An Ode to LOST

**Author's Note: This post contains no spoilers about Season Five of LOST, which premiered last night on ABC.**

While some viewers love the science fiction strangeness that has become central to the show, this aspect of the show has alienated others and led to a steady drop in ratings since the first season.  Yet, one of the best aspects of the television series Lost often gets overlooked by both fans and critics of the series.    In this battle of faith and science between compelling characters, the musical score stands out as a gem when compared to most other television shows.

Unlike most other television shows, which rely on synthesized music to provide the musical score, Lost employs a live orchestra to play the music for each episode.  Much in the way that movies are scored, the orchestra on Lost will sit down with the music and play it along with a playing of the episode with a conductor trying to get the orchestra to play in such a way to meet the dramatic swings of each episode.  So, the drama of Lost is enhanced by the excellent music matched with it.

Although some sound effects are repeated to great success, such as the trombone growl that often represents that something strange or crazy is about to happen, it is the sweeping orchestration of such scenes as the launching of the raft in season one or the takeoff of the helicopter in season four that really pull at the heartstrings.  

Lost also excels at using recorded popular music to enhance the shows mythology and character development.  For instance, in a strange moment in the second episode of season five, Hurley is listening to the song "Dream Police." 

Other shows do use live orchestras, but not to the same result as Lost (Family Guy is unfortunately the other major example of a show using a live orchestra).  So, while the characters and stories of Lost will continue to bring me back week after week, the music takes my devotion to the series to the next level.

Top 10 Live Shows of 2009

So, I know that now, in the new age of America, top 10 lists recounting events from last year are banned by executive order.  Yet, this list, which I schemed up during the Bush administration, will still be published.  Yes I Can!  Anyway, this list relates my favorite shows from 2008.  These are all shows that I attended and rocked out at.

10: Spoon @ P4k festival (7/20/2008)

Their last album, GaGaGaGaGa, had been my soundtrack to the summer of 2007 and I was quite pumped to finally see them live.  The set had everything going for it, an excited crowd, the sun setting, and the Chicago skyline, but alas the set disappointed.  The playing was technically sound, but the band gave off the impression that they really were not enjoying themselves.  Still, being 10 feet from the stage at any show is memorable.

9: The Apples in Stereo @ P4k festival (7/20/2008)

They played early in the day and I only knew one of their songs from a commercial, so I was prepared for a lackluster set.  Yet, their pop anthems and crazy attire (keyboardist dressed up in a futuristic cape for example) were the perfect match to the sunny day.

8: Tift Merritt @ Fitzgerald's (7/12/2008)

Thank God for the Onion.  A chance spying of this concert inside the humorous paper led to one of the better nights of intimate music from last year.  Her voice is so pure and perfectly suited for the small venue.  Unfortunately, the crowd was not into it (and way old) and she struggled to convey her emotional songs to the bland room.

7: The Black Keys @ Lollapalooza (8/1/2008)

Similar to the Apples in Stereo, they played relatively early in the day and although they are just two guys, they shook the park. 

6: The Hold Steady @ P4k (7/19/2008)

The perfect festival band.  Interacting with the crowd, running around the stage, and playing rock anthem after rock anthem.  They should have switched time slots with Spoon.

5: Radiohead @ Lollapalooza (8/1/2008)

Radiohead at five?  A once in a lifetime chance to see one of the biggest and most influential bands of my generation doesn't top the list?  The stage show was amazing, with crazy lights and camera angles, but for such a big rock group, the set was kind of quiet.  Even with fireworks going off in the background, the set lacked energy and volume, but maybe being a football field away from the stage does that.

4: Wilco @ Lollapalooza (8/2/2008)

Although they did not have the stage show that Radiohead displayed the previous night, Jeff and company brought fancy suits and a focused energy to their set.  I don't think I've ever seen a crowd where everyone was having such a good time at a festival concert before.  Even though Wilco brings the same atmosphere to every set they play, this night had a harmony to it that even the millionth playing of "Shot in the Arm" could not ruin.

3: Fleet Foxes @ P4k (7/19/2008)

Perfect silence and four part harmonies.  The breakout band of 2008 proved that its music could capture even a large outdoor festival crowd and without even standing up.

2: Jeff Tweedy Benefit for Scholarship @ The Vic (1/26/2008)

A set comprised of requests from the crowd that leaned heavily on older material and rarities sparkled on a cold Chicago night.  

1: The Hives @ The Riviera (2/29/2008)

This is probably the only time I've had beer spilled on me (thanks Scott) and not cared.  It is probably the only time that I will willingly go into a mosh pit.  The energy from the band kept the crowd dancing for their entire hour and half set.  Plus, winning the epic battle for the towel is destined to go down in history.

Honorable mentions:

Jeff Tweedy @ Lollapalooza Kid Stage (8/1/2008)

Wilco @ Barack Obama Benefit (12/7/2007)

Les Savy Fav @ P4k (7/20/2008)

"On and on and on, we'll be together"

“Take off your band-aid ‘cause I don’t believe in touchdowns.”  What does that even mean?  The best guess I have after become a devoted, even obsessed at times, Wilco fan is that Jeff Tweedy is trying to convey that there will be no reconciliation for the broken relationship he is singing about in this song, “I Am Trying to Break Your Heart” off of Yankee Hotel Foxtrot.  Yet, when I first paid attention to this line it came by way of an away message.  More specifically, for weeks on end Mike used this as his go to message and somehow it crazily hooked me into my love affair with Wilco and Jeff Tweedy. 

I must confess that I should have listened to Wilco sooner than I did.  I remember hearing about Yankee Hotel Foxtrot while still in high school when the release of album became a noteworthy event in the Chicago area.  Also, I put that album and a few more Wilco albums on my iPod during the great file sharing extravaganza that was OurTunes during freshman and sophomore year of college.  I even saw Wilco play at Lollapalooza in 2006 and, while I enjoyed hearing “Heavy Metal Drummer,” I played cards during the entire set.  So, it took a crazy away message and my third year of college to turn me into the rabid fan I have become. 

Things clicked into place for my junior year of college.  I started studying a subject that I love, history, and began to really feel like I had found my place on campus through the music program and my love of playing trumpet and in my personal relationships.  And then, while Mike proudly proclaimed to not believe in touchdowns, I discovered how gorgeous Yankee Hotel Foxtrot was after a chance viewing of the Wilco documentary with the guys.  From that point on I could not get enough of Tweedy’s songs. 

Two other moments stand out as significant in the building of my love for Wilco.  The day after Thanksgiving concert in Chicago that same year gave me my first live experience with the band since becoming familiar with more than just a few singles and, combined that with perfect seats and great company, stands out as one of the best concerts I have attended.  Second, I took a long road trip by myself over Christmas break that year and I listened to the entire Wilco catalog of albums from start to finish with no distractions. 

Mike asked me to write this summary of why I loved Wilco just before graduation and I never got around to it because of the timing of his request and because I did not know what I would write.  There is no one song that speaks to me and there is no one album that I can consistently call my favorite.  I even enjoy most of A.M.!  Wilco just became synonymous with my college experience, much as I imagine that the Beatles and Bob Dylan were to previous generations.  I cherish the fact that listening to Wilco will always bring me back to my college memories and I would bet that their music will continue to provide a soundtrack to my life moving forward. 

PV