Regardless, enjoy!
-CVF
I've been waiting to write about this one for some time now, I mentioned it a couple of times on the podcast way back when, and had planned to do something written around then. Part of the delay has also been the potential NSFW as mentioned at the top of the post but I figured that now is as good a time as any to pull the trigger.
Yes today we're talking another soundtrack, this time for the quite obviously risqué Panty & Stocking With Garterbelt. A coming on 10-year old anime that was born of a simple idea; what if a show in the style of the Powerpuff Girls was just outright filth? And so you have a show about a couple of angels kicked out of heaven who are only interested in sugary sweets and sex.
For a show with such a lowbrow premise it's actually really funny, and if you watch it in English you could pretty much mistake it for an [adult swim] show. Anyway, the show itself hits the same buttons for me as sleazy electroclash does, but I will sing the praises of the soundtrack all day every day to boot, it's incredibly fitting and (if you pardon the 2010's blog vernacular and innuendo) actually banging. Let's dive in.
Kicking off with the track that sparked this idea in my head, PSG wastes no time dropping quality tunes as this one shows up in episode 1. I said this on the podcast too, but part of what I love so much about this OST is that it is absolutely a throwback to that era of electro and 'bloghouse', which was kinda dying out by tail end of the 2000s. And it fits the slightly seedy overtones so well.
It's TeddyLoid that consistently steals the show, this soundtrack was my introduction to his works, and that super loud throwback electro sound is his staple. Corset Theme is a prime example of that, and also showcases something else I've grown to love about TeddyLoid's works; that distortion on the vocals throughout is great, but when it's kicked into high gear on the more shouty parts it's incredible and really gives the production a feeling of power. Also of note, I'm skipping over some of the extra sleazy tracks on the OST with names that wouldn't be out of place on an electroclash release like "Beverly Hills Cock", "Dancefloor Orgy" and "Technodildo"
Moving out of electro and TeddyLoid territory for the time being, I was hoping to drop this one on Adam back when we were podcasting because it would be supremely up his alley with that MIDI Piano stab intro. And that's not the only piece of inspiration this one takes from vintage house, rave and garage; the vocals are a natural one too, hitting that same groove from the get go. But that's not all, I wish you all could have seen my face the first time I hit the bit after the breakdown around 1:43 or so, something about those Robin S style synths in the background really made it hit home in the best way possible.
There is a follow up OST album too, ironically called "The Worst Album". This one features even more genre variety, including some of TeddyLoid and the like's foray's into Dubstep (that do sound a bit dated, but I am still burnt out on that style of Dubstep so take that with a hint of bias). That being said the excellent tunes don't stop, this one was made for a throwaway montage scene and only appears in 1(!) episode. And like Champion, when I hear those 8-bits of the intro crop up in shuffle, I can't help but smile a little and get ready for the lovely wobbly Drum & Bass to come.
The D&B continues into the latter half of the LP, with this fantastic flip of the ending theme Fallen Angel. Continuing the theme of throwbacks, this takes me right back to when I fell into a Liquid Funk obsession back in Univeristy courtesy of Hospital Records. Every now and then they come out with a tune that takes me back, but I've yet to hear one that does it as strongly as this remix. I really can't praise it enough; from creative chops of vocals to being a mostly original composition it's all in all a fantastic remix. I could live in those euphoric breakdowns forever.
Spotify is sadly missing the 'third' OST album, which contains full versions of some tracks with the voice actors over them on the above two albums, but frankly I'm just happy to have these two back so I can share them in all their smutty glory. I was intending to put a couple more tunes too but I think this is long enough as is. I urge you to check out the albums if you at all like what you've heard, and if you end up watching the show too all the better! As always folks, stay safe out there and enjoy the music.
-CVF
