Shameless (Music From the Television Series)

Showtime’s remake of the award-winning British comedy largely revolves around the children of the dysfunctional Gallagher family, with their disparate struggles through life neatly echoed in the show’s eclectic, indie-dominated song score. “This is what these kids would listen to,” explains music supervisor Ann Kline. “None of them are really mainstream; they all have their own style. So we started integrating songs throughout the whole show, and now it's almost like the music's in their heads or it's the music of their neighborhood. We wanted this whole show to feel kind of messy and rebellious and different.” Yet it’s anarchy with an infectious heart, as evidenced by The High Strung’s title tune, “The Luck You Got,” and the U.S. debut of Brit cult star David E. Sugar’s “Written Down.” Kline has used more than 700 songs in the series so far, which made selecting this collection daunting. “We tried to include songs (and bands) that really captured the essence of the show," she notes. "Some are wild (FidLAr, The Moog, Reverend Peyton’s Big Damn Band), some quirky (Wild Yaks), and some are really sad (Chris Pureka, JBM). But all are Shameless.”