Sour Times: A Film Noir mix

Jul 03, 2008 09:50

Among the many things I loved about Veronica Mars was its use of music. The show introduced me to a lot of stuff that I probably never would've heard of otherwise. However, for a show that was film noir inspired, it didn't really sound all that noir to me. So, I started wondering: well, what does noir sound like? This was the result.

It's along the same sort of lines as songs you might remember from the show, even with some of the same artists, but darker, more dramatic and moody. If you don't like Veronica Mars or you've never watched it, I think it works as a general noir themed soundtrack as well. So there should be something here for everyone. :)





(Click to enlarge)


I've had the idea for this mix since Veronica Mars ended last year, and now it's finally done! Overall, I'm rather pleased with how it turned out, and I hope you are, too. :) I've put up each song individually in case you don't want to download the zip, but there is an order to it, so it makes more sense as a whole if you listen to the entire thing. The icons are a bunch of mixed styles that don't really match, which I realized once I was finished. Oh well. You're free to take them with credit. Anyway, enjoy! :)



Sour Times - Portishead

The bitter taste of innocence, descent or race
Scattered seeds, buried lives
Mysteries of our disguise

I don't mean epic in the Logan/Veronica sense neccessarily. More like the grand dramatics of noir: Murder! Mystery! Lies! Corruption! Betrayal! That's epic.



Things I've Seen - Spooks

You won't believe the things I've seen
Far beyond your wildest dreams
I've seen chaos and order reign supreme
I've seen the beauty of the universe
So peaceful and serene
In seconds, turn to violence and screams

Veronica's seen a lot of things at her age that she should have never seen.
This song choice was inspired by a fanvid I saw by wickedripeplum  , so props to her! Maybe watching it first will give you an idea of what I was going for. You can see it here. (if the link doesn't work, let me know.)



Under The Gun - Supreme Beings Of Leisure

I don't know why I continue to fly in the face of reason
Something inside me just clicked like a tick from an awful season

This is Veronica in full spy mode. It's very covert ops. (Seriously, this sounds like it should be in a James Bond movie or something.)
I really loved how the show used another Supreme Beings of Leisure song, so I wanted something by the same band, and then I remembered the fanvid I'd seen made to this song. Unfortunately, I can't find the maker or the vid online anymore, but I managed to save a copy of it, so here you go.



Anyone Else - Puracane

Anyone else, they would believe me
Anyone else would beg me to decide
Can't tell you what I've done
Can't save it
What have I done again?

So, what do you do when your father is a sociopathic killer who gets off for murdering your girlfriend and then tries to tell you he's innocent? Fun times!



Cheryl Tweedy - Lilly Allen

I wish my life was a little less seedy

Tawdriness: it's the name of the game for a PI.



Film - Aphex Twin
(instrumental)

It seemed fitting to have a song called film in a film noir mix, and this is a pretty little piece.



Shadows of Ourselves - Thievery Corporation
(in French - lyrics)

This just reminded me of the score used on Veronica Mars. It has that dreamy Air/Zero 7/etc. vibe.



Slimcea Girl - Mono

She remembers the day
When things were going her way
Only memories remain of the way she used to be

She's no longer that girl.



Cold and Intimate - Nitin Sawhney

I hear your words
I smell the lies beneath your smile
You hesitate, you deviate
From pictures filled with silence
Nothing mentioned, nothing gained
We're here and then we're gone

How well can you ever really know someone? It's virtually impossible in noir, when people are out to cheat and deceive at every turn. And often it's the people you think you know best who surprise you the most.



Killing - Olive

Given the way we're living
Wouldn't you say
we're killing ourselves?

This goes back to Veronica's comment to Logan about how he's "A poor little rich boy with a death wish". Whether it's his continued screw-ups or Veronica's often reckless pursuit of the truth, you can count on both of them to run headfirst into trouble every time.



Nobody Loves You (the Way I Do) - Honeyroot

I know it won't be long
I know you're not that strong
Before you know it, you'll be knocking at my door

Consider this the LoVe contribution.



Heaven Sent - Esthero

Well, I guess we didn't have to kill her
But don't feel so bad, though
You looked her in the eye
and I watched her cry
My mouth went dry
Everyone is going to have to die
Sometime

The anatomy of a murder, starring Lilly Kane.



Protection - Massive Attack featuring Tracy Thorn from Everything But The Girl

And I don't have no fear
I'll take on any man here
Who says that's not the way it should be?

Once you get into trouble, you have to get out. Lucky for Veronica, she has lots of people willing to help her with that.



Sleep - The Dandy Warhols

I could sleep forever
But it's of her I dream
If I could sleep forever
I could forget about everything

VERONICA: This is how it's gonna be. From now on. Right? Lilly?
LILLY: You know how things are gonna be now, don't you? You have to know.

This fits so perefectly, I can't believe the show never used it (especially considering how many other songs of theirs they did use). I thought it was a nice bittersweet way to end on, with Lilly refusing to tell Veronica that things were going to be all right, even in a dream. Noir has no happy endings.

Zip.

Leftovers/variations:








 


Resources:
Textures and brushes:
_excentric_,
77words,
sanami276 @
ownthesunshine,
myrasis @
weapon_icons (~draconis393 at Deviant Art), ~ransie3 at Deviant Art
Photos: Something Happens, stockxchng
Caps: mine and VM Caps


music, fanmix

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