Over the last week or so we have watched the HBO drama Big Little Lies on TV. My wife had already read the book that the series of based on (by Lianne Moriarty) so she was watching it with the benefit of knowing what happened in the end whereas I was able to enjoy trying to second guess the plot (which I have to say I pretty much did after 2-3 of the 7 episodes). Anyway, it was an enjoyable series to watch but the best part about it was the soundtrack which, to use a phrase that my younger daughter would use, was packed with absolute bangers (i.e. great tracks), almost all of which were by artists that I didn’t know (apart from a couple of really excellent covers of Elvis songs). The result has been that I am now exploring some of these artists further, starting with Leon Bridges, then moving on to Agnes Obel (who I had heard of but had not listened to her hauntingly beautiful album Aventine). Now I am listening to Michael Kiwanuka (who provides the track that opens each episode). Next on the list will be the Villagers.
So far I have been really enjoying the music, particularly the Agnes Obel album which is one I think I might listen to a lot. There is obviously something about the laid back vibe of the music chosen to accompany the coastal California locations and lifestyles in the series that I like. What I find interesting is that whilst the music all seems to resonate with me, it comes from all over the place – Bridges is American, Obel is Danish, Kiwanuka English and the Villagers are from Ireland – and the styles are quite different. Someone did a really smart job putting together the music for the series.
Tim O'Hare 