Search - Various Artists :: Stranger Than Fiction

Antonino P. (Antonino) from NEW YORK, NY
Reviewed on 9/27/2024...

Soundtrack CDs can be a mixed bag. I liked this mix of bands (Spoon, The Jam, The Upsetters, Delta 5 +) and songs. An interesting mix of Alternative, Punk, and New Wave spread over a few decades. Oddly enough, I don't associate this album with the movie much, which I loved, but it also stands alone as a curiously interesting set of tunes.

Weird/cool punk/pop

Misa | Atlanta, GA USA | 11/29/2006

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I love this CD. It is so moody and beautiful and romantic and funny. Something different. I think if you liked the movie (which is AWESOME), you would probably enjoy the CD. The song "Whole Wide World" is the most romantic song with the worst singer ever. But somehow, it's great and I want to scream the lyrics along with him."

A CD for both bookish and dumbed-down personalities

Sal Nudo | Champaign, Illinois | 09/09/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"If you've ever seen the fantastic movie Stranger Than Fiction, then you know how perfectly placed the music is -- and how great it sounds. When done right, the music heard within a movie can really enhance what you're watching. Spoon's angular but tuneful piano contributions in "Stranger Than Fiction," for instance, are tailor-made to be background music as Will Ferrell brushes his teeth and a literary female voice provides narration about the goings-on of his life. "The Way We Get By" is the aforementioned Spoon song I'm referring to, minus the lyrics, and the track's tone wonderfully sets the stage for Ferrell's bizarre travails.



Spoon's music is splattered throughout this soundtrack, and it's a good way to discover the band's talent. "The Way We Get By" is pure sing-along gold, a tuneful, soulful romp with the lyrics of admitted degenerates. Its instrumental representation in the movie, as noted, is the perfect melodic hook. Spoon's "The Book I Write" was another stellar choice for the soundtrack, for obvious reasons if you've seen the movie. It's another crisp and catchy song that leads off the CD perfectly. "My Mathematical Mind" by Spoon contains lively piano and biting guitar -- classic Spoon elements -- and is basically one giant hook throughout. Spoon's final contribution, "Vittorio E," is different, a mellow acoustic number toward the end of the disc that winds things down nicely.



The producer of this soundtrack, Brian Reitzell, collaborated with Spoon singer Britt Daniel for some short, soft, ethereal selections that enhance the soundtrack and give it a "movielike" feel. The piano on "Writer's Block" is especially moving. "Auditor" is a chipper track, more quirky than the duo's previous songs on the CD but still atmospheric.



A few of the rockers on this CD equal or even exceed Spoon's contributions, and that's saying a lot. "Going Missing" by Maximo Park contains urgent guitar work, cool lyrics and a raw, rocking sound that makes you want to discover the band more. "Whole Wide World" by Wreckless Eric, though played acoustically in the movie by Ferrell, is an electric humdinger on the soundtrack. It's debatable which version is better, but there's no denying the power of the raw-to-the-bone song. A demo version of The Jam's great 1980 tune "That's Entertainment" is also a welcome donation to the CD, and sounds right at home with both its more contemporary rock `n' roll brethren and daintier tracks like Vangelis' "La Petite Fille de la Mer" (an aery tune from 1973).



Overall, this CD is an interesting mix of the refined and unrefined, kind of like the elements of a plot within a well-told tale of a novel. If you haven't seen this movie, I highly recommend it."