Ridley Scott's quirky tale of a smalltime con-artist coming to terms with his rediscovered daughter sprawls across landscapes both internal and external, from the twitchy neuroses of Nicolas Cage's character Roy to the ... more »kitschy San Fernando Valley furnishings and architecture he insulates them with. Hans Zimmer's soundtrack deftly colors them both with retro-quirky, infectious charm, a welcome left turn from the moody dramaturgy that has been so often demanded of the composer. Roy's living-in-the-past ethos inspires some smart catalog choices, from Bobby Darin's breezy take on "The Good Life" and George Formby's ukulele romp "Leanin' On a Lamp Post" to prime 60's cuts by Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass and Mantovani's cocktail lounge staple, "Swedish Rhapsody." Zimmer's jazz-exotica dominated score bobs and weaves its way merrily through those dizzy inspirations, throwing in a little accordion seasoning and several healthy dollops of Nino Rota's La Dolce Vita theme in the bargain, before throwing us back headlong into the jarring rhythms of the 21st century's digital cacophony. A fresh, loopy change of pace from one Hollywood's most successful -- if too often pigeonholed -- composers. -- Jerry McCulley« less
Ridley Scott's quirky tale of a smalltime con-artist coming to terms with his rediscovered daughter sprawls across landscapes both internal and external, from the twitchy neuroses of Nicolas Cage's character Roy to the kitschy San Fernando Valley furnishings and architecture he insulates them with. Hans Zimmer's soundtrack deftly colors them both with retro-quirky, infectious charm, a welcome left turn from the moody dramaturgy that has been so often demanded of the composer. Roy's living-in-the-past ethos inspires some smart catalog choices, from Bobby Darin's breezy take on "The Good Life" and George Formby's ukulele romp "Leanin' On a Lamp Post" to prime 60's cuts by Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass and Mantovani's cocktail lounge staple, "Swedish Rhapsody." Zimmer's jazz-exotica dominated score bobs and weaves its way merrily through those dizzy inspirations, throwing in a little accordion seasoning and several healthy dollops of Nino Rota's La Dolce Vita theme in the bargain, before throwing us back headlong into the jarring rhythms of the 21st century's digital cacophony. A fresh, loopy change of pace from one Hollywood's most successful -- if too often pigeonholed -- composers. -- Jerry McCulley
Jimm L. (jimmer) from ALMA, MI Reviewed on 7/17/2014...
Perfect for the car ride, this gem is pure swank! Read the other reviews.
CD Reviews
Matchstick Men CD
Jeff Lamoureux | South Attleboro, MA United States | 03/29/2004
(1 out of 5 stars)
"No Beyond the Sea? No This Town? No Summer Wind? NO SALE!!!!"
In search of Neo-Tangos
Mark Hammond | Chambersburg, PA USA | 12/28/2003
(4 out of 5 stars)
"I purchased this CD as part of a quest for Neo-Tangos. I danced to "Weird is Good" in a tango lesson in Washington DC recently. It was one of a number of pieces of contemporary music suitable for the "under 30" crowd of tangueros. I found it quite an interesting piece for dancing, and I was quite pleased with it. Yes, it was reason enough for me to purchase the CD. The other piece that was suitable was "The Banker's Waltz."After those two pieces, the rest of the CD was a bonus. A number of the selections were pieces I had had on vinyl -- The Good Life, Swedish Rhapsody, The Lonely Bull, and Tijuana Taxi. Good stuff from the 1960's -- a nostalgic journey.The search for Neo-Tangos has also introduced me to a group known as "Thievery Corporation," and I would recommend "Until the Morning" from "Richest Man in Babylon" and "Right Angles Remix" from "OM Lounge, Vol. 1." There is even some good stuff on Dead Can Dance's CD "Into the Labyrinth.""
Matchstick men
reel07 | Sad Hill Cemetery | 10/02/2003
(4 out of 5 stars)
"This is the soundtrack to Ridley Scott's latest film, which I think is truly a gem. The film is a synthesis of great working products, with actors, photography, script, story, dialogue, editing, and this music is no exception. Every song you heard from the film is in here, including all the tango songs. Not all of the lounge act songs are on here, but the majority of them are.the only reason I gave this a 4 is as great as the soundtrack is, I purchased this CD with the hope of getting one song. That is the Thin Red Line-type ambience song which is the only dramatic piece in the film. **POSSIBLE SPOILER WARNING**It comes up when Frank is telling Roy how he thinks Angela is bad for their work and how she's messing everything up. The full blown song comes when Angela shoots Bruce McGill who was after them and Roy is telling an "injured" Frank to take Angela away with him.*** This is a very powerful piece of music; a typical great dramatic Zimmer piece that is present in all the Scott-Zimmer collaborations. But it isn't on here! It really sounds a lot like Thin Red Line; it even has a clock-ticking sequence! This same thing happened with the official releases of Pearl Harbor, Black Hawk Down, and even Thin Red Line. There is always great pieces of dramatic music missing from the official Zimmer soundtracks that are in the films. This is very frustrating, and that's why I recommend looking elsewhere than studio produced albums when it comes down to this. The soundtrack is fine, but I was really expecting this one piece of music. If you're okay with this, then I would recommend buying this CD."
Sinatra songs
reel07 | 07/01/2004
(4 out of 5 stars)
"Since this cd is missing Summer Wind and This Town by Frank Sinatra those of you who are looking for these songs can buy Frank Sinatra's Greatst hits, has both these songs on their."
Missing songs
Noname | Local | 04/18/2005
(3 out of 5 stars)
"I was missing the song that plays when ROY and ANGELA are at the bowling alley. For you guys, this is "More than this" from Bryan Ferry/Roxy Music.