A few weeks ago, Bean wrote a very cool post that linked The Raveonettes to Twin Peaks. I never really made a connection between a piece of music and a seemingly unrelated TV show that way until I heard “Revival”. I’m still sad that Carnivale, the HBO show set during the Great Depression which was canceled after only two seasons, never got the chance to tell the rest of its complicated story. I used to love the menacing, religious feel of the show.
I think Soulsavers‘ beautiful “Revival”, from their 2007 album It’s Not How Far You Fall, It’s the Way You Land, has the exact same effect the show had. A gospel choir sings over a slow and spooky rhythm and seems to announce either the apocalypse or the Second Coming; either way something epic is about to happen. Meanwhile, Mark Lanegan’s deep, raspy voice beautifully highlights the darkness that undermines the hopeful lyrics. Come to think of it, this song would work particularly well as the theme song of one of the most memorable characters from the show: the fantastically, frightening, evil preacherman, Brother Justin Crowe. I think it gives an accurate taste of the holy creepiness of the character, and his contradictory role as a conduit for God and his secret calling as the vessel of the upcoming darkness. If you miss the show as much as I do, then sit back, listen to the song and let the dust wash over you.
Filed under: Backtrack, Music Tagged: | Carnivale, Soulsavers, TV
