Music plays a leading role in the best series

To begin this short review we will start with one of the series of the moment: “The last of us”. Acclaimed by both critics and audiences, it manages to bring to the small screen the oppressive and dangerous atmosphere of a world on the verge of extinction which is the scenario for the video game from which this story arises. Much of that atmosphere is generated by the soundtrack, as in the two instalments of the video game, by the Argentine composer Gustavo Santaolalla. Far from great instrumental productions and unnecessary gimmickry, it focusses on a minimalist and organic composition with which it manages to boost both the emotional aspect of the story and the most terrifying. A spectacular work, which is complemented brilliantly with a selection of songs by other artists that also appear throughout the plot, including Depeche Mode, Pearl Jam, Linda Ronstadt and Hank Williams. Not forgetting his work together with Kevin Kiner in "Narcos: Mexico", and in a similar style to "The last of us", we should also highlight his compositions for the disturbing but delightful animated series 'The House'.

The music is included in a different, but very interesting and original way, in the series called The Boys: Through the t-shirts used by Howie's bands. What starts out as a simple anecdote for music lovers (above all rock fans) becomes the central thread for the story which leaves spectators wondering about the group that will appear on the next t-shirt. Without appearing on the soundtrack, the bands that appear on their t-shirts are a kind of secondary feature that helps differentiate it from the rest of the characters, and establish the personality of the character: A middle-aged man who still feels young and connected to popular culture. As for rock, Howie does not leave anything out, throughout the three seasons released so far we have seen him with t-shirts featuring artists including AC/DC, Kiss, Ramones, James Taylor, Billy Joel, Van Halen and Journey. Here is a high-voltage playlist we have prepared for you. Also the comic which was an inspiration for the series and which we also recommend.

Still with great rock hits, the series called 1899 also has some extraordinary music: Each chapter closes with a song alluding to the plot. Each of the eight chapters ends with a fantastic number. The first, White Rabbit, by Jefferson Airplane, one of the hymns of sixties' psychedelia. You begin to hear the song's dark melody at a time when everything in the story is an unknown, and this is a critical moment for the viewer. The song, inspired by the strange world of Alice in Wonderland, is ideal for the moment. Without wishing to spoil anything, (watch out, in any case) the songs at the end of the rest of the chapters are the following: Child in Time (Black Sabbath), The Killing Moon (Echo and the Bunnymen), Don’t Fear the Reaper (Blue Öyster Cult), The Wizard (Black Sabbath), All Along The Watchtower (Jimi Hendrix), The Wind (Cat Stevens) and Starman (David Bowie). Here is the official playlist with the rest of the songs that appear during the chapters.

These are just three relatively current examples of how to use music in a series in a different way, but, as we said at the beginning, soundtracks can also be used to discover new music. This is what happens in another of the best series in recent years: Better Call Saul. If you go to this link, you will find a vast playlist of more than 10 hours full of musical surprises in which you will find everything from a rumba by the Gipsy Kings, to funk disco by Milestones, and including the finest soul music by Little Richard.

To finish, here are some recommendations for series where music plays a leading role. Nashville, which follows the lives of a number of country musicians struggling to make a name for themselves in this city. Vinyl, in which a recording executive in 1970's New York struggles to keep his record label afloat in an ever-changing industry. And finally, The Get Down, which tells the story of a group of teenagers in the Bronx in the 1970s, at the dawning of the Hip-Hop movement.