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In other words, while songs may enhance a movie, would you want to stick them on your iPod? Sometimes it is a hit and miss affair.
Juno is a case in point. A quirky movie deserves a quirky soundtrack, and this one doesn't disappoint…as a soundtrack.
The movie's director, Jason Reitman, takes a co-producer credit on the album and he has done pretty well to put together an eclectic bunch of songs to complement his film. Stand out choices include Cat Power's version of
Sea of Love, Sonic Youth's take on the Carpenter's
Superstar, The Kinks' underappreciated
Well Respected Man, the Velvet Underground's quaint
I'm Sticking With You, as well as a couple of great numbers by Scottish indie outfit Belle and Sebastian.
Where the album hits and misses is the inclusion of Kimya Wilson songs. When Reitman asked lead actress Ellen Page what sort of songs Juno would listen to, she replied "the Moldy Peaches", a now defunct duet formed by Wilson with Adam Green. While there are some excellent Wilson compositions on the album –
Loose Lips and
Anyone Else But You are but two – there is also a couple of ‘songs' that barely qualify as such, and are just Wilson strumming a few chords. You could argue that they are part of the incidental music to the movie, however most soundtracks either offer up the score or the songs, not one-minute interludes. To compound the disappointment there are also a couple of songs by Antsy Pants, a gathering of Wilson friends, which sound like amateur hour at the local beatnik café.
Having said that, Wilson obviously has talent and I hope that this Billboard number 1 album sets her on the road to bigger and better things.