The Squid and the Whale [Soundtrack]

the squid and the whale [soundtrack]

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
The soundtrack to The Squid and the Whale will probably be most enjoyed by the cynical, but that doesn't mean it isn't great. In fact, it's a nice intro to some '60s and '70s folk. British musical legend Bert Jansch appears here as does John Phillips of the Mamas and the Papas. (To rely on cliché: Phillips' "Holland Tunnel" is a forgotten road trip-ready gem.) However, the really on-point songs come from Loudon Wainwright III and his former wife and sister-in-law, Kate and Anna McGarrigle, respectively. Anna M's brutal "Heart Like a Wheel" tells a story of lost love--very applicable to a movie about a divorcing couple--while Wainwright's biting "Lullaby" reflects tension between a father and child all too well. (Loudon Wainwright is the father of Rufus Wainwright, also a singer-songwriter. Noah Baumbach is the son of novelist Jonathan Baumbach, and has made a semi-autobiographical movie about a difficult relationship between a father and son who will eventually be working in more or less the same field? Oh, the synergy!) The Cars' "Drive" and an old School House Rock tune provide two of the lighter moments on this disc (and "Drive" isn't exactly "YMCA") only to have the soundtrack wrap up with Lou Reed's "Street Hassle," a kind of black-hearted "Bohemian Rhapsody," and Wainwright's "The Swimming Song," which features the phrase "I'm a self-destructive fool." Why this song hasn't already been used in every indie film from sex, lies, and videotape to Garden State, the world may never know.

Baumbach's selections show that he's serious about the pop music that accompanies his film, and that he wants the soundtrack to be more than a random selection of hits from the latest up-and-coming bands. He shares this trait with his writing partner from The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou, Wes Anderson. Since Anderson's soundtracks are almost always as interesting and inventive as his films, this collection of music bodes well for Baumbach's directorial career. --Leah Weathersby

The Squid and the Whale,Various Artists,Ultra Records,British Folk,Folk-Rock,New Wave,Original Score,Pop,Post-Punk,Proto-Punk,Soundtrack Collections,Soundtracks,Soundtracks & Film Scores


The Squid and the Whale [Soundtrack]
The Squid and the Whale
Average customer rating: 5 out of 5 stars
  • Addition/Correction to Editorial Review
  • Perfect, simple, familiar.
  • Um...Awesome.
The Squid and the Whale
Various Artists
Manufacturer: Ultra Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Proto PunkProto Punk | Hardcore & Punk | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music
New WaveNew Wave | New Wave & Post-Punk | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music
Post-PunkPost-Punk | New Wave & Post-Punk | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music
British FolkBritish Folk | Traditional British & Celtic Folk | Folk | Styles | Music
Folk RockFolk Rock | Rock | Styles | Music
Movie ScoresMovie Scores | Soundtracks | Styles | Music
Movie SoundtracksMovie Soundtracks | Soundtracks | Styles | Music
GeneralGeneral | Soundtracks | Styles | Music
Pop RockPop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music
Similar Items:
  1. The Squid and the Whale (Special Edition)
  2. Broken Flowers: Music from the Film
  3. Thumbsucker
  4. Luna - Tell Me Do You Miss Me
  5. The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou

ASIN: B000AP2ZP8
Release Date: 2005-10-18

Tracks:

  1. Park Slope/Dean Wareham & Britta Phillips
  2. Courting Blues/Bert Jansch
  3. Holland Tunnel/John Phillips
  4. Lullaby/Loudon Wainwright III
  5. Heart Like A Wheel/Kate & Anna McGarrigle
  6. The Bright New Year/Bert Jansch
  7. Drive/The Cars
  8. Let's Go/The Feelies
  9. Figure Eight/Blossom Dearie
  10. Come Sing Me A Happy Song To Prove We All Can Get Along the Lumpy, Bumpy, Long and Dusty Road/Bert Jansch
  11. Hey You/Dean Wareham
  12. Family Conference/Dean Wareham & Britta Phillips
  13. Street Hassle/Lou Reed
  14. The Swimming Song/Loudon Wainwright III

Amazon.com

The soundtrack to The Squid and the Whale will probably be most enjoyed by the cynical, but that doesn't mean it isn't great. In fact, it's a nice intro to some '60s and '70s folk. British musical legend Bert Jansch appears here as does John Phillips of the Mamas and the Papas. (To rely on cliché: Phillips' "Holland Tunnel" is a forgotten road trip-ready gem.) However, the really on-point songs come from Loudon Wainwright III and his former wife and sister-in-law, Kate and Anna McGarrigle, respectively. Anna M's brutal "Heart Like a Wheel" tells a story of lost love--very applicable to a movie about a divorcing couple--while Wainwright's biting "Lullaby" reflects tension between a father and child all too well. (Loudon Wainwright is the father of Rufus Wainwright, also a singer-songwriter. Noah Baumbach is the son of novelist Jonathan Baumbach, and has made a semi-autobiographical movie about a difficult relationship between a father and son who will eventually be working in more or less the same field? Oh, the synergy!) The Cars' "Drive" and an old School House Rock tune provide two of the lighter moments on this disc (and "Drive" isn't exactly "YMCA") only to have the soundtrack wrap up with Lou Reed's "Street Hassle," a kind of black-hearted "Bohemian Rhapsody," and Wainwright's "The Swimming Song," which features the phrase "I'm a self-destructive fool." Why this song hasn't already been used in every indie film from sex, lies, and videotape to Garden State, the world may never know.

Baumbach's selections show that he's serious about the pop music that accompanies his film, and that he wants the soundtrack to be more than a random selection of hits from the latest up-and-coming bands. He shares this trait with his writing partner from The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou, Wes Anderson. Since Anderson's soundtracks are almost always as interesting and inventive as his films, this collection of music bodes well for Baumbach's directorial career. --Leah Weathersby

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars Addition/Correction to Editorial Review.......2007-01-04

"Loudon Wainwright is the father of Rufus Wainwright, also a singer-songwriter" should read: "Loudon Wainwright is the father of both Rufus and Martha Wainwright, also a singer-songwriters."

Thank you.

5 out of 5 stars Perfect, simple, familiar........2006-06-04

This soundtrack is awesome, I only knew about two artists featured on it. Yet when I listened to it, every song felt familiar. It's nostolgic, comforting, awesome.

Give it a spin.

5 out of 5 stars Um...Awesome........2006-05-06

Let me say that style is like alcohol. When it comes to direction, Noah Baumbach is sober and Wes Anderson is a wino, but aren't my friends Sane and Crazy fun all the time? Baumbach sat in the corner and played chess at the party, but the world forgot him because he didn't jump up on the table, paint it carnation pink and then break it down. Scrappin' and yellin'. But, seriously, The Squid and the Whale and its soundtrack is just as good as The Royal Tenenbaums, even without trippin' in Photoshop. And that's saying something! I think you should get this if you like cute folk songs and you feel sort of sad when you think about when you were a kid.

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