Californication: Season 4 Soundtrack
The soundtrack collaboration for the fourth season of Showtime’s Californication is primarily a collection of ballsy underground hard-rock and alternative tunes with a few exceptions.
The first song “F**k You (I’m Famous)” by Shooter Jennings & Hierophan is a classic sounding cocky in-your-face anthem, a perfectly catchy yet raw punch to the ears. Following the opening track was a respectable and solid cover of the Stealer Wheels Classic “Stuck in the Middle With You” re-dubbed “Stuck in the Metal” and performed by the ironically genre inconsistently named Eagles of Death Metal.
Other tracks which really stood out included a chick-powered, hard-as-nails yet surprisingly sexy cover of the Misfits timeless tune “Last Caress” which was performed by the programs show based band Queens of Dogtown, who also offer two other enjoyable tracks to the compilation.
The first half of the compilation was mostly high-octane fueled good O’l Rock & Roll. Which included the aid of Better Than Ezra and stoner-metal legends Monster Magnet performing with No Doubt’s<./I> Adrian Young. Not to mention the awesome, dirty, gritty, electro-industrial sound of My Life With The Thrill Kill Kult with their song “Sex on Wheelz.”
However, the second half took a slower, more introspective turn musically. Camper Van Beethoven founder David Lowery’s “Turn on, Tune In, Drop Out..With Me” most certainly stood out as possibly the biggest highlight of the collection, offering a far more relaxed, indie sound than the albums previous tracks. With a sometimes Billy Bragg voice and Pavement-like instrumentals.
Other notable tracks towards the end of the album included legend Warren Zevon’s “Wanted Dead or Alive,” as well as a somber, depressing and awesomely dark song entitled “Second Life Replay” by The Soundtrack of Our Lives.
The soundtrack concluded first with a fantastic folk-rock number called “If I Go I’m Goin” by Gregory Alan Isakov and then closed curtains with a cover of the Prince Of Darkness, Ozzy Osborne’s “Home Sweet Home” performed by Tommy Lee.
Regardless if you are a fan of the series or not, this could be a key album in your collection. Anyone interested in possibly discovering some great new (or not so new) solid rock groups should absolutely check this one out.