SOUND OF MOVIES

Rip It Up, Issue 237, 1 May 1997, Page 31

SOUND OF MOVIES

Richard Linklater doesn’t know how to come up short in the cred stakes, and proves so in spades with the selections for his latest flick, suburbia (DGC) mixes inspired covers like the Elastica and Stephen Malkmus’ take on X’s ‘Unheard Music’ and Boss Hog’s reworking of the Kinks’ ‘l’m Not Like Everybody Else’, with lashings of new Sonic Youth, existing tracks from the likes of Girls Against Boys (‘Bullet Proof Cupid’) and Butthole Surfers (‘Human Cannonball’), and previously unreleased tracks from Beck (‘Feather in Your Cap') and the Flaming Lips (‘Hot Day'), to make an album no self-respecting hipster will be able to resist. Super Chunk’s ‘Does Your Hometown Care?’ (written for the film) and Gene Pitney’s 1962 No. 13 ‘Town Without Pity’ sum up the film’s scenario of town prisoners vs. revisiting disappearer superbly. The Saint (Virgin) takes the Mission Impossible approach to soundtrack assemblage, which means the obligatory (and unnecessary) dance mix of the theme (which any smart listener will quickly take to programming out), and lots of the current crop of smokin’ block rockers or remixes thereof (eg. the Chemical Brothers’ 'Setting Sun (Instrumental)’). Just to prove you can’t buy complete credibility (just some of the bits that build it) with a big budget, some wise-ass had the truly barking idea of tossing a Duran Duran track into the mix. My love for these guys is without an end, but cutting edge these days, they are not, and I want to know who they had to pay to get slotted next to the acts here that are. Oh, and Luscious Jackson — sod off; ‘Roses Fade (Mojo Mix)’ makes me wonder if putting you lot in a room with Daniel Lanois was such a good idea after all.

Grace of My Heart (MCA) features a number of collaborations . between current and vintage : singer/songwriter/producers. The most notable pairing is Elvis Costello and Burt Bacharach on 'God Give Me Strength’, although its a shame the soul-stirring climactic version from Kristen Vigard (who provides the vocals for llleana Douglas’ Carole King-styled lead in the film) is not included. The second notable exception is the Sonic; Youth (featuring Kim Deal) number ‘Little Trouble Girl’. But one can’t complain when the wall of sound is rescaled by Miss Lily Banquette of Combustible Edison, J Mascis does a Brian Wilson (try resisting the instant hold ‘Take a Run at the Sun’ takes of your head), and girl groups/singer/songwriters are given the space they deserve — whether it sells or not. Pseudoclassic.

If you like ballsy Oz rock and You Am I (no, I don’t put them in the same category), Idiot Box (rooArt) is your album. Not only does it feature a bunch of today’s proponents (the Mark of Cain, Hoss, Snout, Crow, Magic Dirt), but many of the tracks are covers of songs from yesterday’s (Icehouse’s ‘Love in Motion’, Tactics’ ‘Second Language’, the Victims’ ‘Television Addict’). There are a few slices of fairly inconsequential dialogue from the film chucked in, but its hardly riveting enough to make its soundtrack mean a lot to anyone who’s done their pub rockin’ on this side of the Tazzy. The English Patient (Festival) definitely sorted out the lovers from the rockers at /?/L/HQ. Gabriel

Yared’s soaring score (yeah, I know ‘soaring score’ sounds frightfully generic, but somehow my original ‘pants-poohingly climactic’ seems rude in such a refined con-

text, and the rocker in me does beg your forgiveness for even mentioning it) is orchestrated by the Academy of St Martin in the Fields, and interspersed with swing numbers, Hungarian folk songs, and spare piano pieces. The overall result could stand confidently alone, if it weren’t for the breathtaking images it so deftly conjures up from the seeds of filmic memory. See the film, buy the soundtrack, and perhaps you could find the Tshirt to wear, so we apparently rare romantics can recognise one another on the street (this could be the start of something beautiful). Those wanting to hear more like ‘En Csak Azt Csodalom (Lullabye for Katharine)’ and Muzsikas’ version of the traditional song ‘Szerelem, Szerelem (Love, Love)’ (a vocal sample of which is worked into The English Patients title theme) should check out The Best of Marta Sebestyen (Rykodisc) — the release of which The English Patient has provided a welcome excuse for. Scream (TVT Soundtrax) stars Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds’ ‘Red Right Hand’, and very little else. While you could argue such a mighty song is more than one soundtrack deserves, placing it beside a bunch of generic rock and passionless electronic numbers (Moby’s ‘First Cool Hive’ thankfully excepted; SoHo’s ‘Whisper to a Scream (Birds Fly)’ disgustedly rejected) certainly tarnishes the devilishly tempting shine it displays in other contexts. The album also features a take on ‘School’s Out’ by new group the Last Hard Men — AKA Kelley Deal, Jimmy

Chamberlain and Sebastian Bach — and it probably wouldn’t be hard to guess what the anti-social substance of choice among that lot would be.

BRONWYN TRUDGEON