Angel-A [IMPORT] [SOUNDTRACK]

Anja Garbarek

Product Details

• Audio CD (May 1, 2006)
• Original Release Date: March 2, 2006
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Import, Soundtrack
• Label: EMI Europe Generic
• ASIN: B000F6ZFB8
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #250,176 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Track Listings

1. Beyond My Control

2. Can I Keep Him?

3. It's Just A Game

4. Thank You Franck

5. Her Room

6. Andre Running

7. No Trace Of Grey

8. The Cabinet

9. A. On Bridge

10. Spin The Context

11. It's Just A Game (Instrumental Version)

12. Le Corridor

13. Balloon Mood

14. Andre Face Au Miroir

15. Crossroads - Eat

16. Captivante - Radar

17. Under Your Wings - Hiro My Hero And Soulfull

18. Angel - Hiro My Hero And Soulfull

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

This is the soundtrack to the Luc Besson film "Angel-A". Anja Garbarek (daughter of the contemporary jazz composer Jan Garbarek) has composed much of the score, (14 of 18 tracks) which also features new recordings of songs from some of her other albums, including her album "Briefly Shaking". Although the film does not have a release date in the UK, as this is essentially an album of Garbarek's music, we wanted to ensure it is available in the UK for those fans who have heard about it and want to purchase the album.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars 3 1/2 stars-- decent soundtrack/score., January 26, 2007

By	Michael Stack (North Chelmsford, MA USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Angel-A (Audio CD)

This is the soundtrack for Luc Besson's "Angela", primarily featuring the music of Anja Garbarek. It features 14 tracks by her, 7 available nowhere else with the other seven taken from her other albums. In this, it provides a nice overview for newcomers to Garbarek's music while giving fans the opportunity to hear new material. The album is augmented by four pieces by other artists.

To say that Garbarek's music is diverse is an understatement-- her first album (unrepresented here) was primarily a Norwegian-languagesynth pop record, but after that is when she got interesting, whether an exploration of startlingly diverse electronica on the album "Balloon Mood" (from whence "Beyond My Control", "The Cabinet" and the title track "Balloon Mood"), fusing of acoustic and orchestral instruments with electronica rhythms and stylings on its followup "Smiling & Waving" ("Her Room" and the fantastic "Spin the Context") or the then-forthcoming alternative-art rock of "Briefly Shaken" (the simply sublime and somewhat creepy "Can I Keep Him?").

The new tracks by Garbarek are split between moody incidentals for the score and a couple new songs. The former material is all quite nice and atmospheric, particularly electronica swirl "Andre Running" and the delicate synth pipe and guitar of "andre face au mirroir". The few new songs are an intriguing mix of instruments-- similar in feel to the material on "Smiling & Waving" but with a bit more volume and energy, almost pointing the way forward. Particularly notable is "No Trace of Grey", in which instruments seem to swirl in and out of the mix in an almost Brian Wilson-like fashion and the swing-soaked "It's Just a Game", better appreciated in its instrumental reading with a swaggering sax in lead.

The four cuts by artists other than Garbarek are all quite different from each other. Eat's "Crossroads" is a noisy blues that owes more to the Velvet Underground and Lou Reed than anything else, with a sink-speak vocal and some fantastic noisy guitar work. Radar's "Captivante" is totally bizarre, fusing eastern string sounds with a funky, programmed-but-almost-tribal beat. The two pieces by Hiro My Hero were not my style-- kind of a funk/soul thing but overall I found them a bit lackluster.

In the end, this is an enjoyable compilation of material and a must purchase for any fans of Anja Garbarek. It's a bit lacking in new material, but viewing it as a compilation with some new work, it's a good record.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars 3 1/2 stars-- decent soundtrack/score., January 26, 2007

By	Michael Stack (North Chelmsford, MA USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

This is the soundtrack for Luc Besson's "Angela", primarily featuring the music of Anja Garbarek. It features 14 tracks by her, 7 available nowhere else with the other seven taken from her other albums. In this, it provides a nice overview for newcomers to Garbarek's music while giving fans the opportunity to hear new material. The album is augmented by four pieces by other artists.

To say that Garbarek's music is diverse is an understatement-- her first album (unrepresented here) was primarily a Norwegian-languagesynth pop record, but after that is when she got interesting, whether an exploration of startlingly diverse electronica on the album "Balloon Mood" (from whence "Beyond My Control", "The Cabinet" and the title track "Balloon Mood"), fusing of acoustic and orchestral instruments with electronica rhythms and stylings on its followup "Smiling & Waving" ("Her Room" and the fantastic "Spin the Context") or the then-forthcoming alternative-art rock of "Briefly Shaken" (the simply sublime and somewhat creepy "Can I Keep Him?").

The new tracks by Garbarek are split between moody incidentals for the score and a couple new songs. The former material is all quite nice and atmospheric, particularly electronica swirl "Andre Running" and the delicate synth pipe and guitar of "andre face au mirroir". The few new songs are an intriguing mix of instruments-- similar in feel to the material on "Smiling & Waving" but with a bit more volume and energy, almost pointing the way forward. Particularly notable is "No Trace of Grey", in which instruments seem to swirl in and out of the mix in an almost Brian Wilson-like fashion and the swing-soaked "It's Just a Game", better appreciated in its instrumental reading with a swaggering sax in lead.

The four cuts by artists other than Garbarek are all quite different from each other. Eat's "Crossroads" is a noisy blues that owes more to the Velvet Underground and Lou Reed than anything else, with a sink-speak vocal and some fantastic noisy guitar work. Radar's "Captivante" is totally bizarre, fusing eastern string sounds with a funky, programmed-but-almost-tribal beat. The two pieces by Hiro My Hero were not my style-- kind of a funk/soul thing but overall I found them a bit lackluster.

In the end, this is an enjoyable compilation of material and a must purchase for any fans of Anja Garbarek. It's a bit lacking in new material, but viewing it as a compilation with some new work, it's a good record.

5.0 out of 5 stars THis is a good as the best Bjork., November 9, 2009

By	thedre (San Francisco) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Angel-A (Audio CD)

This is very intriguing, hip, cool, stylized inventive arranging and writing. Way beyond pop crap. Fascinating, the way David Sylvian's Brilliant Trees was fascinating. Also, it's has some great grooves...a very special artist, and a great sample of her work. Angel is a gas of a movie...and more so if you're a guy...as the female star will knock you out of your world. This has the magic we're always looking for in music.