Alexandra Patsavas

My question is: What took them so long? I kid, but honestly, you knew a Gossip Girl soundtrack had to be coming because a) that's what good teen dramas do, and b) the show is as good at music as it is at one-liners.

So, the first Gossip Girl soundtrack has been compiled by The O.C.'s former music supervisor, Alexandra Patsavas (you know how I feel about her). OMFGG — Original Music Featured on Gossip Girl No. 1's 13 tracks will hit record store shelves near you on Oct. 28, and the album's also available online right now. It's generally a pretty good overview of the show's music, though it doesn't have the memorable "U.R.A. Fever," the song that's playing when Serena admits to murder.

The good folks of GG are also launching an entire site devoted to music on the show. I'm pretty excited for that site myself, because I rarely watch an episode without doing some searching for lyrics I heard.

Are you on your way to download the soundtrack? Are you excited for the new music site? I've got the track list after the jump — and super bonus Buzz respect and admiration goes to anyone who can figure out which song was played in which OMG moment last season. To check it out, just read more

Variety has issued its annual Women's Impact Report, highlighting women who have made an impression at all levels of entertainment. Just like last year, the list includes executive powerhouses, household-name performers, and lesser-known talents. Over the next couple of weeks, I'll be spotlighting some of the women whom I find particularly noteworthy. Today's pick: music supervisor Alexandra Patsavas.

I don't own a whole lot of TV soundtracks, but I do have several of the ones from The O.C., which sound more like mix CDs from my coolest friend than the soundtracks to a soapy teenage drama. I have expressed my admiration for the woman responsible for these compilations on a few occasions, as she has so smartly set music to some of the most popular TV shows in recent years. Grey's Anatomy, The O.C., Gossip Girl and now even Mad Men have all benefited from Alexandra Patsavas's great talent.

As Variety notes, several bands can certainly thank Patsavas for helping to get them into the spotlight: "Her power as a contemporary music tastemaker is acknowledged by producers, managers and label execs, as her savvy song choices have drawn attention to such previously little-known alt-rock and indie bands as Death Cab for Cutie, Phantom Planet and the Killers (via The OC); Snow Patrol, the Fray and Ingrid Michaelson (Grey's); and the Virgins (Gossip)."

This willingness to use newer or lesser-known bands (as opposed to going with musical selections that may be more "safe") is one of the things that makes Patsavas so cool. Patsavas told Variety, "I feel like I'm getting away with something all the time. Our producers are into really good music these days, and we are putting forward some very obscure and nontraditional choices. And I'm so happy about that." So are we.

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From scoring an entire episode with songs from New York band The Virgins to featuring an a capella version of Fergie's "Glamorous," Gossip Girl has certainly done its part to bring good music to television this year. That's probably not a huge surprise, though: Its music supervisor, Alexandra Patsavas, has brought memorable songs to shows like The OC and Grey's Anatomy as well.

As I was reading a recent interview with Patsavas, I started thinking about what makes a good TV soundtrack. The shows Patsavas has worked on seem to have that secret down when it comes to catchy indie and rock songs — but Cold Case uses music in a completely different way that's still very cool, and the instrumental songs Explosions in the Sky contribute to the Friday Night Lights soundtrack do a lot to establish that show's mood.

Which TV shows do you think use music in the best ways? And which shows that haven't released soundtracks do you wish would?

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Music Supervisor Alexandra Patsavas is trucking right along on her crusade to bring cool music to the TV-watching masses. Tonight's episode of Gossip Girl, titled "Seventeen Candles" on account of Blair's seventeenth birthday, will feature five songs by New York band The Virgins. That's a good number of songs by the same band to be played in one episode! These dudes will probably be household names in little time.

Until tonight you can download the song "Love Is Colder Than Death" and I would definitely recommend doing so. The song has a boppy, '80s-style thing going on that I'm really digging. So, well played, Patsavas: Now I'm going to have to buy their EP! Tune in tonight to hear the other songs, and let me know what you think of the Virgins' totally sweet Gossip Girl placement in Molly's weekly rundown on Thursday.

Photo courtesy of CW

I seriously admire Alexandra Patsavas, the clever mind behind musical placement in hit shows "The OC" and "Grey's Anatomy." She's credited with launching the careers of many an indie band by using them on "The OC," and I've often felt that the music on "Grey's" is just the thing to seal in the poignancy of a scene.

Now, Patsavas is taking her gift for placing music to the CW's fall series "Gossip Girl," and this time, she's planning to do for pop music "what 'The OC' did for indie rock." Billboard has more:

As with "The OC" and "Grey's Anatomy," and other shows on the CW, music will feature heavily into the lives and plot lines of the main characters. The pilot episode of "Gossip Girl" spotlights music by Rihanna, the Mooney Suzuki, Hanson, Amy Winehouse, Angels & Airwaves and others.

"I'm relying on old favorites while exploring current pop music," Patsavas says. "And since the show revolves primarily around high school students in New York, we'll definitely be using some New York-based bands. But these kids listen to the radio, too," she adds. "So, there will be that music, too."

I've already called it with KT Tunstall's single "Hold On" which sounds like something that could easily fit into a "Gossip Girl" episode — I'm thinking by the third episode or so we'll have heard it. I have complete trust in this lady's skills, so I can't wait to see what she does for the music in "Gossip Girl"'s first season.

"Gossip Girl" image courtesy of The CW
Patsavas photo source

Alexandra Patsavas is known for getting songs by little-known indie acts — including Death Cab For Cutie and Imogen Heap — onto very well known TV shows like "The OC" and "Grey's Anatomy." Now, the music supervisor behind so many influential TV soundtracks is forming her own record label.

As reported today by Reuters, Patsavas just signed a deal with Atlantic Records to launch a new imprint called Chop Shop Records, sharing a name with her music-supervision business. The Pasadena-based label hasn't signed any artists yet, but Patsavas is most likely to scout the same types of indie-rock acts she's been breaking on TV. For the details, read more