mac – Rumors

These classic songs introduce a very important element of music that we seem to have lost today. I’m speaking of dynamics, and Fleetwood Mac are masters at expressing emotion through their instruments.