The O.C. has found itself in a most precarious position on the music landscape. On one hand, indie purists may shake their fists at television’s co-opting of “their” music for mass consumption. On the other hand, these are the same people who KNOW that “their” bands DESERVE more attention and spotlight. Through the genius of cross-marketing, The O.C. mixes, now on their fourth go-round, try to delicately balance between indie-hip and commercial cool. On the whole, they succeed.
Part of the reason has been the recent trend of using television outlets OTHER THAN MTV to market music. Volkswagon and HP commercials were a start, but now shows such as The O.C. and Gilmore Girls serve to contextualize certain artists and their songs within the storytelling framework, attempting to create an inseparable bond between viewer, scene and song in the same way that “In Your Eyes” is the peanut butter to Lloyd Dobler’s jelly.
While the first two O.C. mixes contained more songs that were readily remembered by the show’s viewers (I’m ignoring the third, Chrismukkah mix, as should you), this fourth mix plays more like a CMJ New Music sampler. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing – it simply seems to recall the TV show less than the intention at the expense of cohesion. The songs just do not flow from one to another, and without the sense of nostalgia attached to the individual tracks, there is really no continuity to speak of. The Futureheads “Decent Days and Nights” is a great, XTC-by-way-of-The-Who-ish romp that starts things off with a bang. Unfortunately, Imogen Heap’s generic “Goodnight and Go” brings the mood down quickly to something more pensive within her lite-acousic/electro bleeps.
The first true highlight is at track four, A.C. Newman’s “On the Table.” This guy writes fantastic songs, which in their ’60s-style production (a la the Kinks) are so well-suited for mixes such as these. Sufjan Stevens’ “To Be Alone With You” serves to kill the mood once more. While a beautifully claustrophobic acoustic ballad, the only fault is its placement, not its inclusion, on this Mix. Stevens has a beautiful voice, and his songs deserve to be displayed properly. Flunk’s “Play” returns the mood back to Imogen Heap territory, which leads to a nice transition into the new Beck track, “Scarecrow,” which was featured on the show’s “Beckpisode,” featuring a soundtrack entirely from Beck’s latest release. The song doesn’t seem to go anywhere with its grooves, but makes for a nice inclusion.
Modest Mouse, a band that has been featured live on the O.C.’s “Peach Pit”-style live music bar, is represented by “The View,” a great Talking Heads style disco track that is a highlight from their latest “Good News for People Who Like Bad News.” While not one of the first two singles released from that album, the song’s place here is to reel the listener back into more familiar territory. Not a moment too soon, as the listener must forge through the forgettable Aqueduct and Reindeer Section tracks before Belle X1’s “Eve, The Apple Of My Eye.” While the song’s title sounds like something by the Smashing Pumpkins, this sounds more along the lines of Damien Rice’s ornately arranged ballads. A beautiful song, it’s unfortunate that it was placed a) so late on this mix and b) right before the crown jewel of “The O.C. Mix 4,” Matt Pond PA’s gorgeous cover of Oasis’ “Champagne Supernova.” A very true cover of a very beautiful song, viewers will surely remember this song from the closing montage of the episode in which Summer leaves Zach high and dry at the airport and reunites with Seth.
And that’s what mixtapes are all about.
