Great Music To The Rescue

Everytime I watch an episode of "Rescue Me," I think to myself, "This show needs to resease a soundtrack with all this great music." Perhaps forgetting I live in a capitalist country, I assumed that nobody had thought to release one. I'm glad to see that I was wrong. The best show on telvision does, indeed, have a soundtrack cd.

The music plays an important part in the show. "C'Mon, C'mon," the title track, is so energetic and catchy that I actually watch the show's intro every single time rather than use TiVo to fast-forward through. And the rest of the tunes are equally edgy and representative of the program.

Denis Leary's firefighter series, Rescue Me, is characterized by its delicate balance of brawn and sentiment. This CD, which collects tunes that have appeared in the first three seasons, reflects that balance, careening from the full-on rock & roll of the Von Bondies (their "C'mon C'mon" is the show's theme) and the Subways ("Oh Yeah") to the pensive, rootsy vibe of Ray Lamontagne ("All the Wild Horses") and the Devlins ("Love Is Blindness"). In his informative liner notes, Leary (who coproduces and cowrites the show in addition to starring in it) explains how he and his crew pick the songs they use. He doesn't really talk about how the songs reflect the show's take on masculinity, but the selections speak for themselves: There may be wives, girlfriends, or daughters, but Rescue Me is essentially about men. Which is perfectly fine, though it may explain why those who like to hear female voices once in a while (the Subways' bassist, Charlotte Cooper, does pipe up) are advised to look elsewhere (at one of the L Word soundtracks maybe?).

previously on WTG: