This morning, my alarm went off to Nick Drake’s “Pink Moon” and I got a notification telling me that the newest Wes Anderson trailer had dropped. It felt a little serendipitous, considering Nick Drake was featured in his past film The Royal Tenenbaums, and then I got to wondering what kind of good music awaited us in Asteroid City.
What delight, then, to see that even the goddamn trailer for the movie had a banger in it! The song featured is a cover of “Freight Train” by American folk-music pioneer Elizabeth Cotten. I’ve found that knowing who Cotten is, and being familiar with her discography, is often a good tell regarding someone’s music taste. Sure, everyone might know a few folk songs here and there, but to truly be familiar with the people who provided the foundations of the movement demonstrates a real love and curiosity for music in general.
I guess I shouldn’t have expected any less from the guy—or rather, the team, since Asteroid City features the work of Anderson’s longtime go-to music supervisor Randall Poster—who’s provided a discography spanning from Françoise Hardy to Seu Jorge. Still, it’s always delightful to be reminded of just another reason why we love Anderson’s work in the first place.
On that note: Jarvis Cocker, of the band Pulp, will once again be joining Anderson’s cast. Cocker was previously in two of his films, Fantastic Mr. Fox (as Petey) and The French Dispatch (as a pop singer), and in both films he doubles as a side character and as musical relief.
What a great place to find ourselves in the middle of the week, all this good stuff to look forward to. Feel free to leave a comment with any artists you hope Anderson will use!
(featured image: Pop. 87 Productions/Focus Features)
