![camera obscura biggest bluest hi fi cover [stream] Camera Obscura // Arrangements of Shapes and Space](http://tympanogram.com/files/camera-obscura-biggest-bluest-hi-fi-cover.jpg "camera obscura biggest bluest hi-fi cover")
I’ve been rewatching Friday Night Lights religiously with my girlfriend over the past few weeks since the show came to a close, and enjoying being swept up in the characters and mood in what is one of, in my opinion, the best shows to ever be on television.
Somewhere in season two, over top of a montage of kids tackling issues that are much too large for them, and next to my girlfriend crying over something sincere and hopeful, the show used this instrumental from Camera Obscura’s debut full length, Biggest Bluest Hi Fi. On the surface, you wouldn’t be remiss to think that the song, entitled “Arrangements of Shapes and Space,” was another Explosions in the Sky song, since the show makes good use of the Austin band to set the mood for the whole show.
But you’d be wrong. It’s the Glaswegian indie pop band – not the Austin post-rockers – that have ultimately found a way to convey a feeling that’s intimate while being as large as the Texas sky.
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[soundcloud url="http://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/6601452"]
![timbertimbre [mp3] Timber Timbre // Magic Arrow](http://tympanogram.com/files/timbertimbre.jpg "[mp3] Timber Timbre // Magic Arrow")
A few months ago I decided to benefit from AMC’s decision to rerun their seminal series Breaking Bad from the beginning. I had previously seen the first season in its entirety, but had not viewed either the second or third seasons. They show two episodes back to back on one night of the week, so it has taken some time to get to the early part of season three, which is where we reside currently.
[mp3] Timber Timbre // Magic Arrow from Timber Timbre![[mp3] Timber Timbre // Magic Arrow](http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=tympanogram-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B002AB6OA2 "[mp3] Timber Timbre // Magic Arrow")
The show doesn’t frequently use current music, but when it decides to do so, it is usually done quite magnificently. In one of the most recent episodes the song “Magic Arrow,” by Canadian moody folk/blues act Timber Timbre was utilized to great effect. The usage of the track by Breaking Bad features prominently in the Wikipedia page for the band, so it’s safe to say they haven’t made it big just yet. If they keep pumping out polished tracks such as this, that lack of notice seems sure to change.
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One of my favorite television shows ever is the Matt Groening cartoon comedy Futurama. Over several seasons and four direct-to-disc movies that followed the show’s untimely cancellation, the writers conveyed incredible wit and an enormous amount of heart in their brief time with the characters. I greatly enjoyed the humor of the show, but being a sentimental guy I really appreciated the heart as well.
Throughout the run of the show, there were only a few moments where pieces of music beside the general soundtrack were used, and one of those moments is what I’ve decided to write about today. The setup is that the character Leela is, and always has been, completely unaware of who or what she is. She grew up an orphan and having only one eye clearly was not a normal human being, so she has lived a majority of her life unaware of whether or not she is an alien, and if so, what planet she is from. During the first few seasons there are times when the topic of her unknown origin is broached, yet no conclusions are ever made. In the episode I am referring to today, we at long last learn who and what she actually is. The song that is used in the clip is an old favorite of mine, and it truly helps relieve the emotional cache that has been built up her entire life.
I’ve attached the clip in question below, though it is partially cut off. The remaining bit not shown has the song continuing while the closing credits continue to run. The extra bit of the song transitioning into the credits serves well to seal the emotion of the scene. I’m usually a stay ’til the end of the credits guy anyways, so in this case I certainly wish the clip continued through to the end of the credits. I love it regardless. If you’ve never seen the show I greatly recommend it.
Pizzicato Five – Baby Love Child (mp3) from Made In USA
My girlfriend and I are pretty big fans of good (and not-so-good) TV; our DVR can bear witness to the vast array of substance and schlock that we enjoy. We’ve been watching that new NBC show Parenthood, and it’s been OK, apart from the fact that it makes it seem like parenting and marriage and life in general is just one giant pain in the ass. Plus, Lyla Garrity is in it, and there’s no going wrong there.
Anyway, I bring this up because the show last week had a scene where this old Amos Lee song was used. It didn’t make it particularly more memorable (they were either breaking-up or making out), but it did bring me back to this song, which always weighs on me when I hear it. It’s beautiful in its sadness. (As if the show needed to make me feel more sad about how life is.)
Amos Lee – Colors (mp3) from Amos Lee
As a warning, this morning’s post is going to be filled with disparate music, but that’s because the focus isn’t really on the songs. With the return of Entourage and Weeds, there are always a couple of new shows to accompany both – and this year it’s HBO’s Hung and Showtime’s Nurse Jackie.
My girlfriend and I have watched what we can of both shows. And while there are far more episodes of Nurse Jackie available at this point to base an opinion on, so far it’s the clear winner. The characters are far more endearing. That’s not to say that Hung isn’t good; it’s more that it hasn’t developed past the initial twist on the hooker and pimp relationship.
Hung, to its credit, has used far better music – but that’s because Nurse Jackie doesn’t seem to use much at all. For it’s opening credits, Hung uses a Tympanogram favorite with The Black Keys’ “I’ll Be Your Man.” Nurse Jackie has only used one song prominently – the heartbreaking “When It Don’t Come Easy” by Patty Griffin. Here are both those songs, as well as a completely hilarious track from Mickey Avalon that was used at the end of a Hung episode. Fitting, to be sure.
The Black Keys – I’ll Be Your Man (mp3) from The Big Come Up
Patty Griffin – When It Don’t Come Easy (mp3) from Impossible Dream
Mickey Avalon – My Dick (mp3) from Mickey Avalon
