About Stefan Halley
Location: Malmo, Sweden
Occupation: Editor-in-Chief
Bio: Stefan has been writing reviews for seven years and started Pop Syndicate out of need to voice his mis-guided opinion.
Posts: 719
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Movie soundtracks used to be huge sellers. In the 80’s they were a staple of the summer film going experience. I still remember wearing out my tapes of Ghostbusters, Footloose and Purple Rain among others. These days soundtracks are usually a collection of songs from the past 30 years and play more like a greatest hits of the time instead of something original. Pop Syndicate recently received several movie soundtracks and two of them illustrate this point perfectly.
We Own the Night – This is a perfect example of what’s wrong with soundtracks. It’s a mixture of classic rock songs and big band music with the original score thrown in to round out the CD. The first three tracks have been featured over and over again on other soundtracks and hit’s of the decade CDs. “Heart of Glass”, “Let’s Dance” and “Rapture” don’t scream out purchase me. Things pick up with Louis Prima’s excellent version of “I Ain’t Got Nobody” and Tito Punte’s “Mambo Diablo”. The rest of the disc contains Wojciech Kilar’s haunting score. Sadly if you haven’t seen the film, they’ve titled the tracks with the plot points the music is written for (“Bobby Breaks Leg”, “Burt Dies”, “Bobby Kiss Amanda”). RATING: 2/5
American Gangster – This a much better collection of music from the past. While there are a few film cliché tracks (“I’ll Take You There”, “Hold On I’m Comin’”), this is has an impressive collection of soul and blues songs. Ridley Scott has picked a soundtrack that evokes the mood and feel of the film. Even without seeing the movie, you have an idea of what to expect. Hank Shocklee is featured prominently on the soundtrack with four tracks on a fourteen track disc. You’ll also find John Lee Hooker, Anthony Hamilton, Public Enemy (sounding very out of place) and Marc Streitenfeld. RATING: 3.5/5
Enchanted – This is a return to the music that revived the Disney monopoly on family films. Bringing back Alan Menken to compose his best soundtrack since Aladdin, Enchanted is unmistakably Disney. “True Love’s Kiss” is the opening track and it sounds like a leftover from The Little Mermaid. Enchanted is the only soundtrack that is comprised entirely of original music. If you’ve missed the sound of early 90’s Disney music, Enchanted will fill your hearts with joy. Alan Menken brings the feel good sound of The Little Mermaid and Beauty & the Beast back for a new generation. Enchanted would also be the best way to describe the soundtrack. It’s pretty music that children will play incessantly. Expect to see “Ever Ever After” by Carrie Underwood get nominated for an Academy Award. RATING: 4/5
