Customer Reviews

The Slaughter Rule

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

'The Slaughter Rule' is one of last year's best films and the soundtrack ranks alongside 'Paris,Texas' and 'Betty Blue'. The soundtrack flows beautifully from Jay Farrar's instrumentals to
a great collection of Americana music and back. All good soundtracks tell the story through music and this is one of those.

Like the very best haiku poetry, Jay Farrar provides us with minimalist snippets of pure emotion between alt.country gems. While the tunes are moving and well-done, it is once again Farrar who shines. His opening song, "Gather," is achingly beautiful. But it is the score pieces that I particulary love; just Farrar on guitar and other instruments. Even if you eschew soundtracks, you'll cherish this collection.

This soundtrack is an excellent choice for all you "alt-country" lovers out there. Jay Farrar is a genius and has compiled some great songs here. Highlights include Jay's own "Gather", Neko Case's "Porchlight" and Ryan Adams' "To Be Young (Is to Be Sad, Is to Be High)". Farrar did a great job on the original score, which is also featured on this cd. I think I might watch the movie now too. ;-)

Jay Farrar put together a winner with this score and soundtrack for the movie "The Slaughter Rule". See the movie, buy the soundtrack. I usually hate soundtrack albums, but these tracks are tasty and all are low key and melodic. Winners include the Pernice Brothers "Will There Be Any Stars in My Crown?", Blood Oranges "Gathering Flowers For the Master's Bouquet" and Uncle Tupelo's "Blue Eyes". There are many covers, but they are all fresh and bracing like a cold Montana night. Not quite alt. country and not quite blues, this soundtrack is the definition of Americana.

This film and soundtrack so widened my view of alt country artists and the west. I moved to western Colorado and try to listen to something off this soundtrack every day. Slaughter Rule and HI-Lo Country are two of my favorite movies & soundtracks. Great music for traveling through winter hi country.

I loved this soundtrack so much (the film was good, but to me didn't have the staying power of the music I listen to over and over again).
My embarassing question: how do I decide what follow-up CDs of these artists to buy? I got discouraged right away with the first track, one of my favorites, the Pernice Brothers "Will There Be Any Stars (in my Crown)" -- it seems it might not be on any other of their regular ablums, and from the reviews I read of their regular albums they are all really different from each other ???
So the ones I loved the most on here were
--Stars in My Crown (Pernice Bros)
--When I Stop Dreaming (Freakwater ???)
--Porchlight (I forget)
--Rank Stranger (Vic Chestnutt)
--Gather (Jay Farar ??)
--Killing the Blues (I forget, had the great line about "swningint he world by the tail)"
I am embarrassed to say I knew nothing of these people before-hand -- in a way it sounds like an extension of what I loved most about some Emmylou Harris stuff (though I know she's probably seen as a little more mainline).
Well, long-winded post, I would love to get more of the kind of stuff on this album but the choices are in a sense all so eclectic I don't know where to turn.
So I am hoping based on the ones I said I loved the most on here some people who read this will have some specific follow-up suggestions.
Forgive the typos, etc.
Thanks, Don.

This disc is a must have for anyone interested in alt country music (in any of its multiplicity of flavors) and is very close to being a desert island disc for the genre. The musical interludes are outstanding in setting an emotional mood without being cliched or melodramatic. The Jay Farrar song and the Uncle Tupelo songs are first rate. The selection of other songs and artists touches some extraordinary peaks (Flatlanders, Ryan Adams, Neko Case, "Killing the Blues"). And, in the end, the sum of these diverse parts hangs together into a moving, consistent whole. I hadn't seen the whole movie when I ordered the soundtrack, and I was delighted that the soundtrack exceeded all my expectations. Order it now, without thinking twice!

Soundtrack features original material by Jay Farrar, new recordings from Freakwater, Cheri Knight & the Blood oranges, Jay Farrar, Pernice Brothers and previously released recordings from Neko Case, Ryan Adams, and Uncle Tupelo.

Jay Farrar has taken his share of negative reviews since the end of Son Volt. I myself have been guilty of such. The reviews of many critics changed little with the release of the soundtrack to The Slaughter Rule, complilation and score by Farrar. Here I have to disagree. This soundtrack revels all the creativity fans of Farrar are familiar with. Farrar puts together 12 tracks by artist that reads like a whos-who of Alta-Contry and Folk including, Neko Case, Blood Oranges, Vic Chesnutt, Freakwater, Jimmie Dale Gilmore, Ryan Adams, Farrar, and an Uncle Tupelo cover of Gram Parsons' Blue Eyes. Interspersed between song tracks are ll short instrumental compilations composed by Farrar. Here Farrar's incredible songwriting talent returns to us in these haunting melodies. Like Tweedy's Chelsea Walls sountack, your enjoyment of the audio disc will be greatly enhanced by viewing the film. Unlike many sountracks, the soundtrack from The Slaughter Rule fits the film like a glove.