Little Miss Sunshine [Soundtrack]

Mychael Danna, Devotchka | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (July 11, 2006)
• Original Release Date: August 18, 2006
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Soundtrack
• Label: Lakeshore Records
• ASIN: B000FZESMQ
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  MP3 Music
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #17,598 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Don't be fooled by the "various artists" credited as performing on this soundtrack: the CD actually has a rather uniform tone, and mercifully it's a lovely one. Composer Mychael Danna is paired with the Denver band DeVotchKa, who perform his score and offer a few tunes of their own. Making excellent use of strings, tuba, and squeezebox, they set a mood that echoes the movie's warmly idiosyncratic one. On top of that, it's hard not to like DeVotchKa's singer Nick Urata, whose high-lonesome croon falls somewhere between Roy Orbison and the Magnetic Fields' Stephin Merritt. Sensitive indie troubadour Sufjan Stevens contributes two wonderful songs that display his usual flair for clever arrangements, especially "No Man's Land." Wait, did I say "uniform tone"? A pair of uptempo dance numbers interrupt the flow toward the end: Tony Tisdale's "Catwalkin'" and a remix of Rick James's classic "Superfreak"--the effect of that song suddenly barging in is akin to hearing Jamiroquai's "Canned Heat" in Napoleon Dynamite. --Elisabeth Vincentelli

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

31 of 32 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars beautifully melancholy August 21, 2006

By Leslie Thompson

Format:Audio CD

Fits the tone of the movie perfectly, as good soundtracks do. The instrumental pieces can really put you in a trance.

I especially loved How it Ends, La Llorona, Let's Go, No One Gets Left Behind, and Chicago.

Superfreak will have much more significance for me from now on. I'll never be able to hear it again without remembering Olive's unique, heart-breaking performance.

And though the Catwalk song brought back images of the freakish painted dolls at the pageant, it belongs here, and I would probably be disappointed if it had been left out.

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant composition September 18, 2006

By A. Kishore

Format:Audio CD

The music score for Little Miss Sunshine is a major contributor to the appeal of this amazing indie film. If you enjoyed the movie, you are bound to enjoy the soundtrack.

The CD puts together all the tracks from the movie perfectly. DeVotchKa and Mychael Danna have composed an unforgettable score. The soundtrack features some tracks from DeVotchKa's previous album such as How It Ends which was also featured in the movie "Everything is Illuminated". However I believe that his work in this movie surpasses his previous compositions.

Apart from DeVotchKa and Mychael Danna, I appreciate that the CD included other featured songs such as "No Man's Land" by Sufjan Stevens. Basically if you heard something during the movie, it is definitely on the CD!

I strongly recommend this soundtrack to anyone who can appreciate good music.

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars How it ends... and begins again January 3, 2007

By E. A Solinas HALL OF FAMETOP 100 REVIEWERVINE™ VOICE

Format:Audio CD

"Little Miss Sunshine" was THE indie flick of last year, thanks to its witty script and quirky characters. But the enchanting soundtrack might have contributed a bit too.

In fact, the soundtrack is one of the few that can stand on its own as a truly great collection of songs -- most are by folk-rockers DeVotchka and composer Mychael Danna, with a bit of Sufjan Stevens around the edges. It sounds surprisingly cohesive, and has the same bittersweet, wistful charm that the best moments of the movie had.

It opens with "The Winner Is," which is basically an altered version of "How It Ends" -- a shimmering, bittersweet creation of slow strings, piano and a soaring melody. DeVotchka launches into the Spanish-flavoured "Till the End of Time" and exquisite guitar melody of "You Love Me."

Then DeVotchka and Danna slip into a series of flamenco-rocky songs that evoke all sorts of feelings -- triumph, vulnerability, disappointment, and sorrow -- with lots of guitar, violin and trumpet. It finishes off with the aptly named "How It Ends," a brilliantly bittersweet little ballad that tells how "you already know/yes, you already know/how this will end..."

There are also two songs by trip-folkster Stevens: the sparkling trumpety "No Man's Land," and the expansive folkestral "Chicago" ("I made a lot of mistakes/in my mind, in my mind..."). These add a slightly more whimsical edge to the grounded sound of DeVotchka. Really, these guys go well together.

And near the end -- at the beauty pageant -- there are two songs that stick out like two sore thumbs: the sexy techno of "Catwalkin'" ("Work it/own it/look at you!") and a remix of Rick James' funky "Superfreak." Sure, they sound nothing like the other songs, but the contrast is pretty hilarious. And the songs are quite appropriate for the scenes in question.

Most soundtracks are a lot of cool semi-appropriate songs slung together, without much relevance to the movie itself. They also tend to not hold together as anything but a mix CD. "Little Miss Sunshine" is one of the few that isn't -- if you didn't know better, you might think that the whole thing (minus "Catwalkin'" and "Superfreak") had been recorded by one artist in different moods.

DeVotchka and Stevens have different styles -- one is sort of flamenco-gypsy-rock, the other is electronica-tinged folk -- but their styles mesh well on here. They both sound warm, poignant and earthy, and both use trumpets. DeVotchka does a particularly brilliant job with their music -- low-key accordion, weeping strings, guitar, and some blarey trumpets.

Perhaps the most impressive aspect of the soundtrack is that it follows the ups and downs of the movie, from deaths to comedy capers to sexy dancing. But you don't need to have seen the movie to enjoy the "Little Miss Sunshine" soundtrack -- just an appreciation for excellent music.