Customer Reviews

City of Ghosts

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The version of the Joni Mitchell anthem to disillusionment, 'Both Sides Now' sung in Khmer by the retro-Cambodian psychedelic band Dengue Fever alone is worth the price of this record. And the more I listen to it the more I love the rest of the album. I'd never heard any of this music before I saw the movie by chance on TV, and it's astounding, driving, wild stuff that instantly creates a world of its own. One verse of 'Mao Pena' (apparently "Thanks a Lot" in Khmer) and you'll be instantly transported to the back of a crappy Peugeot taxi some rainy night in Phnom Penh circa 1970. Just a great record!

Like the brilliant French, North African & alternative American soundtrack to last year's film, The Truth About Charlie, this cd also attempts to felicitiously recreate the time and place of the film. Though less accessible than "Charlie," this soundtrack is a must for any cd shuffle. When one of these wild songs pops up, one is immediately emotionally transported! The varying tongues, the jangling instruments and the dated phrasings flow over the preserved vinyl scratchings to make you feel like you're under the slow sweep of a ceiling fan in a tiki bar in a far-away tropical country. Mesmerizing!

Sorry, Matt, nothing personal. I was really looking forward to COG before I saw it, having lived in Phnom Penh for some time. So Maybe I was just expecting to much. I loved seeing people and places I know in it though... But the soundtrack is awesome.

This is the rare soundtrack purchase that didn't end in disappointment. It's all good and the Dengue Fever songs are great.

After watching the movie, City of Ghosts, I had to have the soundtrack, especially when I found out that Matt Dillon hand picked all the songs. It's fantastic, giving the essence and flavor of the movie (which mesmerized me). I had never focused on Cambodian music, and this soundtrack educated me on this new genre. Super Soundtrack.