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So you know how it takes me months and months and months to make fanmixes for people who commission them from me in fundraising auctions because, well, mostly because I don't work on them very often, but also because I am an obnoxious completist about them? (People to whom I owe music mixes: I promise that I will get them done ASAP after I get back from Boston. Really. I will stop adding more things to the "shortlists" and chop them down into postable shapes with haste). I threw this together in an afternoon, in between cleaning and picking at my conference paper (and am now resisting the perfectionist urge to tweak and tweak and tweak). Pah.
Starting off with some character songs, in rough order of appearance by movie: "Inside/Outside" for The (Incredible) Hulk (even though I think this song more describes the place it looks like, from trailers and interviews and other spoilery peripheral material, he'll be in at the beginning of The Avengers more than the place he was in at the end of the last one; also, a confluence of Bruces); "So Long, Superman" for Iron Man (amusing for its cross-franchise and cross-universe references, and the lyrics about giving up worldly wealth and fame don't quite fit the narrative, but doesn't it just sound like Tony?); "Meathook" for The Black Widow and also for Pepper, and hell probably for Maria Hill too; "Protection" for SHIELD as an entity and for Coulson and Fury in particular; "Song Written in a Romanian Hospital" for Tony (because his personality is just that big); "Jack Hammer" for Thor; "Second Son" for Loki; "Open Season" for Hawkeye (because as much as I love wiseass/troll!Clint, he's got rather a dark side to him as well, both in the comics backstory and in how it looks like they're going to use him in the films); and "Robots, Master and Lady" and "I've Been Asleep for a Long Long Time" for Captain America (the first for Cap & co. in the 40s, the second for Steve waking up today).
Songs more about different relationships, dynamics, and themes: "Freaks in Uniforms" for the title, because that's what the Avengers are, at least as much as any other superhero team, but also for the tension within it between SHIELD proper and the divas recruited by the Avengers Initiative, described in the lyrics as a conflict between the "zombified" conventional/conservative freaks in uniform and the radical punk freaks out of uniform (conveniently forgetting for a moment that adherence to "anarchist" subcultural style is as much a practice of conforming to group norms as any other fashion), and "Scorpio Rising" for, well, a lot of reasons, including the way it expresses some of my feelings around my recent experiences with certain vocal sections of Avengers fandom on tumblr.
Some shippy songs for a teeny tiny sampling of the many pairings I will eat up with a spoon: "Stupid Cupid" for Clint/Coulson (or really anybody you'd care to ship with Clint), "Ladyfingers" for Natasha/Pepper, "Once I Was Mighty" for one take on Steve/Tony (I like it with a lot of hero worship on Tony's part and/or conflict over previous involvement with Howard on Steve's).
Songs that illustrate parallels and non-romantic relationships between characters: "Fumbling Towards Ecstasy" for Bruce (obviously) but also for Steve (building the fact of "I loved people and they died" into the manpain sandcastle of "my love kills people") and, hell, for Tony and Clint and Coulson and Natasha really all of them because they all have their own ways of bottling up or deflecting their emotions rather than facing them directly let alone exposing them to others; "Ticket to Immortality" because it could work as a Tony's-eye-view on Steve and the whole Avengers process, or it could work as well as better as a song for Fury and his experience with SHIELD (as manifested particularly in Maria, from what I've read) and his belief in what he's doing, putting together this team of big guns with bigger egos; "The Boy in the Woods" for Loki, most explicitly, but also for Tony and all the precocious wunderkinder & literal or functional orphans (let's do a headcount); "Shut In", again, most obviously for Bruce and probably 21st century Steve, but also for the whole project of trying to get these people out of their own heads/baggage/consuming narratives of independence and romantic lonerdom; "Mice and Gods" for all the mad scientists on every side of whatever moral line and the fact that most of the heroes and villains of the Avengers cinematic franchise are products of science, experiments gone right or wrong (or both, depending how the wind's blowing)--including SHIELD, with all their nifty gadgets, and the fact that, at the same time as being a story about the triumph of cooperation over discord, The Avengers is also playing on the "conflict" between technology and mythology; "Heroes" also for the mad scientists staying home (alone) counting out their braincells and for the challenge of turning them into (making them act like) heroes (and/or for Loki playing everybody else like puppets).
Shading into songs about saving things and a sort of anticipatory effort at soundtracking various emotional beats I expect the film to hit: "I Need a Hero" because FUCK YEAH (completely unironic >_> ); "Save this House" because see above; "End of the World News (Dose Me Up)" for the growing apprehension of scale and particularly Tony's perspective on events; "It's All Over" for the climactic battle, and specifically for somebody you thought was out of the fight showing back up just in time to kick some ass; "Super Heroes" for counting up the costs of victory (DAMNIT JOSS NO MORE KILLING); "All Gone, Be Still" for much the same reason but with an added personal note for Thor and Loki.
Finally a couple of perkier numbers to fade out on: "Heroes" (Bowie cover) for bittersweet team on-the-noseness, and "Float Away" for a kicky jam to go out on and a preemptive memorial for whomever doesn't make it to the next movie (JOSSSSSS).
*note: a few tracks (6, 8, 16, and 27) have been edited using Audacity to remove bits of other audio--bonus tracks, applause etc.--and are therefore different from the album versions)
1. "Inside/Outside", Bruce Peninsula
easier said, it's different to do it
the thought was well-meant, it's different to do it yourself
2. "So Long, Superman", Firewater
hey ho here we go now, pulling onto the freeway
just like any other weekday except there's no remorse
3. "Meathook", Tracy Bonham
she's a slippery one, a slippery one, with a staple gun, a staple gun
4. "Protection", Massive Attack
I'll stand in front of you, take the force of the blow
protection
5. "Song Written in a Romanian Hospital", Geoff Berner
because people without wings in giant metal things were never really meant to fly
so every time I fly in an aeroplane I wonder, is this the last time, o lord
I wonder, is this the last time?
6. "Jack Hammer", Odds
John was a metal-headed monster
caught a piece of the earth, and sometimes he flew off the handle
7. "Second Son", Elliott Brood
the second son of the friend of the chosen one, and he'll meet his end
8. "Open Season", Die Mannequin
hold my arms, breaking
hold my hand, make me
when there's nothing worth surviving
9. "Robots, Master and Lady", Wax Mannequin
with a stencil, there is a picture of engine
from an engineer, the ring of the implements, an implement
from the temple, is a people, is empire
and the empire is teaching to sing
10. "I've Been Asleep for a Long Long Time", Hey Rosetta
all the schools that I went to have all been closed
and all of my teachers are dead I suppose
the songs that we sung have all gone quiet
what happens below as we sleep at night?
11. "Freaks in Uniforms", Horrorpops
in it for the thrill, it's got its own will
you can go nanananananana yourself
12. "Scorpio Rising", 10,000 Maniacs
power, dizzy with it stumble
detail, a chance for us to quarrel
anger, my head is shaken violent
if I could calm or restrain you
for the sake of pity, save the pistol
save the cynic's tongue, save the cool white stare
13. "Stupid Cupid", Wanda Jackson
you mixed me up but good right from the very start
hey go play Robin Hood with somebody else's heart
14. "Ladyfingers", Luscious Jackson
I'm so tired of my guns and my vanity
I'd like to trade them in for some sanity
and I know it didn't come too easy
15. "Once I Was Mighty", Martina Sorbara
there was a time I was mighty, when I stood as tall as a king
once I was mighty, now you've made me even smaller than I am
16. "Fumbling Towards Ecstasy", Sarah McLachlan
and if I shed a tear I won't cage it
I won't fear love
and if I feel a rage I won't deny it
I won't fear love
17. "Ticket to Immortality", The Dears
I hang out with all the pariahs
everyone is almost done with me
18. "The Boy in the Woods", Veda Hille
when I was young my parents left me
they said I could not sing
I talk through my mouth with many tongues
I am a wonder
19. "Shut In", Geoff Berner
shut in, shut in, shut in, shut in
the time to come is gonna be the test of us
shut in, shut in, shut in, shut in
come on out and suffer with the rest of us
20. "Mice and Gods", Clutch
engineer the future now
damn tomorrow, future now
throw the switches, prime the charge
yesterday's for mice and gods
21. "Heroes", Sunday Driver
I know what loving means
so clever, I'm so clever
I don't know what living means
so clever, I'm so clever
22. "I Need a Hero", Bonnie Tyler
where have all the good men gone and where are all the gods?
where's the street-wise Hercules to fight the rising odds?
23. "Save this House", Spirit of the West
some Cronkite lookalike numb from what he read
wake me up, wake me up, it's one of us that's dead
24. "End of the World News (Dose Me Up)", Tom McRae
so dose me up, once is not enough
I can still see the ground
25. "It's All Over", The Headstones
over the sky and into the future
you do what you can in this world, you do just what suits ya
26. "Super Heroes", cast of The Rocky Horror Picture Show
I've done a lot
god knows I've tried
to find the truth I've even lied
27. "All Gone, Be Still", Veda Hille with the University of Manitoba Singers, from The Raft of the Medusa aka Bone in her Teeth
in order to arrive there, to arrive where you are
to get from where you are not
in order to possess what you do not possess
you must go by the way of ignorance
you must go by a way wherein there is no ecstasy
I will destroy you
28. "Heroes", The Magnetic Fields covering David Bowie
though nothing will keep us together
we can steal time, just for one day
29. "Float Away", Marah
I disappear just as I'm sitting here
blame it on nothing to say, boy
I failed to stay so I'm flying away
to wake up tomorrow
if you wake up tomorrow at all
download .zip
In conclusion,
Starting off with some character songs, in rough order of appearance by movie: "Inside/Outside" for The (Incredible) Hulk (even though I think this song more describes the place it looks like, from trailers and interviews and other spoilery peripheral material, he'll be in at the beginning of The Avengers more than the place he was in at the end of the last one; also, a confluence of Bruces); "So Long, Superman" for Iron Man (amusing for its cross-franchise and cross-universe references, and the lyrics about giving up worldly wealth and fame don't quite fit the narrative, but doesn't it just sound like Tony?); "Meathook" for The Black Widow and also for Pepper, and hell probably for Maria Hill too; "Protection" for SHIELD as an entity and for Coulson and Fury in particular; "Song Written in a Romanian Hospital" for Tony (because his personality is just that big); "Jack Hammer" for Thor; "Second Son" for Loki; "Open Season" for Hawkeye (because as much as I love wiseass/troll!Clint, he's got rather a dark side to him as well, both in the comics backstory and in how it looks like they're going to use him in the films); and "Robots, Master and Lady" and "I've Been Asleep for a Long Long Time" for Captain America (the first for Cap & co. in the 40s, the second for Steve waking up today).
Songs more about different relationships, dynamics, and themes: "Freaks in Uniforms" for the title, because that's what the Avengers are, at least as much as any other superhero team, but also for the tension within it between SHIELD proper and the divas recruited by the Avengers Initiative, described in the lyrics as a conflict between the "zombified" conventional/conservative freaks in uniform and the radical punk freaks out of uniform (conveniently forgetting for a moment that adherence to "anarchist" subcultural style is as much a practice of conforming to group norms as any other fashion), and "Scorpio Rising" for, well, a lot of reasons, including the way it expresses some of my feelings around my recent experiences with certain vocal sections of Avengers fandom on tumblr.
Some shippy songs for a teeny tiny sampling of the many pairings I will eat up with a spoon: "Stupid Cupid" for Clint/Coulson (or really anybody you'd care to ship with Clint), "Ladyfingers" for Natasha/Pepper, "Once I Was Mighty" for one take on Steve/Tony (I like it with a lot of hero worship on Tony's part and/or conflict over previous involvement with Howard on Steve's).
Songs that illustrate parallels and non-romantic relationships between characters: "Fumbling Towards Ecstasy" for Bruce (obviously) but also for Steve (building the fact of "I loved people and they died" into the manpain sandcastle of "my love kills people") and, hell, for Tony and Clint and Coulson and Natasha really all of them because they all have their own ways of bottling up or deflecting their emotions rather than facing them directly let alone exposing them to others; "Ticket to Immortality" because it could work as a Tony's-eye-view on Steve and the whole Avengers process, or it could work as well as better as a song for Fury and his experience with SHIELD (as manifested particularly in Maria, from what I've read) and his belief in what he's doing, putting together this team of big guns with bigger egos; "The Boy in the Woods" for Loki, most explicitly, but also for Tony and all the precocious wunderkinder & literal or functional orphans (let's do a headcount); "Shut In", again, most obviously for Bruce and probably 21st century Steve, but also for the whole project of trying to get these people out of their own heads/baggage/consuming narratives of independence and romantic lonerdom; "Mice and Gods" for all the mad scientists on every side of whatever moral line and the fact that most of the heroes and villains of the Avengers cinematic franchise are products of science, experiments gone right or wrong (or both, depending how the wind's blowing)--including SHIELD, with all their nifty gadgets, and the fact that, at the same time as being a story about the triumph of cooperation over discord, The Avengers is also playing on the "conflict" between technology and mythology; "Heroes" also for the mad scientists staying home (alone) counting out their braincells and for the challenge of turning them into (making them act like) heroes (and/or for Loki playing everybody else like puppets).
Shading into songs about saving things and a sort of anticipatory effort at soundtracking various emotional beats I expect the film to hit: "I Need a Hero" because FUCK YEAH (completely unironic >_> ); "Save this House" because see above; "End of the World News (Dose Me Up)" for the growing apprehension of scale and particularly Tony's perspective on events; "It's All Over" for the climactic battle, and specifically for somebody you thought was out of the fight showing back up just in time to kick some ass; "Super Heroes" for counting up the costs of victory (DAMNIT JOSS NO MORE KILLING); "All Gone, Be Still" for much the same reason but with an added personal note for Thor and Loki.
Finally a couple of perkier numbers to fade out on: "Heroes" (Bowie cover) for bittersweet team on-the-noseness, and "Float Away" for a kicky jam to go out on and a preemptive memorial for whomever doesn't make it to the next movie (JOSSSSSS).
*note: a few tracks (6, 8, 16, and 27) have been edited using Audacity to remove bits of other audio--bonus tracks, applause etc.--and are therefore different from the album versions)
1. "Inside/Outside", Bruce Peninsula
easier said, it's different to do it
the thought was well-meant, it's different to do it yourself
2. "So Long, Superman", Firewater
hey ho here we go now, pulling onto the freeway
just like any other weekday except there's no remorse
3. "Meathook", Tracy Bonham
she's a slippery one, a slippery one, with a staple gun, a staple gun
4. "Protection", Massive Attack
I'll stand in front of you, take the force of the blow
protection
5. "Song Written in a Romanian Hospital", Geoff Berner
because people without wings in giant metal things were never really meant to fly
so every time I fly in an aeroplane I wonder, is this the last time, o lord
I wonder, is this the last time?
6. "Jack Hammer", Odds
John was a metal-headed monster
caught a piece of the earth, and sometimes he flew off the handle
7. "Second Son", Elliott Brood
the second son of the friend of the chosen one, and he'll meet his end
8. "Open Season", Die Mannequin
hold my arms, breaking
hold my hand, make me
when there's nothing worth surviving
9. "Robots, Master and Lady", Wax Mannequin
with a stencil, there is a picture of engine
from an engineer, the ring of the implements, an implement
from the temple, is a people, is empire
and the empire is teaching to sing
10. "I've Been Asleep for a Long Long Time", Hey Rosetta
all the schools that I went to have all been closed
and all of my teachers are dead I suppose
the songs that we sung have all gone quiet
what happens below as we sleep at night?
11. "Freaks in Uniforms", Horrorpops
in it for the thrill, it's got its own will
you can go nanananananana yourself
12. "Scorpio Rising", 10,000 Maniacs
power, dizzy with it stumble
detail, a chance for us to quarrel
anger, my head is shaken violent
if I could calm or restrain you
for the sake of pity, save the pistol
save the cynic's tongue, save the cool white stare
13. "Stupid Cupid", Wanda Jackson
you mixed me up but good right from the very start
hey go play Robin Hood with somebody else's heart
14. "Ladyfingers", Luscious Jackson
I'm so tired of my guns and my vanity
I'd like to trade them in for some sanity
and I know it didn't come too easy
15. "Once I Was Mighty", Martina Sorbara
there was a time I was mighty, when I stood as tall as a king
once I was mighty, now you've made me even smaller than I am
16. "Fumbling Towards Ecstasy", Sarah McLachlan
and if I shed a tear I won't cage it
I won't fear love
and if I feel a rage I won't deny it
I won't fear love
17. "Ticket to Immortality", The Dears
I hang out with all the pariahs
everyone is almost done with me
18. "The Boy in the Woods", Veda Hille
when I was young my parents left me
they said I could not sing
I talk through my mouth with many tongues
I am a wonder
19. "Shut In", Geoff Berner
shut in, shut in, shut in, shut in
the time to come is gonna be the test of us
shut in, shut in, shut in, shut in
come on out and suffer with the rest of us
20. "Mice and Gods", Clutch
engineer the future now
damn tomorrow, future now
throw the switches, prime the charge
yesterday's for mice and gods
21. "Heroes", Sunday Driver
I know what loving means
so clever, I'm so clever
I don't know what living means
so clever, I'm so clever
22. "I Need a Hero", Bonnie Tyler
where have all the good men gone and where are all the gods?
where's the street-wise Hercules to fight the rising odds?
23. "Save this House", Spirit of the West
some Cronkite lookalike numb from what he read
wake me up, wake me up, it's one of us that's dead
24. "End of the World News (Dose Me Up)", Tom McRae
so dose me up, once is not enough
I can still see the ground
25. "It's All Over", The Headstones
over the sky and into the future
you do what you can in this world, you do just what suits ya
26. "Super Heroes", cast of The Rocky Horror Picture Show
I've done a lot
god knows I've tried
to find the truth I've even lied
27. "All Gone, Be Still", Veda Hille with the University of Manitoba Singers, from The Raft of the Medusa aka Bone in her Teeth
in order to arrive there, to arrive where you are
to get from where you are not
in order to possess what you do not possess
you must go by the way of ignorance
you must go by a way wherein there is no ecstasy
I will destroy you
28. "Heroes", The Magnetic Fields covering David Bowie
though nothing will keep us together
we can steal time, just for one day
29. "Float Away", Marah
I disappear just as I'm sitting here
blame it on nothing to say, boy
I failed to stay so I'm flying away
to wake up tomorrow
if you wake up tomorrow at all
download .zip
In conclusion,
Tags:
- fandom,
- film/tv,
- kink bingo,
- mix,
- music