Stereo-Typically Bad: the Season Eight Soundtrack.
The team responsible for Season Eight (hide your pitchforks and torches for a moment) have picked the songs that they feel are the soundtrack for their comics, and the choices range from the out-of-place to the just awful. Let's take a look...
1) "Bitch Is Back" by Elton John
Chosen by Editor and Writer Scott Allie
So a song about an angry gay guy with issues is first, hm? I think that this gives us more insight to Scott Allie than Season Eight. I mean with lyrics like:
"I get high in the evening sniffing pots of glue..."
... *sigh*
2) "Heaven and Hell" by Black Sabbath
Chosen by Letterer Jimmy Betancourt
This isn't actually a bad choice for the show, but only if it's a warning to the other characters to be wary of Buffy and Angel's actions. Also, sidenote, "Party with the Animals" by the Oz was on the original BtVS movie soundtrack.
3) "Defying Gravity" by Idina Menzel
Chosen by Artist Georges Jeanty
So... a song from a musical abomination that abuses its source canon material, whitewashes villains into heroes with a "oh, poor person, you've had it so rough in life! The bad you've done isn't your fault!" mentality? Yeah, that's about right.
4) "Black Horse in a Cherry Tree" by KT Tunstall
Chosen by Artist Jo Chen
This is the most stereotypical "weemin yay!" song of the past twenty years and was played during every faux-feminist GRRL power scene in every sitcom, movie, and God knows what else when it was first released. I guess it deserves a place on a soundtrack for a comic that goes out of its way to hide its flaws in character development with a mask of feminism (which only subverts what feminism should accomplish).
5) "More Than This" by Roxy Music
Chosen by Colorist Michelle Madsen
Oh, Bryan Ferry, why?! Oscar Wilde would be rolling over in his grave! I suppose this song is perfect for the comics in that in talks about being in love leads you to give yourself over to not knowing where it will take you. It could accompany the space!frak ('cause you know they'd try to make the music more romantic for that if it was filmed) to make it seem pretty, but like glam rock it'd be all about the facade. Forget all that death and violence and murder! These characters are in love! And glam rock will whisk them away! Oh, it burns my heart to think of glam being included here ('cause I honestly love glam rock, and glam rock should only be used for slash... hot nasty slash... like that scene where Spike and Angel make out in Buffy's dream... "May I raise my glass to the loveliest man in Europe?" *has "Velvet Goldmine" flashbacks*).
6) "Rotten Hell" by Menomena
Chosen by Editor Sierra Hahn
I hope that Hahn picked this song for the same reason I might have. Here's some of the lyrics:
"I've got a stranglehold on this decision
All those opposed can rot in hell..."
"Well we might stall and hem and haw
We might not fight but we won't walk away..."
Sounds like General Buffy, ahoy!
7) "Uniform Grey" by Sarah Harmer
Chosen by Executive Producer and Writer Joss Whedon
Of course, Joss would pick this type of song. You know the type. Girl with guitar, singing about every day things that have nothing to do with anything ever. I'm not going to call this type of song pretentious, but I'm going to think it. It reeks of a more upbeat version of Angie Hart's "Blue" from Season Six, Spike and Buffy's "love theme" that Joss co-wrote in which Spike is some kind of roguish sex moon monster. *gags* There are days when I truly believe that Joss wants to strap on a guitar and a uterus and become Sarah Mclachlan.
I'm going to go listen to the original BtVS movie soundtrack. At least it had Toad the Wet Sprocket.
1) "Bitch Is Back" by Elton John
Chosen by Editor and Writer Scott Allie
So a song about an angry gay guy with issues is first, hm? I think that this gives us more insight to Scott Allie than Season Eight. I mean with lyrics like:
"I get high in the evening sniffing pots of glue..."
... *sigh*
2) "Heaven and Hell" by Black Sabbath
Chosen by Letterer Jimmy Betancourt
This isn't actually a bad choice for the show, but only if it's a warning to the other characters to be wary of Buffy and Angel's actions. Also, sidenote, "Party with the Animals" by the Oz was on the original BtVS movie soundtrack.
3) "Defying Gravity" by Idina Menzel
Chosen by Artist Georges Jeanty
So... a song from a musical abomination that abuses its source canon material, whitewashes villains into heroes with a "oh, poor person, you've had it so rough in life! The bad you've done isn't your fault!" mentality? Yeah, that's about right.
4) "Black Horse in a Cherry Tree" by KT Tunstall
Chosen by Artist Jo Chen
This is the most stereotypical "weemin yay!" song of the past twenty years and was played during every faux-feminist GRRL power scene in every sitcom, movie, and God knows what else when it was first released. I guess it deserves a place on a soundtrack for a comic that goes out of its way to hide its flaws in character development with a mask of feminism (which only subverts what feminism should accomplish).
5) "More Than This" by Roxy Music
Chosen by Colorist Michelle Madsen
Oh, Bryan Ferry, why?! Oscar Wilde would be rolling over in his grave! I suppose this song is perfect for the comics in that in talks about being in love leads you to give yourself over to not knowing where it will take you. It could accompany the space!frak ('cause you know they'd try to make the music more romantic for that if it was filmed) to make it seem pretty, but like glam rock it'd be all about the facade. Forget all that death and violence and murder! These characters are in love! And glam rock will whisk them away! Oh, it burns my heart to think of glam being included here ('cause I honestly love glam rock, and glam rock should only be used for slash... hot nasty slash... like that scene where Spike and Angel make out in Buffy's dream... "May I raise my glass to the loveliest man in Europe?" *has "Velvet Goldmine" flashbacks*).
6) "Rotten Hell" by Menomena
Chosen by Editor Sierra Hahn
I hope that Hahn picked this song for the same reason I might have. Here's some of the lyrics:
"I've got a stranglehold on this decision
All those opposed can rot in hell..."
"Well we might stall and hem and haw
We might not fight but we won't walk away..."
Sounds like General Buffy, ahoy!
7) "Uniform Grey" by Sarah Harmer
Chosen by Executive Producer and Writer Joss Whedon
Of course, Joss would pick this type of song. You know the type. Girl with guitar, singing about every day things that have nothing to do with anything ever. I'm not going to call this type of song pretentious, but I'm going to think it. It reeks of a more upbeat version of Angie Hart's "Blue" from Season Six, Spike and Buffy's "love theme" that Joss co-wrote in which Spike is some kind of roguish sex moon monster. *gags* There are days when I truly believe that Joss wants to strap on a guitar and a uterus and become Sarah Mclachlan.
I'm going to go listen to the original BtVS movie soundtrack. At least it had Toad the Wet Sprocket.