Update?

yes I'm really working on an update.
I've already been a bit busy writing about Veronica Guerin, almost finished.
But I've been so busy that my backside doesn't know my frontside lives ..or the other way around :S

Gah...

Christmas holidays are coming in just over a week, so expect even more updates in those holidays and afterwards.

Veronica Mars ost

Yes..I'm addicted to tv series..sue me.

So Veronica Mars is yet another great tv series that is not on tv overseas (not in The Netherlands at least).
They've just started the 3rd season and it's still going strong.
I'll be reviewing the soundtrack per song..and then add a comment on the whole.
By reviewing, I will not just look at the music itself..but maybe even more if it really FITS into the movie/series. Because I think that is one of the most important things for a soundtrack.

#----Tracktitle------------artist(s)
1. We Used to Be Friends - The dandy warhols
This is the tv series theme. The series is about a girl (Veronica)who's dad is the town's sherrif but get's sacked after everybody thinks he fuckes up at a murdercase (blaming the richest man in town). After getting sacked, they off course lose a lot of friends who turn their backs on them.
So the entire song makes sense.
Next to that it is a very relaxt song with a bit of a spunk to it. Just like Veronica. She's a very nice girl..with spunk.

2. I Hear the Bells - Mike Doughty
A typical feel-good song. He sings about hearing bells ringing joyfull and about early

3. I Know I Know I Know - Tegan & Sarah
A sweet song about everlasting love, untill the relation ends because the lovers drift apart. But they will always love eachother anyway.
It has a sweetish sound to it..but it's not going so far as to sound irritating (like when I hear 'kiss me' by sixpence none the richer to often)

4. I Turn My Camera On - Spoon
After her dad get's sacked as the sherrif he starts up a private detective office.
He's darn good at it and because he can't do everything alone, Veronica does her part taking 'money-shots' with her camera whenever there is something that needs to be found out.
It has a bit of a white stripes sound to it. An easy drum that sticks in your ear.

5. No Sleep Tonight - The Faders
Try figuring out the meaning of this one ;)
A bit of a girlpunk song about someone who won't get any sleep tonight because the person in the song is madly in love and wants to get it on. Veronica falls in love with someone quite bad. (won't spoile it if you haven't watched the series yet..WHY NOT!!)

6. Dakota - Stereophonics
Right from the start it sounds like a Stereophonics song. Can't explain it..it just does. And that's a good thing. A bit more speed in this song than in the previous songs (on the OST). I'll still have to find out why it's called 'Dakota' but it is about your girlfriend making you feel like you're the one for her. Maybe a bit of a sweet subject. But the stereophonics make it 'rocky'.

7. Sway - The Perishers
'I don't want to hurt you, I don't want to make you sway' That's the main line in this song.
A broken love..staying true friends.

8. Long Time Coming - Delays
Like a lot of bands..I didn't knew Delays. But they make a darn good song on this soundtrack. They easily deserve to tour with Stereophonics. If they would bring out some more songs overhere and go to Amsterdam's Paradiso..I'd visit!
I don't réally like to compare bands..but they could be named alongside Stereophonics..but they still have their own sound.

9. On Your Porch - The Format
A boy sings a song about loving a girl and some problems with his dad being very sick which was a very hard time.
The song has a bit of melodrama to it. It leaves a strange mix of sadness and resignation (when you know there's nothing more you can do..it's good enough, you've tried hard). Not exactly really fitting in with the series by subject of the song..but it does represent the feelings.

10. Ocean City Girl - Ivy
A bit of a lounge track. Put it in a placelist with Air. It's just a little bit louder but you could almost picture the things in the song.
It's about that nothing can hurt the girl that got killed anymore. It's all good now.
Or at least that's what I feel listening to the song.

11. Momentary Thing - Something happens
Nothing lasts forever. 'It' was just a momentary thing but it was great while it lasted. Easy going song..untill the refrain kicks in! You may even jump a bit to this song! 'but after all..isn't this just a momentary thing!'

12. Way You Are - 46bliss
Put yourself..put yourself in my place. Trying to describe the feelings of different persons towards eachother. Try to see things how somebody else sees them for once.
And about staying yourself. A bit more noise than would be expected from this theme.

13. Lost & Found - Adrienne Pierce
aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaw love finding & losing it.
Nothing more to say about this one.

14. Lily Dreams On - Cotton Mather
Lily is the person (girl) that was killed. She was the best friend of Veronica.
She 'talks' to Veronica in her dreams. Lily herself always was a dreamer. So the song 'Lily dreams on' fits perfectly. This guy has a strange nice sounding accent. A bit of a slow 'gitar-plucking' song.
---

After writing the 'per-song' thing it sounds like the soundtrack is filled with songs about sweet romantic songs. But it just has a bit more rock to it. The songs emulate the emotions of love and confusion that Veronica has during the episodes.
Confusion about not knowing who murdered her best friend and about not fitting in in her old group of friends any more. And love for.....go find out!

The songs are mainly feel-good or feel-sad rock songs. But most of the time they just that bit extra to the songs to not make them corny. With a couple of big(ger) artists on the soundtrack I was surprised not to hear any of the songs on radio.
The Dandy warhols or Stereophonics could have made a big hit out of their attribution.

You can listen samples on Amazone or alike sites. And go go go watch that series. It's brilliant! Maybe the first 5 minutes make you think you're watching another high-school series. But that changes very very fast into a witty tv series that keeps surprising you. It will keep you on the edge of your seat trying to find clues for each major case that is a red line for each season (so they are busy with nr 3..but case 1 still lingers on).
The witty comments made by Veronica or others are funny..DAMN FUNNY! Not corny..they will make you laugh aloud. Ask my parents..they've asked again and again why me and my brother were laughing so loudly.

- damn long this one..- I get stuck trying to describe the tv series as well as the soundtracks :D

UPDATE~! LFJ (looking for job ;)

coming soon. Real life interference sucks ;)
More on the Wire! HBO put up tracklistings for every episode so I don't have to scour (sp) through their boards. Will always check up Nora Lee's great site!!! Nora..great site lot's of good insight into The Wire, giving it the respect it deserves!! It's mainly an underground hit overhere. A shame!

More soundtrack reviews. I got a couple of soundtracks lying around. If people got ideas...I'm open to them. But being poor..I can't buy everything..(hmm maybe I should see if I can get this blog to be bigger so I get send soundtracks for free and review them. Getting free cd's , not having to download them, maaaaaaaaaaaaybe even getting paid for a hobby!!! It's always been a bit of a dream to get a (part-time) job that is really really a hobby. I'm not a music student or something, but I listen to a very broad range of music, so knowledge through experience I guess.
I can be a critic, but won't hack and slash music, 99% of the bands don't deserve that!! So anybody who can hook me up with anything--> APPRECIATED!!!

The Wire tracks update 11-11-07

UPDATE 11-11-2007
Added youtube links to a lot of stuff. Just comment in the latest post if a link failes or is removed from youtube, I'll search again :)

I'll also add the season and episode info in brackets (eg: S1e01 etc).
Tracklisting:

S1 Theme: Blind boys of Alabama – Way down in the hole
S2 Theme: Tom Waits – Way down in the hole (original version)
S3 Theme: The Neville Brothers – Way down in the hole
S4 Theme: DoMaJe– Way down in the hole

New info (a lot of stuff from the site below):

Masta Ace ft Strick - Unfriendly game
The Fleshtones (mentioned on the site below..but without tracktitles).
Blake Leyh - The Fall (Closing theme, there are 3 slightly different versions!)

SEASON 1
Jay-Z's - IZZO (H.O.V.A.) (s1e01)
Mickey & Silvia - Love is strange (s1e02
Guess Who - American woman (s1e02)
Lucinda Williams - 2 kool 2 be 4 gotten (s1e03)
Ja Rule - Down ass bitch (s1e03)(the link is the censored version)
Nina Simone's - Sugar in My Bowl (s1e04)
Duke Ellington - Fleurette Africaine -> Album: Money Jungle (s1e06)
Cytoplastik - Wax Music Box (s1e06)
The Tokens - The lion sleeps tonight (s1e08)
Michael Franti and Spearhead - Rock the Nation -->Album: Stay Human (s1e09)
Paul Anka - Put Your Head on my Shoulder (s1e13)
Jesse Winchester - Step by Step -->Album: Let the Rough Side Drag (s1e13)

SEASON 2
Looking Glass - Brandy (You're A Fine Girl) (s2)
The Nighthawks - Sixteen Tons (s2e01)
The Stooges & Iggy Pop- search and destroy --> album: Raw power (s2e01)
Meryl Streep & Lily Tomlin - A Prairie Home Companion (s2e01) - not sure if this is the right version
Aretha Franklin - The House That Jack Built (s2e02)
Lyle Lovett - Goodbye to Carolina -->album:I Love Everybody (s2e02)
Velvelettes - He Was Really Saying Something (s2e04)
Frankie Lymon - I Promise To Remember (s2e04)
Irma Thomas - Ruler Of My Heart (s2e04)
Gram Parsons - Streets of Baltimore (s2e04)
Steppenwolf - Magic Carpet Ride (s2e04)
Tammy Wynette - Your Good Girl's Gonna Go Bad (s2e04)
Akrobatik – The hand that rocks the cradle --> album: Balance(undertow (s2e05)
Maria Muldaur - Midnight at the Oasis (s2e05)
Diana Ross & The Supremes - Love Child (s2e07)
Pogues - Transmetropolitan --> Album: Red roses for me (s2e08)
Mary Wells - You Beat Me To the Punch (s2e09)
Johnny Cash - I Walk the Line (s2e10)
Joan Jett - Roadrunner (s2e10)
Stelios Kazantzidis - To Psomi tis Xanthias (Bread in a Foreign Land) (s2e11)
Stelios Kazantzidis - Efige Efige--> album possibly: Palia Laika (s2e11)
Stelios Kazantzidis - Efige Efige
Steve Earle - I Feel Alright (s2e12)
Joan Jett and the Blackhearts - Have You Ever Seen the Rain -->album: The Hit List (s2e13)

Season 3
An updated Shaft Theme (s3e01)
Ludacris - Stand Up (s3e02)
George Clinton - Atomic Dog (s3e02)
The Pogues - Body of an American (s3e03)
Shane McGowan - Sally MacLennane (s3e03) (Might be it..
DJ Technics - In My Life (s3e03)
Biggie Smalls - My Downfall -->Album: Life After Death (s3e04)
Ludacris - Splash waterfalls (s3e04)
War- Me and Baby Brother (s3e05)
Sheryl Crow - Are You Strong Enough to Be My Man? (s3e07)
LL Cool J - Head Sprung (s3e07)
Bob Marley - Buffalo Soldiers (s3e08)
Hank Williams - I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry (not sure) (s3e08)
J-Kwon - Everybody in the Club Gettin Tipsy? (s3e08)
some Outkast according to a poster on the HBO BB (s3e08)
Dem Franchise Boyz - In my White Tees (s3e10)
Music Explosion - Little Bit of Soul (s3e10)
Snoop Dogg - Drop It Like It's Hot (s3e12)
Solomon Burke – Fast train --> album: Don't give up on me(s3e12)



Also check out this website with:
http://www.geocities.com/hmshultz/wire#s1
Major thanks goes out to a fan called Jeremiah (giving credit where credit is due ;).

This site has got a lot of track info for every episode of all 3 seasons that exist at the moment.

Updated everything from the site (also linked it in the sidebar) incl updates to the stuff I already had. I'll check the HBO forums and will update any and all info given to me (usefull info of course ;) )

Favourites

'Normal music'
It's VERY hard for me to take a #1 so I'll make a list of cd's I like without things having to be in a particular order.

Nas - Illmatic (good oldskool rap)

Linkin Park - Hybrid Theory (hard music :D)

Manau - Panique Celtique (French band: most people only know La tribu de dana. but I like all their songs).

Nirvana - Nevermind (probably will still be listening when I'm 80)

Eminem - Slim Shady LP (funny and still raw)

Spinvis - Smalfilm (you'd probably have to know Dutch to find it attactive..very very weird lyrics in a poetic way on a sound of whatever sound the guy could find).

Dr Dre - The Chronic 2001 (still Dre. Great tracks, funny and sometimes disturbing skits..don't turn up the volume right before Pauze 4 Porn or your mother/gf or other people will give you a strange look ;) )

Live - The distance to here (Have seen Live, Live and they ROCK!)

Silverchair - Frogstomp (emo-rock..sue me! But also a bit harder now and then)

Evanescence - Fallen (hard gothic-ish rock..I like it.

Just 2 other bands that I just MUST mention: Corvus Corax, Within Temptation.

So that would be my 10 normal favourites although I could spam on.
Oldies that I like: Dire Straits (can't remember their cd title), Bruce Springsteen, Bob Marly, Kate Bush, Simon & Garfunkel, The Dubliners (sue me again) etc.

Updated and upcoming

I decided to review the soundtracks which I posted about. So check the posts again (there aren't that many: weeds, lost, the wire).

Upcoming: Veronica Mars, Casshern (Japanese flick) and Godzilla and one of the Matrix OST's. But that might take a couple of days, because I don't want to flood my blog with too many posts. It's just that I've listened to these lately or that I have them in my possesion.

The Wire

This series doesn't have an own soundtrack but there is plenty of music in all the episodes.

Here's what I've found so far (that is..found the info on the HBO The Wire forums).
If I've got the info..I will even post which episode features the song.

Tracklisting:

Akrobatik – The hand that rocks the cradle (undertow" (s2 e5)
Stelios Kazantzidis - Ena Sidero Anameno (I think one of the last episodes of S2..the Greek song)

S1 Theme: Blind boys of Alabama – Way down in the hole
S2 Theme: Tom Waits – Way down in the hole (original version)
S3 Theme: The Neville Brothers – Way down in the hole

Other stuff:
The Pogues - Body of an American
Ludacris - Splash waterfalls
Aretha Franklin - The House That Jack Built
Michael Franti & Spearhead - Rock the Nation
Steve Earle - Feel alright.
Solomon Burke – Fast train

And as a small bonus
TOM WAITS lyrics - "Way Down In The Hole"

When you walk through the garden
you gotta watch your back
well I beg your pardon
walk the straight and narrow track
if you walk with Jesus
he's gonna save your soul
you gotta keep the devil
way down in the hole
he's got the fire and the fury
at his command
well you don't have to worry
if you hold on to Jesus hand
we'll all be safe from Satan
when the thunder rolls
just gotta help me keep the devil
way down in the hole
All the angels sing about Jesus' mighty sword
and they'll shield you with their wings
and keep you close to the lord
don't pay heed to temptation
for his hands are so cold
you gotta help me keep the devil
way down in the hole
--------
Comment:
I'm VERY sad that there isn't an official soundtrack to be found. Now people have to scavenge music from all over the place and even find out the artist & track names, which is a lot of work.
Every season has it's own version of 'Way down in the hole'. I liked the version of the Alabama blind boys best, because it gives it the raw souly sound to the series which describes the crime and the drama.
For the rest I haven't heard much of the music seperate from the series except the Greek song, which is a very funny song to listen to. I don't understand a single word, but it creates good music to the scene it was played in and it's a happy song (at least it sounds that way).

Overall the music was very diverse. Hardcore rap, soul, pop, rock and other stuff. It gave a grimey, dramatic and sometimes funny effect to the series. Very nice.
Let's give it a 7,5. Just because there is no real soundtrack and I haven't heard all that much when I didn't watch the series.

-----------

If anyone knows more songs featured in the series..please post them as comments or contact me in any other way. I will try to update this post (that is make a new round-up post).

Weeds

1. Malvina Reynolds - Little Boxes
2. Nellie McKay - David
3. Peggy Lee - A Doodlin' Song
4. Sufjan Stevens - All The Trees Of The Field Will Clap Their Hands
5. Michael Franti & Spearhead - Ganja Babe"
6. All Too Much - More Than A Friend
7. Sons & Daughters - Blood
8. The New Pornographers - The Laws Have Changed"
9. Joey Santiago - Fake Purse"
10. NRBQ - Wacky Tobacky
11. Marion Black - Who Knows
12. Martin Creed - I Can't Move
13. The Mountain Goats - Cotton
14. Joey Santiago - Birthday Video
15. Flogging Molly - If I Ever Leave This World Alive
16. The Be Good Tanyas - The Littlest Birds
17. Hill Of Beans - Satan Lend Me A Dollar

At the moment there's only one season with 10 episodes of 30 minutes. But it's darn worth it. And a 2nd season is coming up this summer. If you don't live in the USA (like me) the Torrent the series! GO GO GO ;)

How to describe this soundtrack? Plain funny! It's the perfect music for a tv series in suburbia. Especially 'little boxes' which describes the people who live in Agrestic (the town where the tv series is set). There are only a couple of artists which I knew before this OST. Michael Franti & Spearhead and Flogging Molly. You can listen these songs seperately or as a whole. It doesn't matter it's at least an 8!

Lost

Track Listing:
1. Main Title - Composed by J.J. Abrams
2. The Eyeland
3. World’s Worst Beach Party
4. Credit Where Credit Is Due
5. Run Like, Um... Hell?
6. Hollywood and Vines
7. Just Die Already
8. Me And My Big Mouth
9. Crocodile Locke
10. Win One for the Reaper
11. Departing Sun
12. Charlie Hangs Around
13. Navel Gazing
14. Proper Motivation
15. Run Away! Run Away!
16. We’re Friends
17. Getting Ethan
18. Thinking Clairely
19. Locke’d Out Again
20. Life and Death
21. Booneral
22. Shannonigans
23. Kate’s Motel
24. I’ve Got A Plane To Catch
25. Monsters Are Such Innnteresting People
26. Parting Words
27. Oceanic 815

So what can be said about this soundtrack? I think it is a REAL soundtrack. This means that the music really supports the series directly. It creates spheres of creepyness, haste, horror, secrecy, happyness, relieve. If you'd listen to this soundtrack at night, lights out, all alone..any normal person would get at least a bit uncomfortable. The titles aren't random funny titles (although the DID made me laugh), but they are all very well thought of because they support different scenes.

I think this soundtrack deserves an 8 or even a 9. It is, which is something I like, music that you wouldn't normally listen on the radio or would come in contact with.

Soundtracks of whatever

After spitting through dozens of posts on a HBO The Wire forum I grew tired.
Nobody took the time to make a post to make a tracklisting of everything that was mentioned in the endless posts about music in The Wire.

The Wire doesn't have an official soundtrack (as far as I can find..and I did search).
As I've been a kind of a Tv series addict and I've been downloading (sorry..but I don't got enough money on me to buy every soundtrack I like for 22 euro's a piece!).
So I've been trying to round up tracklistings of soundtrack music to whatever series I like (that is..which I have seen!)

This is a welcoming post. I will make some other posts with tracklistings of different tv series. For The Wire there will be updates when I come across new info.