When a show is so compelling and emotionally provoking, you expect nothing less of the soundtrack that goes with it. Such is the case with "Six Feet Under," where the soundtrack matches the brilliance of the show itself.
The show's premise, two brothers who run a funeral home in Pasadena, Calif., is not one that evokes a happy picture. The show takes in-depth looks at how people deal with the death of a loved one and the way that person dies. The show revolves around a family and how they look at the deaths of others and how this, in turn, affects their family.
Nate Jr., played by Peter Krause (formerly the star of "Sports Night"), came home in the first season to find that his father had died and left him to take charge of the family business. His brother, David Fischer (Michael C. Hall), is a closet homosexual who takes over the role of his father as head of the independent funeral home. Their younger sister Claire, played by Lauren Ambrose ("Can't Hardly Wait"), is a rebellious teenager who wants to focus on her photography instead of her family. Finally, Ruth Fischer, played by Frances Conroy, the widow and mother to the three children, strives hard to keep her family together but isn't very successful.
While the premise of the show isn't the most cheerful, it has kept audiences captivated for five seasons gathering more viewers with each passing year. The show has won over 25 Emmy's since its debut in 2001. So why would the soundtrack be anything less than phenomenal? Point in fact, it is phenomenal, and it carries with it memories of the last episode, the fateful finale that so beautifully wrapped up the series.
The album starts out with an upbeat song aptly named "Feeling Good." The song, by Nina Simone, starts out with just her deep, mellow voice singing "It's a new dawn/It's a new day/It's a new life for me/And I'm feeling good." The song bursts into a jazz-like crescendo with the deep trombone playing and the piano gently tapping away in the background. The drums are softly brushed and lightly tapped to a slow but enticing beat. Her voice is finely tuned but not overwhelming. The song, while slow, makes you want to do line kicks all the way down the street.
Coldplay makes a cameo on the album with the song "Rush of Blood to the Head." Chris Martin croons with the slow strumming of a guitar, singing, "He said I'm gonna buy this place and burn it down/I'm gonna put it six feet under ground." It's pretty fitting for the soundtrack considering the title of the show. The song, while mellow and slow, goes along with the mostly mellow mood of the program itself. Chris Martin's voice compliments the quiet guitar, which gives way to the soothing sounds of the violin and the piano. The song is just so generally consoling that it takes you away somewhere else for a little while.
The Coldplay song gives way to the final song of the series, "Breathe Me" by Sia. Even if you haven't seen the mind-blowing final five minutes of the show in which this song plays, the song is amazingly captivating. However, many will remember that noteworthy scene and the way this song meshed so well with it. The scene shows the future, how each meaningful character of the show dies and when. The song begins with slow piano playing, steady and melodious. Throughout it the combination of the artist's slightly raspy but tuneful voice and the piano, along with the violin that comes later in the song, is enchanting. Memories of lives passing come to mind as the song climaxes in the middle of the song with a rapturous blend of violin, piano, drums and a soft, high-pitched backbeat on the xylophone. Listeners are carried away by the harmony of sound.
Other well-known artists on the soundtrack are Radiohead, Death Cab for Cutie and Imogen Heap, who sings the last song on the album, clocking in at under a minute long. The Caesars do a cover of the Blue Oyster Cult's beloved song "Don't Fear the Reaper." Each song on the album is perfectly suited to the show as well as for life in general. The album's song choices, while different in tempo, type and genre, each have something in common with the others; they all have a little way of soothing the soul.
