Kurt Vile (Childish Prodigy), and the start of the Menace2Music OST (Einaudi, Vangelis, Elfman)

Now, I'm only too honest to admit that the first few weeks of this blog have seen us being a little too dependent upon folk-indie - we've reviewed such bands as Polite Sleeper, Fleetwood Mac and Dan Arborise. If I was going to go overboard, I could easily have reviewed J. Tillman here (a member of Fleet Foxes, who has released his second album, Vacilando Territory Blues, in the last few weeks). But no (however much that album is worth a listen), for today's new album review, I'm going for Kurt Vile's Childish Prodigy:


This is a rock album - from what I've read about Kurt Vile, he's a difficult artist to read, as he can change from song-to-song. But, in this album, he is definitely showing off his rock-n-roll skills to the full.

In some songs, his voice sounds like a modern abstract Jagger (Dead Alive). Within others, you can hear a bit of Tom Petty - in how he reaches the end of lyrics, and stretches his voice to the full (Freak Train). Though this is making this album sound like Kurt Vile is mimicing - this album is a very individual project, and there really aren't two tracks on this album that sounds the same! Some might find this a little jarring - others will revel, and find tons to love about this album!

There is a great use of guitar on this - all electronic, but in songs like Monkey and Heart Attack, you can feel more of an acoustic/rhythmic edge coming through.

However, the more-and-more I listen to this album, the more I agree with other reviewers that this is a very difficult album to classify - Vile is up to so much on here. The ultimate question is whether he is doing any of it well enough. Well, yes, I think he is. I have gone onto buying this album - I was first told about it by my cousin, and gave it a listen on spotify. It's on the iPod now, and I've been promising myself that I will listen to it again soon. This album may be one of those that grows on you a little more, when you've had a break from it? We'll see...

DOWNLOAD:
Overnite Religion (the first single, I believe)
Freak Train
Monkey

As I mentioned last week, I want to start building a Menace2Music OST (Official Soundtrack) on spotify of some of my favourite soundtrack songs - I have started this, and the collab playlist can be found on the following links:

http://open.spotify.com/user/menoir16/playlist/0QpCoaV6eGuZ7gQj5ChDFc
spotify:user:menoir16:playlist:0QpCoaV6eGuZ7gQj5ChDFc

Today's three tracks are:

Sotto Falso Nome - Ludovico Einaudi
FILM: Sotto Falso Nome

Blade Runner Blues - Vangelis
FILM: Blade Runner

Reval/The Escape - Danny Elfman
FILM: Terminator Salvation

Sotto Falso Nome is a funny one, as I know absolutely nothing about this film - however, the soundtrack is amazingly moving, with this title track (which comes about halfway through the OST), being one of the stand out pieces from the score. I thought this would be an ideal first track for the OST - you're immediately drawn in by the beautiful piano - it sounds like a murder mystery, a person walking down darkened corridors, past door-after-door....you know what I'm saying!

Vangelis' Blade Runner OST is a masterpiece (it is worth listening to the last year's release of a double album, with extra songs, but the single soundtrack is enough). It was a tough choice to pick any one track, and I may add more to this Menace2Music OST as we go along. I went for this one, purely, as I heard it on my iPod earlier today and I forgot how wonderful this track was. My other first choices would be Rachel's Song, Love Theme, Memories of Green, hey - the list goes on... If this becomes more of a regular feature, and I build up this OST into a monster of a collab, these will feature sooner rather than later!

A newer soundtrack (the film has only just come out on DVD), but a film composer we are going to feature a few times here - Danny Elfman (expect something from his Batman film tomorrow). This album (score from Terminator Salvation) was found through spotify, and it is one I want to own sooner rather than later - how many times have you seen a film, and heard this kind of uplifting orchestral music - our hero, storming through, bullets/laser beams flying through the air, and they escape [to roaring orchestra]. I might feature another Escape track at some point - from Plunkett and Macleane (composed by Craig Armstrong).

I want to say that I feature these OST tracks in no particular order, in terms of favourites etc. - I love so many OSTs, and although it would be fun to put together a top list of them (something for the future, definitely), this feature is about building together some fantastic tracks, in no particular order!

Right, I hope you've listened to some music today, and you've enjoyed it! Let me know what you're listening to - it would be great to know!

I hope your week is going well - I know it has only just begun, but if is hasn't, there is plenty more of it for things to improve!

All the very best - Menace2Music
menace2music@googlemail.com
http://twitter.com/menace2music
http://open.spotify.com/user/menoir16/playlist/1j3HXNYIHuGDfW7aLh5OlL