alonewiththemoon | cd swap 2008 (Reply)

Every year an extended circle of friends has a cd swap party--everybody makes a mix cd and through drawing numbers from a hat (a literal hat this year!) everybody goes home with somebody else's cd. My cd this year was a soundtrack to an imaginary movie. It's a blatant Matrix rip off, influenced by that Hal Hartley movie I watched a couple of weeks ago. The idea for the comp came to me while listening to my mp3 player, hearing a song and thinking "this would be a perfect song for a chase scene in a movie..."

World Town: The Uprising
Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
Compiled by Badriya Z 2008

“Drifting” by Maduro (Juno Wakes) Opening credits; the bleak cityscape, the Corporation’s totalitarian regime, grey people in a grey world
“Green Sparrow” by Paul Mercer (Ghosts) Sparrow sits at her computer in her home module, illuminated by the green glow of the screen, communicating with others around the world who question the Corporation. She is onto something big.
“Into a Swan” by Siouxsie (Mantaray) Heavy footsteps on the stairs, discovery, wirework flight across the rooftops, a parcour chase through the city streets, down into the tunnels below civilized life
“World Town” by M.I.A. (Kala) Refuge with the global underworld, the World Town: hands up, guns out, she’s in the revolution now and there’s no way back even if she wanted one
“Esh ’Dani, Alash Mshit--Rai of Light Mix” by DJ Cheb I Sabbah (La Ghriba: La Kahena Remixed) A plane, a train, a camel caravan make a dotted line across a global map as Sparrow travels to a World Town base in Algeria. Training both in the high concept world of systems analysis and in the immediate direct world of brute force and bullets, meeting others like her who will fight for the freedom of the world
“Exhale” by Mission on Mars (Bellyqueen Jam) Sparrow meets Rajah: precious days and nights in an oasis of body and soul
“Keep Your Distance” by Amon Tobin (The Foley Room) The sky turns angry orange one night, kids from the nearby village report Corporation vehicles on the move, betrayal from within--the World Town base is annihilated. Rajah draws off Corporation pursuit so that Sparrow and her knowledge will not be captured. She last sees him in Corporation custody, kneeling in the sand among the faceless soldiers.
“Desired Constellations” by Bjork (Medulla) In the rubble and debris, Sparrow takes stock, gathering the other survivors both from World Town and the nearby village. There is only one goal now, to somehow redeem the sacrifice of Rajah and the others. The Corporation must have a weakness. It must.
“Go Tell the Women” by Grinderman (Grinderman) Sparrow and her band enter the Corporation stronghold, gathering information about their enemy and planning their attack. The Corporation officers believe their position secure, the World Town barbarian rabble routed.
“Forces of Victory” by Gogol Bordello (Super Taranta!) The final showdown: the World Town remnants attack, some with electrons and viruses, others with fists and guns and farm tools. Sparrow does not care whether she lives or dies. All that matters is bringing down the Corporation. Unknown to each Sparrow and Rajah fight their ways towards each other. Victory at last, and hearts made whole again.
“Green Sparrow Reprise” by Paul Mercer (Ghosts) Lit once again by the screen’s green glow, Sparrow reads Corporation files and learns that this complex was one of many, and that the Corporation’s plans are far from complete. The battle in Algeria is won, but it was only the first shot in the war to come.
“A Place Called Home” by PJ Harvey (Stories from the City, Stories from the Sea) Sparrow and Rajah watch the remains of the Corporation complex burn, hand in hand, turning their backs to walk out into the desert sunset. Fade to black. The end credits roll.

For anyone who saw (or won) the cd, that futuristic building on the cover is actually located at the Library of Alexandria in Egypt, it's the planetarium.

I share the general discontent with this daylight savings thing.