Soundtrack: Stealing Beauty

The eclectic soundtrack to the 1996 Bernardo Bertolucci film Stealing Beauty is another favourite of mine. The film was set in beautiful Tuscany, Italy and starred Liv Tyler, Jeremy Irons, and Rachel Weiss. Though the songs on the soundtrack aren't directly related to the plot, many of them were used as background music in the film. And you can't go wrong with Billie Holiday, Nina Simone, Mazzy Star, Portishead, Stevie Wonder, and Cocteau Twins.



The soundtrack has a lot of atmospheric, sexy, and sometimes funky songs by the hot "alternative" bands of the time: Hoover's "2 Wicky", Portishead's "Glory Box", Axiom Funk's cover of "If 6 Was 9" (originally by Jimi Hendrix), Liz Phair's "Rocket Boy", Mazzy Star's "Rhymes Of An Hour", Cocteau Twins' "Alice", Lori Carson's "You Won't Fall", and "I Need Love" Sam Phillips.

And then there are the classics: Nina Simone's "My Baby Just Cares For Me", Stevie Wonder's "Superstition", and Billie Holiday's "I'll Be Seeing You.

As someone who likes a little bit of everything when it comes to music, Stealing Beauty is possibly the perfect mixed CD.

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Soundtrack: The Sweet Hereafter

I've been listening to some older albums that I love for inspiration. Most modern movie soundtracks seem to have little or nothing to do with the content of the films that they are connected with. But there are some truly fine exceptions, and the beautiful soundtrack companion to the tragic snowy tale in Atom Egoyan's 1997 film The Sweet Hereafter is the prime example. In addition to Mychael Danna's lovely score, the film's star Sarah Polley (the director of Away From Her) contributes her surprisingly pretty voice to several tracks on the album.



Mychael Danna's sparsely gorgeous score fills most of the album and successfully captures the shattered serenity of the film. But it's Sarah Polley's vocals that really stand out.

Sarah sings on the dreamlike opening title track. "The Sweet Hereafter" is based on the poem "The Pied Piper of Hamelin" by Robert Browning, which also served as a backdrop for the story in the film.

Polley also lends her soft soprano to covers of Jane Siberry's "One More Colour" and The Tragically Hip's "Courage". Her rendition of "Courage" is especially poignant, and Sarah carries off both the beauty of the melody and the bittersweet resignation of the lyrics.

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Soundtrack: Leonard Cohen I'm Your Man

The soundtrack to the documentary Leonard Cohen I'm Your Man features classic songs written by Leonard Cohen performed live during a concert called "Came So Far For Beauty: An Evening Of Leonard Cohen Songs". Among the performers are Rufus and Martha Wainwright, Nick Cave, Beth Orton, Antony (of the Johnsons), Jarvis Cocker, The Handsome Family, and Mr. Cohen himself with U2. There aren't many songwriters like Leonard Cohen, and this collection of covers is a grand encomium to his enormous talent.



Martha Wainwright starts it up with a throaty, wailing rendition of "Tower of Song". Nick Cave churns out a swaggering cabaret of "I'm Your Man". Kate & Anna McGarrigle join Martha Wainwright to form an angelic choir on "Winter Lady".

While I prefer Serena Ryder's more melodic interpretation of "Sisters Of Mercy", Beth Orton gives an earnestly solemn performance of it here. Though "Famous Blue Raincoat" and "Chelsea Hotel No. 2" are my favourite Cohen songs, it's "Sisters of Mercy" that contains my best-loved Leonard lyric - "if your life is a leaf that the seasons tear off and condemn, they will bind you with love that is graceful and green as a stem".

I was pleasantly surprised by Rufus Wainwright's semisweet rendering of "Chelsea Hotel No. 2". If only he showed off that astounding vocal range more often. Speaking of astounding voices, I truly believe that Antony's quivering voice could fill any song with depth and heartache. His cover of "If It Be Your Will" is no exception.

The Handsome Family take on "Famous Blue Raincoat" isn't bad, but it pales in comparison to the original or even the cover by Tori Amos. Rufus Wainwright's nasal performance on "Everybody Knows" could neither compete with the Cohen version nor the Concrete Blonde cover, but the new arrangement is saucy enough to keep it interesting.

Perla Batalla and Julie Christensen give a soulful presentation of "Anthem" before the bottomless voice of the man himself Leonard Cohen is paired with the electronic pop-rock of U2 for the finale "Tower Of Song".

Leonard Cohen I'm Your Man Official Site
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Contest: Win The Once Soundtrack

Contest Closed

Enter below to win the Once soundtrack. You can read my review of the CD here and the contest details are below.



The Prize:

One copy of the Once soundtrack CD

The Rules:

Comment to this entry with your email address. And feel free to mention any artists, albums, or songs that you think I should check out. If you're shy about leaving your contact info in a comment, you may also email me to enter. I prefer comments, though. Note: the winner of the contest will be required to provide me with their full name, email address, mailing address, and phone number, which I will then forward to the promo company sponsoring the contest. Your contact information will only be used for shipping purposes, but it is required in order to qualify.

The Deadline:

The contest will end on Friday, June 29th. The winner will be chosen at random and contacted via email.

Go now go! And tell others.

Contest Closed

Soundtrack: Once

Once is an independent film that stars and features music by Glen Hansard of The Frames as well as co-star Marketa Irglova. Hansard produced the soundtrack, which is every bit as well-arranged and moving as his band's music. As I said in my review of The Frames' The Cost, Hansard has become my favourite contemporary male singer-songwriter. His lyrics are deeply poetic, his music is heart-wrenchingly lovely, and his beautifully raw voice conveys emotion as if the man were literally ripping his own chest open as he sings. Marketa Irglova's vocal and piano contributions to the soundtrack accomplish the outstanding feat of making Hansard's music even more poignant and pretty than usual. Many of the soundtrack's songs were originally featured on Hansard and Irglova's collaboratory album The Swell Season, which seems to have served as inspiration for the film's music.



As impossible as it seems, Hansard's vocals seem even more plaintive on this soundtrack than on his own band's albums. Marketa Irglova's sweet harmony vocals and piano lend the songs a bittersweet romantic feeling - particularly on "Lies", which she co-wrote with Hansard. The tune holds more sexual tension and heartbreak between Hansard's and Irglova's characters than any movie dialogue ever could.

Marketa Irglova's angelic voice takes the spotlight on the haunting "If You Want Me" and "The Hill", which are her own original songs. Several other tracks - such as the acoustic "All The Way Down" - shine a flattering light on the solitary melancholia of Hansard's character. I suspect Hansard's humorous "Broken Hearted Hoover Fixer Sucker Guy" will make more sense once I've seen the movie (alas, it seems I'll have to wait until the DVD is released), but I still enjoy it.

There are a number of instrumental cameos by other members of The Frames. The entire band supplies Barbershop harmonies to "Fallen From The Sky", but the band's sound is most apparent on "Trying To Pull Myself Away".

"Falling Slowly" - which is another product of the co-stars' shared songpen - and "When Your Mind's Made Up" were also featured on The Cost, but here are performed as duets between Hansard and Irglova. Though The Frames can do no wrong in my book, I have to say I prefer the stripped down soundtrack versions. The strings in this arrangement of "Falling Slowly" give the song a stirring, cinematic quality.

I was not granted permission to share an mp3, but the following are audio streams from the soundtrack...

Glen Hansard & Marketa Iglova - Falling Slowly (streaming audio)
Marketa Iglova - If You Want Me (streaming audio)
Glen Hansard & Marketa Iglova - When Your Mind's Made Up (streaming audio)

Once Official Site
Once on MySpace
Once Movie Trailer
The Frames Official Site

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Soundtrack: Bat Boy The Musical

Bat Boy The Musical is based on the fictional story of the discovery of a "Bat Child" (half bat, half boy) in a West Virginian cave, as first reported in the tabloid Weekly World News. I didn't know much about the musical until I stumbled upon the soundtrack at the local library, but the songs are hilariously campy and twisted - in the same vein as Reefer Madness.



The musical was written by Kethe Farley and Brian Flemming, with music and lyrics by Laurance O'Keefe. The original musical, its subsequent soundtrack, and the upcoming John Landis film adaption feature Deven May as the title character. The musical's soundtrack also includes vocals by Kaitlin Hopkins, Sean McCourt, and Kerry Butler. Butler is set to star as lead in the Broadway remake of the classic Olivia Newton-John film, Xanadu.

Highlights from the soundtrack are the bookend performances of "Hold Me, Bat Boy", the hysterical bovine refrains "Another Dead Cow" and "Apology To A Cow", the jaunty "Show You A Thing Or Two", the revival choir of "A Joyful Noise", the climatic "I Imagine You're Upset", and especially the menace of "Whatcha Wanna Do?", "Christian Charity", and "Comfort And Joy".

Slowly the tragically bizarre and heartwarmingly comical saga of Bat Boy's life in the small town of Hope Falls, West Virginia unfolds - a hillbilly Romeo & Juliet meets Edward Scissorhands by way of Little Shop Of Horrors with a bit of Footloose...as if directed by Ed Wood.

Bat Boy The Musical is very silly. It's also creepy. And absolutely fabulous.

Bat Boy The Musical Official Site
Bat Boy Wikipedia Page

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Soundtrack: Romeo & Juliet 10th Anniversary Edition

The soundtrack to Baz Luhrmanm's William Shakespeare's Romeo & Juliet, which starred Claire Danes and a pre-Titanic Leonardo DeCaprio, remains one of my favourite movie soundtracks. The new 10th Anniversary Edition of the soundtrack contains five bonus tracks.



"Lovefool" by The Cardigans was probably the most popular song from the soundtrack due to its near constant radio rotation in 1997, but it's also the weakest song on the disc. The darkly seductive "#1 Crush" by Garbage, the venomous "Pretty Piece of Flesh" by One Inch Punch, and Radiohead's ominous "Talk Show Host" are among the stronger tracks.

The new edition contains both the original soundtrack version and a bonus instrumental of Des'ree's lovely and soulful "Kissing You" (Romeo & Juliet's love theme).

In addition to the original soundtrack version of Kym Mazelle's "Young Hearts Run Free", the 10th Anniversary Edition also has a bonus "Ballroom Version" of the song featuring audio clips of Harold Perrineau and Paul Sorvino.

And Quindon Tarver's "Everybody's Free (To Feel Good)" is joined on this new edition by two bonus tracks: the Lee Perry narrated remix of "Everybody's Free (To Wear Sunscreen)" and his cover of Prince's "When Doves Cry" which appeared in the movie and was featured on Vol. 2 of the original soundtrack and score.

I was not granted permission to share mp3s, but you can stream the album here or here.

MySpace
Official Site

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Soundtrack: Black Snake Moan

I always hesitate to recommend soundtracks from movies that I haven't seen yet, but this one is too good to ignore. Craig Brewer's Black Snake Moan stars Samuel L. Jackson, Justin Timberlake, and Christina Ricci, and it could be the worst movie ever made for all I know. But the soundtrack is a solid collection of rock, soul, and a lot of blues.



Samuel L. Jackson's vocals on "Just Like A Bird Without A Feather" are flawed, but the blues aren't supposed to be perfect. The song was originally written and performed by bluesman R.L. Burnside and features his adopted son, Kenny Brown, on guitar.

"When The Lights Go Out" by The Black Keys has a harder rock beat and blues rhythm. Jessie Mae Hemphill's "Standing In My Doorway Crying" is classic blues. "Chicken Heads" by Bobby Rush is more of a soul song.

No, that's not PJ Harvey's "Black Snake Moan". It was originally written and performed by Blind Lemon Jefferson. Here the song has Samuel L. Jackson on vocals and Jason Freeman on guitar.

Precious Bryant's acoustic cover of the traditional "Morning Train" was apparently recorded in her living room and also appeared on her album, The Truth.

"The Losing Kind" is my favourite track on the album, and at first I thought John Doe's swaggering voice sounded like Jim Morrison. John Doe was a founding member of the punk band X. Outrageous Cherry supplies a psychedelic rock cover of Junior Kimbrough's "Lord Have Mercy On Me".

Samuel L. Jackson performed live with R.L. Burnside's backing band for the recording of "Alice Mae" and "Stackolee". Those tracks are followed by R.L. Burnside himself singing "Old Black Mattie".

The album ends with "Mean Ol' Wind Died Down" by North Mississippi Allstars, a band I saw at Mountain Stage a few years back.

Samuel L. Jackson - Stackolee (mp3)

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Contest: Win the Marie Antoinette Soundtrack

Contest Closed

I don't usually post contests here, but I couldn't resist one featuring music by Siouxsie & The Banshees, The Cure, Bow Wow Wow, The Strokes, Adam & The Ants, Gang of Four, and New Order. Details on the contest and entry requirements are below.



The Prize: The 2-disc Marie Antoinette soundtrack, along with a Marie Antoinette poster, pin, and nailpolish.

The Rules: Comment to this entry with your email address and the title of a Siouxsie & The Banshees song before October 20th.

If anyone correctly guesses my favourite Siouxsie song, they will be awarded the prize package. Otherwise, the winner will be chosen randomly on October 20th.

Following is the track listing for the 2-disc Marie Antoinette soundtrack:

Disc One
01. "Hong Kong Garden" - Siouxsie & The Banshees
02. "Aphrodisiac" - Bow Wow Wow
03. "What Ever Happened" - The Strokes
04. "Pulling Our Weight" - The Radio Dept.
05. "Ceremony" - New Order
06. "Natural's Not In It" - Gang of Four
07. "I Want Candy (Kevin Shields Remix)" - Bow Wow Wow
08. "Kings Of The Wild Frontier" - Adam & The Ants
09. "Concerto in G" * - Antonio Vivaldi / Reitzell
10. "The Melody Of A Fallen Tree" - Windsor For The Derby
11. "I Don't Like It Like This" - The Radio Dept.
12. "Plainsong" - The Cure

Disc Two
01. "Intro Versailles"* - Reitzell / Beggs
02. "Jynweythek Ylow" - Aphex Twin
03. "Opus 17" - Dustin O'Halloran
04. "Il Secondo Giorno (Instrumental)" - Air
05. "Keen On Boys" - The Radio Dept.
06. "Opus 23" *- Dustin O'Halloran
07. "Les Baricades Misterieuses"* - Francois Couperin / Reitzell
08. "Fools Rush In (Kevin Shields Remix)" - Bow Wow Wow
09. "Avril 14th" - Aphex Twin
10. "K. 213" * - Domenico Scarlatti / Reitzell
11. "Tommib Help Buss" - Squarepusher
12. "Tristes Apprets.." - Jean Philippe Rameau / W. Christie
13. "Opus 36"*- Dustin O'Halloran
14. "All Cat's Are Grey" - The Cure

You can watch the trailer for Marie Antoinette here (high resolution) or here (low resolution).



The contest closes with the theatrical release of Marie Antoinette on October 20th, and the winner will be contacted via email. Go now go!

Contest Closed