Soundscape Mix #4: Zombies

I have a ritual I like to do every time I come down with a bad cold or flu. I curl up on the couch with a blanket, fluids, and a couple kitties, and watch the original George A. Romero trilogy of classic zombie films. In chronological order, they are Night of the Living Dead, Dawn of the Dead, and Day of the Dead.

I can’t explain why I’m so drawn to them, and especially when I feel ill. They just make me happy. There’s a certain kind of calm I get from those films, from the acceptance that the shit hit the fan and you’ve just got to deal with worldwide catastrophe. The time to hesitate is through, and your purpose is clear. For any chance of survival, you’ve got to go into action and constantly be on guard. They are a relief, in a world where people are still arguing that global warming either isn’t happening or isn’t urgent, where people would rather gossip about Obama than attempt to help him.

Zombies are a lot of things to a lot of people. At once mystical and tragic, there is just something about them that transcends the horror film and video game genres. Their legend lends itself as easily to social commentary as comedy. They embody our worst fears and darkest humor, part apocalypse and part slapstick. I hope this mixtape taps into those juxtapositions, to present somnambulists in as much a purely entertaining way as terrifying and intriguing. As Zombieland and Shaun of the Dead showed, the apocalypse can come with a few laughs.

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Soundscape – Zombies [MP3]

     

01 The Longwalls – “Zombies” (Field Guide for the Zombie Survivalist, 2008)

– Start time: 0:00; Links: Static Motor – The Longwalls

02 Sunset – “Zombies” (The Glowing City, 2008)

– Start time: 3:04; Links: Autobus – Sunset

03 Jookabox – “Zombie Tear Drops” (Dead Zone Boys, 2009)

– Start time: 8:25; Links: Asthmatic Kitty – Jookabox

04 Sufjan Stevens – “They Are Night Zombies!! They Are Neighbors!!” (Illinois, 2005)

– Start time: 12:43; Links: Asthmatic Kitty – Sufjan Stevens

05 Dem Hunger – “Rainwater Tea” (Caveman Smack, 2010)

– Start time: 17:52; Links: Leaving – Dem Hunger

06 Odd Nosdam – “We Dead” (Level Live Wires, 2007)

– Start time: 21:33; Links: Anticon – Odd Nosdam

07 Funki Porcini – “Flesheater Boulevard” (Zombie EP, 1999)

– Start time: 22:50; Links: Crippled Dick Hot Wax! – Funki Porcini

08 Andre Afram Asmar – “Zombification-Transmutation” (Transmigration EP, 2003)

– Start time: 27:46; Links: Mush – Andre Afram Asmar

09 Diesler – “Dawn of the Dead” (Diggin’ It Somethin’ Rotten, 2005)

– Start time: 33:28; Links: Tru Thoughts – Diesler

10 Shape of Broad Minds – “It Ain’t Dead” (Craft of the Lost Art, 2007)

– Start time: 36:07; Links: Lex – Shape Of Broad Minds

11 DJ Wally & DJ Willie Ross – “Land of the Dead” (Mrs. Miller’s House, 2006)

– Start time: 37:54; Links: The Agriculture – DJ Wally, DJ Willie Ross

12 Krikor – “1968” (Wagon / 1968 12”, 2002)

– Start time: 40:05; Links: Dialect – Krikor

13 Magnetic Fields – “Zombie Boy” (Distortion, 2009)

– Start time: 43:00; Links: Nonesuch – Magnetic Fields

14 Zombie Zombie – “I’m Afraid of What’s There” (A Land for Renegades, 2008)

– Start time: 46:03; Links: Versatile – Zombie Zombie

15 Adrian Belew – “She Is Not Dead” (Twang Bar King, 1983)

– Start time: 50:14; Links: Island – Adrian Belew

16 Bronnt Industries Kapital – “Threnody for the Victims of Lucio Fulci” (Hard for Justice, 2009)

– Start time: 54:52; Links: Get Physical Music – Bronnt Industries Kapital

Total Running Time: 58:24

DOWNLOAD THE FULL MIX

Soundscape – Zombies [MP3]