Zombieland's Soundtrack Will Consume Your Brain

This week in Soundtracks that Rock… Zombieland! First off, the movie was AWESOME, but if you don't agree, you've got to admit that at the very least, the soundtrack rocks. I’m addicted to zombie flicks so I may be a little biased, but I think this one gives Shaun of the Dead a run for its money, and its soundtrack will definitely consume your brain. (pun intended.) Some of the songs on said soundtrack include:

Sea Wolf- “You’re a Wolf”
Band of Horses- "No One's Gonna Love You"
Metric- "Gold Guns Girls"
The Velvet Underground- “Oh! Sweet Nuthin’”
Howlin’ Rain- "Death Prayer in Heaven's Orchard"
Doves- "Kingdom of Rust"
Hank Williams- “I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry”
Marching Band- "Feel Good About It"
The Black Keys- “Your Touch”
The Raconteurs- "Salute Your Solution"

For starters, put Lou Reed on a mix and you’ve won me over. Hank Williams? Why the hell not? They keep eccentric, yet great company with Metric and Band of Horses, throw in a little Sea Wolf to get your indie fix and when you’re driving around listening to the record, it only requires the skip button a couple of times. I wanted to just take a minute to zoom in on a couple of older bands and some newer kids featured in Zombieland who deserve a little extra attention.

UNO.

Sea Wolf
–noun
1. any of several large, voracious, marine fishes, as the wolf fish or sea bass.
2. a pirate.
3. righteous indie rock/folk band out of LA; origin- 2003
Phil Ek produced the band’s early stuff, so you shouldn’t be surprised to see them in the same space as Band of Horses, and you may even be reminded of Fleet Foxes and The Shins. In short, I see big things on the horizon for this band. Their sophomore record was produced by Mike Mogis, who, if you don’t know, has had his hands in Bright Eyes, M. Ward and Monsters of Folk. Joyce Lee, Sea Wolf’s cellist, may be the real gem for me, but I am just generally impressed with the amount of talent oozing from this band. They’ve been around for ages, so hopefully Zombieland gave them the exposure they need to really make it big, or at least for kids like you to hear about them.

DOS.

Marching Band, a pop-infused indie band that got its start in Sweden in ‘05, deserves to be to Zombieland as The Moldy Peaches were to Juno, or The Shins were to Garden State. People will catch on, just give it some time. With sophisticated melodies and irresistibly catchy tunes, Marching Band plays with an ease that will relax just about anyone. Marching Band rocks subtle but heroic guitar anthems, and the vocals sound like what you might get if you fused the vocal cords of Tom DeLonge and Sufjan Stephens. Get listening to their most recent record, “Pop Cycle,” and don’t forget their debut, “Spark Large.”

TRES!

The Black Keys. I can’t say enough good things about this band, I really can’t. I got listening to these guys when I was a freshman in high school, but they got their start in ’01. I initially discovered them because I love the Blues artist, Junior Kimbrough, and The Black Keys cover a ton of his songs (which, by the way, I would highly recommend checking into). If you are one of the unfortunate souls who has not gotten a chance to hear this band, drop everything (even this blog) and check them out this minute. It’s bluesy indie rock, maybe even a little garage-sounding, but what makes The Black Keys particularly kickass is that only two guys are responsible for an enormous, rockin sound. The band just spits out single after single, which you can hear in the hit TV series, Hung, as well as Zombieland and Black Snake Moan. A few songs you should try are: “Set You Free,” “Girl is on My Mind,” and “When the Lights Go Out.” In sum, The Black Keys are the manifestation of sex and the spirit of Rock and Roll, and I simply cannot tolerate hearing another person say they don’t know this band.

CATORCE.

Honorable Mention goes to one of those stellar Nashville bands, The Raconteurs. I got to see “Salute Your Situation” at Bonnaroo back in 2008, and this band really rocked hard. When Jack White and Brendan Benson get together to write a song, you know it’s going to work. These guys just know their way around a six string- that’s all there is to it.