The Walking Dead: AMC Original Soundtrack, Vol. 1

Editors’ Notes When the zombie apocalypse comes, you’ll want a solid soundtrack to play while you’re dodging brain-eating minions of the undead. Sure, it took three seasons of The Walking Dead before the good folks at AMC bestowed fans with a soundtrack, but (as bands like My Bloody Valentine and Mazzy Star have shown us) you can’t rush good music. Jamie N Commons sets a desolate, dystopian tone here with his haunting acoustic blues opener, “Lead Me Home.” As his lyrics beg and pray to be shown a safe way home, it’s easy to think of the series’ characters and wonder if there’s any chance for a home to exist in a world ravaged by hungry cannibalistic walkers. Bear McCreary’s “Main Title Theme Song” gets the remix treatment by UNCLE, giving the eerie notes and tones some much-needed life. Voxhaul Broadcast’s unsettling “You Are the Wilderness” sounds influenced by post–White Stripes indie-blues bands like The Black Keys and Wolfmother. Baby Bee’s “Love Bug” shares a similar love for cranked old tube amps, distorted vocals, and slide guitar.