Lost In Translation - Original Soundtrack [Soundtrack]

I’ve been a little surprised at some of the criticism I’ve read of the Shields’ pieces, though. These are merely score pieces, written under the direction of Sofia Coppola and Brian Reitzell – and it’s ridiculous to approach these four pieces expecting another ‘Soon’ or ‘To Here Knows When’. The purpose of these songs is to accompany images, not to overshadow them – and assessed on those terms, I think that Kevin’s contributions are excellent. Having said that, however, the four songs he contributes are still strong enough to stand on their own as individual pieces. (If you are nostalgic for MBV’s screaming guitars, then seek out the stunning six-minute piece that Shields wrote for the LaLaLa Human Steps production ‘2’ in the mid-90s instead.)

His first song on this soundtrack, ‘City Girl’ is about the simple, rapt gaze of infatuation and has really grown on me over the last few days. It sounds quite similar to the MBV songs ‘Sugar’ and ‘Cupid Come’, and its fractured melody begins to make a great deal of sense on the second or third listen. It’s also wonderful to hear Kevin’s voice again. ‘Goodbye’ is perhaps the strongest of the four pieces – a gorgeous ambient piece that unfolds gently and tenderly over two-and-a-half minutes, and displays more feeling and invention during that time than almost anything else I’ve heard all year. ‘Are You Awake?’ is similarly impressive and does an excellent job of capturing all the wonder and disorientation of late-night Tokyo. ‘Ikebana’ is probably the most immediate, but also the most disposable, of the four pieces – yet still merits inspection.

The rest of the disc is something of a mixed bag. ‘Just Like Honey’ (Jesus and Mary Chain) and ‘Sometimes’(MBV) tower above everything else on this disc, including Shields’ new pieces, and most of the tracks are actually pretty uninteresting, in all honesty – effective in the film but slightly tiresome when on their own. The Air and Squarepusher contributions are pleasant enough, as are the Brian Reitzell pieces – but ‘Girls’ by Death in Vegas, for instance, is a depressingly one-dimensional attempt to mimic ‘Loveless’-era Shields, and merely makes you realise just how remarkable My Bloody Valentine were at their peak.

Overall, though, this is an excellent soundtrack – rich and varied, and containing impressive new material from Kevin Shields.

I'm delighted to be able to confirm that this is quite probably THE best soundtrack CD I've purchased for years. It succeeds in every way that a soundtrack album should do-

- It has all of the keys songs and incidental music you remember from the film (and more!)
- All (yes ALL) of the tracks are excellent+ - most are superb.

- It stands up well as a stand-alone album, so there's no need to have seen the film to appreciate the collection of tracks.

Normally, I'm more of a fan / collector of "score" soundtrack CD's, but this (along with the likes of Trainspotting) is a notable exception - it really is _that_ good.

The pieces by Shields are wonderful, but are not necessarily all of the best tracks on the album. There's a super balance here of a variety of styles, but the important thing is that this soundtrack album will leave you wanting to see the film - and then again if you've already seen it!

Best of all, and in conclusion, this album has introduced me to a selection of bands and musicians that I had previously heard of but hadn't _heard_ (if that makes sense) - so I'm off now to start off my Air, MBV and Death in Vegas collections for starters.

Lovely film, even better soundtrack release. Highly recommended.

-John

I have to admit, the first time I heard these songs was when I saw the movie, so my rating is tainted a bit by association. The music fits the movie perfectly. Consider this a review of a soundtrack, not an album.

For me, the main attraction here is the new stuff by Kevin Shields. No, it's not the rebirth of MBV, but it sure is a wonderful tease. "City Girl" stands out with it's half-distorted guitar and almost Lennonesque vocals. I consider the other tracks a bonus, especially Poenix's "Too Young."

IMO, this is the best soundtrack since "Singles." Beautiful stuff.