Promotional consideration provided by 20th Century Fox.
In Alexandra Bracken's beloved young adult novel The Darkest Minds, we were introduced to a group of teens with mysterious new abilities that enabled them to wreak havoc on society. It's the sort of fantastical yet relatable story that makes for the perfect movie treatment — which is precisely why 20th Century Fox hired director Jennifer Yuh Nelson for a film adaptation.
The Darkest Minds, which opens August 3, stars Amandla Stenberg, Mandy Moore and Gwendoline Christie, and will surely feature just as much tense, action-packed sci-fi elements as it does teen issues. The story follows the aftermath of a plague that killed nearly all of America's children; those left have special abilities, some of which are potentially very dangerous.
Of course, before digging into the material, it's important to understand each of the colour classes and what defines them. As there's no better way to understand a character type than through the power of music, we've selected the perfect resistance anthem for each character class.
Blue
While some characters were relocated due to their highly dangerous abilities, those in the Blue class are considered less likely to cause harm. They have the power of telekinesis — also known as the ability to move objects with their minds.
Of course, considering their abilities, we had to hand the Blue class to the Seattle indie group Telekinesis, whose peppy indie rock will surely get you moving around the room. Further, Blue character Liam grew up in North Carolina — the same state that Telekinesis label Merge Records calls home. It all makes perfect sense.
Green
Like their Blue counterparts, those in the Green category aren't considered dangerous. They've developed enhanced mental and intellectual powers, which manifest through advanced problem solving abilities, photographic memory and enhanced talent for technical interfaces. They also possess a physical tell — they way they walk.
When describing the advanced problem solving abilities and enhanced technical talent, it's hard not to think back to Blackalicious, whose dextrous MC the Gift of Gab has a remarkable talent for quickly spitting impressive, near-impossible lyrical feats as he swaggers around the stage. Watch him perform the near-impossible "Chemical Calisthenics" above.
Orange
Those in the Orange group are more dangerous, in that they are telepathic. That said, their abilities vary in unsettling ways — some can influence thoughts, alter and erase memories or altogether change the feelings of others. Many in the Orange category are mentally unstable, possibly as a result of spending too much time in the thoughts of others. In their rehabilitation camp, Oranges often use their abilities for evil, causing chaos that ultimately leads to injury or death.
There's a good reason we're lucky we can't read each other's minds in real life — it's a brutal task for the psyche to read and understand another person's trauma. Johnny Cash's brooding Gordon Lightfoot cover reminds us why; though the original song is a little more uptempo, Cash delivers it in a weathered and stripped-down manner.
Yellow
The Yellow classified group possesses the ability to control electricity, which makes them one of the most dangerous sects in the whole series. In order to prevent them from mass destruction, this group is banished to live by candlelight.
If any musician can manipulate electricity to maximum sinister effect, it's surely IDM master Aphex Twin, whose masterful compositions have been infecting minds for decades. It's probably a good thing he's only using his abilities to create complex, brain-busting masterpieces like "Come to Daddy," because this man clearly possesses the brain power for some real-life destruction if he felt like it.
Red
Easily the most dangerous class of them all, those belonging to the Red sect are immensely destructive: they're pyrokinetic and possess the ability to create and manipulate fire. It's not exactly the kind of person you'd want to rub the wrong way.
While we'd certainly rather not spend time in close quarters with these mind-based firestarters, the prospect of being able to start a blaze with your brain is insanely badass. As such, we had to go with some classic thrash metal to celebrate (from a safe distance) these flame-throwin' folks. Fight fire with fire!
In Alexandra Bracken's beloved young adult novel The Darkest Minds, we were introduced to a group of teens with mysterious new abilities that enabled them to wreak havoc on society. It's the sort of fantastical yet relatable story that makes for the perfect movie treatment — which is precisely why 20th Century Fox hired director Jennifer Yuh Nelson for a film adaptation.
The Darkest Minds, which opens August 3, stars Amandla Stenberg, Mandy Moore and Gwendoline Christie, and will surely feature just as much tense, action-packed sci-fi elements as it does teen issues. The story follows the aftermath of a plague that killed nearly all of America's children; those left have special abilities, some of which are potentially very dangerous.
Of course, before digging into the material, it's important to understand each of the colour classes and what defines them. As there's no better way to understand a character type than through the power of music, we've selected the perfect resistance anthem for each character class.
Blue
While some characters were relocated due to their highly dangerous abilities, those in the Blue class are considered less likely to cause harm. They have the power of telekinesis — also known as the ability to move objects with their minds.
Of course, considering their abilities, we had to hand the Blue class to the Seattle indie group Telekinesis, whose peppy indie rock will surely get you moving around the room. Further, Blue character Liam grew up in North Carolina — the same state that Telekinesis label Merge Records calls home. It all makes perfect sense.
Green
Like their Blue counterparts, those in the Green category aren't considered dangerous. They've developed enhanced mental and intellectual powers, which manifest through advanced problem solving abilities, photographic memory and enhanced talent for technical interfaces. They also possess a physical tell — they way they walk.
When describing the advanced problem solving abilities and enhanced technical talent, it's hard not to think back to Blackalicious, whose dextrous MC the Gift of Gab has a remarkable talent for quickly spitting impressive, near-impossible lyrical feats as he swaggers around the stage. Watch him perform the near-impossible "Chemical Calisthenics" above.
Orange
Those in the Orange group are more dangerous, in that they are telepathic. That said, their abilities vary in unsettling ways — some can influence thoughts, alter and erase memories or altogether change the feelings of others. Many in the Orange category are mentally unstable, possibly as a result of spending too much time in the thoughts of others. In their rehabilitation camp, Oranges often use their abilities for evil, causing chaos that ultimately leads to injury or death.
There's a good reason we're lucky we can't read each other's minds in real life — it's a brutal task for the psyche to read and understand another person's trauma. Johnny Cash's brooding Gordon Lightfoot cover reminds us why; though the original song is a little more uptempo, Cash delivers it in a weathered and stripped-down manner.
Yellow
The Yellow classified group possesses the ability to control electricity, which makes them one of the most dangerous sects in the whole series. In order to prevent them from mass destruction, this group is banished to live by candlelight.
If any musician can manipulate electricity to maximum sinister effect, it's surely IDM master Aphex Twin, whose masterful compositions have been infecting minds for decades. It's probably a good thing he's only using his abilities to create complex, brain-busting masterpieces like "Come to Daddy," because this man clearly possesses the brain power for some real-life destruction if he felt like it.
Red
Easily the most dangerous class of them all, those belonging to the Red sect are immensely destructive: they're pyrokinetic and possess the ability to create and manipulate fire. It's not exactly the kind of person you'd want to rub the wrong way.
While we'd certainly rather not spend time in close quarters with these mind-based firestarters, the prospect of being able to start a blaze with your brain is insanely badass. As such, we had to go with some classic thrash metal to celebrate (from a safe distance) these flame-throwin' folks. Fight fire with fire!
