The Shadow Commission Spotify Playlist
In the past couple of years, I’ve brought you Spotify playlist guides for my first Dark Arts novel, The Midnight Front (see its Playlist Guide), and its sequel, The Iron Codex (see its Playlist Guide). To complete the trifecta, I bring you the series’ third playlist, for book three, The Shadow Commission. (Visit its Spotify playlist now.)
Music is invaluable to me as a storyteller. It inspires me with new ideas, and when I’m working, movie soundtracks often help me maintain a consistent frame of mind and emotional state that’s suited to whatever I’m working on.
Once again, to give you a look into my brain’s creative relationship with music, and how it connects to the stories that I write, I have assembled this guide to The Shadow Commission’s playlist. Not all chapters or scenes have specific tracks associated with them, but those that do, I’ve done my best to annotate accordingly.
A review of the playlist reveals that the biggest musical influences this time, as with book two, were spy-movie soundtracks. Specifically, Skyfall and Spectre by Thomas Newman. Also making numerous appearances are tracks from the various Avengers movies’ soundtracks, as well as from some sci-fi classics and cult films, such as Children of Dune by Brian Tyler, Donnie Darko by Michael Andrews, and Stargate by David Arnold, among others.
The Shadow Commission will be published on Tuesday, August 11, 2020, by Tor Books.
Nota Bene: Not all of the listed tracks are available for playback on Spotify, due to ever-changing licensing permissions, etc. Those of you who collect movie soundtracks might own one or more of these discs already. If you can compile your own local playlist based on this, all the better.
Also note that the playlist guide contains spoilers, especially for the end of the book. This is meant as a companion piece to be enjoyed after reading the novel.
CHAPTER 1
Murder in the Morning
“Even for You”
Avengers: Infinity War (Alan Silvestri)
CHAPTER 2
Cade and Anja Get Bad News
“Wish You Were Here”
Avengers: Age of Ultron (Brian Tyler)
CHAPTER 3
The Kennedy Assassination
“War Begins”
Children of Dune (Brian Tyler)
A Cardinal Demands Answers
“Child Emperor”
Children of Dune (Brian Tyler)
CHAPTER 4
Cade’s Fears Made Manifest
“Sins of the Mother”
Children of Dune (Brian Tyler)
Dallas Ambush by Hammers
“Exit Mr. Hat”
The Matrix (Don Davis)
CHAPTER 5
The Dark Circle Begins
“Je Suis de Sole”
Mission: Impossible – Fallout (Lorne Balfe)
[ALBUM ONLY – NOT AVAILABLE ON SPOTIFY]
Exploding Mirrors
“Quartz Shipment”
Stargate: The Deluxe Edition (David Arnold)
[ALBUM ONLY – NOT AVAILABLE ON SPOTIFY]
The Siege of Naxos
“Fighting Back” / “Uprising” / “Outlook”
Avengers: Age of Ultron (Brian Tyler)
CHAPTER 6
Talking to Oswald
“Keys to the Past”
Avengers: Age of Ultron (Brian Tyler)
CHAPTER 7
Stealing from the FBI
“Springing Erik”
X-Men: Days of Future Past (John Ottman)
CHAPTER 8
Briet vs. the Golem
“Man vs. Beast”
Kong: Skull Island (Henry Jackman)
CHAPTER 11
Zona Rosa
“Welcome to Cuba”
Die Another Day (David Arnold)
Searching Rocha’s Pad
“Unauthorised Access”
Casino Royale (David Arnold)
CHAPTER 12
Luis’s Vision
“Living an Illusion”
Dark City (Trevor Jones)
[ALBUM ONLY – NOT AVAILABLE ON SPOTIFY]
CHAPTER 13
Silo Under Siege / Frank’s Death
“A Lot to Figure Out”
Avengers: Infinity War (Alan Silvestri)
Miles Is Summoned / He Says Good-bye
“Porch”
Avengers: Infinity War (Alan Silvestri)
CHAPTER 14
Miles Underground
“What Did It Cost?”
Avengers: Infinity War (Alan Silvestri)
Demonic Delivery
“Orphanage”
Blade Runner 2049 (Hans Zimmer & Benjamin Wallfisch)
CHAPTER 15
Razing Monte Paterno
“I Am the Storm”
Mission: Impossible – Fallout (Lorne Balfe)
Plotting Cade’s End
“Carpathian Ridge”
Donnie Darko (Michael Andrews)
CHAPTER 16
Ammo Factory Showdown
“Betrayal”
Thor: The Dark World (Brian Tyler)
CHAPTER 17
Cade & Briet in the Lake
“Camille’s Story”
Quantum of Solace (David Arnold)
[ALBUM ONLY – NOT AVAILABLE ON SPOTIFY]
Luis’s Disciples in Rome
“Goodbye, My Son”
Man of Steel (Hans Zimmer)
CHAPTER 20
Cade & Anja by Moonlight
“Severine”
Skyfall (Thomas Newman)
CHAPTER 21
The Bank Job Begins
“Frankenstein’s Monster”
X-Men: First Class (Henry Jackman)
CHAPTER 24
Cade Faces the Old Man
“Kite in a Hurricane”
Spectre (Thomas Newman)
CHAPTER 25
Yasmin Conspires with Niccolò
“Recruiting Psylocke”
X-Men: Apocalypse (John Ottman)
CHAPTER 26
Kizkalesi
“The Mission Is Terminated”
Mission: Impossible – Fallout (Lorne Balfe)
[ALBUM ONLY – NOT AVAILABLE ON SPOTIFY]
CHAPTER 27
Cade Breaks Free
“Silhouette”
Skyfall (Thomas Newman)
CHAPTER 28
Monks and Mages Arm for War
“Steps Ahead”
Mission: Impossible – Fallout (Lorne Balfe)
CHAPTER 29
Alpine Combat / Hellhounds
“Snow Plane”
Spectre (Thomas Newman)
Violent Attrition
“The Bloody Shot”
Skyfall (Thomas Newman)
CHAPTER 30
Cade & Lila / The Old Man
“Culmination”
Iron Man 3 (Brian Tyler)
The Betrayal and the Sacrifice
“Hinx”
Spectre (Thomas Newman)
CHAPTER 31
Spirit Hammer
“Can You Stop This Thing?”
Avengers: Age of Ultron (Danny Elfman)
Cade Dies
“Redemption”
Mad Max: Fury Road (Tom Holkenborg)
Anja & Briet Take Revenge
“Darkest of Intentions”
Avengers: Age of Ultron (Brian Tyler)
Leveling the Chalet
“Execution”
Stargate: The Deluxe Edition (David Arnold)
[ALBUM ONLY – NOT AVAILABLE ON SPOTIFY]
CHAPTER 32
A Tragic Return
“I Feel You”
Avengers: Infinity War (Alan Silvestri)
CHAPTER 33
A Bittersweet Homecoming
“What Beach?”
X-Men: Apocalypse (John Ottman)
CHAPTER 34
Anja’s Warning
“The Grim Reavers”
Logan (Marco Beltrami)
CHAPTER 35
Three Sisters Scatter
“Don’t Be What They Made You”
Logan (Marco Beltrami)
BONUS TRACK
End Titles
“Gimme Shelter”
The Rolling Stones, Let It Bleed