SOUNDTRACK: TINDERSTICKS-Nénette et Boni [soundtrack] (1996).
After releasing two albums of atmospheric brilliance, Tindersticks were called upon to score the music for the film Nénette et Boni.
And this disc answers the question of whether it is Stuart Staples’ voice that is the driving force behind the band. And the answer is, indeed not. This disc is almost entirely instrumental (except for “Tiny Tears” which is a different version from the second disc and is here titled “Petites gouttes d’eau”). The band brings the same atmospheric/noir quality to this disc that they bring to the ir previous works, but you get to hear it in all of its glory (since you’re not trying to figure out what Stuart is talking about).
I haven’t seen the film, so I can’t say how well it works for the film. But I feel like I know the film quite well from the tone and music (and what I think may be sounds from the film) that are present. If you like the band musically, you absolutely cannot go wrong here. There’s not a bad track on the disc. Even the half dozen or so tracks that are only about a minute (this is a soundtrack after all) are quite evocative.
I read a brief description of the film online, and I’m not entirely sure I want to see it. But I sure do enjoy listening to the music.
The reissued disc comes with a bonus disc called Marks Moods. Marks Moods was a promo disc sent out to film producers to showcase just what the band could do (again, without Stuart’s vocals). So this is another moody instrumental disc. The difference is that there are many songs from other discs that are done (or re-done, I can’t be entirely sure) as instrumentals. The four tracks with vocals are “Sleepy Song,” “Don’t Look Down,” and “Buried Bones” which is actually a duet. And then there’s “For Those…” one of my favorite songs which seems to crop up all over the place but never on an actual album.
This appears to have been something of a find back in the day. I’m not sure if it was really worth hunting down, but it is a nice bonus to this disc.
[READ: October 18, 2009] “/Solomon Silverfish/”
The last few uncollected DFW stories that I read were a little less than satisfying. So I wasn’t looking forward to this one very much. But man, was it good. It seems to be a hearty precursor to Infinite Jest (without the endnotes). It even has a character named Wardine!
The story is typographically a little odd. The title and “section” headings are in backslashes. (I have no idea if that signifies anything other than a typographical choice of DFW or the magazine). The section headings are the names of the character whose point of view the section is. So, when the story opens we see /Solomon/.
But aside from that, the most unusual thing in the story is that it is written in the voice of a very Jewish individual. For Solomon Silverfish speaks in an almost stereotypical Jewish vernacular. Solomon is married to Sophie Shoenweiss, a Jewish woman who is dying of breast cancer. As the story opens, Solomon is fielding a phone call (at 2 in the morning) from Sophie’s brother Ira. Ira has just been caught with his third DUI and he’s begging his brother-in-law, a fine public defendant, to bail him out (again). Continue Reading »
SOUNDTRACK: TINDERSTICKS-Tindersticks [the red one] (1993).
SOUNDTRACK: DAN ZANES-Night Time (2002).
I’d only ever heard of Dan Zanes as the guy from the Del Fuegos (who probably got the biggest boost of their career when Juliana Hatfield sang about them in “My Sister”). But once we had our first child, everyone told me to check out Dan Zanes’ “kids” records. Night Time is one of our favorites. It’s often played at night (obviously) as a good bedtime CD.
SOUNDTRACK: PLACEBO-Battle for the Sun (2009).
I’ve been a fan of Placebo since their first disc came out (I had to hunt it down after reading a great review in Q magazine). Imagine my surprise when they took off with their next album and the huge single “Every You Every Me.”
SOUNDTRACK: FIONA APPLE-When the Pawn… (1999).
I learned about Fiona Apple from CMJ New Music Monthly before her debut came out. I was convinced she was just another pretty thing with little talent. But then I heard “Shadowboxer” and I was really impressed by the depth of her voice. When I got the album, I was pretty much blown away.
SOUNDTRACK: JILL SOBULE-Underdog Victorious (2004).
After ordering California Years, I saw that she had released this disc, Underdog Victorious, which I had never heard of. Then I found it used for pretty cheap. The most exciting thing about the disc is that there’s a crossword puzzle (that is largely about Jill herself) done by Will Shortz on the inside back cover!
SOUNDTRACK: DANKO JONES-Never Too Loud (2008).
Danko Jones is a hard and fast rock band, with a one track mind and a straightforward sound. They deal in excessive cliches (album titles include: Sleep is the Enemy, We Sweat Blood, Never Too Loud, etc) and play mostly short songs. And despite all that apparent negativity, I enjoy them beyond reason.
SOUNDTRACK: JILL SOBULE-California Years (2009).
So Jill Sobule had the first hit single called “I Kissed a Girl” (that was sung by a woman). And it was sort of a novelty hit, which is the kiss of death for any songwriter. After most people forgot about her, I followed her career for a while. And I found her follow up to “I Kissed a Girl,” Happy Town, to be a superb album and the follow up to that one, Pink Pearl ,was also really good. And then she fell off my radar.
I Just Read About That... 