Sound On Sight » Sandra Siimeslahti

The Graduate soundtrack

Sandra Siimeslahti — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 22:43:21 +0000

The first time I watched The Graduate, it did not take long for me to realize that the movie would prove to be a lot different from what I had expected. All this revelation took was hearing the opening of The Sound of Silence and feeling its solemn mood. The music choice shows how multi-dimensional a song can be – a piece written about a national tragedy works just as well when presenting the movie’s aloof protagonist Benjamin Braddock. The 1967 film by Mike Nichols, with Dustin Hoffman in his breakthrough role as Benjamin, is iconic in part for its soundtrack and the use of songs by Simon & Garfunkel; what is so remarkable is that only one of these classics was actually written for the film. That one song is naturally Mrs. Robinson, a song that was not intended for the movie in the first place, not to mention the fact that it only appears as an early, short version on the soundtrack album, cut off as it is in the film.

On the album, Dave Grusin’s classy and jazzy – even if quite generic – score is represented almost as interludes for the actual songs. Were you to listen to the soundtrack without seeing the movie first, the impression of the music would probably be even more effective than within the dank context of the film. Paired with Simon & Garfunkel’s songs, Grusin’s score unmistakably represents the facade, with the duo’s work acting as the inner workings of the movie’s protagonist. Paul Simon’s lyrics – take April Come She Will for example – have a flair that is brimming with classic romanticism and therefore seems an unlikely match for a movie that met its match with particularly with the youngsters of the time, but at the same time it without a doubt represents the twisted, hopeless mind of Ben Braddock.

The Graduate soundtrack is a classic for a good reason. In a time where soundtracks compiled of pre-existing songs were not yet a given, it compiled old and new with a masterful touch. It reeks of the old times while offering a clear-headed vision of a new era. The soundtrack offers a whole new dimension to the movie when examined on its own, and it is one of the rare occasions when the ambitiousness of the musical choices corresponds with the realization.

Track list:

1. The Sound of Silence

2. The Singleman Party Foxtrot *

3. Mrs. Robinson

4. Sunporch Cha-Cha-Cha *

5. Scarborough Fair/Canticle (Interlude)

6. On the Strip *

7. April Come She Will

8. The Folks *

9. Scarborough Fair/Canticle

10. A Great Effect *

11. The Big Bright Green Pleasure Machine

12. Whew *

13. Mrs. Robinson

14. The Sound of Silence

* Original score by Dave Grusin.

New Moon soundtrack

Sandra Siimeslahti — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 19:49:13 +0000

New Moon, as anyone frequenting any type of mass media would probably know, is the second part of the filmings of Stephanie Meyers’ Twilight Saga. This part, directed by Chris Weitz, has its release on November 20, and apparently the soundtrack sizzled as it hit the audience. The New Moon soundtrack is more expansive in styles than its predecessor. Again responsible for the song choices is musical supervisor Alexandra Patsavas, and it seems she has been destined to lift several bands out of obscurity and into the mainstream. Acts such as Grizzly Bear and Lykke Li are present, having previously been cult status performers. Carter Burwell composed the score for the previous movie, but this time the Oscar nominated Alexandre Desplat of The Curious Case of Benjamin Button and The Queen fame is in charge.

One has to admit that Patsavas has compiled a pleasing combination of styles. None of its moping and/or trendiness is overbearing. However, the extent to which the whole thing is premeditated is a bit sickening. There is nothing particularly exciting about the material, as the target audience has been addressed sufficiently. Much of the material is brooding in different shades; the one piece present from the score, the closing track New Moon (The Meadow) seems to underline this in its melancholic simplicity. The pensive, slow tracks overshadow the more uptempo ones, giving the album an overall sleepy mood. In the midst of it all, Muse, one of the biggest bands around at the moment, get to shine. Their groovy I Belong to You stands out on the album despite not being one of the band’s strongest efforts, and seems uncannily like a stylistic continuation to Supermassive Black Hole, which made an appearance on the Twilight soundtrack. A major disappointment arrives as the Death Cab for Cutie song written for the movie and released as a single. Meet Me on the Equinox is a real slump for the band who have had a run of successful hipster-quirky ditties.

No hit like Paramore’s Decode pops out on this volume, but it is guaranteed that the collection will be etched in many people’s minds as the legitimate soundtrack to fall 2009. Mood-wise it serves the purpose well. It is to be hoped that it will also have the benefit of getting its listeners interested in the artists present, for many of them belong in the most interesting groups active in this day and age.

Track list:

1. Death Cab for Cutie: Meet Me on the Equinox
2. Band of Skulls: Friends
3. Thom Yorke: Hearing Damage
4. Lykke Li: Possibility
5. The Killers: A White Demon Love Song
6. Anya Marina: Satellite Heart
7. Muse: I Belong to You (New Moon Remix)
8. Bon Iver and St. Vincent: RosyIn
9. Black Rebel Motorcycle Club: Done All Wrong
10. Hurricane Bells: Monsters
11. Sea Wolf: The Violet Hour
12. OK Go: Shooting the Moon
13. Grizzly Bear feat. Victoria Legrand: Slow Life
14. Editors: No Sound But the Wind
15. Alexandre Desplat: New Moon (The Meadow)

William Shakespeare’s Romeo + Juliet: Music from the Motion Picture

Sandra Siimeslahti — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 21:37:07 +0000

Baz Luhrmann’s sophomore effort, 1996′s Romeo + Juliet, is today perhaps best remembered for spotlighting Leonardo DiCaprio’s pre-Titanic charisma. For a movie that took the world’s best known love story and transferred it to a new era, its soundtrack remains firmly etched in its own time.

The movie very much resembles a music video with its fast-paced editing, and the music choices reflect that style. There are scenes where songs are so prominently featured, it’s as if Luhrmann first picked out a soundscape, and then went on to visualize it. An extra pleasure gained from listening to the soundtrack is the surprising presence of some tracks that were only briefly featured in the movie, such as the aggressive, seductive material of Butthole Surfers.

The film’s score, composed by Nellee Hooper, Craig Armstrong, and Marius De Vries, was completely omitted from the first soundtrack album, though it was later released as a “Volume 2″, along with song scraps that didn’t make the first volume. In the context of the movie, the songs found on the original soundtrack can work the viewer into a frenzy. And on the compilation, they work seamlessly despite the somewhat eclectic selection. The styles range from obscure (Stina Nordenstam) to mainstream (Radiohead), onward to gospel-tinged (Quindon Tarver) and chill-out dance (Gavin Friday). One also can’t leave out the hits the album gave rise to, the best known of course being the bubbly-as-can-be, just-lovelorn enough Lovefool by The Cardigans.

The soundtrack is fully representative of the 90s pop and (especially) rock scene, and as firmly rooted in a past decade as it might be, today it provokes sweet nostalgia rather than embarrassment. It is perhaps best enjoyed when dug out of the record shelf and given a listen with a mind cleared of film connections, for the array of music is truly enjoyable in its ambitiousness.