4Play

Aug. 10, 2005

Various Artists - Garden State Soundtrack - Epic Records
Many film soundtracks feature songs “as heard in” the film itself, and several others that are in keeping with the tone of the movie. Other film soundtracks neglectfully leave off songs that featured prominently in the film in question, leaving listeners a bit bummed that the song they heard and loved onscreen is nowhere to be found. Neither of these, thankfully, apply to this soundtrack. Compiled personally by writer/director/actor Zach Braff, the songs here not only mirror the feel of the film, but are also arranged chronologically by their appearance in the movie, which makes it a nice way to revisit the story. And included on the disc are some pretty nifty indie-rock gems, including tunes by The Shins, Nick Drake, Thievery Corporation, Frou Frou, and Iron and Wine covering The Postal Service’s “Such Great Heights.” To which we say, all movie soundtracks should aspire to carefully-put-together album heights such as this one.

Ivy - In The Clear - Nettwerk
The last we heard from Ivy, it was in their incarnation as a stylish cover band on their 2002 release, *Guestroom,* on which the band tried their collective hand at interpreting others’ songs. Not a bad effort, not at all, actually - but Ivy fans will still find a lot to be happy about on their latest All-Ivy release. Opening with the pretty “Nothing But The Sky,” Ivy’s newest effort is chock-full of dense textures, infectious choruses, lounge-worthy chill beats, and sometimes thoughtful, sometimes mournful vocals, a nice contrast to the often poppy melodies. This is more sophisticated pop than U.S. radio listeners have come to expect, so it might take a while to catch on here, but if they can edge their way onto radio, their freshness will definitely catch more than a few ears. Standouts on this disc include “Thinking About You,” “Feel So Free,” and “Keep Moving.”

Various Artists - Fantastic Four - The Album - Wind-Up Records
Who knows how many of these songs are actually embedded in the movie itself? We were too busy marveling at the special effects to even pay attention to the script. But the soundtrack disc, a 20-tune behemoth, is a pretty cool - er, make that fantastic - collection. An eclectic mix that includes songs from the likes of Velvet Revolver, Ryan Cabrera, Sum 41, Taking Back Sunday, Simple Plan, and Creed spinoff (cough cough) Alter Bridge, the soundtrack also introduces several new projects to listeners, most notably the interesting mix of The Distillers’ Brody Dalle, Yeah Yeah Yeahs’ guitarist Nick Zinner, Jet’s drummer Chris Cester, and The Datsuns’ singer Dolf de Datsun, appearing here as a group called T.F.F. and cranking through a song called “I’ll Take You Down.” Others to listen for are Japanese band Orange Range (“Kirikirimai”), the first solo outing by ex-Evanescence guitarist Ben Moody (with Anastacia), and Omnisoul.

Alanis Morissette - Jagged Little Pill Acoustic - Maverick
It might seem a little redundant to review an album that, on the surface, is essentially a near-exact copy of the tracklisting of an album that was released back in 1995. But once you take a listen to Alanis’ “newest” venture, you’ll see that there are as many differences as there are similarities. Far less angsty than the original release, this is, cliche and all, a kinder and gentler Alanis, which gives interesting turns to such formerly aggressive tunes as “All I Really Want” and “You Oughta Know.” Alanis’ voice is less rough than before, more controlled (and this isn’t a bad thing), and many of the songs have had a bit of East Indian-influenced sounds added (likely a reflection of Morissette’s travels), but that’s not the most appealing thing - there’s a pensive approach to these recordings, which give them the very human touch of looking back on previous experiences, and that’s something everyone can relate to.