I recently watched a movie that kind of relates to my previous blog entry. When I had seen the preview for this movie when it first came out, it featured two great songs, “When the Levee Breaks” by Led Zeppelin and “Panic Switch” by Silversun Pickups. These songs featured in the preview, made me want to see the movie. Sucker Punch had one of the coolest previews I have ever seen.
Such bad reviews once it came out in theaters, deterred me from seeing it but this past weekend, I got around to finally renting it. The movie is not what I am here to talk about, but rather the soundtrack. I hadn’t been watching the movie 10 minutes before I downloaded the soundtrack. Why?
Well, first off, the first song in the movie is a “Sweet Dreams (are made of this)” cover. I have still yet to meet a cover of this song that I don’t like. All the remixes I have heard are great and never overplayed. This cover was actually a cover by the main star of the film, Emily Browning. It is slow, and innocent sounding, in a creepy, Children-of-the-Corn sort of way. If you took the Manson cover of this song and interchanged a child’s voice, this is what you would get. It is almost church-like. It is beautiful—I’m sold!
As the movie played out, it introduced so many other great songs. Another cover is featured on the album, “White Rabbit” by Emiliana Torrin. The original “White Rabbit” was so twisted to begin with, luckily this cover sticks to the original tone and vibe. So let’s see, so far, two covers of two awesome songs. I am sooo sold!
Emily Browning is actually featured on multiple songs. She sings one song on her own, “Asleep” which is actually a lovely lullaby. It is simple in its lyrics “sing me to sleep/sing me to sleep/I’m tired and I/want to go to bed,” however, most real lullabies are. They are meant to lull children to sleep and I bet if you played this song for a child, it would help him/her fall into a peaceful slumber (just make sure you turn the album off before it goes to the next song—that will scare the child out of its mind). Browning is also featured in the song “Where is My Mind?” by Yoav, a Pixies cover. It is a beautiful duet, totally worthy of any Nicholas Sparks movie (that is a complement for sad dreary love songs).
Another milestone came when I downloaded this album—I GOT MY FIRST BJORK SONG!!!! I have wanted to like Bjork for so long. I remember in high school, girls were putting artsy pictures of her on their binders and she seemed so alternative and edgy. But then I would go home, listen to some of her music or watch her music videos and I just couldn’t do it. Her music either irritated me, bored me, or just really did nothing to me at all. This has happened a few times. I revisit Bjork, hoping for the best. I do this with a lot of artists: Tori Amos, big hair bands from the 80s, the Foo Fighters.
Anyway, so when I heard the song “Army of Me” by Bjork in Sucker Punch, I recognized the voice (she has a very distinct voice—like an angry Icelandic panda (if those exist, and they sing). The song is awesome. It is naughty and raw. It is the naughty schoolgirl prostitute of all songs. This song sounds like they took a normal song and powered acid on it. Zombie music! I am so pleased to have found a Bjork song I like. Now I can hang with the downer art students in school!
All in all, the album is awesome. It is the alter ego of most soundtracks and that is really what artistic license is all about, taking what we know and messing with it.
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