the spider- an india stoker mix for jaime
you can’t talk about the view with the shade pulled down
one. if i had a heart- fever ray
two. virus- bjork
three. hysterical strength- st. vincent
four. crawlin’ black spider (jthunder remix)- cat power
five. patron saint hunter- timber timbre
six. venus in fleurs- grimes
seven. telepathy- swans
this isn’t so much a mix as it is a collection of my favourite songs from hemlock grove. the soundtrack is one of the genuinely good things about the show and all credit goes to the fantastic liza richardson, who used some wonderfully weird canadian indie to create a very specific musical voice for the series.
one. make me a bird- elektrik people
two. use me- beans & fatback
three. love song- hooded fang
four. you do it well- saint motel
five. bad ritual- timber timbre
six. people that you must remember- zulu winter
seven. who needs who- dark dark dark
eight. this ready flesh- trust
nine. pays to know- mypet
ten. come back- teen
eleven. sister song- perfume genius
one. tessellate- alt-j
two. set down your arms- warpaint
three. dark doo wop- ms mr
four. symphony 1 in the barrel of a gun- emily wells
five. default- atoms for peace
six. theme from “to kill a dead man”- portishead
seven. weapons- son lux
eight. out with a bang- lana del rey
nine. souvenirs- timber timbre
the majority of the time i spent on this mix was actually spent wondering whether or put these united states’ “first sight” on it. the rest of the mix came together pretty naturally, but “first sight” is the perfect ~sweet and modern young love~ song to me. i’ve loved it for years and i wasn’t sure whether i wanted this mix to be the one it finally goes on. but it’s here!
eli and clare’s first arc together was interesting to me in the way that a lot of stories about emotionally vulnerable/violatile teenage couples are interesting to me: the all-consuming dependency that results from it’s always so unhealthy, but it happens a lot. eli’s personal arc has been really important to me as well— clare and katie are probably my favourite characters of this gen, but i root for no one more than i root for eli.
i knew once they worked their shit out eli and clare would find their way back to each other, but they’ve done so more wonderfully than i could’ve imagined. eli asks at the end of season 11 if “we could ever pick up where we left off?” but that’s not what they do at all. they move forward: they’ve grown up a bit, they’re healthier and they know each other and, more importantly, themselves better. that’s not to say they aren’t still that melodramatic, soppy couple you rolled your eyes at in high school, a lot of the relationship in post-season 11 has been about supporting and stabilizing each other, about growing together and it’s so so great to watch. this mix covers roughly the entire time they’ve known each other, plus one to grow on.
one. first sight- these united states
two. ghosts- laura marling
three. all this and heaven- florence and the machine
four. you with air- young magic
five. fiction- the xx
six. desperate measures- marianas trench
seven. it’s not my fault, i’m happy- passion pit
eight. tongue tied- the antlers
nine. young blood (the naked and famous cover)- birdy
ten. i know i know i know- tegan and sara
This just a brief audio extract from the terrific NFB doc Ladies and Gentlemen, Mr. Leonard Cohen— filmed when he was 30 and visiting Montreal, it’s a great glimpse at both Cohen and Montreal in the 60s— but try and tell me this isn’t one of the best things you’ve ever heard.
