Famous for Killing Each Other: Music from and Inspired By Hatfields & Mccoys

Much like Neil Young’s similarly stark soundtrack to 1995’s Dead Man, Kevin Costner and his band Modern West—that’s right, the same Kevin Costner who starred in Waterworld and The Postman—have crafted a hauntingly beautiful album of songs orbiting around the History Channel’s mini-series Hatfields & McCoys. Ambient drones, hushed electric guitar feedback, and the deep resonance of a minimally picked acoustic guitar provide the opening instrumental, “Hammer and Guns.” The following “How Deep the Water Runs” plays like a rootsy T-Bone Burnett production, as old fiddle tones and distant banjo notes provide perfect sonic alchemy to Costner’s craggy vocals. Sara Beck's lilting voice makes “I Know These Hills” an outstanding track; the weepy fiddle and muted banjo off in the distance help make the song sound like an outtake from O Brother, Where Art Thou?. “I Look to No One” recalls Billy Bob Thornton’s penchant for spoken-word narratives set to traditional Americana music, though this particular song grooves on modern downtempo beats.