Fantasy Music

Inspiration is the lifeblood for any artist.

In the year or so that I've been blogging, inspiration has probably been the single topic I've written about more than any other. But I realized today that despite all I've said about it, I've failed to ever discuss what is probably the single-most powerful source of inspiration - music.

Let me explain. One of the major fantasy influences on my life was the popular Final Fantasy series. Final Fantasy IV came out while I was in high school, and more than any other game, the music from that game still somehow reaches that young place in my heart. That game probably is the reason that I still enjoy the fantasy genre today.

So today I wanted to give you, my readers, access to some great fantasy music. It's a genre that is hard to find in the United States outside of movie soundtracks, although this is probably much less true today thanks to the Internet. Indeed, once I started searching, I was amazed at the quality and quantity of choices available for free online. Here are some of my favorite:

1. Radio Rivendell - Radio Rivendell calls itself the only fantasy radio station in the world playing fantasy music 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. It's available online in a wide variety of venues, and comes highly recommended.
   
2. Speaking of Radio Rivendell, much of their music is actually available for individual download online for free. Check out their excellent links to some great composers and albums.
   
3. Like I mentioned above, I absolutely adore the music of the Final Fantasy series - particularly their piano renditions of some of their most known scores. While these are commercially available, they are expensive and hard to find. Fortunately, they are also available online here. They are in .FLAC format, but a quick Google search will provide several easy ways to convert them to your preferred music format.
   
4. Finally, I also admire the work of Bear McCreary, particularly his work for Battlestar Galactica. This link on YouTube provides a a great playlist of his songs, and utilizing software like KeepVid, you can download the individual songs.

What songs have inspired you? I'd love to get some more great music, so let me know in the comments below. Thanks for reading.