Shiny music, Cap'n!

April 18, 2009 3:45 PM

So, I'm running a Firefly/Serenity roleplaying game and I'm looking for recommendations for some suitable background music...

...of course I've bought the series and movie sountrack CDs, now I'm looking for some music that captures the spirit of the background.

I'm looking for something 'traditional Chinese' sounding, but maybe played on modern instruments, or with modern overtones/beats etc., and the same with something 'Border world Browncoat-ey' and 'Central planets Alliance-ey' (which might well be the Chinese sounds but other stuff too).

I'm not so much looking for songs/tunes *about* the series and characters but more the kind of music they might hear about the 'verse, in the bars/ports when they land to do crime and be bad guys!

Any suggestions would be shiny, thank you!

posted by timpollard to media & arts (22 comments total)

Music for the Motherless Child by Martin Simpson and Wu Man
An acoustic duet between an Eastern and Western musician, with both slow and fast pieces.

The Orphan's Lament by Huun-Huur-Tur
A blend of Mongolian throat singing and traditional Asian instruments, something I'd imagine Book heard a lot of and others heard on the market streets of major cities.

Portishead seems it would evoke the long trips out in the black while mirroring the emotions running through a lot of the crew and their relationships.
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 4:05 PM on April 18

Maybe experimental zither player Zeng Xiaogang.
posted by sharkfu at 4:14 PM on April 18

Damon Albarn (Gorillaz, Blur) has produced a few cool Western/Chinese hybrids recently:

"Hong Kong" uses Chinese instruments with hip-hop beats and English Vocals.

Monkey: Journey to the West is a modern operatic interpretation of a classical Chinese story.

Enjoy!
posted by martens at 4:19 PM on April 18

Arovane - Tides. The rest of the album is similar. I'm not particularly familiar with the show, but if ambient and/or new age is a possibility you should look into David Parsons.
posted by rhizome at 4:22 PM on April 18

Not Asian, but I stumbled across Tom Adams' "Box Elder Beetles" (Amazon preview here) on a compilation CD I bought, and was struck at how much it sounded like something that would fit into a Firefly episode.
posted by fings at 4:42 PM on April 18

Earth, "The Bees Made Honey in the Lion's Skull"

Not Chinese, but totally space Western. Maybe not good for the bar music, but atmospheric grand and brooding stuff for when they are out there wrapped in cold darkness.

Also: I want to play this game.
posted by BitterOldPunk at 4:42 PM on April 18

I'm going with Melt-Banana (Japanese Noise Rock) in the serious drinking bars, Jinx (Bhangra) in the more genteel nightspots, Johnny Cash in the ship cockpits, and whale song in the elevators. Then there's the stuff that permeates everything out there: solar radio glare.
posted by EnsignLunchmeat at 5:04 PM on April 18

Check out Abigail Washburn and the Sparrow Quartet -- they do classically-trained bluegrass and traditional Chinese folk songs (but bluegrassy-style). They are very good. Plus, her name is Washburn.

I also want to play this game.
posted by librarina at 5:52 PM on April 18

You might like Sa DingDing.
posted by Soliloquy at 6:25 PM on April 18

Guys (and I mean that in a positive non-gender specific way, of course) you are all awesome and I'm greatly endebted to you - thank you all so much!

I'll enjoy checking those out and you all have a standing invite to join the game, of course!

Xie xie!
posted by timpollard at 7:19 PM on April 18

i think if i was robbing a bank in space i'd like to have something like this as the soundtrack...
posted by jammy at 7:21 PM on April 18 [1 favorite has favorites]

try anything by the Shanghai Restoration Project - beats plus oriental instrumentation.
posted by Lipstick Thespian at 8:12 PM on April 18

My mix for a similar situation.

The mix is entitled "This Occupation's Got to Go."

• What Planet Is This? -- Yoko Kanno, Cowboy Bebop Motion Picture Soundtrack
• Suits Are Picking Up The Bill -- Squirrel Nut Zippers
• Keep The Bugs Off Your Glass And The Bears Off Your Ass -- The Bad Plus
• Penitentiary Bound -- Bishop Allen
• Standing Bird -- Love Psychedelico
• Knock 'em Down -- Firewater
• Big Iron -- Marty Robbins
• Talibe -- Nuru Kane
• I Got Nobody Waiting For Me -- M. Craft
• Starlight -- Muse
• Laureen's Tune -- Shooglenifty
• Long Way Home -- Tom Waits
• No Money -- Yoko Kanno, Cowboy Bebop Motion Picture Soundtrack

posted by pts at 8:47 PM on April 18

How about Snog (my favourite band, I must say) They have a really unique sound - futuristic, anti-establishment, and they like to use a lot of samples from old soundtracks, so some of their stuff has a real space-spaghetti western feel to it. it's fun. Look for songs off the album Buy Me I'll Change Your Life for the most western-sounding songs.
posted by 5_13_23_42_69_666 at 9:53 PM on April 18

Seconding Sa Ding-Ding.

You could also try the album Chinese Dub by Jah Wobble and the Chinese Dub Orchestra.

And while strictly speaking it's Japanese in style, rather than Chinese, unless your players are ethnomusicographers Setsubun Bean Unit might fit the bill as well (aside from being a stonkingly good album, imo).
posted by kxr at 3:19 AM on April 19

Knights of Cydonia by Muse. Not Chinese, I'm afraid, but I can't hear it without thinking of Firefly.
posted by bibliophibianj at 4:29 AM on April 19

Wow, this is fantastic! Thank you all! I'm about to start running an Exalter game, and I had gotten as far as The House of Flying Daggers soundtrack. These all look way better!

(I, too, want to be in your game!)
posted by Squid Voltaire at 7:53 AM on April 19

Er, and by Exatler, I mean Exalted, White Wolf Wuxia.
posted by Squid Voltaire at 7:53 AM on April 19

Could this game be available in some sort of real-time, online version? Nthing the 'I'd love to play' response :)
posted by chrisinseoul at 9:55 AM on April 19

Well, Tan Dun immediately comes to mind.
posted by speicus at 10:37 AM on April 19

This may sound like an unusual connection, but I really find that a lot of Nickel Creek's instrumental music like Scotch and Chocolate, First and Last Waltz and this song called (No Title) really has the same feel as some of the Firefly music.

Not in the Asian music mode exactly...or at all, but the interstitial music that they played on the show really has the same vibe as these Nickel Creek tunes. Give a listen.
posted by Overzealous at 12:09 PM on April 19

Hee, I would listen to the Deadwood Soundtrack. Firefly was really a western at heart. :)
posted by frecklefaerie at 8:32 AM on April 20