Various Artists
Juno Soundtrack
Rhino Records, 2008
**** out of 5
Judging a soundtrack album on its own merits, without having access to the film in question, can be a perilous thing. Since songs work best in painting mental pictures, you can’t help but wonder whether the images your mind creates is in tangent with what’s burned onto the celluloid. Of course, I could always dig up a review of Juno online, but then I’d be parroting someone else’s word, and the pictures might become distorted. Worse yet, I could watch the trailer, but you know how manipulative those things can be. I believe it was some very persuasive trailers that made me explore, to my sincere consternation, the oeuvre of Vin Diesel.
If the soundtrack is an accurate signpost, Juno is a film full of child-like exploration and a rapid and sometimes painful transition into the world of adulthood. Certainly, having children’s writer Barry Louis Polisar opening with All I Want is You sets out the stall pretty clearly. It’s a vibe not a million miles removed from Wes Anderson circa Rushmore: adolescent angst set against a longing for childhood and a cache of hipster sounds.
The soundtrack is given its surprising unity by the six creaky, ultra lo-fi acoustic songs by Kimya Dawson, better known as half of The Moldy Peaches. Although that band has been on hiatus since 2004, they’re represented here with Anyone Else but You, from 2001’s eponymous debut. Her songs are child-like and direct, like the way a kid looks at an adult when they know the adult is lying to them. The witty observations are thrown into sharp focus by the simplicity of the music. Titles like Tire Swing speak volumes about where she’s coming from here: “Joey never had a bike that he didn’t want to ride, and I never met a Toby that I didn’t like.”
It’s true that occasionally the songs are a little twee in the “hello blue-bird, hello sky” vein, which can become grating upon multiple listens. It’s also true that sometimes the singing slithers in and out of tune a little too casually. Overall, though, the choice of Dawson as the lead soundtrack artist is a good one, and I’m looking forward to seeing how the movie matches her well-observed and humorous lyrics.
The other tracks are, for the most part, well chosen and exactly the type of songs that the Juno demographic (me) would be expected to glom onto. Thus, we’re presented with two tracks by Glasgow’s excellent Belle & Sebastian, who named themselves after a 70’s British kids’ TV show (go figure). As well, Cat Power’s quietly dreamy version of that old chestnut Sea of Love is a revelation. For the indie trainspotter, there’s a rarity from Sonic Youth with their cover of Superstar, which hadn’t been heard since 1994’s If I Were a Carpenter tribute album.
The old guard of quirky pop is ably represented by Mott the Hoople’s gay anthem All the Young Dudes, (written by an incognito David Bowie). As well, we have The Kinks digging at suburban mediocrity with Well Respected Man, and The Velvet Underground’s Mo Tucker singing the child-like and simple I’m Sticking With You.
After listening to the soundtrack a few times, I almost feel as though I understand Juno, even though I know nothing about the movie. As Stephin Merritt, wearing his 6ths hat, once wrote about the movies in his head, so too do I have an interesting gamut of mental images running through the old transom. I’m looking forward to seeing if the ones up there on the screen do this pleasant soundtrack justice.
Related links: Official Juno site, Amazon.com, iTunes
Review by Greg Hood-Morris
Agree? Disagree? Email Greg at criticizegreg@gmail.com
I like Juno movie, and Juno Soundtrack - very cool music!
Posted by: Mp3 | December 19, 2007 at 01:38 PM
This soundtrack is great! I'm digging the Kimya Dawson tracks so much I'm going to pick up her other albums.
-Brian
Posted by: Brian McKechnie | December 19, 2007 at 05:07 PM