To be succinct, a riveting film such as this deserves the well sculpted soundtrack that it received. Marrying these tracks to the stark, giddy, gloomy and desperate images that hasten past your movie eye was as well played as the characters and the thick and occasionally unintelligible dialogue they sported.
With Iggy Pop muscled in as one the films totems (both musically and lifestyle-wise), his "Lust For Life" is a keen and perfect opener for the Hard Days Night-esque opening sequence. Its rhythm drives the pace of the moment and its message nicely sums up the decadence aspect. And while it is a touch ironic that the sometimes antiseptic Brian Eno contributes to the harsh toilet scene, in reality his blissful piece (Deep Blue Day) shows you why hes so highly valued and not allowed to stray to far from the heart of Camp Bono. The countrified and angelic guitar lines virtually waft away on the little fluffy synth clouds His Ambience has set off in the background. The Sleeper track that follows ("Atomic") is scary with its Blondie accuracy and adds to the overall downtown, urban street cred vibe that the movie goes. You're not quite sure though if the inclusion of New Order's track is so much a good fit as it a statement that 80s kids are now just more apt to be flaunting the music they were weaned on a bit more readily.
The Blur track bears more weight and elegance (finally) than Primal Scream's instrumental shot at the title track. And no sooner than that flash of brilliance escapes from the great britpop contenders does Mister Albarn himself chime in at the discs end with a way-pleasant solo bit of lounge fare ("Closet Romantic"). Laced with a tasteful ska trombone here and lush strings and cocktail organ there, its a wonder that they havent been able to put the two headed Gallagher beast into a watery grave yet. But two more well executed moves might be the Lou Reed's "Perfect Day" as the backdrop to Renton's inevitable OD, or the techno heart thumping addition of Underworld's "Born Slippy" to the part of the film that I cant describe or Ill ruin it. Both moments are exemplary of the films creator deft ability to fashion a complete harmonic state of sound and vision. Techno perfection, 4/4 backbeat classics, and a few pop gems tossed in because they could
- keep an eye on this one at future soirees, lest one of your more covetous guests takes it for a permanent walk.
