Eastbound & Down

A couple days ago Mew’s Twitter search got my curious when something called Eastbound & Down was mentioned multiple times. Didn’t know anything about this HBO television series, but it seems to be very popular. I just watched the most recent episode (Season 2 – Episode 6: Chapter 12) and it looked very funny. The reason I watched it was the fact that it ends with Comforting Sounds. Most of the three minute long instrumental is being played during the end credits, but if millions of people see this, some of them might be interested. I googled it, and many people were wondering about the tune. This is the kind of exposure Mew need in America where only a small group of music lovers are aware of them.

I have often played with the idea that Mew would write a James Bond theme song. In all its epicness, An Envoy to the Open Fields already sounds like one, right? Play the song on any Bond intro and you’ll know what I mean. Mew would write an awesome track for a big Hollywood movie if asked.

The more people get to hear tunes like Comforting Sounds, the more they will use them in various YouTube -videos and such. It’s a small and unofficial step in “promoting” music, but a major one when repeated often. This very recent video uses the aforementioned song, and is quite wonderful in general, cause at the same time it’s a tribute to one of my favourite Japanese film directors. If you have not seen any movies by Hirokazu Koreeda, track down Dare mo shiranai (Nobody Knows, 2004) at least. It’s probably the most beautiful Japanese movie of the last decade and the lead actor Yûya Yagira was named Best Actor at Cannes Film Festival when he was only 14 (youngest ever winner there).

Tero Heikkinen

7 thoughts on “Eastbound & Down”

  1. Holy crap, WHAT? So it plays during the end credits of every episode? I watched the first season when it was aired and loved it, but I haven’t been watching the second season because I’ve been busy. I’m pretty shocked… let’s just say it isn’t the kind of show I would ever associate Mew with, haha.

  2. Very cool. This is NOT a show you would expect Mew to be played on but I’m glad they got the exposure. I live in the States and this show is very popular here like most HBO series. Hope it helps with their popularity; I often feel like a lone wolf.

  3. I have been a fan since I found And The Glass-Handed Kites – I have had a problem posting official videos because they load so slowly or I would share more – maybe you could suggest loading some faster loading videos to youtube for us to be evangelists for Mew – I try to share with everyone how amazing Mew is

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