REVIEW: Soundtrack, The Book of Life (Echostatic)
- Chelsea Spear
Hal Hartley's The Book of Life is a kalidescopic meditation on the events that may well unfold on December 31, 1999. The film itself blends modern philosophy, up-to-the minute technology, espionage and intrigue, and Hartley's trademark dry wit to bring us into the new millenium.
Hartley has a notably rock-and-roll sensibility; new fans might have figured this out by his casting of PJ Harvey as Jesus Christ's secretary, Mary Magdalena, and old fans knew it all along from his previous incarnation in a rock band, the gorgeous minimalist scores he writes for his other films, and the intuitive, musical approach he gives to his films. With the soundtrack to The Book of Life, Hartley has created one of the hippest soundtracks availible today, something that provides a nifty souvenir for fans, but also brings together an amazing collection of bands.
Not surprisingly, two of the highlights of the soundtrack come from Hartley's "house band", Ryful -- a quintet of musicians whose previous experience includes scoring Hartley's previous film, Henry Fool. After the shrill, minimalist debacles voiced by the silver-throated Lydia Kavanaugh on that score, she returns to form with a lovely, understated folk song, "King of Boys"; and the Ryfuls create an amusingly over-the-top spy theme, "Fugitive", that's as funny here as it was in the film.
The spy-music theme continues throughout the album, with David Byrne's expansive, cinematic "Macchu Picchu" and a lovely, textured new track from Yo La Tengo called "Turtle Soup" that's so intriguing they played it twice. Phlyr's techno-enhanced "In A Hole" was best left on the movie screen; its breakbeats work well within the context of the movie, but draw unnecessary attention to themselves within the context, giving the listener the impression that they wandered into a videogame by mistake.
Another recurring theme on the album is solemn, church-y music. The album begins and ends with two lovely hymns by the German chorus Osnabrucker Jugend Chor, and is softly punctuated by the equally scintillating "Mrs. Nedelija Became Famous" by Le Mysterie Des Voix Bulgares. These help to remind us that, though we are dealing with an irrereverant examination of how corrupt organized religion has become, at its core the film is still partially about, y'know, God stuff. These tunes are beautiful listening on their own, though highly unusual under the circumstances.
And, finally, there's everyone's favourite genre which pops up on Hartley soundtracks -- that of melodic East Village art-rock, the kind that wouldn't exist were it not for soundtracks like this. Hub Moore contributes his aching, droney "Two People" from his self-titled album; Miss Crabtree's "Waking Up" is a haunting, melancholy smear of melody and strange noises, and "Lincoln" by Super 5 Thor offers up an understated drone and low-key come-hither voice that almost makes waiting for a new Luna album a little easier. One of the best tracks features new musician Pascal Comelade working with PJ Harvey on the irresistably aching "Love Too Soon"; its understated melody and lounge-y use of xylophones helps create a low-key, longing mood for Peej's vocal that's not heard much, and shows off what an excellent vocalist she is.
All in all, The Book of Life soundtrack is a worthwhile spin for those who have seen and enjoyed the film, and makes a good sampler for adventurous listeners. The only problem with it is that it doesn't have any snippets of Hartley's hilariously skewed dialouge, but hey. Learn more about Hal Hartley by going to http://www.best.com/~drumz/Hartley/ .
