 |  | Haunting, beautiful music that pairs perfectly with the film. Everything a score should be. |  |
This is an impressive, ephemeral soundtrack that captures the haunting, brightly lit, and even whimsical horror of the movie. I listened to the soundtrack long before I watched the film and was very surprised to find that after watching the film, the music had elicited many of the same emotional responses in me as the film later did. It's rare when a soundtrack communicates as much as this one does. Air superbly navigates the territory of teenage girlhood with tracks like Playground Love, which blends electronic strains of music with subdued vocals to create a wistful, beautiful tapestry. Only about a third of the tracks can stand on their own as singles, the rest are better listened to together, in one sitting, to get the full affect.
If you're looking for another Moon Safari, you will be disappointed. If you want atmospheric music that will inspire real emotion, are a fan of Air in general, or loved the movie, buy it.
August 19, 2008 | | Airheads should not be disapointed if they expect a score | |
It's not a great album per se, but as a soundtrack Coppala was wise in choosing Air. Besides being a little repetitious with a few doubly-tracked songs (including of course their smash Playground Love), this still plays more gracefully then their pretentious sophomore release, suggesting the spacey compositions of Moon Safari with a little added spookiness to boot.
June 4, 2008 | | New-ish and moody psychedelic/progressive rock | |
The (two) guys in Air certainly did their homework when it came to recreating the sounds of (my favorite) progressive and psychedelic rock acts from the late 1960s and 1970s. In this regard, I hear bits and pieces of late 1960s Pink Floyd, Aphrodite's Child (particularly their 666 album from 1971) and the late 1970s output of electronica giant Klaus Schulze amongst others. As a fan of this older music, I have to say that this 2000 release was an absolutely unexpected delight. Chances are that if you like the old prog and psychedelic acts from the 1970s as much as I do, then you will most likely enjoy this soundtrack.
Key to the gloomy and melancholy textures that color much of the album is the use of keyboard instruments characteristic of progressive rock and some psychedelic rock including synthesizers, e.g., Solina string synthesizer and the mini-moog, along with the electro-mechanical mellotron (with string setting), which injects a bittersweet mood - I have to say that this album presents some of the finest mellotron playing I have heard since I first listened to the In the Court of the Crimson King LP (King Crimson, 1969). Other keyboards used include an acoustic piano, the Fender Rhodes electric piano and the Hammond organ - at times, the guys use the Hammond as an (understated) surrogate pipe organ and the effect is very nice. Hard-edged guitar work is completely absent and the guitarist uses either acoustic guitar or a clean-toned electric. Overall, this music is very contemplative and dreamy.
In addition to these instruments, the use of an excellent drummer on a few tracks (Brian Reitzell) and a bass guitar really add to the rock element. Although over 90% of this album is instrumental, the first track features vocals and there are spoken word pieces here and there, including an electronically modified narration on the last track that provides a reflection on the suicides. Although I have to admit that the last track is a bit over the top, the dramatic effect is still pretty cool.
The thirteen tracks on the album range in length from 1:30 to 6:12, with the total playing time equaling 40:29. In that most of the tracks present the same central minor key melody (albeit in very different ways) the individual tracks on the album could be said to present "variations on a theme". As such, continuity is provided by a common melodic thread in spite of the pause between tracks and my interest was maintained throughout. The mood is also uniformly melancholy, which is heightened through the use of the mellotron.
All in all, this is a fine album and is highly recommended to those folks that enjoy 1970s psychedelic rock, progressive rock and electronica yet are looking for something newer.
April 16, 2008| | | Great soundtrack album, nice and pleasant | |
Air is generally thought of as an electronic pop group, but on this 2000 release, The Virgin Suicides, which is a soundtrack to a Sofia Coppola film (yes, the daughter of Francis Ford Coppola), it sounds much closer to progressive rock than you usually expect this group to do. Many fans of Moon Safari were obviously put off by the dark nature of The Virgin Suicides, but it makes sense, given the context of the film. The album does tend to have more in common with prog rock than you usually expect from Air, as a prog rock fan myself, there are a lot of elements here that are at home with me. For one thing, the heavy use of Mellotron throughout most of these cuts (something way too many people overlook). Many themes are something that wouldn't be out of place on many of my prog rock albums I own, like "Bathroom Girl". And then their use of other analog keyboards, aside from the Mellotron, such as Moogs, Solina string synth and so on. "Playground Love" is the only cut with singing, courtesy of Gordon Tracks. This has a strong Pink Floyd feel, with Gordon's voice sounding a lot like Roger Waters. Many themes recur throughout this album, which only makes sense, given its a soundtrack album. "The Word 'Hurricane'" features some nice ethereal voices complete with such a great theme that I wished it was much longer, but then it quickly ends and then a narrator describing how a hurricane happens, which is pretty educational and factual too. "Highschool Lover" is basically an instrumental version of "Playground Love". That last cut, "Suicide Underground" features some really sinister narration about how all five of the Lisbon girls took their lives. Drums aren't used all that much, but when they do, I found them rather creative, especially on "Dead Bodies". Most of these cuts don't go above the 3 minute mark, which also makes sense given its a soundtrack. The whole CD is just 40 minutes long, which many feel is too short, but back in the 1970s, your typical LP was just 40 minutes long, so it really isn't any shorter than your typical 1970s LP, but quite short by year 2000 standard.
Maybe not to everyone's taste, but I think this is a great collection of music.
February 10, 2007I bought this CD after thoroughly liking Moon Safari and Talkie Walkie. This CD would probably make a really good soundtrack as background music for the movie, but it wasn't a good CD. Most of the songs are boring and repetitive, with just different variations on the same theme.
January 27, 2007More reviews at Amazon.com ...
