Let’s start the week with a treat for the ears and Matt Bomer’s version of D’Angelo’s “Untitled (How Does it Feel)” from Magic Mike XXL. Both this final solo and his cover of “Heaven” are on theMagic Mike XXL soundtrack and while I will probably have “Pony” stuck in my head forever (which is fine) these are two of the standout musical moments from the film.
You will have to go watch Magic Mike XXL to see the actual performance (and it is well worth it) and here is an accurate representation of my face throughout:
Just look at how great his all black outfit with a hint of sparkle is.
This isn’t the first time Bomer has sung on screen; he played Blaine’s brother on Glee and even though I haven’t seen the whole episode I did buy their version of Somebody That I Used to Know. And yes I do sing along in an enthusiastic (read terrible) manner whenever it comes on my shuffle. Plus there is this super adorable singing moment from the season 1 White Collar gag reel.
Matt Bomer discussed the reason why he ended up singing in the sequel on his recent Late Night with Seth Meyers appearance as well as his college days with co-star Joe Manganiello.
Listen to both “Untitled (How Does it Feel)” and “Heaven” below and for a very good time go watch Magic Mike XXL.
Plus here are a couple of essays which explore what makes Magic Mike XXL such a good experience from Anne Helen Petersen and Roxane Gay.
While the main TV season is over there is still plenty to watch, obsess over and feel devastated about. While recovering from a particularly bleak and bloody Game of Thrones season finale (even by their bleak and bloody standards) we have a soothing song to start the new week. The third season of Orange is the New Black debuted on Netflix last Friday and I’m taking it at a relatively leisurely pace, which might be for the best as out of the first five episodes I’ve been emotionally broken by at least three of them. And this season was meant to be lighter.
Avoiding getting into too many storyline specifics because everyone is at a different place in their viewing schedule and offering up the vaguest of plot hints with this song choice. Orange is the New Black utilizes its credit music much in the same way as other Music Monday favorites such as Girlsand Mad Menreflecting the tone of the final moments on screen.
“Coming Down” by Dum Dum Girls comes from the end of episode 3 “Empathy is a Boner Killer” and while some of the lyrics are a little on the nose for the action that is taking place on screen it is also a fitting track for the heartbreak several of the characters are expressing. The room definitely got a whole lot dustier as these scenes played out and hearing this track over the final credits meant that I didn’t just hit the menu button so I could dive into the next episode. Instead let this hypnotic track wash all over you.
Also getting a whole lot of Morello vibes from Dum Dum Girls lead singer Dee Dee Penny in the video for “Coming Down.”
Girls uses music from the present and past; weaving the two together as is case with listening habits. Old music can be just as new to one person as it is nostalgic to another and just because something wasn’t released recently that feeling of discovery isn’t diminished. Last year the playlist I put together was from the season as a whole, this season I am instead concentrating on the closing credits.
The Sunday Night HBO half-hour shows have been killing it with their choice of music for these final moments including an amazing choice by Togetherness– since this episode I have listened to Lily & Madeleine on a loop – and this playlist shows just how incredible Looking continues to be with their song selections.
Don’t worry there is no Desi and Marni on here and the tone of the closing music tends to be optimistic even when the events that have just preceded it aren’t always the case. A hint of melancholy can be heard in some of the tracks around mid-season when Hannah returned to New York to find Adam living with Mimi-Rose. Generally this is a pretty chilled out mix and one which is well suited to spring.
Sadly there are two credit songs not currently available on Spotify and both debuted on Girls this season; the first is St Vincent’s “Teenage Talk” appeared at the end of episode 8 “Tad & Loreen & Avi & Shanaz.”
The second played out during the final scene of the season finale with “Carry Me” by Family of the Year accompanying a rather surprising and very hopeful end to the year. When/if they appear on Spotify I will add them to the playlist.
*Updated* St Vincent is now on the playlist, also Family of the Year’s “Carry Me” is not on there yet and the video we originally posted from YouTube has been taken down.
We’ve tried to vary our Girls coverage this season including the discussion about faking everything, Fantasy Costuming with Rachel Antonoff and a Mimi-Rose pajama Wish List post.
And here is the season 4 closing credits playlist. It is short but sweet.
The Sunday night HBO shows all closed their episodes with excellent music choices and while both Girls with Chet Baker and Looking’s Spiritualized offering are both A+, I am going with Togetherness as this midweek edition of Music Monday. TV has introduced me to plenty of bands and artists I might not have heard otherwise and this morning has been spent listening to Lily & Madeleine.
First up “Come to Me Now” and the song which introduced me to this wonderful duo as it played during the final emotionally heavy scene and credits of “Party Time.” Punctuating Tina’s “I’m not really good at anything” declaration it offers some semblance of hope in Tina’s moment of despair; a moment I know I have experienced where you can’t figure out what the fuck you are meant to be doing and feel pretty garbage about some of your life choices.
And because I have spent the morning in this semi-productive state while also having flashes of creative self-doubt (standard Wednesday behavior) here is something from Lily & Madeleine’s new “Blues Blades” Acoustic Sessions EP. The song is a cover of Alex Turner’s “Stuck on the Puzzle” from the excellent coming of age movie Submarine. I love both versions and they manage to capture this feeling of being lost.
TV soundtracks forever helping to serve up new music to listen to.
A slightly different Best of TV 2014 edition today as we’re shifting the focus off costuming and onto music. It is Music Monday after all. One of this year’s best shows is Amazon’s Transparent and a lot of the posts on TV Ate My Wardrobe from the last few months have been written with the Transparent soundtrack playing in the background. This has been via Spotify and one of my favorite things about this site is the number of playlists that pop up from a TV or movie soundtrack. When I look at my most played tracks of the year they are all either from a TV show/movie or it is an artist I first heard via a soundtrack (Girls is a big source of new music for me) with “Mayla” from Transparent featuring in my top 10.
Now the album has been released by Amazon and it is a 17-track wonder. Sure there are some vital tracks missing and while I am beyond thrilled to see the full length Glitterish cover of Jim Croce’s “Operator” featured (along with the original version), it is shame that neither version “Dreamboat Annie” makes the cut (I’m guessing this is a licensing issue). I’ve been listening to a whole lot of Heart over the past few months thanks to Transparent (coupled with Virgin Suicides flashes) and while it is disappointing each of the other 17 tracks is an auditory beauty.
This soundtrack is special for a number of reasons and nostalgia is part of this. The opening theme sets the tone for each episode and the piano accompanying scenes from home movies is sad, haunting and beautiful all at once; even though the scenes in those videos are not specific to me they manage to capture something familiar. The rest of the soundtrack also operates in this way at times with certain songs elevating feelings of joy and pain.
“Oh Sister” by Bob Dylan replaces the usual theme on “Best New Girl” which indicates that there will be something different about this episode, which there is as it all takes place in 1994 (the year they have flashbacked to on several other occasions). This is nostalgia of another kind as Maura gets to be free for the first time although Camp Camellia doesn’t turn out to be the welcoming safe space Maura hoped it would be.
Music is used as performance on multiple occasions from Maura and Davina’s rendition of “Somebody That I Used to Know” that is meant to be triumphant and instead turns sad as each of Maura’s children leave before the piece has even finished; their empty seats are a stark reminder of how selfish her children are. The piano version that is used later in the episode takes this song to a haunting place that I didn’t know was possible.
It’s funny that I talk about how great Spotify is in terms of soundtrack playlists and the easiest way to procure the Transparent album is on digital download when vinyl plays an important part in the show. There is an everything old is new again vibe to this show in how memory plays an important part in the Pfefferman family dynamic and Josh’s record collection works on several aesthetic and narrative levels. It is what prompts the Glitterish “Operator” cover (further complicated by his intimate relationship with one of the band members he is working with) and there is a romanticism attached to his music collection, which I’m sure a lot of us can identify with. Josh is the ultimate romantic in that he falls in love so easily and his copy of “Dreamboat Annie” disrupts Ali’s relationship with her best friend Syd as it spills several secrets both old and new. It also impacts Josh’s new relationship as Ali reveals Josh’s predication for falling in love at the drop of the hat to Raquel. This record causes a whole lot of damage so here is a live version of the title track to make up for it not being on the digital version of the soundtrack.
Transparent makes my heart ache and sing all at once; the soundtrack does the same by capturing these feelings and adding another layer to an already incredible production.
Girls has been a big part of Music Monday and what better way to celebrate a mostly excellent season than with a playlist featuring some of the best tracks of the year. Plus I’m also trying to distract myself from thinking about the devastating events of another show that aired last night (yes, I’m looking at you The Good Wife) and music is that outlet. As discussed a few weeks back the closing credit music has been one place where the world of Girls is rather optimistic, even if it doesn’t match what we have just seen on screen. The final montage of season 3 uses Michael Penn’s “Good Girl Down” (sadly this isn’t on either Spotify or YouTube at this time, otherwise it would have definitely been part of this playlist) and in his role as Girls composer Penn penned (sorry, couldn’t resist) this track for the finale. Hannah’s smiling due to her grad school acceptance letter and while she has just had a big blowout fight with Adam, she’s still happy; this track does a good job of mirroring this.
This playlist is one to dance to, whether it’s a choreographed routine like in “Beach House” or even if it’s just a desk disco – which mine frequently are – it’s meant to be fun and uplifting. It’s not all dance party as there are some slower, more relaxing songs on here too and it’s generally got a good vibe to it. These are also some of the artists who I have been listening to for the past few weeks on repeat because of Girls, particularly Hannah Georgas and Hannah Cohen. The tracks are in the order they appeared on the episodes, except for Edie Brickell & New Bohemians’ “What I Am” as this song played throughout the season thanks to Marnie’s teeeeeerible YouTube video – why HBO hasn’t put this up on YouTube yet is beyond me – sorry if it gets stuck in your head as it did mine.
Season 2 of The Americans begins on Wednesday and so there’s only one way we want to start this week and it is with Fleetwood Mac’s “Tusk.” The song isn’t the first one we hear in the pilot – that honor goes to Quarterflash “Harden my Heart” in the bar – though it might as well be as it plays an extended role in the introduction of this world as we see a seduction in a blonde wig followed by a mission that goes awry. It’s a song that keeps up the momentum and perhaps embarrassingly I didn’t initially know it was a Fleetwood Mac song when I first saw the episode; on Twitter I referred to it as jaunty drums (actually that’s definitely embarrassing).
We’re thrown head first into this world and seeing Elizabeth de-wig and swap between the role of the seductress and a seemingly cold agent reveals a lot about what kind of person she is at the start of the show. Philip is different, he’s playing the part of mentor and he is willing to jeopardize their operation to save the rookie. This shows a fundamental difference between these two characters which will play its part for the rest of the season, all while this fantastic track is playing over the action. It’s frantic and it’s messy, but oh so much fun to watch.
The Americans was a 2013 highlight and while we spent a lot of time discussing the wigs and costuming (because of course), the soundtrack should also be singled out for adding something extra to the overall aesthetic of the show.
Watch a trailer for season 2 here and check out our report of the vodka themed DVD launch party here.
TV is generally the way I find out about bands now, gone are the days when I would do my homework and scribble down the names of songs I heard on the radio. The Girls end credits caused me to go on a Hannah Georgas binge after hearing the song “Millions” after last week’s episode “Free Snacks.” It’s a really great pop track and I have a soft spot for anything this upbeat that can drop an f-bomb without it sounding ridiculous and out of place.
The Girls closing track often sounds optimistic even if what we’ve seen before it has been less so; lyrics and melody don’t always mean the same thing so the words might be bleaker than the tune suggests. “Beach Hose” aired a lot of grievances that have been long bubbling under the surface and the Marnie/Hannah relationship has been fractured since the “you’re the wound” argument. It hasn’t really recovered from Marnie sleeping with Elijah last season and his presence reinforces this notion. “How are you Doing?” by The Living Sisters closes out “Beach House” and while everyone in the song says they are fine, saying you’re fine repeatedly often means the opposite.
Is everything fine? It’s hard to know how the events of this episode will alter the already shifted dynamic of this friendship group and just because Hannah and Marnie have been friends for 8 years doesn’t mean they will be friends for another 8, no matter how many times they they’ve used the phrase BFF. This ‘truth sharing’ needed to happen and while I figured it would include a Marnie/Ray revelation, I’m glad they’re saving this bombshell for another occasion as this was first and foremost about this group of women. Shoshanna might be a cruel drunk – it’s always the most surprising person who is – and I don’t really know why she is still hanging out with them other than Jessa being her cousin. Maybe it’s the fact that they are older than her college friends and she still has romantic notions about who they are. Well maybe not after this trip.
Marnie is of course a nightmare, but she’s also at her most fascinating when she is at her worst and forced organized fun is never going to give you the weekend you desire even if you get some super awesome Instagram posts out of it – between Girls and Looking they’re really nailing the Instagram critiques. I mean the first Girls season 3 promo was all about the Instagram of it all.
The episode ends with no clear resolution between these four women and I think Marnie needs to accept that you can’t force fun. She should get a cushion embroidered with this remark from Hannah regarding their choreographed piece “Why does everything have to be perfect? Like it had a lot of spirit.” While waiting to leave Hannah starts doing this dance once again and one by one the others join in; is there hope for this friendship group? One thing we can rely on; there will always be great closing credits music.
After the return on Music Monday last week, Girls steps up again on the soundtrack front with another track from the past. The song is “Sugar Town” by Nancy Sinatra (recently covered by Zooey Deschanel in (500) Days of Summer) and it’s a rather peppy song that reflects the detached and distant attitude towards death displayed by Hannah in “Dead Inside.”
“Sugar Town” starts to play over Hannah’s story as we transition into the credits and Hannah can only show the emotions expected of her by retelling a made up story that had no impact when she believed it to be real. Well it had some impact as she questioned why the dress was so tiny and sometimes grief is so stilted that inconsequential details are what we focus on. Does this make Hannah a bad person? No, but she’s also pretty terrible at filtering her thoughts about what this means for her e-book. She’s also pretty self-absorbed (see also the road trip to rehab) so a song like “Sugar Town” is pretty apt for her world view at the moment.
Everyone reacts to death in a different way and it’s Jessa that produces the most compelling story this week as the brash facade begins to crack as she finds out that her friend faked her death so Jessa would stop being her enabler. This has more of an impact than anything we’ve seen before, even more so than the conversation with Kathryn Hahn back in season one. More of this please.
In the music video for “Sugar Town” Nancy Sinatra goes for a hike in an outfit that might not be the most appropriate for this activity; white go go boots and matching polka dot mini skirt and tied shirt. It’s amazing and there’s a waterfall. Alas we can’t stay in Sugar Town is as made up as Hannah’s story.
Apparently today is another Blue Monday, but the New Order song we’re listening to here at TV Ate My Wardrobe is “Age of Consent.” So it’s been a little while since our last Music Monday post and the Girls soundtrack is a good place to revive this feature as it tends to be a blend of old and new songs.
There are a couple of super cringe Marnie moments in “She Said OK” and I fear that I’m going to have “What I Know” stuck in my head all day. In fact it took me the whole episode to pinpoint which version I knew before this one (Emma Bunton) and I’m kinda disappointed that HBO has put up Marnie’s autotuned version even if it made me want to crawl beneath my desk. The rendition of Rent’s “Take Me or Leave Me” later in this episode also had the same curl into a ball reaction. Step away from the microphone Marnie.
Hannah tells Adam that her birthday is always terrible and this New Order song provides one of the few truly happy moments for Hannah this week as Adam picks her up to dance. Sadly we don’t get to hear much of the song as Ray angst (I love you Ray) takes over and the song fades into the background.
You will have to go watch Magic Mike XXL to see the actual performance (and it is well worth it) and here is an accurate representation of my face throughout:
TV Ate My Wardrobe 