Misery and seafaring | A Game of Thrones fanmix
I made a fanmix! How retro. I have a lot of feelings going into s2 of Game of Thrones and apparently those feelings required me to listen to a lot of The Decemberists. This mix is intended to be spoiler-free for those who watch the TV show, although if you consider “general doom” a spoiler... sorry.
A note on the music:
Musically, I had in mind a ‘dirty folk’ vibe for this mix, and I would consider the Martha Wainwright/Wilco/Decemberists songs its backbone. But when I went searching for relevant songs, a lot of prog rock/emo poured in. Maybe it’s my eclecticism talking, but I think the “jolly folk songs descending into fucked-up screamo” motif is rather apropos.
A note on the characters:
This mix is mainly concerned with the Starks and their various agitators. At the risk of being very obvious, I assigned each song to a character (or two). In fact, many of the songs relate to more than one character, but I thought at least you could follow my train of thought this way. Spoilerphobes note that just because a song mentions death, it doesn’t mean that character will die. The two things almost all these songs have in common are ships (not ‘ships) and death.
Download a .zip file of all songs
01. Natalie Merchant - Nursery Rhyme of Innocence and Experience (Rickon Stark)
Where are all the other boys and girls? And why have you brought me children’s toys?
Natalie Merchant set this poem to music when her young daughter started asking her about war - and how on earth do you explain war to a child? It’s such a poignant, understated song, to get this mix off to a ‘quiet’ start. (That won’t last.)
02. The Pierces - It Will Not Be Forgotten (Catelyn Stark)
Summer disappears like a dream I had, and Winter comes with a knife
The North remembers. Indeed. This has been my Catelyn song for a long while. The Pierces have a knack for combining sunny pop melodies with a darker undertone. The sense of pathos in this song in particular is so wonderfully sharp.
03. Martha Wainwright - Bloody Mother Fucking Asshole (Sansa Stark and Arya Stark)
I wish, I wish, I wish I was born a man
I find it difficult these days to think of Arya without thinking of Sansa. Because, despite their protestations, they are incredibly similar in temperament. It’s just that Sansa has chosen to do everything ‘right’ (be sweet and yielding and marry her prince), while Arya has pushed as hard as she can against the boundaries of what she’s ‘allowed’ to be. This sweary, satisfying folk song sums up the fact that, in this man’s world of Westeros, they’re both still screwed.
04. Wilco - I’m a Wheel (Petyr Baelish)
I’m a wheel, I will turn on you
Of all the great casting decisions in the TV show, Aidan Gillen as Petyr/Littlefinger remains my favourite, and I think it’s really influenced how enduringly charming I found Petyr as the books progressed. This song, the mix’s one and only upbeat moment (enjoy it! It won’t last!), captures Petyr as I see him: the cat who always lands on his feet.
05. Andrew Bird - Not A Robot But a Ghost (Varys)
I crack the codes, you end the war
Andrew Bird’s bread and butter may be melodic folk music, but his more experimental moments are always more satisfying to me. This unsettling, almost creepy number perfectly evokes Varys’s spider-like movements through the political landscape of power in Westeros.
06. Eisley - Many Funerals (Bran Stark)
They fill the empty caskets and leave you with your tears
Marooned in a rather lacklustre album, I always forget what a great song this is. Its floaty girly vocals, set incongruously against a heavy rock backdrop, delivers a powerful punch.
07. The Decemberists - We Both Go Down Together (Tyrion Lannister)
I come from wealth and beauty, untouched by work or duty
Tyrion/Whores = OTP, basically. Upon reflection, it’s interesting how Tyrion’s whoring, very much a lighthearted joke at the series’ outset, actually has very dark roots - and it becomes a guiding obsession for him. Anyway, The Decemberists ARE the soundtrack to Game of Thrones for me. I could have made a mix consisting entirely of Decemberists songs. I don’t think anyone would have downloaded that, though.
08. Tori Amos - Blood Roses (Cersei Lannister)
When he sucks you deep, sometimes you're nothing but meat
Songs like this are the reason that people think that Tori is “too weird”. Ironically, Tori has dozens of melodic, accessible songs that any Florence fan would adore. But her fucked-up, syncopated songs have bite, dammit. And this one was too perfectly Cersei to pass up.
09. Kevin Devine - Brother’s Blood (Robb Stark and Jon Snow)
A blackout oath I swore and meant, but couldn’t conjure up again
On the face of it, this is such a robust, hearty rock song. But the unsettling underlying melody makes me think of madness, pricking at the surface of sanity. It’s truly breathtaking how Kevin Devine slowly unravels vocally over the course of the song, until he’s basically just screaming his pain out. I think it’s perfect for Robb and Jon - two terribly noble chaps who swore absolute oaths (to the North and to the Night’s Watch) and then struggled to stay true to those oaths.
10. Brand New - In a Jar (Ned Stark)
We live in a jar and think the lid’s the sky
The mesmerizing, chant-like quality always sucks me into this song, which really is black as pitch. There’s such wonderful texture to it, though. I never feel like I’m being beaten over the head by its emo-rock moments; more like I’ve been swept out to sea on a tide of pain.
(Describing why you like ten different songs is hard. Let’s leave things there. Go forth and listen!)
Download a .zip file of all songs
A note on the music:
Musically, I had in mind a ‘dirty folk’ vibe for this mix, and I would consider the Martha Wainwright/Wilco/Decemberists songs its backbone. But when I went searching for relevant songs, a lot of prog rock/emo poured in. Maybe it’s my eclecticism talking, but I think the “jolly folk songs descending into fucked-up screamo” motif is rather apropos.
A note on the characters:
This mix is mainly concerned with the Starks and their various agitators. At the risk of being very obvious, I assigned each song to a character (or two). In fact, many of the songs relate to more than one character, but I thought at least you could follow my train of thought this way. Spoilerphobes note that just because a song mentions death, it doesn’t mean that character will die. The two things almost all these songs have in common are ships (not ‘ships) and death.
Download a .zip file of all songs
01. Natalie Merchant - Nursery Rhyme of Innocence and Experience (Rickon Stark)
Where are all the other boys and girls? And why have you brought me children’s toys?
Natalie Merchant set this poem to music when her young daughter started asking her about war - and how on earth do you explain war to a child? It’s such a poignant, understated song, to get this mix off to a ‘quiet’ start. (That won’t last.)
02. The Pierces - It Will Not Be Forgotten (Catelyn Stark)
Summer disappears like a dream I had, and Winter comes with a knife
The North remembers. Indeed. This has been my Catelyn song for a long while. The Pierces have a knack for combining sunny pop melodies with a darker undertone. The sense of pathos in this song in particular is so wonderfully sharp.
03. Martha Wainwright - Bloody Mother Fucking Asshole (Sansa Stark and Arya Stark)
I wish, I wish, I wish I was born a man
I find it difficult these days to think of Arya without thinking of Sansa. Because, despite their protestations, they are incredibly similar in temperament. It’s just that Sansa has chosen to do everything ‘right’ (be sweet and yielding and marry her prince), while Arya has pushed as hard as she can against the boundaries of what she’s ‘allowed’ to be. This sweary, satisfying folk song sums up the fact that, in this man’s world of Westeros, they’re both still screwed.
04. Wilco - I’m a Wheel (Petyr Baelish)
I’m a wheel, I will turn on you
Of all the great casting decisions in the TV show, Aidan Gillen as Petyr/Littlefinger remains my favourite, and I think it’s really influenced how enduringly charming I found Petyr as the books progressed. This song, the mix’s one and only upbeat moment (enjoy it! It won’t last!), captures Petyr as I see him: the cat who always lands on his feet.
05. Andrew Bird - Not A Robot But a Ghost (Varys)
I crack the codes, you end the war
Andrew Bird’s bread and butter may be melodic folk music, but his more experimental moments are always more satisfying to me. This unsettling, almost creepy number perfectly evokes Varys’s spider-like movements through the political landscape of power in Westeros.
06. Eisley - Many Funerals (Bran Stark)
They fill the empty caskets and leave you with your tears
Marooned in a rather lacklustre album, I always forget what a great song this is. Its floaty girly vocals, set incongruously against a heavy rock backdrop, delivers a powerful punch.
07. The Decemberists - We Both Go Down Together (Tyrion Lannister)
I come from wealth and beauty, untouched by work or duty
Tyrion/Whores = OTP, basically. Upon reflection, it’s interesting how Tyrion’s whoring, very much a lighthearted joke at the series’ outset, actually has very dark roots - and it becomes a guiding obsession for him. Anyway, The Decemberists ARE the soundtrack to Game of Thrones for me. I could have made a mix consisting entirely of Decemberists songs. I don’t think anyone would have downloaded that, though.
08. Tori Amos - Blood Roses (Cersei Lannister)
When he sucks you deep, sometimes you're nothing but meat
Songs like this are the reason that people think that Tori is “too weird”. Ironically, Tori has dozens of melodic, accessible songs that any Florence fan would adore. But her fucked-up, syncopated songs have bite, dammit. And this one was too perfectly Cersei to pass up.
09. Kevin Devine - Brother’s Blood (Robb Stark and Jon Snow)
A blackout oath I swore and meant, but couldn’t conjure up again
On the face of it, this is such a robust, hearty rock song. But the unsettling underlying melody makes me think of madness, pricking at the surface of sanity. It’s truly breathtaking how Kevin Devine slowly unravels vocally over the course of the song, until he’s basically just screaming his pain out. I think it’s perfect for Robb and Jon - two terribly noble chaps who swore absolute oaths (to the North and to the Night’s Watch) and then struggled to stay true to those oaths.
10. Brand New - In a Jar (Ned Stark)
We live in a jar and think the lid’s the sky
The mesmerizing, chant-like quality always sucks me into this song, which really is black as pitch. There’s such wonderful texture to it, though. I never feel like I’m being beaten over the head by its emo-rock moments; more like I’ve been swept out to sea on a tide of pain.
(Describing why you like ten different songs is hard. Let’s leave things there. Go forth and listen!)
Download a .zip file of all songs