BY MIKEY MIGO
SOUNDTRACKING YOUR LIFEThere are parts in movies that many of us can relate to because of the emotion or situation coming across on screen. Being a die hard music lover this is often how I really connect to a song. It's playing in the background of a moment in my life that stands out. It might be that one special moment at a concert that forever changes my opinion on a song. It might be a horrible event in my life that gets background music courtesy of a random Lenny Kravitz song (wish I was joking). It might even have been a random song that you shared a liking for with someone special. The point is is that music is all around us. Some of us appreciate it for being a creative outlet, background music, or just flat out a passion.
THE SCORE vs. THE SOUNDTRACK Some of the best movies are remembered because of their soundtrack and their score. Who could forget about the cool music that Danny Elfman did on "Edward Scissorhands"? Who can forget the random Vietnam War scenes with random Jimi Hendrix songs? How about the rocktastic score Charlie Clouser composed for "Saw"? I don't even like those movies, but I still go ga-ga over the score. Things like this happen when you love both music and movies the same.
Still, it's not as known for people to casually discuss a movie's soundtrack. Even more so, it's not nearly as common for someone to talk about a movie's score. Normally it's talking about Danny Elfman because he's the man when it comes to scoring a movie. Many people are thinking "What's the difference?" And this is where I ramble to tell you that a score is made up of original and most of the time instrumental tracks that is made in conjunction with a film. A soundtrack is a musical compilation made up of prerecorded songs that fit into the movie's theme. Basically, when you hear a song in a movie and say "Hey! I know that song!" then it's a soundtrack. If you're watching a movie and hear a song that seems to blend in with what you're watching then it's a score.
Which is better? It depends how you look at it. On one hand you have a soundtrack which will mostly give the viewer something recognizable and something they'd be comfortable with as they watch the movie. On the other hand you have a score that'll compliment the scene and help get the emotion across in a genuine way. I personally prefer when it's mixed. There's plenty of soundtracks out there with a few well placed familiar tracks and then there's a few original pieces to add the scenes and help get things across the way they were intended.
What's your preference?
MY FAVORITE SOUNDTRACKSThis is where I don't include something that seems obvious to you and you then go on to comment with hatred, mockery, and dickery. No matter how much mail I get, I'd like to note that I refuse to listen to any more of the "Hackers" Soundtrack and the three or so "Music Inspired by" soundtracks.
It would take me entire series to figure out and name my top twenty, ten, or even five soundtracks of all time. Instead, I'm going to look at a few random soundtracks I own and examine of the effectiveness of the music used on the album. I'm going to do a few this week and a few with each part of the series so if you REALLY think I should cover a soundtrack then let me know and if I own it then I'll review it.
Soundtrack: "Lost in Translation"
It starts off with a weird atmospheric track of arriving at a Tokyo airport or hotel. Basically it kicks off a soundtrack that really gives the vibe of the movie. The soundtrack features a lot of stuff by Kevin Shields. With a quick search, I find out that Kevin Shields is the vocalist from My Bloody Valentine. With that fact in my head it all makes sense. The rest of this really subdued soundtrack is made up of what feels like random odds and ends with a few really cool tracks thrown in. The reason I bought this soundtrack was because of my love of the movie and because of the last scene. The last scene of the movie closes with "Just Like Honey" by The Jesus and Mary Chain.
Effectiveness: Good. As I was putting this together I went back and listened to the track by The Jesus and Mary Chain and it still gives me goose bumps from the memory of the last scene of the movie. That in itself is worthy of owning this album, but other than that I'm sorta bored with it. If I'd of been itunes savvy at the time or even just "in the know" about only liking one track I might of made other decisions.
Soundtrack: Juno
It's full of unknowns, indie darlings, and quirky and cute little tracks. It's nothing that special, but it works. It's worked so well that it reached number one on the Billboard charts and it's sold over half a million copies since it's release late last year. Despite the soundtrack getting a lot of press, especially "Anyone Else But You", it's not mainstream at all. Buddy Holly is the most known artist on the album. Yes, the musician and NOT the Weezer song.
Effectiveness: Okay. The point here is to get the Juno character over as an eccentric, artsy, and hip teenager. How else to prove how hip you are by isolating your audience and making them feel lame for not knowing the music they're hearing. That, more times than not, is a reason for many people to get a CD. People want to be part of something; anything at all. There are internet sites and magazines that tell the indie music loving nerds out there what's "hip" and "acceptable" for them to like. This movie sorta overrides those sources and put "indie rock" in the mainstream eyes. It gave everyone an excuse to pick up the soundtrack and become "hip". A lot of people bought the soundtrack for the "Anyone Else But You" song, but after listening to the CD you forget about that song because it all sounds the same. Give it a year and then hit up your used CD store. I can already imagine a stack of a dozen or two of these CDs sitting there. I really hope that quirky and pretentious is the theme they were going for because that's what they ended up with.
Soundtrack: Team America: World Police
Kim Jong-il sings "I'm So Ronery". Is there anything else I really need to tell you about this album? There are no real songs and everything is a parody. It's the guys from South Park so it's pretty obvious what you're getting into when you go into this movie and soundtrack.
Effectiveness: Good Novelty Fun. If anything, you can you always put this on for a laugh in a crowded room. "Everybody Had AIDS", "America! Fuck Yeah!", and the rest of the over the top songs are great fun. It's not a legitimate album that I'd listen to on a normal rotation and I doubt I'll ever have an emotional connection to the album, but it is what it is.
Soundtrack: "Queen of the Damned"
The entire thing was pretty much done by Jonathan Davis of Korn fame. The movie actually featured Davis's vocals, but due to the soundtrack being on a different label than Korn's contracted label there had to be some changes made. Davis went out and got his friends like Wayne Static of Static X, David from Disturbed, Chester from Linkin Park, and a slew of others. They basically just covered what Davis originally did for the movie. Despite all of that legal hoopla, it's easily one of my favorite soundtracks of all time. Say what you want about the movie, but the soundtrack was dead on. From the use of Deftone's "Change", Godhead's "Regenerate", and the uses of Kidney Thieves and Tricky is awesome. If you look at the soundtrack you'll see a lot of bands that were though to be on the verge of breaking out(Earshot, Papa Roach, etc.) and the late 90's heavy hitters of the rock world(Static X, Orgy, Linkin Park, Marilyn Manson, etc.).
Effectiveness: Pretty Good. The main character in the movie has two main roles, vampire and Goth rock singer. Realistically, if I were casting the "voice behind the curtain" I'd of went with Peter Murphy or someone more prominent to the goth culture. The tone of the movie; the emotion of it all is brought to the surface with originality and style.
Soundtrack:"CB4"
I am HUGE fan of this often forgotten and seemingly always underappreciated soundtrack and movie. Granted it wasn't a good choice on my parent's part, but at the age 10 I saw this movie and "Enter The Dragon" the same night at the drive in with a large group of friends. So for about two weeks we were all exaggered rap stars who knew kung-fu. If I were only exposed to WuTang at an earlier age this would have been a really epic night for me. This soundtrack was almost like a Rap Music 101 for the time period. You got NWA, Beastie Boys, Run DMC, Sugarhill Gang, KRS One, Ice Cube, Public Enemy, MC Dawn, Mary J Blige, LL Cool J, and The Pharcyde to name a few. Even on most of those people's worst days it's still better than most soundtracks out there. Then you have to take parody tracks from the movie like "Staight Outta Locash" and "Sweat From My Balls" into consideration. Those two tracks especially are reasons enough to have multiple copies of this soundtrack.
Effectiveness: GREAT. I love that era of rap music more than any other, I love comedies, and I really love parody. So with those ingredients it's pretty obvious that I'm going to love this movie and soundtrack forever. The point of the movie is to sit back and laugh at the fakeness of the "gangsta lifestyle" and to poke fun at the hip hop scene at the time. It does that by embodying what it was and at the same time throwing out a few classic parody songs. If you enjoy Chris Rock and enjoy gangsta rap from that the early 90's then you'll want to see this movie and then you'll want to own the soundtrack.
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