07 November, 2006

...These Are a Few of My Favorite Things Volume 1

In some ways I think of all the music I listen to as a soundtrack; the soundtrack to my life. So, when choosing the music I listen to on a regular basis I can be very picky. If you are a true music-lover you know there is a time and place for every song, and sometimes finding the perfect song for the perfect moment takes a little searching. These following soundtracks are my personal favorites and make up the first volume of my Favorite Soundtracks list. The composer or compiler truly understood what it meant to need that perfect song and went out of his/her way to find music that fit a moment in time and on-screen. Here they are:


“Grosse Pointe Blank” Compiled by Joe Strummer

This, in my opinion, is one of the most finely crafted soundtracks I’ve ever had the pleasure of listening to. Joe Strummer outdid himself with these picks. There is not a bad song on the album! The late, great Mr. Strummer brings you back to the ‘80s for John Cusack’s high school reunion, but magically pulls together a baker’s dozen of authentically ‘80s songs that don’t suck. Actually, in all seriousness this album is excellent and underrated, the music is well-mixed, all of it is good, and the album includes a nice sprinkling of hits to keep you singing along.


“Garden State” Compiled by Zach Braff

I know, this album has received a ton of press backing and it probably doesn’t need my voice added to the collective cheer, but it really is good and I can’t leave a good soundtrack off this list. I was very slow to jump in, given all the hype surrounding the entire “Garden State” project and I wouldn’t touch the soundtrack with a ten-foot pole. I’ve obviously changed my mind about this album somewhere down the line and this is why: The movie made me sad, it really did, and I was afraid of watching it because I knew it was going to be sad, but the thing that really struck me as I watched was how seamlessly the music and the movie went together. It reminded me of a John Cusack movie because the music is always very important in his movies, but somehow the sound never supersedes the story. The story and the music flow.


“Pride and Prejudice” Composed by Jean-Yves Thibaudet

I’ve already written a fairly lengthy endorsement of this soundtrack in this blog, so suffice it to say that Jean-Yves Thibaudet creates music that at once evokes another time and connects to the time the listener inhabits. It’s gorgeous.


“Daredevil” Composed by Graeme Revell and Various Artists

This soundtrack that launched the Evanescence explosion is highly underrated as compared to some of its comic book contemporaries, but is certainly the cream of the crop. This not a smattering of disjointed hits like the Spiderman soundtrack, but a finely crafted hard-hitting rock album that fits the movie well. Even if you’re sick of hearing Amy Lee wail on “Bring Me To Life”, you’ll love her voice in this movie.


“Marie Antoinette” Compiled by Sophia Coppola

It’s funny how sometimes when you least expect it a soundtrack really surprises you. I was almost certain the music in “Marie Antoinette” would be well-crafted music of the period, but these 26 underground gems really flesh out the idea of the pouty princess. New Order, Gang of Four, and The Cure are not names you’d expect to find in Marie Antoinette’s repertoire, but find them you do on this soundtrack that very much evokes modern day royalty with a touch more class (Hilton + Princess Di = Kirsten Dunst.) Sophia Coppola had a vision and you can really tell by how well she compiled this music, it is most certainly a labor of love and a joyful experience for the ears.

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