Unoriginal Soundtracks: Plants vs. Zombies Edition

Every other Wednesday I share a playlist of songs tangentially related to a single game. Songs about alien sex for Mass Effect, songs about world leaders for Civilization, and so on. Searching for random terms on Spotify is a great way to discover new music and rediscover old classics.

Plants vs Zombies' cute aesthetic and accessible, addictive play are slowly infecting game platforms beyond its PC patient zero. Popcap promoted it with an even more infectious music video from the soundtrack's composer, Laura Shigihara. To get this song out of my head, I compiled this playlist. This certainly helped, as it sent me off on tangents, listening to every artist on the list.

#1: Tom Petty - Zombie Zoo

Tom Petty is the sound I have in my head when I think of the USA. I'd need some Tom Petty on my MP3 player if I was to make that stereotypical road-trip that is romantic there, but depressing here in Britain. I expect this was his thinking when he recorded his Highway Companion concept album.

#2: Cherie Currie, Wayne Crammer, and Tommy Ramone - Cherry Bomb

Although Cherie Currie first sang this with the Runaways (an all-female punk band that featured Joan Jett), I prefer this version for the uninhibited guitar from MC5's Wayne Krammer. Currie still performs, but spends a lot of her time chainsaw carving. Her website is one of the weirdest I've found researching this feature. These bears now haunt my dreams.

#3: Heart - Sunflower

I had no idea the band that wrote Barracuda still existed until I found this song. The 2010 album this song comes from -- Red Velvet Car -- is surprisingly laid-back and worth listening to. It's patchy, but at least it's updated my image of them as has-been hard-rockers from the seventies.

#4: Sparklehorse - Marigold

This track is from Sparklehorse's last solo album. He, Mark Linkous, committed suicide earlier this year. Linkous spent more than twenty years in the music industry, performing, producing, and collaborating with several artists. He curated, produced, and performed on the brilliant The Late Great Daniel Johnston: Discovered Covered double album, which was both a best-of and tribute album to the singer-songwriter.

#5: Jonathan Coulton - Re: Your Brains

I usually try to avoid obvious choices, but it was either this or Fela Kuti's twelve-minute track Zombie. And that would've overpowered the playlist. You probably shouldn't be on the internet if you don't know who Jonathan Coulton is -- he wrote Still Alive, from the Portal soundtrack. Now you can stay.

#6: Tilly and the Wall - Nights of the Living Dead

Tilly and the Wall can make a big sound with their three singers, guitars, and keyboards. They don't have a drummer though. This song showcases the texture their percussion section creates. Its led by Jamie Pressnall -- a tap dancer. Her stage stomping, along with the sound of breaking glass, sounds suitably disastrous.