Our Blog

(Image Credit: Cakespy)

The bad news is that it’s Monday again. The good news? We’ve scoured the internet for the week’s finest links so you don’t have to. Whether you are looking for some sweet new coloring pages or a mixtape that perfectly captures the late October vibe, we’re sure to have something to help make your day a little brighter.

She’s creepy and she’s spooky, and what she does to evil men is altogether ooky, making Lisbeth Salander one heck of a memorable character. This girl is more than her tattoos (dragon or otherwise), piercings, and goth wardrobe. She lives a dark, intense life and her playlist reflects that. Brace your eardrums, because it’s going to get loud.

“Firestarter” – The Prodigy

A perfect song for the girl who played with fire. Sent to a psychiatric hospital at twelve for a violent act involving a Molotov cocktail against a man who was brutally abusive to her mother, she’s clearly not afraid to take extreme measures when fighting for something she believes in: 

“I'm the trouble starter, punkin' instigator.
I'm the fear addicted, danger illustrated.
I'm a firestarter, twisted firestarter.”

"Thrown Away" – VAST

Lisbeth has spent much of her life surrounded by people who view her as insane and worthless. While she rarely (if ever) shows her vulnerability, she’s certainly able to identify with the isolation, despair and simmering rage of a song like this:

“So let me in
Because I'm out
I know that I am someone
No one said I was”

"Every Day Is Halloween" – Ministry

Anybody who’s ever had a goth phase will closely relate to this song, particularly our favorite black-clad Swedish computer hacker. The lyrics speak for themselves:

“Well any time, any place, anywhere that I go
all the people seem to stop and stare
they say 'Why are you dressed like it's Halloween?
you look so absurd, you look so obscene'
Oh, why can't I live a life for me?
Why should I take the abuse that's served?
Why can't they see they're just like me
It's the same, it's the same in the whole wide world”

"Assimilate" – Skinny Puppy

The cold, electronic heart and furious lungs of industrial music make it a perfect genre for Lisbeth to embrace. And she can easily get lost in the dark, chaotic lyrics of a song like this:

“crazy world of weary thought so receive me had enough
lock me up lock me up
rot and assimilate so hot to annihilate”

"March of the Pigs" – Nine Inch Nails

Salander is obviously a Nine Inch Nails fan, particularly of the earlier stuff when Trent Reznor was working through anger issues (she can relate). She is sure to find this track particularly cathartic:

“all the pigs are all lined up
I give you all that you want
take the skin and peel it back
now doesn't that make you feel better?”

"The Great Shipwreck of Life" – IAMX

Take a bit of nihilism, set it to a catchy electro melody and insistent beat, and you’ve got a song Lisbeth will groove to:

“To the great and the petrified
We all fall down
To the slaves and the civilized
We all fall down”

"Boys Who Rape (Should All Be Destroyed)" – The Raveonettes

There’s no mistaking the meaning of this song from its bold title. Considering the severely brutal methods Lisbeth has used to punish her own attackers, this is a track she has in heavy rotation. Bonus points that the band are her Scandinavian neighbors, (the duo hails from Denmark):

“They rip you to shreds
Make you feel useless
You'll never forget”

"Burn My Shadow" – UNKLE

Her music tastes may lean toward the dark and disturbing side of the radio dial, but she can still appreciate a good tune about overcoming adversity:

“I faced my destroyer
I was ambushed by a lie
And you judged me once for falling
This wounded heart will rise”

"Under Attack" – ABBA

Everyone is entitled to their guilty pleasures and Lisbeth is no different. Odds are she’s a fan of this chirpy foursome from her native Sweden. While this song is about being pursued by an admirer, it’s easy to imagine her giving the lyrics a much more literal interpretation: 

“Under attack, I'm being taken
About to crack, defenses breaking
Won't somebody please have a heart
Come and rescue now 'cause I'm falling apart”

Lewis Carroll’s fair-haired heroine is not your typical seven-year-old. She’s polite, precocious, quick to show off her knowledge. She’s well-mannered, though put off when others aren’t. Last and perhaps most importantly, she’s wildly curious, which serves her well on her surreal and psychedelic explorations in Wonderland. Here’s the thing: Carroll’s stories may be for children, but they are also quite dark and strange, and any playlist worthy of Alice Liddell must reflect that. So press Play and join us on a musical adventure for Alice.

Ground control to Major Tom…

Mark Watney, protagonist of Andy Weir’s novel The Martian, is one fun and feisty astronaut. He may be stranded on a foreign planet, but he has a great attitude about it and is full of creative ideas on how to overcome his (seemingly impossible) predicament. If anyone is worthy of a playlist, it’s this guy. 

Yeah, he just got kicked out of prep school, but this seventeen-year-old is smarter than he gives himself credit for. And okay, he’s judgmental and cynical, and the list of things he has contempt for is never-ending, beginning with grown-ups and phonies. Nevertheless, despite his prickly nature, he’s also honest, vulnerable, and protective of what little innocence he sees in the world. Holden Caulfield has become a poster boy for teen alienation, which is something he’d probably hate. In honor of the original Mr. Misunderstood, here's a playlist to cultivate one's disillusionment.

The bad news is that it’s Monday again. The good news is that we’ve rounded up some of the best bookish, geeky, and crafty links of the last week to help get you through your day. Whether you are looking for a new short story to read, or dreaming of a bookish vacation, there’s sure to be something here to make your Monday a little brighter.