Life Aquatic With Seu Jorge

One of my favorite Wes Anderson films is none other than the Jacques Cousteau inspired film, The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou. The film is about the travels of Steve Zissou to capture a shark that has killed his long time friend and partner. While he seeks revenge on his fishy nemesis, he has discovered that he had a son. He joins him on his quest while trying to establish a relationship with his bond. It is a very strange film with an unusual sense of humor, similar to his previous works. However, I enjoyed every minute of it and I love every detail that was put into the movie.

The Life Aquatic featured a great soundtrack, but it was their compilation album The Life Aquatic Studio Sessions Featuring Seu Jorge that really stood out. It features talented Brazilian artist Seu Jorge. It is a collection of David Bowie covers all sung in Portugese. I'm not sure why Jorge went with Bowie. Maybe he was a fan or perhaps it was under the direction of Wes Anderson. In any case, the covers sounded amazing. Enriching and absolutely gorgeous, he carried out his tunes in such a classical way. Bowie, himself would be very proud. On that note, majority of all the tracks (other than Jorge's original "Team Zissou") are featured on two of Bowie's classic albums, The Legend of Ziggy Stardust and Hunky Dory.


For anyone who enjoys David Bowie should take a look at this compilation. It's a great album and it's worth hearing another perspective on the legendary singer's famous songs. Also, I highly recommend checking out the film.

Driving Music

I've had the privilege of watching Ryan Gosling's latest film, Drive the other day. Not only was I blown away by the film, but I was impressed by how every detail was not wasted. Everything in Drive was executed perfectly and without flaw (no spoilers here). So for a movie of this caliber, it's a no-brainer that having the right soundtrack is very critical. Fortunately, Nicholas Winding Refn (director) got film score composer and former Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer, Cliff Martinez signed on to compose the soundtrack. He is well renowned for his work with such films as Sex, Lies and Videotapes, Traffic and Wonderland. His presence and expertise in music helped enhanced the experience that is Drive.

What's amazing about the soundtrack is how "airy" it sounds. That may be sound a little silly but if you think about it. The entire listening experience as a whole feels like a breath of fresh air. Every beat and every sound created is soft to the ears and captivates the listener without overpowering them. For a movie that is harsh and quite brutal, the music serves as a nice balance. Perhaps this is why Martinez was chosen for this endearing project. Through Martinez's ability in composing music, he founded a way to capture a sense of beauty amongst the brutal killing scenes and blood splatter. He helped give the film a new found depth in the endearing heroism of the protagonist (Ryan Gosling) and the compassion he felt toward his neighbor (Carey Mulligan) and her son. In essence, the music helped bring everything together and for movie with tons brawn, the music allowed the film to carry on its' own through grace and elegance. The soundtrack also features tracks from techno-infused and classic inspired tracks from various artists. This helps complete the rich and cohesive soundtrack. One of my personal favorites is the dreamy electro pop track "A Real Hero" by College featuring Electric Youth.

For those that are reading this and have not seen this film, I suggest you drop whatever you are doing right now and go see this film. While you are at it, pick up the soundtrack. It'll be a perfect for the drive there.

Where The Wild Things Are

One of the movies that I am absolutely excited for this year would be Spike Jonze adaptation of the popular children's book Where The Wild Things Are. I have already seen the trailer and it looks spectacular. Since this is a music blog, I can't help but comment about the music of the movie. For those that don't know, the entire soundtrack is recorded by none other than Karen O (Yeah Yeah Yeahs) and The Kids. The "Kids" referred to on the soundtrack is Karen O's band which includes Brian Chase and Nick Zinner of Yeah Yeah Yeahs as well as Deerhunter's Bradford Cox, Raconteurs Jack Lawerence and The Dead Weather's Dean Fertita. Overall, the Where The Wild Things soundtrack is sensational for both the ears of young children and adults and it fits well with Spike Jonze's vision of the book. Make sure to pick up the soundtrack before the movie comes out on October 16. Click here or the movie poster below and it will take you to Stereogum where you can listen to soundtrack in its entirety.

Random Musical Number

I have just watched the movie (500) Days of Summer with my girlfriend about a week ago and I have been meaning to write about it, but I never got a chance to. Anyways, the movie was awesome. The cinematography and the storytelling is absolutely brilliant. The one thing I love about the movie is that it is not your typical love story (that is a forewarning to some of you). It is a real and natural love story. Oh, did I mention the music was also great? Before my girlfriend and I watched the movie, we picked up the soundtrack and we both instantly love fell in love with the music. It features artists such as Regina Spektor, The Smiths, She & Him (the leading lady of the movie, Zooey Deschanel's own music project), The Temper Trap, Simon & Garfunkel and of course Hall & Oates. Speaking of Hall & Oates, one of my favorite scenes in the movie was when Tom, played by Joseph Gordon-Levitt did a mini musical number with their song "You Make My Dreams Come True". I wish when I have a good day that me and bunch of people would randomly break out into song and dance. I was able to find the video online and just want to share it with you. But I highly suggest watching the movie when you have the time. Don't forget to bring a date.