Search - Arling & Cameron :: Music for Imaginary Films

It's not unusual that the best part of a movie is its soundtrack. Dutch duo Gerry Arling and Richard Cameron cut straight to the gravy and created Music for Imaginary Films, a collection of tracks for movies that don't exist. On this, the follow-up to their debut All In, Arling and Cameron continue to write elevated camp (their delicious songs are too sincere and well constructed to be dismissed as kitsch). The concept behind this release is a perfect vehicle for the pair to display their seemingly limitless proficiency in any number of musical styles. So, what kind of movies did A&C have in mind? Some sort of James Bondian caper wouldn't be out of the question, nor would a late-'60s sitcom, nor a jazzy Woody Allen film or wah-wah-pummeled blaxploitation flick, for that matter. A&C has a sense of humor for sure, and a fondness for lounge music from all decades. The song "W.E.E.K.E.N.D," sung in breezy, hushed harmonies, proclaims, "Monday, is not a fun day / and Tuesday, another blues day," sounding severely reminiscent of '60s prime-time TV theme songs. The horn-punched, bass-crazy "Hashi," a song about a "drug-sniffing canine," renders bizarrely vivid images of an animated retro superhero pooch spy. Later down the disc, on "Spacebeach," contributor Fay Lovsky prolifically plays a quavering theremin to its spookiest woooo-OOO-oooo effect--have we just entered a haunted house? Whatever cinematic vision A&C had in mind for these songs, the delight of their listeners results in only one ending--a happy one. --Beth Massa