Bufftastic Aural Seduction (Buffy The Vampire Slayer: The Album - Soundtrack)

Member Name: delawney

Product:	Buffy The Vampire Slayer: The Album - Soundtrack
Date:	17/08/02 (479 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Buffy Music!

Disadvantages: Not enough of it!

I'm not generally one for compilation albums, but when the TV soundtrack for Buffy the Vampire Slayer came out (back in 1999), I knew it was one I had to get. Actually, my husband bought it for me to cheer me up while I was studying for exams - what a sweetheart ;) One of the many things I love about the show is the generally excellent choice of music. I already knew a couple of tracks on the album (Garbage, Hepburn) but was not really familiar with the other artists. I am now!

Although it's not really relevant to the music, but I have included the episodes in which the tracks featured along with their episode number for all you die hard Buffy fans. Those of you that aren't can ignore that part! Some of the tracks that appear on the album do not actually feature in an episode. I assume that as the album was released prior to the airing of Season 4 that they were intending some of the tracks to be in episodes, but ultimately they never were.

It's not usually my way to do a track by track review, but for a compilation album it seems appropriate. Where I have CDs from the artists featured, I have also briefly commented on their other work so anyone interested or who knows they like the track can find out more.


1. Nerf Herder "Buffy the Vampire Slayer Theme"

If you watch the show, you know the theme. This version has featured from Season 2 onwards - there was a slightly different version of the theme in Season 1. It's a great album opener, but very much a theme song, so not a great number on its own. But it's short.

Nerf Herder's album "How to Meet Girls" is a reasonably good rock album, and the song "Courtney" (about Courtney Love) is quite amusing.


2. Guided By Voices "Teenage FBI"

This song has never actually featured in a Buffy episode. It's a pretty good rock track (though with a poppy sound), upbeat and sin
g-alongable. It opens with a repeated single chord and quickly pulls you in with a nice hook. The (male) vocals are good and there are some pleasant harmonies. It's an effective early track and a nice start to the album proper, but it's not the best track on the CD.


3. Garbage "Temptation Waits"

Again, this song has not actually featured in a Buffy episode, but it does have a line in it about being a vampire, so I guess that's what qualified it. Typically Garbage, a big sound with a thumping beat and distorted guitars. Shirley's vocals are as sultry as ever. Not my favourite Garbage track, but good nonetheless. Somehow, though, it seems out of place with the other tracks on the album.

"Temptation Waits" comes Garbage's second album "Version 2.0", a good follow up to their debut album.


4. Velvet Chain "Strong"

From "Never Kill A Boy on the First Date" 1.5

I love this song! More female vocals here, and they are breathy and sultry. Moderately upbeat, the whole song has a very sexy feel to it. Gentle but smouldering verses with a funky bassline merge into a powerful chorus. On the downside, the recording quality is a bit naff.

Velvet Chain's album "Warm" is a bit of a mixed bag. It includes the excellent "Treason", which featured in the same Buffy episode as "Strong", but a lot of the other numbers are weaker. There is a good cover of Portishead's "Sour Times" though.


5. Hepburn "I Quit"

Another song that didn't feature in an episode, but they did make a video on the set, which you can check out on the Buffy Season 1 DVD Box Set.

Power pop from the cockney girlies. Upbeat and catchy, this had been a moderate hit in the UK prior to the release of the Buffy soundtrack. I actually quite like this song - it's very pos
itive and again good to sing along too. I do wish she'd pronounce her 't's though!

I don't have the Hepburn album, but I do have a couple of their other tracks, including "Deep, Deep Down" which is another relatively pleasant pop rock song.


6. Furslide "Over My Head"

The last of the tracks not taken from an episode. Not a bad rock track, but not one of my faves, despite having female vocals! I just feel it ambles on somewhat without really getting anywhere, despite its attempt at a build up. A minimalistic opening verse, providing effective contrast into the shouty build up to the chorus. There are some nice plinky-plunky keyboard sounds. All in all, inoffensive but not brilliant.


7. Bif Naked "Lucky"

From "The Harsh Light of Day" 4.3

Anyone who reads my music ops knows I'm a big fan of her ladyship Bif. This was the first song of hers I heard, and the one responsible for introducing me to the delightful lass and having to import CDs from Canada *sigh*. This is a gorgeous rock ballad, with some fab lyrics, such as

"Remember the time we made love in the roses
and you took my picture in all sorts of poses!"

It opens with a lovely hollow-sounding guitar sound before launching into the deep vocals of the verse. A simple, gentle chorus before verse two, where the sound gets just a little bigger to lead into another chorus and the big build up to the bridge. A loud and powerful ending.

This is a real 'mood' track. Kick back with low lighting and a glass of red wine. It's also just downright romantic.

"Lucky" features on Bif Naked's second album "I Bificus", which can be purchased from Amazon.co.uk. Her other albums ("Bif Naked" and "Purge" are only officially available in Canada, but can be purchased at Canadian mail order sites a
nd often show up on eBay). This is, however perhaps the most "ballad-y" of Bif's tracks - most of her stuff is much more uptempo and rocky/punky.


8. Black Lab "Keep Myself Awake"

From "The I in Team" 4.13

This song is really catchy. I didn't really notice it the first couple of times I played the album, but it really grew on me. It's a fairly slow number, but not really ballad material, with a catchy beat throughout. I love the simplicity of the "chorus" (if you can call it that), just "Keep Myself Awake" with some lovely harmonies and vocal effects. The harmonies throughout are really effective. The music is cleverly understated and doesn't detract from the mood of the song. The singer has a lovely voice - he has just a very slight hint of gravel in his tones!


9. K's Choice "Virgin State of Mind"

From "Doppelgangland" 3.16

This is one of the most beautiful songs on the album, the music is minimalist and atmospheric, the (female) vocals are haunting, with scrumptious harmonies. It's moderate in tempo - definitely not upbeat. The lyrics are eloquent and clever.

"Can I burn the mazes I grow?
Can I? I don't think so.
Who can I run to,
Where can I hide
Who will I turn to
now I'm in a virgin state of mind"

There's a delicious bassline throughout just at the right point in the mix to send shivers through your spine. Lovely.

I've recently acquired a K's Choice CD and will update after I have had time to listen to it properly!


10. Superfine "Already Met You"

From "Teacher's Pet" 1.4

This a fun song. The general gist of the story is that he realises his latest girlfriend is just like all his previous girlfriends, as though he'd already met her. A good sing-along softish
rock song with some funny lyrics. Good, but not fantastic.


11. Face to Face "The Devil You Know (God is a Man)"

From "Where the Wild Things Are" 4.18

This is a storming rock number with yummy sexy gravelly (male) vocals. I love this track. There's a storming, climatic guitar riff, a chorus made for shouting and a big sound. Marvellous.

I wish I knew more about this band. If anyone does please let me know!


12. Kim Ferron "Nothing But You"

From "Beer Bad" 4.5

A very radio-friendly yet catchy upbeat soft rock number. Her voice is kind of Sheryl Crow-esque, and I guess the music kind of has that sort of feel too. Good stuff.

I haven't been able to find out a great deal about Ms Ferron - her webpage doesn't appear to exist, but I would like to hear more.


13. Alison Krauss and Union Station "It Doesn't Matter"

From "When She Was Bad" 2.1

I know little of Alison Kraus so forgive me if I am wrong, but I believe she is from a country-tinged ilk, something you don't really hear much of on Buffy. This track is not particularly country though. This is one of the most beautifully sad songs I have ever heard.

"You've been in a cage,
Throw you to the wind you fly away"

A typical sad love song all about someone leaving you. It's a simple acoustic sound, starting with just a guitar. appropriately understated. This really serves to highlight Alison's delicate voice. As the song progresses we are joined by more somewhat Spanish sounding guitars, a little (possibly acoustic) bass and some very gentle tapping on a high-hat somewhere very low in the mix. Absolutely gorgeous.


14. The Sundays "Wild Horses"

From "The Prom" 3.20

You all know this song (if not this version) - the Rolling S
tones did it, remember? Now I'm not the world's biggest Stones fan, but the original isn't bad. I love the Sundays' take on it though. They've broken it down to it's bare bones and emphasised the mood. Mainly acoustic guitar with soft (female) vocals, there's a lovely electric guitar lower down in the mix so it sounds like it's somewhere in the distance. This adds real atmosphere to the track. Sublime.


15. Four Star Mary "Pain"

From "Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered" 2.16 and others!

Four Star Mary provided the music for Oz's band "Dingoes Ate My Baby", so it's not surprising their music got about quite a bit whilst Oz was a regular character. "Pain" has actually featured in three episodes in total. This is a cracking rock song, belting from start to finish.

You will note that the version on this CD is the "Slayer Mix", so called as they have kindly blanked out the word "f*ck", which kind of makes the lyrics meaningless. I recommend you pick up their album "Thrown to the Wolves" to hear it in all its original glory.

I had the pleasure of catching Four Star Mary live last year, and they were absolutely fantastic. I can really recommend them for a smashing rock gig. Also thoroughly nice blokes - the signed stuff at the end, and my husband got a kiss on the hand from the singer ;)


16. Splendid "Charge"

From "I Only Have Eyes For You" 2.19

There's a couple of tracks on this album that you don't really notice first time round, but gradually they creep into your consciousness and you grow to love them. This is one of them.

A gentle opening to the first verse before the drums kick in at the chorus. This will sound daft but there's something I really like about the syncopation of the lyrics. Hey, it works for me! The girl
singing has a nice voice, quite high but not too squeaky with it. A rocking bridge before slowing things down again for the last verse before the grand finale. Catchy and cool.


17. Rasputina "Transylvanian Concubine"

From "Surprise" 2.13

I'm still not really sure if I like this song or not. My husband loves it. It's a bit weird, and I generally like weird stuff with female vocals so you would think it would appeal to me!

I think it's in waltz time, and features an eerie violin sound throughout rather than a guitar. Lots of reverb on the vocals and the hollow bass sound add to the mood. Interesting.


18. Christophe Beck "Close Your Eyes" (Buffy/Angel Love Theme)

The obligatory piece of music from the show's score. Pretty darn good as a piece of scored music goes, but somehow seems out of place after the rest of the album. This was used in the climax to Season 2, and those of you who have seen it will know why it made me a bit teary at the time, so I couldn't play this track for ages!


The cover features a few nice pictures from the show, but nothing special. Unfortunately, it doesn't give anything like enough details about the tracks.

All in all this is a brilliant selection of tracks. There's not really a bad song on it, although of course some are better than others. Great for playing in the car on long journeys - much singing-along to be done! On the downside, although this is a good selection of music from the show, I personally feel there are other featured tracks that they could have included, perhaps instead of the tracks that were never actually used on the show. For example, Sarah McLachlan's "Full of Grace" ended Season 2 in full tear-jerking glory, and this is one of the most asked about tracks from viewers.

Other examples include Darling Violetta (who perform the theme tune t
o "Angel") who appeared in "Faith Hope and Trick" 3.3 playing "Cure" and "Blue Sun" are both excellent. They have released to e.p.s - "Bath Water Flowers" and "The Kill You e.p.". Both are available from Amazon at reasonable prices. Dollshead's "It's Over, It's Under" features in "The Harsh Light of Day". It's like the voice of Siouxsie and the music of Curve. If you can get hold of it, their album "Frozen Charlotte" is well worth picking up.

It's also a shame that it doesn't look like they will release a second soundtrack album, or an "Angel" soundtrack, as plenty of excellent artists have featured since this album was released. Do look out for the CD of "Buffy - The Musical" hopefully being released soon!

Information from the Buffy and Angel music pages at www.buffymusic.net and the Buffy Guide at www.buffyguide.com.

"Buffy the Vampire Slayer - The Album" (1999)
Columbia 496633 2

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