The Unclean Playlist

As many of you know, whenever I write a book, I put together a playlist whose songs reflect various aspects or themes of the work. My playlist for Unclean (which drops February 19th!) is just about finished. You can follow it on Spotify and both enjoy the songs and keep up to date on any future additions to the list. In this post, I'll discuss the meaning behind my choices for a few of my fave songs on the list. In case you don't have Spotify, I'll also list all the songs at the end of this post, and you can find them on the streaming service of your choice.

I recently discovered The Secret Sisters, and I adore this song, "He's Fine." It's about pining for a lost/stolen love, and it makes me think of my character Daved Jennin, who loves Shiloh passionately but lost her to Silas when Silas arranged his marriage to Shiloh.

When I was young, Death Cab for Cutie (once known as The Postal Service) was all the rage. "You've Haunted Me All My Life" makes me think of the connection between Silas and Shiloh that began when Silas killed her mother on the occasion of Shiloh's birth, when Silas, himself, was barely more than a child.

Now, not all of the song fits, but take a look at these lyrics:

You've haunted me all my life

Through endless days and countless nights

There was a storm when I was just a kid

Stripped the last code of innocence . . .

And there's a flaw in my heart's design

For I keep trying to make you mine

Sound like a certain Lord Northgate we know and love?

Unclean finds the somewhat formal and strained relationship between Shiloh and Silas begin to develop a more romantic character. That prompted me to include another Secret Sisters song, "Rattle My Bones."

Lastly for today, a Laura Marling cover of "A Hard Rain's Gonna Fall" represent's Shiloh's avenging angel determination through much of the story in Unclean.

Here's a full list for your listening pleasure, and don't forget to order your copy of Unclean!

"Fast and Slow" by Sons of the East

"Ain't No Rest for the Wicked" by Cage the Elephant

"Hard Time" by Seinabo Say

"Electric Bones" by Findlay

"I Will Follow You Into The Dark" by Death Cab for Cutie

"Kid Fears" by the Indigo Girls

"Laughing With" by Regina Spektor

"Blue Lips" by Regina Spektor

"You've Haunted Me All My Life" by Death Cab for Cutie

"Far Away My Love" by Old Bear Mountain

"A Hard Rain's Gonna Fall" by Laura Marling

"The River Song" by Old Bear Mountain

"Medicine" by Old Bear Mountain

"Pilgrim (You Can't Go Home)" by Dave Rawlings Machine

"Long Time Traveller" by The Wailin' Jennys

"Ain't No Grave" by Crooked Still

"The Littlest Birds" by The Be Good Tanyas

"He's Fine" by The Secret Sisters

"Tomorrow Will Be Kinder" by The Secret Sisters

"If I Don't" by The Secret Sisters

"Motherless Child" by The Wailin' Jennys

"Away But Never Gone" by The Wailin' Jennys

"The Times They Are A-Changin'" by Bob Dylan