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SOUNDTRACK: Someone New by Hozier
Soundtrack to The Brothers Grime: Jack: Grime And Punishment by Z.A. Maxfield
Someone New for Jack who moved on from a dead lover to find new love in a crime scene.
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SOUNDTRACK: Space Age Love Song by A Flock Of Seagulls
Soundtrack to Earth Fathers: Earth Fathers Are Weird by Lyn Gala
A Space Age Love Song for our unlikely pair of intergalactic lovers. I like these lines that goes “I saw your eyes/ And you made me smile / For a little while / I was falling in love” because Rick has many eyes and he’s proud of them. Also, loved Max for appreciating Rick’s asymmetrical features.
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SOUNDTRACK: I Bet You Look Good On The Dancefloor by Arctic Monkeys
Soundtrack to Joker’s Sin: To Die For by Davidson King
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SOUNDTRACK: Bullet by Riot Child
Soundtrack to Hitman Vs Hitman by L.A. Witt & Cari Z
A song about bullets for our hitmen on the run, with lines that go “I, I never ask why the wicked live and the good ones die / Time, time ran out of time, we all kill to survive“. I found a couple of pop songs with more accurate lyrics but their softer melodies don’t fit the mood of this high-octane book. Riot Child’s rockin’ tune captured the book’s energy better.
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SOUNDTRACK: Animal Impulses by IAMX & My Witness by The Irrepressibles
Soundtrack to Handled: Cleansed by Romilly King
I chose Animal Impulses because there are frequent references to animals and primal urges in Cleansed and the other books. Nathan compares Gray to a predator many times. The lyrics seemed tailor-made for psychos, going on about “Shine razor eyes in delight / Shine razor eyes before you die” and “I’m tired of this human duet / No civilizing hides / Our animal impulses”
Soundtrack to Handled: Polished by Romilly King
For the series finale, Polished, that puts the spotlight on the complicated and weirdly intimate relationship between Handler and Witness, the only song for it is, none other than My Witness. With verses that go “Make the fall, take the fire / Fuck the law nicely / Tint it all with desire / Shape the form I see” and “I will wake from the rain from the light of you / Take a knife to my chest, I’m alive by you“, they described how these relationships changed the two people involved in it.
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SOUNDTRACK: One Shot In The Darkness by Joshua Hyslop
Soundtrack to Shot In The Dark by Riley Long
For the soundtrack to a novella about a tired rockstar vampire, I went with Joshua Hyslop’s aptly named song that speaks about a musician on tour for many years, already growing long in the tooth, and slowly burning out. I especially liked the line “It takes one shot in the darkness/To change my mind”. It’s Charlie coming into Eli’s life and changing everything.
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SOUNDTRACK: Secret Santa by Gwen Stefani
Soundtrack to Secret Santa by Jay Northcote
For the song, I went with the obvious here with Gwen Stefani’s catchy little tune, especially with “Let’s play Secret Santa in the dark / Don’t tell anybody where we are“. This is a light, frothy number that goes well with the book’s vibe.
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SOUNDTRACK: The Healing by Carfax Abbey & Never Tear Us Apart by INXS
Soundtrack to Paranormal Princes: The Prince and His Captivating Carpenter by Charlie Cochet
For The Prince and His Captivating Carpenter, I went for a song that spoke about healing. The lyrics talks about fear, being suffocated, being in the dark, losing purpose and begging to be healed. It ends with “My eyes are wide open“. Basically, all the things Bernd experienced in the story.
Soundtrack to Paranormal Princes: The King and His Vigilant Valet by Charlie Cochet
I hate saxophones in songs but this 80s hit was practically made for The King and His Vigilant Valet. From the opening “Don’t ask me/ What you know is true / Don’t have to tell you / I love your precious heart” to “Two worlds collided/ And they could never tear us apart” to “We could live / For a thousand years / But if I hurt you / I’d make wine from your tears“…well, you get the picture.
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SOUNDTRACK: Used To The Darkness by Des Rocs
Soundtrack to Handled by Romilly King
Used To The Darkness is my favorite Des Rocs song. The first time I heard it, I knew it would make a good bookish soundtrack. I’ve been saving it for that perfect book. Handled is that book. I see the song reflecting the way Nathan’s perspectives and attitude evolved while interacting with Gray in his first Witnessing assigning.
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SOUNDTRACK: Dance With Me by Alphaville
Soundtrack to Joker’s Sin: My Whole World by Davidson King
Check out the ballad version:
I’ve talked about why I chose a certain song for a book in my monthly wrap-up. I realized I should do it here or else people won’t know what I’m talking about.
For My Whole World (and the Joker’s Sin series as a whole), I wanted a song that had something to do with clubs or dancing. Dance With Me is from the 80s, a decade known for it’s hedonistic club scenes. It describes the experience in that very danceable new wave style. I could see this song being played in the Joker’s Sin‘s 80s night theme. The ballad version had a melancholy vibe that matched the lyrics that talks about losing oneself in a dance. This is Atlas and Toby caught in that moment when they were dancing on stage.
