Various Artists - Don't Be So Dramatic (2020)

I've just finished watching the mesmerising German Netflix drama 'Dark', and having heard the theme song twenty-six times in two weeks it's worked its way its to my brain to become one of my favourite songs of the moment. Another theme tune that did that was the one for the Scandinavian crime thriller 'The Bridge', so much so that I actively sought out the identity of the artist after about four episodes. There have been many outstanding dramas coming over here to the UK from the US and Europe in the last decade, and a number of them have had the most memorable, haunting theme tunes, so I've put together an album of some of my favourites. With the exception of 'Game Of Thrones', which is quite upbeat, in general they all have an oppressive, sinister feel to them. The dramas they come from tend to have an underlying threat to their storylines, from the horror of 'The Walking Dead' and 'American Horror Story', via the crime thrillers of 'Breaking Bad' and 'The Killing', to the supernatural fantasy of 'Les Revenants' and 'Stranger Things'. 'Chernobyl' was one of the outstanding series of last year, and the music fitted the visuals so perfectly that it became an integral part of the viewing. It was composed by Icelandic composer Hildur Guðnadóttir, and incorporated sound recordings from an actual nuclear power plant. Danish political thriller 'Borgen' was a surprise hit with me, as I didn't think I'd like it but by the end I was hooked, and 'Le Bureau Des Reves' is part of a new wave of French thrillers which are making their way over here. This album won't be for everybody, but if you have a fondness for atmospheric instrumental music such as that purveyed by the likes of Godspeed! You Black Emperor then I think you'll find much to enjoy on here.

Track listing

01 Hollow Talk (Choir Of Young Believers) [from 'The Bridge']
02 Game Of Thrones (Ramin Djawdi)
03 The Killing (Frans Bak)
04 Stranger Things (Kyle Dixon/Michael Stein)
05 Hungry Face (Mogwai) [from 'Les Revenants']
06 The Walking Dead (Bear McCreary)
07 American Horror Story (Cesar Davila-Irizarry/Charlie Clouser)
08 Borgen (Halfdan E Nielsen)
09 Goodbye (Apparat) [from 'Dark']
10 Breaking Bad (Dave Porter)
11 Evacuation (Hildur Guðnadóttir) [from 'Chernobyl']
12 Le Bureau Des Reves (Théo Bernard)