Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Quintessential Summer Listenin', 15 Jan 2008
This film, and the soundtrack, are both going to develop a huge, so-cutting-edge-it-bleeds cult following, and I absolutely understand why. Many of the songs on this album are very reminiscent of nursey rhymes - happy and innocent music that makes you smile. Kimya Dawson features heavily... which adds an undercurrent of cynicism to the whole thing, but it's not necessary to get embroiled in all of that. She's an inordinately talented singer/songwriter, and her disdain for this genre of music has resulted in her unintentionally creating something wonderful. Take a pinch of grass-roots folk, add a dash of nursery rhyme simplicity, and this is what you get.
It's music for girls in vintage summer dresses and plastic sunglasses and flip-flops who stand with their toes pointing inwards and hold a pink gerbera daisy in their left hand.
Tracks that stand out are I'm Sticking With You by Velvet Underground, and Anyone Else But You by The Moldy Peaches, which is Kimya Dawson's band. A lovely added bonus is Ellen Page and Michael Cera's (the two teenage stars of the film) rendition of the latter. It's a lo-fi triumph; adorable and shy and bound to make you grin from ear to ear. I'm Sticking With You is just a beautifully understated track. It continues the nursery rhyme theme with its lilting melody and lovely lyrics: "I'm sticking with you; cos I'm made out of glue/ Anything that you might do, I'm gonna do, too." It's delightful.
Anyone Else But You is much the same in terms of the atmosphere it creates - retro, lazy Summer afternoons holding hands with someone you adore.
The whole album is gentle, with the only "edge" coming from Mot the Hoople's (soft glam rock) All the Young Dudes and Sonic Youth's (almost ambient) Superstar. Both of which are still Summer dreams, but both tracks deviate from the nursery rhume vibe, and they actually break the album up nicely. The album isn't at all saccharine - as you can tell, how do I love this soundtrack: let me count the ways - but between Kimya Dawson and Belle and Sebastian, having something with a little more kick is like having extra chocolate sprinkles on a really yummy cake.
All in all, I recommend it absolutely. You needn't even watch the film in order to fall in love a little. But flip-flops and gerbera daisies are a necessity.
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
If I was a flower, 11 Feb 2008
"Juno" is the little indie movie that could, for this year -- an enchantingly witty story about a teenage girl who gets pregnant, and the smart decisions she has to make for everyone's sakes.
It's a smart, sweet, poignantly funny little movie, and that gets echoed in the "Juno" soundtrack. Like many a soundtrack over the past few years, it's got a great assortment of artists -- everything from classic rockers to Scottish mope-popsters. It's a warm folky little affair that leaves you with a wistful little smile at the end.
"If I was a flower growing wild and free/all I'd want is you to be my sweet honeybee/And if I was a tree growing tall and green/all I'd want is you to shade me and be my leaves," Barry Louis Polisar warbles over a strummed guitar and spurts of harmonica. For the record, this kind of music usually gives me hives, but the cheerful, fun flavour of it somehow made it palatable.
After a "doo-doo-doo" interlude by Kimya Dawson, the soundtrack bounces into the sprightly Kinks tune "A Well Respected Man." From there, the soundtrack slips smoothly into a series of folky pop tunes -- Buddy Holly's mellow "Dearest," a Mateo Messina song that is basically one minute of strummed guitar, Cat Power's poignant little folk ballad, Antsy Pants' bouncy little pop tunes ("I am a vampire! I am a vampire!"), and the Moldy Peaches' countryish "Anyone Else But You."
Kimya Dawson is the overpowering influence in this soundtrack -- including the "doo-doo-doo" interlude, she contributes five songs of rambling, quirky pop ("I was quiet as a mouse/when I snuck into your house/and smoked roofies with your spouse..."). But there are some more rock'n'roll moments -- the ringing fuzz-folk of Sonic Youth, Belle and Sebastian's trumpety guitarpop, and the Velvet Underground's romantic, gentle pianopop tune "I'm Sticking With You."
And there's a sweet little epilogue to this -- stars Ellen Page and Michael Cera sing a cute little lo-fi duet at the end ("You're a part time lover/and a full time friend..." "Here is the church/and here is the steeple/we sure are cute for two ugly people"). It's as adorable as their onscreen relationship.
A lot of movies -- both major films and little bitty ones -- have indie-rock soundtracks now, usually mingling old favorites with newer bands and artists. But the "Juno" soundtrack is a bit different from the average soundtrack -- it relies on the songs meshing together into a tapestry of folkpop, rather than a string of solid, individual songs.
Most of the songs mostly rely on acoustic guitar -- they can be sprightly, quirky, flickering, countryish, mellow, lazy, caressing or vaguely Spanishy. But some of these artists mix in trumpets, piano, drums, ringing electric guitar and in one Kimya Dawson song, a whistle. And the Mott the Hoople song "All The Young Dudes" has a soaring organ/keyboard combo that really stands out among the softer songs.
And these songs are good choices for other reasons -- Polisar's voice is rather nasal, but the others tend to be mellow and rich. And the song lyrics range from clever ("Your obsessions get you known throughout the school for being strange/Making life-size models of the Velvet Underground in clay") to sweet ("So if you wanna burn yourself/Remember that I love you!/And if you wanna cut yourself/Remember that I love you!").
The soundtrack for "Juno" is a lot like the movie -- sweet, witty and heartwarming. And whether you've seen the film or not, it's definitely worth hearing.
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5.0 out of 5 stars
Love it, Love it, Love it!, 3 Jun 2009
This album is amazing! Watched the film and loved it especially the music. I'm not usually a soundtrack kind of girl, you usually only get a couple of decent songs and the rest is rubbish, but I love all this album. Belle and Sebastian I liked anyway but Kimya Dawson's music is simply beautiful. My boyfriend thought it was nursery music at first - it does have that beautiful simplicity to it which is lost in a lot of adult music - but even he now loves it. I'd recommend this album to anyone.
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~ Kimya Dawson
![Juno [DVD] [2007]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51IEUiNa4WL._SL500_SS90_.jpg)
DVD ~ Ellen Page
~ The Moldy Peaches
~ Vampire Weekend
~ Fleet Foxes
![Juno [DVD] [2007]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51IEUiNa4WL._SL75_SS50_.jpg)
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