moonkidstrack

[moonkidstrack]

I have selected option one and the text I will be creating a movie soundtrack for is “Moonkids” by Abbey Mei Otis. My soundtrack is rated R.

I want to describe how I am splitting up “Moonkids;” the text as published on theoffingmag.com uses dividers to split the text into 15 smaller sections. I will be listing a song for each of those sections.

Section One

“The Greatest Gift” by Sufjan Stevens

I felt that this song has lyrics and a general tone that greatly suit the intro to “Moonkids.” The first section of the story is devoted to setting the scene and introducing the characters. “The Greatest Gift” has a light but calm tone and very emotional lyrics without sounding overwhelming, and all of this suits “Moonkids” well.

Specific lyrics from this song that suit the first section of the text are

“So I run to my friends and lovers I lay down my life for my brothers As I abide in peace So will my delight increase”

This is the song’s second chorus. I believe the mention of friends, lovers, and brothers connect to “Moonkids” and the introduction of Tesla in this first section.

Section Two

“Poison Tree” by Grouper

In this section, Colleen and Tesla are remarked on negatively by an Earth-born woman after being stared at by the woman’s children, and of course, the moongirls are upset by this. The section ends with the line, “Moonkids, every now and then, they treat themselves to a little rage.” This song is about repressed anger (from the song: “growing deep inside of me / Turn me into a poison tree”), and I felt that Colleen and Tesla refraining from saying anything to the woman about her remark despite their shared anger related to “Poison Tree.”

Section Three

“The Winner Is” by Devotchka

This section focuses on the friendship between Colleen and Tesla while giving background on how the pair of them ended up at their workplace on Earth. This song has no lyrics, but its tone is hopeful. It also is not an overly excited song, instead remaining more calm/mellow, which suits “Moonkids,” as it is not a terribly happy story. The hopeful but laid-back tone of the song matches this section that manages to be both hopeful and subdued.

Section Four

“Jesus Don’t Like That I’m Gay but Satan’s Cool With It” by Lil Boodang

This song is pretty different sound-wise from the rest of the soundtrack. I feel like it would be playing in the background while Trespass, who is introduced in section four, puts on his face paint. Trespass puts on a brave front, but the text states that “he sits on the sand and sobs like a girl.” He is loud and unapologetic, but still struggling. Overall, this song is powerful like Trespass, but is interspersed with lyrics like “Summer's always awful, winter is the one that breaks me,” and “ Save me from myself / I just wanna go,” (the first of which is a reference to seasonal depression).

Section Five

“Stranger Than Paradise” by Mook

This section talks about why a society on the moon exists and how it functions. “Surrounded by scholars” and “the books you throw aside” are lines from the song that I associate with Luna. “Washed out researchers” and “ The population board picks you up by the scruff of your neck and dropkicks you the two hundred thousand mile ride down to Earth” are lines from “Moonkids” that correlate to the quoted lyrics.

I view the “paradise” referenced in the song as Earth.

Section Six

“Sleeping Lessons” by The Shins

This is the section where Ibiza is introduced, and I felt that this song suited her so perfectly it could be called “Ibiza’s Theme.”

The first line from the song that brings Ibiza to mind is “Eviscerate your fragile frame.” It makes me think of Ibiza’s talk of getting surgery to alter how Earth’s gravity affected her physically.

More lines that made me think of Ibiza:

“And if the old guard still offend / They got nothing left on which you depend.” Viewing the “old guard” as the Lunarians who kicked Ibiza down to Earth, this is an empowering statement for an empowered moongirl. Ibiza arrives at her new job with ambition and no desire to yearn and long for Luna like Tesla does.

“You're not obliged to swallow anything you despise.” Nothing will stop Ibiza’s plans. From section six, “There’s a flash in the girl’s eyes like spume from a motorboat.” The girl in question is Ibiza. She has a strong will and a plan, and this lyric suits her well--no one else will hold her back or force her into a role she think is not good enough.

Section Seven

Eyes In The Back Of Your Head by STRFKR

The lyrics of this song are sparse and don’t particularly match this section--I focused on the tone of this song when making my choice. It is relaxed but a little haunting. This section depicts a conversation between Ibiza and Colleen that is not upsetting, but sort of melancholy. I’ll include a quote from this section of “Moonkids” below to help illustrate the mood of the section:

“Colleen knows she should defend Tesla. She bites her lip. She watches the dark strands of Ibiza’s hair settle around her shoulders. Forces her eyes to move to the sidewalk, where the stickarette is dying like a star.”

Section Eight

“Got Well Soon” by Breton

The first reason I chose this song is that section eight takes place during a party, and when I first heard this song in a video game soundtrack, it was playing behind a scene at a party.

Next, I think the following verse matched Ibiza’s speech at the party:

“You started what would sound A speech on how you moved around And you tell them all so well, I had them memorised You bored us all to tears And there's ground and there's your feet And never the two shall meet”

I also felt that the “or you’ll swim” line at the end of the song corresponding to Tesla arriving to the party at the end of the section creates foreshadowing for the end of the story.

Section Nine

Butterfly’s Repose by Zabawa

In this section, Colleen is comforting Tesla after the bad day she’s had. Colleen telling Tesla “I’m not disgusted with you,” has the same emotional weight as the lyric, “I’m right here.”

I also like that the song ends with the lines, “you belong here on Earth / I love you.” Tesla struggles a lot throughout the text with being on Earth and how she misses her first home on the moon, and what grounds her and helps her get through each day are the other moonkids--her brother, Trespass, and her best friend, Colleen, who love her.

Section Ten

“Famous Prophets (Minds)” by Car Seat Headrest

This section depicts a scene between Colleen and Ibiza. I connect certain lines in the song (”These teenage hands / Will never touch yours again” and “Did I fall? / Did I waste my time”) to the intimacy between the pair before Ibiza departs.

The line “Don’t get too impressed” in the song correlates in my mind to Colleen telling Ibiza she could not be Lunarian (”No, I couldn’t. I’ve been here long enough to figure that out”).

Section Eleven

“Grown Up” by Leith Ross

This song is about growing up and how fast it all happens. It is also about losing that childish wonder one used to have. It fits this section of “Moonkids,” wherein the upbringing of the moonkids is described.

The following lyric from the song and quote from the story, respectively, parallel each other well:

“Where does it go? Like how spring melts the snow? One day, you're living on your own”

“Little Lunarian kids, their brains know nothing is guaranteed, but their hearts cling like hermit crabs on driftwood as the tide comes in. December after they turn sixteen, the exams come.”

Section Twelve

“Show You a Body” by Haley Heynderickx

This section shows Colleen fleeing to the ocean to vomit and drink seawater--it is a window into her struggles, as the story has told of the other moonkids’ struggles.

The difficulties Colleen faces due to her body and how it has been affected by Earth’s gravity are referenced many times throughout the text, and I feel that this matters during this emotional moment. The lyric, “ I showed you a body / Like a cluttered garage” suits Colleen’s issues with her body.

I also feel that the repetition of “I am humbled by breaking down” at the end of the song fits against this scene of Colleen’s breakdown. Aside from lyrics, the song has in it a great musical crescendo, which matches up to Colleen’s great emotional crescendo in this section.

Section Thirteen

“Pink Pony Club” by Chappell Roan

In this section, Colleen calls her mom. Their conversation is stilted, negatively affected by the space between them, both literal and metaphorical. The song “Pink Pony Club” is sung from the perspective of a woman who has run away from home to follow her dreams and is happier for it, but she knows her mother would still not understand/support her happiness.

Section Fourteen

“Some Things Cosmic” by Angel Olsen

In this section, Tesla is found by the other moonkids as she is walking into the sea. The first few verses of this song speak of a meaningful connection in a very tragic way. As the moonkids follow Tesla into the water, Angel Olsen sings, “Know that I'm going with you.”

I think the following lines from “Some Things Cosmic” and “Moonkids,” respectively, parallel each other well.

“I felt my soul rise up from my body When I look into your blue eyes If cosmic force is real at all It’s come between you and I”

“Her eyes snag on something beyond all of them. Colleen and Trespass and Ibiza, they turn and follow her gaze. A full moon is rising. It catches them off guard. In the ocean they fall silent, still.”

The sad and ethereal ending to the song matches the feeling of this section.

Section Fifteen

“Untitled #4 - Njósnavélin” by Sigur Rós

This song finishes the story, and it has the right sound to do so. It suits the tone of “Moonkids,” too, sounding mostly somber with a dash of warmth. The lyrics are written in a made up language (I believe it is called “Hopelandic”) but they either translate in English to

“I travelled through light I travelled through light; I am not afraid”

or

“In this lake of souls In this lake of souls, I lose all fear”

and I believe either translation connects to the final section of “Moonkids,” though I prioritize the tone and overall sound of the song to the lyrics here. This song will take the viewer through the final scene of “Moonkids.”