Posted on: December 10, 2010 Posted by: James McQuiston Comments: 0

I don’t know how I feel when it comes down to soundtracks. Specifically, I am not sure whether I prefer more albums that have a mix of previously recorded and fresh songs by established band, or those cases in which a master musician is given the reins for the entirety of the CD. For those that are not familiar with this soundtrack, “Catch and Release” has 17 cuts by a number of famous rock and alternative acts. There are songs on this soundtrack by bands that have been burning up the charts, whether it be Death Cab For Cutie, Foo Fighters, Joshua Radin, and The Lemonheads.

As individuals can guess, most of the tracks on this compilation are from the current period. However, this general trend is bucked with the inclusion of the aforementioned Lemonheads track. This does not break the flow of the album, but seems to show bands that were influenced by the Lemonheads alongside the influence itself. Perhaps the strongest reason to buy this soundtrack is the fact that there are acts present that either were not big in their heyday or have not reached high amounts of fame (this includes Andrew Rodriguez, New Radiant Storm King, Peter Maclaggan and Blinker The Star). Another strength to this CD has to be the fact that the tracks by the more known acts are typically not songs that individuals are familiar with; while it is true that Death Cab for Cutie’s “Soul Meets Body” is present on this CD, who honestly had heard of Gary Jules’ “Pills” or Foo Fighters’ “Razor” before sticking on this disc.

The compiler of this CD was shooting for an indie slash rock type of sound with the tracks present, and that is essentially what comes to bear. This general sound fits the rest of the movie “Catch and Release” in an interesting way. While the movie is about Gray trying to find solace in eir friends, the tracks seem to paint a slightly more hopeful tone than the general premise of the movie. While this is not a gulf that is unable to be crossed, it provides an interesting light to the actions that take place during the rest of the movie. For fans of alternative and rock music, or of the music that was syncopated at points during the action of “Catch and Release”, the soundtrack for the movie is a must-buy. If your comfort zone is a little out of that general sphere or you weren’t a big fan of the movie, avoid this one.

Top Tracks: Foo Fighters / Razor , Gary Jules / Pills

Rating: 6.2/10

OST: Catch and Release / 2007 Sony / 17 Tracks / http://www.sonypictures.com/catchandrelease / http://www.sonypictures.com / Reviewed 31 May 2007

[JMcQ]

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