Review: The Last Kiss Soundtrack
though i will not be persuaded to see the film, i was neverthless tipped off to what Zach Braff managed on his "second film" soundtrack. "how silly of me to have forgotten," i thought, while i prepared myself to check it out. "he knows some great artists. he'll have picked some great tunes. Garden State? hello? The Last Kiss Soundtrack? has a ring to it, right? how dumb was i, to have forgotten..."

and then came the opening notes of Snow Patrol's "Chocolate."

as i skipped to number two, i was confronted by Joshua Radin, a song in the exact same vein as Bright Eye's "Lua" topped with Iron & Wine sprinkles (complete with female accompaniment). it was cliche. it was expected. it was damn disappointing.

onwards i went and my hopes were shot. as i passed by each decent choice, rolling my eyes at Coldplay (no no, i'm actually a fan, but you do remember Garden State's opener, i assume? "Don't Panic," my favorite Coldplay song ever), nodding at Cary Brothers, raising an eyebrow at Imogen Heap, quietly (and ineffectually) singing along to Ray Lamontagne... and, you know, finding a few random good tracks that will last me two weeks, like Athlete's "El Salvador" (a little to the tune of that Sublime song), and Remy Zero's "Prophecy," which (although it opens with the same vocal notes as Guster's "Satellite") sounds SO MUCH like Garbage that i literally googled it to see if they covered Shirley Manson or something. i was actually impressed with the Fiona Apple pick..

oh, hell. it dawned on me somewhere towards the middle of Rachel Yamagata's "Reason Why." Zachary, oh Zachary. if that is indeed your full name, hear me now! you failed in making another Garden State. but i can tell you why. that soundtrack was an accidental masterpiece. it marked a shift in the music industry, shined a dusty yellow spotlight onto the independent music industry and offered to let everyone take a better look, old and young alike. and it's named after New Jersey.

me? i know what he was going for. but i guess i can't take it this time. i'll plug the tracks i don't know into a playlist, loop them a few times, get used to their catchiness and potential (they're good songs, don't get me wrong) -- but i've been had. Garden State ruined ol' Braffy for me. give me the Snatch Soundtrack anyday. even the Hercules Soundtrack, give me that! but run-over acoustics, musicians that are friends, and "hip" and "trendy" sounding music is a thing of the past for the Scrubs dude. i'm disillusioned.

::::i never said i didn't like the songs themselves! it's the compilation. you know me. check these out, as a reward for sitting through my rant:
Joshua Radin - Star Mile - - explained above, this track is mellow and acoustic in the vein of Iron & Wine and some Bright Eyes.
Remy Zero - Prophecy - - again, starts off like Guster's "Satellite," throughout sounds exactly like Garbage. it's good.

Bonus. because i like you a lot.
Rufus Wainwright - Cigarettes and Chocolate Milk (Reprise) - - i was happy with this addition. you can either win well or fail miserably with Rufus. this was a win.

i don't want to dissuade you from buying the album. i am merciless, especially when something should succeed another thing i've loved for a long time. you'll probably love it. check out the full tracklist and buy it here. the film? i don't know. ask someone else i guess.

Labels: mp3s, reviews

  shan  8:21 AM  |  view comments (2)