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Kimya Dawson, of the Moldy Peaches and "Juno" fame
Kimya Dawson, of the Moldy Peaches and "Juno" fame
Playlist: Standout Soundtracks
July 14, 2008
An effective soundtrack can make a film memorable, drive the plot forward, lend personality to each scene and create a mood that generates fan response. These days, it seems that unique tunes, rather than established hits, are making soundtracks popular, catching filmgoers off guard with unconventional lyrics and styles. We’ve highlighted three films employing surprising and unusual songs by talented musicians, past and present.
The Soundtrack Scoop
There is no secret to soundtrack success according to the president of Fox music, Robert Kraft, who has worked on “Moulin Rouge” and “Walk the Line.” Kraft tells Reuters, “We see what we can find that is unique that hasn’t been released a thousand times,” and he conceded that compilations can be risky because audiences tend to “cherry pick” their favorite songs, rather than purchase the album. He also emphasized the importance of finding “fresh, original music that’s unique to the movie.”
Source: Reuters
Another key to a soundtrack’s success is its ability to “successfully evoke the emotions in the film, allowing listeners to relive their favorite moments outside the theater,” according to John Wenzel, a music writer for The Denver Post. Furthermore, because movies have smaller music budgets than they did in the 1990s, the pressure is on to find a diamond-in-the-rough indie artist. For example, Kimya Dawson, who has several songs on the “Juno” soundtrack.
Source: Denver Post
‘Juno’
When “Juno” director Jason Reitman sought the perfect music to complement his film, he asked leading lady Ellen Page for advice. “Immediately I said the Moldy Peaches,” recounted Page. After that, things snowballed; Moldy Peaches lead singer Kimya Dawson ended up doing nearly all of the music for the film. Page said it was Dawson’s “bare-boned” honesty that made the songs such a perfect fit. The young actress also told Pitchfork how she selects music to listen to when preparing for different roles, an “oddly personal” thing to reveal, she admitted.
Source: Pitchfork
Something about Dawson’s “childlike, stream of consciousness verse” attracts “literally all ages,” according to the New York Times. But Dawson remains wary of fame, even pleading with audiences to treat her as if she’s normal. “I don’t like people seeing me on the street and freaking out. It’s never what I wanted,” she said. Her reluctance calls to mind Juno, a razor-tongued, genuine character who is relentlessly true to herself.
Source: The New York Times
‘Lost in Translation’
Like the film itself, the soundtrack to writer/director Sofia Coppola’s “Lost in Translation” takes its time, patiently guiding the complex relationship between the two main characters, Bob Harris and Charlotte. But, like the moody characters, the music has a few strong-willed, high-energy shifts, courtesy of guitarist/composer Kevin Shields. The Boston Globe described the soundtrack as “a series of spiky, often gorgeous mood pieces (that) plays well whether you’re paying attention or not.”
Source: The Boston Globe
NPR interviewed the nonchalant Shields, whose band My Bloody Valentine was a mainstay of early 1990s alternative rock. Shields now tours with the band Primal Scream, and said he’s glad to be “breaking new barriers, and all that stuff” while out on the road. He also explained how he got involved with Lost in Translation’s music supervisor Brian Reitzell, who also worked with Coppola on the soundtrack for “The Virgin Suicides.”
Source: NPR
‘The Darjeeling Limited’
Director Wes Anderson is known for his quirky characters and dysfunctional families. In “The Darjeeling Limited,” Anderson enlisted Adrien Brody, Owen Wilson and Jason Schwartzman—three actors with personalities and features as distinct as the songs in the soundtrack—to play quarreling brothers on a voyage toward family reunification. Shot in India, the film’s storyline plays out before a colorful, chaotic background, perfectly complementing the eclectic collection of songs. A notable trio of tunes by 1960s British band The Kinks, and an elegant piano suite by Claude Debussy, are especially memorable.
Movie and music blog “The Playlist” discussed a New York Post interview with Darjeeling co-writer and star Jason Schwartzman, in which he credited India with inspiring the film’s happy-go-lucky spontaneous spirit. “One of the great things about India is the feeling that anything can happen. It was unpredictable, and that’s the beauty of the place,” Schwartzman said. The mood clearly carried over to the film’s soundtrack.
Source: The Playlist
Listen to “Les Champs Elysee” by Joe Dassin on The Canals Blog, a cloyingly kooky song from the movie.
Source: The Canals Blog
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