Spring Break
'Hot Fuzz' soundtrack leaves a cold beat
A CD Review
Mikhail Chernyavsky
Issue date: 4/19/07 Section: Features
Unless you are a music guru or a British pop and rock aficionado, then chances are you will not know most of the bands on the soundtrack to the upcoming film "Hot Fuzz."
The soundtrack ranges from 1990s Britpop to 1960s psychedelic rock. The album is full of a variety of songs. It is great for exposure to some old bands that most people have not heard of such as The Crazy World of Arthur Brown; although, this artist is primarily a one hit wonder.
It also features bands such as The Kinks, XTC and Adam Ant.
The album also consists of sound bites from the film, which help tell the story of the movie. But the words do not mean as much if you have not yet seen it. It seemingly intertwines the sound clips in with the music. It chronicles the film from the beginning.
Although the intertwining on this album is unnoticeable, the listener is left divided. The soundtrack leaves the listener stuck in two different moods. It takes you from tripping out to rocking out. One minute you are bobbing your head to the pop rock and the next minute, the room is spinning in circles around your body from the acid-inspired music.
The electronic beats that overlapped with the movie sound clips were pointless. The 23-minute track, "The Hot Fuzz Suite," is anything but an impressive score. I am a big fan of original film scores, but this track was not necessary. All it really added was more of a mood division in the already split album.
Any fan of Britpop will enjoy the pop tracks, and if you enjoy psychedelic music then you will enjoy those tracks. Otherwise this album is poorly compiled, the tone is all over the board. A change in music works to change the mood of the film, but the tone of a soundtrack needs to be more focused. I only hope that the film is more promising than the album.
Mikhail Chernyavsky can be reached at features@statehornet.com
The soundtrack ranges from 1990s Britpop to 1960s psychedelic rock. The album is full of a variety of songs. It is great for exposure to some old bands that most people have not heard of such as The Crazy World of Arthur Brown; although, this artist is primarily a one hit wonder.
It also features bands such as The Kinks, XTC and Adam Ant.
The album also consists of sound bites from the film, which help tell the story of the movie. But the words do not mean as much if you have not yet seen it. It seemingly intertwines the sound clips in with the music. It chronicles the film from the beginning.
Although the intertwining on this album is unnoticeable, the listener is left divided. The soundtrack leaves the listener stuck in two different moods. It takes you from tripping out to rocking out. One minute you are bobbing your head to the pop rock and the next minute, the room is spinning in circles around your body from the acid-inspired music.
The electronic beats that overlapped with the movie sound clips were pointless. The 23-minute track, "The Hot Fuzz Suite," is anything but an impressive score. I am a big fan of original film scores, but this track was not necessary. All it really added was more of a mood division in the already split album.
Any fan of Britpop will enjoy the pop tracks, and if you enjoy psychedelic music then you will enjoy those tracks. Otherwise this album is poorly compiled, the tone is all over the board. A change in music works to change the mood of the film, but the tone of a soundtrack needs to be more focused. I only hope that the film is more promising than the album.
Mikhail Chernyavsky can be reached at features@statehornet.com
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