(500) Days of Summer - the film and the soundtrack

'Juno' seems to have sparked a trend. Kooky, introspective, happy/sad, indie-wannabe film with teenagers uses oh-so-tasteful indie soundtrack, creating a huge hit and a spike in sales for the associated bands. 'Juno' was the first, there have been lesser others, but '(500) Days of Summer' is the idealogical successor.

I saw the film yesterday and it is good. The story is a well known one. Boy meets girl, boy falls in love, girl doesn't. Well known in life but not, to be fair, in major-release films. There is no happy ending here, the girl, Summer (Zooey Deschanel....Ellen Page presumably, wasn't available) marries someone else and the boy, after something of a nervous breakdown (quits job, turns to archeology), eventually embarks on a new relationship. The film deals with the question of whether there is 'a one' for us all and whether fate plays a hand in us meeting that person. The boy meets his new girlfriend by chance and we are encouraged to think that this girl is his 'one', but many will leave the cinema thinking that this relationship is clearly doomed to failure as he will always love Summer. This stuff happens. So how much of a 'happy ending' it is really depends on your outlook. For me, it was pretty bleak stuff, but a well made, thoughtful film.

It won't be to everyone's taste, it is undoubtably very American and Zooey Deschanel is as kooky as the most kooky thing you could possibly imagine on Planet Kooky. She plays Summer as being very detached and slightly robotic, offering little hint of what is going on in her head, meaning that your sympathies are usually with Tom (played by Joseph-Gordon Levitt). Maybe this is how it was meant to be, it just felt a little odd to have such an undefined lead character.

One aspect of the film is that Tom and Summer have similar taste in music. "Sad English music" apparently, although I saw little evidence of this. The Beatles...sad? The Clash....sad? Does anyone still think of The Smiths as sad (ok they were listening to 'There is a light that never goes out' not 'Frankly Mr Shankly' but still). This is lazy and a bit cliched. The selection of songs used in the film is an exercise in making a mix tape of tasteful indie. It is more notable to look at what was missed off. I was surprised there was no Sufjan, Belle & Sebastian were mentioned but not used ('Another Sunny Day' would have fitted in well) and I was surprised not to hear 'Fade Into You' by Mazzy Star at some point).

This is all well and good but there will be none of this type of songs left to use soon. Its a positive thing if it encourages people to check out The Pixies or Regina Spektor for the first time though.

Oh and She and Him's version of 'Please Let Me Get What I Want' just reinforces what I have always thought...there is no point in covering The Smiths. You can't out-Morrissey Morrissey and a straight cover just sounds...boring.

Go and see the film though...

albums of the year...

between now and Christmas, T&G will count down our top 20 albums of the year. Before I start, I should mention the 'disappointment of the year'. If anyone had told me on January 1st that a new Hold Steady album wouldn't make this top 20, I wouldn't have believed it, but 'Stay Positive' didn't make the 20. The problems with the record just show themselves more and more as you continue listening, the rushed feel, the ugly production and the '...kitchen sink' mastering. Very, very disappointing and I notice that even the monthly music mags are now retreating slightly from their initial, hysterically positive reviews. Anyway, here's the first few from the T&G Top 20....

20- Willard Grant Conspiracy 'Regard The End'

A sombre, majestic, return to form from Robert Fisher and co.

19- Isobel Campbell & Mark Lanegan 'Sunday at Devil Dirt'

Mixing blues, folk and alt.country, this was a consistent collection of songs, some of which (like the supreme 'Trouble') already sound like standards.

18- She and Him 'Volume One'

Collaboration between M Ward and Zooey Deschanel. When it was good, it was a joyful, Spector-ish heaven! The 60s girl band style stuff sounded stunning and it was only held back from greatness by the slighly predictable country ballads.

15-17 coming up in the next couple of days. 'Film of the Year', 'Single of the Year', 'Reissue of the Year', 'Shop of the Year' and other such stuff coming all through December.

She & Him 'Volume One'

Disappointment. It is everywhere in life.

TracksandGigs has had it's fair share. From Nico Rosberg getting caught up in Lewis "stupid" Hamilton's accident in the Grand Prix yesterday to Planet Clothing in Bedford deciding to stop stocking Carhartt, things often just won't go the way we would like them to. Against all the odds and expectations, the new LP from She & Him has to go down as a disappointment too.

She & Him is a collaboration between actress Zooey Deschanel and singer songwriter, producer and arranger M Ward (who can do no wrong in TracksandGigs' book). Deschanel has written and sung the songs, Ward has arranged and produced them and plays guitars and keys. The preview track 'Why Do You Let Me Stay Here?' was distributed months ago and raised expectations sky high as it is a wonderful, shimmery pop masterpiece with Ward's arrangement sounding Spector-like and Zooey sounding like Nancy Sinatra singing 'Jackson', containing at least three hooks it is quite splendid and I hoped for more of the same on the LP.

Which, to an extent, is what you get. Opener 'Sentimental Heart' is country/pop similar to the Jenny Lewis solo album but is a nice enough lead into 'Why Do You Let Me Stay Here?'. After that,'This Is Not A Test' benefits from an upbeat, stripped down arrangement and a humourous lyric. After that though a certain amount of laziness sets in. Many of the tracks in the mid-section of the album are interchangable country ballads with laid back woozy arrangements and lots of pedal steel. Deschanel sounds less Nancy and more Dolly Parton. Ward keeps things simple music-wise, allowing the songs to breathe and presumably aiming to put the spotlight on lyrics and vocals. Vocally, Deschanel is great. She has a strong, warm voice and puts character into her singing but too many of these songs are standard "you've done me wrong, but I still love you" / "I did you wrong, now I'm lonesome" affairs. Looking at the track list, at least six of the twelve songs follow this theme and it does become dull and a little irritating.

What is frustrating is that when this record is good, it is superb. 'I Was Made For You' is extraordinary. Great fun and hard to believe that it isn't actually a 50s Girl Band standard. 'I Should Have Known Better', a Beatles cover, is a sweet duet, benefiting from M Ward's additional vocals. 'Sweet Darlin'' is more upbeat, with a 60s sound and some great backing vocals.

There is plenty to love here and it is an enjoyable album to listen to on a Summer's day, but in many ways it feels like a missed opportunity. Good music, good arrangement and a good singer singing good songs, but frequently a spark is lacking.

7.0

'Volume One' is out now on Domino.

She and Him

Just a quick post to say I am currently greatly enjoying the taster track from the forthcoming She and Him album.

She and Him are the ever brilliant M Ward (I still rate 'Transistor Radio' as his best album so far. Beautiful sounding album) and actress Zooey Deschanel who is best known, for me at least, for her role in the lovely 'All The Real Girls'. Turns out that Deschanel has a great singing voice too. She sings and M Ward plays guitar and arranges. They have an album out on March 18th on Merge.

There is a track to listen to on their Myspace (link below) and its very nice indeed. Ward's guitar playing style is very distinctive but hearing Deschanel's vocals (Nancy Sinatra/ The Ronettes) over the top is a very new experience and I can't get this song out of my head. Can't wait for the LP.

http://www.myspace.com/sheandhim