Search - Various Artists :: Marie Antoinette

Atmospheric & Dream Like

Adam Keith Watson | San Francisco, CA | 10/11/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Like the other soundtracks to the previous Sofia Coppola films, this one proves to be no less dream-like and surreal than the previous two. The first disc has a fun sound to it, sounding almost as if you are hearing the music coming from a room down a long hall. This disc includes 80's favorites Siouxsie & The Banshees, Bow Wow Wow, New Order, Adam & The Ants, The Cure and a few others. Kevin Shields of My Bloody Valentine fame remixes "I Want Candy" as well as another Bow Wow Wow song on the second disc, both add an atmospheric touch to the already classic songs.



The second disc is a much more mellow side with Aphex Twin, The Radio Dept., Squarepusher, etc. This disc is just as surreal as the first, but in a different way. Aphex Twin's prepared piano ballad "Jynweythek Ylow" adds a haunting element to the second half of this soundtrack, Squarepusher's "Tommib Help Buss" which is a different version of "Tommib" featured on the Lost In Translation soundtrack sweetly begins to bring the second and final disc to a close, which ends with The Cure's "All Cats are Grey". Overall this soundtrack is one you can listen to for two different moods and creates excitement for the forthcoming film Marie Antoinette."

"music for the party... and the morning after."

K. Seifert | Richmond, VA | 10/11/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Good movie soundtrack, definitely excited about seeing the movie once it's released. My one very minor disapointment was that New Order's "Age of Consent" wasn't on the soundtrack. It's been played in some of the previews and I was hoping to find it here as well. Disc 1 is very upbeat and party like, whereas disc 2 is low key and chill. I love the modern take on this historical figure's life. Reminds me a little bit of the 1996 Romeo & Juliet movie and soundtrack. (which is one of my favorite soundtracks of all time!)



Get it, truly is "music for the party... and the morning after." (that's what it says on the cd!)"

The notions of a rich, bi-polar teenager never sounded so go

Mark Angel | Globe Trotter | 10/30/2006

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I say "bi-polar" becuase this soundtrack alternates, like the mind of a young girl with too much time on her hands (yes, that's you Ms. Coppola), between giddy and rambunctious or contemplative and anguished. Music can tell a lot about the person who chooses to listen to it, much less include it on a soundtrack, and this soundtrack makes it abundantly obvious the tone of which the director was lend to take the film.



Setting aside the artistic choice to contrast a period-piece with new wave music, the songs on this CD stand out on their own as extremely good pieces of music. They have a rather timeless quality, so that more recent entries like The Strokes don't sound out of place next to the more traditional new wave sounds of New Order.



The first half of the disc is largely upbeat. It opens with a fabulous classical intro to Siouxsie and The Banshees' "Hong Kong Garden" and then moves into crazier territory with Bow Wow Wow's "Aphrodisiac." The Strokes' "Whatever Happened" is a common tune but one that grows on you with subsequent listens. Then one of the album's most delightful surprises, a showing by The Radio Dept. for a break in pace with "Pulling Our Weight." After this comes the pensive but bravely inspiring cover of Joy Division's "Ceremony" by New Order. Back at the palace ball, Gang of Four gets the masses riled up with "Natural's Not in It," followed by another Bow Wow Wow classic "I Want Candy" (I'll confess this is one that could have been left out, it's commercial and overplayed as it is; it does work given the context of the film, but not so much on this soundtrack). The party ends with Adam Ant's "Kings of the Wild Frontier" which is a take-it-or-leave-it track.



From there, the first disc turns largely into a contemplative atmospheric set. Anotnio Vivaldi's "Concerto in G" turns a corner with some lush classical, and then the final 3 tracks put us into a subdued melancholy coma. Windsor for the Derby's "The Melody of a Fallen Tree," The Radio Dept.'s "I Don't Like it Like This" and The Cure's "Plainsong" are some of the most reflective, introverted songs you're likely to find on any collection.



The second disc is nearly all mood and atmosphere. It includes unexpected quiet pieces from Aphex Twin and Squarepusher, more from Bow WoW Wow, The Cure, and the Radio Dept., as well as a large number of instrumental renditions and classical pieces by contemporary artists.



Overall this is one of the best soundtracks I've come across, largely lacking widespread commercial appeal but absolutely stuffed full of more obscure gems."