I *knew* music for Beg Me For It was going to be tough

[icarus]

... but I had no idea how tough.

This is brutal. I'm looking for musical that cynical yet quirky. I thought I was on the right track with The Smiths, but while their lyrics are great, the music is just too... airy, detatched, happy in a miserable way.

I thought maybe The Ramones. But they're just too... bratty. And simple and direct. And violent.

So I checked out R.E.M. I have Losing My Religion and Orange Crush, but I'm not entirely satisfied.

Circle Jerks were action-clumsy. I tried X. Too modern. Pearl Jam. The lead singer's vibrato just doesn't work for this.

I tried Talking Heads. Swamp and Once In A Lifetime were sort of... but they weren't. Too much pep. Velvet Revolver, appropriate for SNAFU, not Beg Me For It.

The Smiths and R.E.M. come the closest I think. Any ideas?

ETA:

The Dandy Warhols!
There's a new R.E.M. option So Fast, So Numb.
I'm going to check out some early Clash.

There was a group that came out right around Soundgarden (mid-late 90's), but they were darker, with a heavier baseline. I recall a video of theirs had a macabre series of images of torture and dismemberment in claymation. There was a sort of resigned observant hopelessness to their lyrics. They're a major band... damn, what was the name?

ETA2: Tool! Thank you, aquatryst.

Now to check out Tool, Placebo, I'm definitely adding The Clash's Career Opportunities ("they offered me the office / offered me the
shop / they said I'd better take anything they'd got" -- ha!), and maybe Red Angel Dragnet, Complete Control, and What's My Name?, possibly Overpowered By Funk (these are hard to tell from 30-second clips, but the only Clash CD I own is London Calling). *back to scoping out music*

Comments

[adred.livejournal.com]

Well, when I've sorted out your Metallica and Beatie Boys, maybe I can send you that too. I think it has an amazing undercurrent of energy and might just be right for your fic :-)
Dammit, you have a slow connection: this exchange might take forever ...

[icarusancalion.livejournal.com]

Metallica and Beastie Boys (and Helmet, Midnight Oil and Rush) were what I listened to when I wrote SNAFU, so the rhythm and energy is exactly what's in the story.

The songs so far (not in order and this isn't final -- parenthesis means I don't have the song or am not sure about it):

It seems to be that BMFI is a dark and quirky mix, not-quite dominated by Tool.

Tool - Sober
The Clash - Job Opportunities
(The Police - Canary In A Coal Mine)
(The Ramones - Pinhead)
R.E.M. - Orange Crush
Tool - Intolerance
Dandy Warhols - Nietzsche
(The Ramones - Beat On The Brat)
(The Ramones - The Crusher)
R.E.M. - Losing My Religion
Tool - The Grudge
Dandy Warhols - Plan A
(The Clash - London Calling)

Drabbles series.

(Garden of Serenity - The Ramones)
(You Were The Last High - Dandy Warhols)

Death Eater Rock is uber-sexual, overwhelmingly dominated by the Red Hot Chili Peppers.

Blood Sugar Sex Magic - Red Hot Chilli Peppers
The Power Of Equality - Red Hot Chilli Peppers
If You Have To Ask - Red Hot Chilli Peppers
Smooth Operator - Sade
Funky Monks - Red Hot Chilli Peppers
Suck My Kiss - Red Hot Chilli Peppers
(Jezebel - Sade)
The Righteous & The Wicked - Red Hot Chilli Peppers
Give It Away - Red Hot Chilli Peppers
Under The Bridge - Red Hot Chilli Peppers
Naked In The Rain - Red Hot Chilli Peppers
My Lovely Man - Red Hot Chilli Peppers
(Sleep - The Dandy Warhols)

Hey You is bleak and airy, dominated by Soundgarden.

Hey You (of course) - Pink Floyd (Percy theme)
Fell On Black Days - Soundgarden (Ron theme)
Superunknown - Soundgarden (Draco theme)
Comfortably Numb - Pink Floyd (Percy theme)
Head Down - Soundgarden (Ministry workers' theme)
Like Suicide - Soundgarden (Percy/Mabel)
Limo Wreck - Soundgarden (Ministry theme)
(O, Caritas - Cat Stevens)

Music is very dark/acoustic.
Fade To Black - Metallica (hey, it's short - Ron plays it)

Clutching At Rainbows is, well.
(Breaking The Girl - Red Hot Chili Peppers)

Screw Your Ethics and Six Week Charade don't have music.

SNAFU is pounding, driven, non-stop metal, dominated by Metallica.

No Sleep Till Brooklyn - Beastie Boys (Ron and Draco theme)
(In The Meantime - Helmet)
Unsung - Helmet
Turned Out - Helmet
Beds Are Burning - Midnight Oil
Brave Faces - Midnight Oil
Stick It Out - Rush
Enter Sandman - Metallica
The Unforgiven - Metallica
Master Of Puppets - Metallica (Draco and Lucius theme)
Orion - Metallica (Percy theme)
Let Me Drown - Soundgarden (the Drowning Room theme)
The Day I Tried To Live - Soundgarden (Percy theme)
Fight Fire With Fire - Metallica
Ride The Lightning - Metallica
For Whom The Bell Tolls - Metallica
Trapped Under Ice - Metallica (Draco skating)
Escape - Metallica
Added! -> The Call Of Ktulu - Metallica
(Might move Limo Wreck - Soundgarden here)

Stand In The Ruins is wistful, airy and dark, dominated by Soundgarden again.

Fourth Of July - Soundgarden
Black Hole Sun - Soundgarden

Celebrate Life is soft and painful, dominated by... okay, no one dominates this one.

Ruins - Cat Stevens
(Sleep - Dandy Warhols might go here instead of end of DER)
Never Had No One Ever - The Smiths
I Could Have Lied - Red Hot Chilli Peppers
(Also open to suggestions. Very.)

Scarred is sexy, sensual and soaring, and doesn't have enough songs to be dominated by anyone.

Last Night I Dreamt That Somebody Loved Me - The Smiths
Sir Psycho Sexy - (edited by ze_dragon to remove the part about the lady cop :)

Thank you, I've got Enter Sandman downloaded. *rubs hands together*

Icarus