Wristcutters: A Love Story [Soundtrack]

Various Artists (Artist), Bobby Johnston (Composer) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (October 30, 2007)
• Original Release Date: November 2, 2007
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Soundtrack
• Label: Lakeshore Records
• ASIN: B000TGUU9G
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #193,464 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Songs for the suicidally dead, January 19, 2008

By 

E. A Solinas "ea_solinas" (MD USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 50 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Wristcutters: A Love Story (Audio CD)

Here's a riddle: What do Artie Shaw, rock band Joy Division, and gypsy-punkers Gogol Bordello all have in common? (Aside from being musical, that is)

Well, all three are included on the soundtrack for "Wristcutters: A Love Story," a quirky movie about young suicides in love in a sort of suicide-limbo. Most of the soundtrack is whimsical and atmospheric, but occasionally you get these wild rock numbers, soft pop and classic jazz.

Most of the music is by Bobby Johnston, and his songs tend to be very short and magically atmospheric. We get some beautiful, brief little songs -- ominous crescendos, smooth little piano-folk melodies, sprightly little pop songs, folk ballads, and Slavic-flavoured interludes that sound like gypsies took over a jazz band. The highlight is the warm, organ-infused "Everything Reminded Me Of You."

And it's sprinkled with a little bit of everything else -- a countryish Gram Parsons song, Mushman's swirling "Brennan's Theme," Mikal Lazarev's panting "Love Song," the quirky Screaming Lord Sutch song "She's Fallen in Love With A Monster Man," and Artie Shaw's sinuous jazz melody. And of course, Joy Division's wonderfully sharp-edged, tinny-voiced "Love Will Tear Us Apart."

And since the character of Eugene is based on Eugene Hutz (frontman of Gogol Bordello), it seems appropriate that Gogol Bordello gets three songs on here -- the mellow Slavic-folky "Through the Roof'n'Underground," the blazing "Occurrence on the Border" and the stomping, devilish punk of "Huliganjetta." It sounds exactly like the sort of stuff that Eugene (the character) would revel in.

Soundtracks basically come in two types -- mixtapes of various otherwise unconnected songs (sometimes magnificent, sometimes horrible), or musical journeys that follow the film's plot. "Wristcutters: A Love Story" is a little of both -- it's a sort of musical journey, but it's speckled with great individual songs that stand out on their own.

Much of the music is made up of Johnston's musical interludes, which are pretty, mellow and sometimes catchy -- you can hear all sorts of instruments woven in there, from a bamboo flute and wind chimes to twangy guitars, piano to soaring electronics. And whatever he plays, it evokes a lot of emotion -- sorrow, playfulness, love, or even fear at times.

But poking out of these atmospheric tunes are (taDA!) little nuggets of solid, quirky classic rock'n'roll, with the delicious "Love Will Tear Us Apart" as the centerpiece -- it's a suitably dark song for the suicide lands. But Gogol Bordello shakes the whole thing up with their vibrant, fiery Slavic music, tying in with some of Johnston's work. Lots of horns, accordions, punk riffs and rough wails from Hutz.

"Wristcutters: A Love Story" had a brilliant soundtrack, and it definitely improves as you listen to it by itself. Jazz, gypsy-punk, classic rock or original compositions -- it's all here, and it fits nicely.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Gogol Suicidal, March 27, 2008

By 

kaleb of sctas.com (500 Miles Underground) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Wristcutters: A Love Story (Audio CD)

Excellent soundtrack to a clever film. The subtle use of [suicide token] Joy Division in the bar scene where all of the "off'd" mingle and discuss how they "did it" is genuinely effective. Gogol Bordello being of prominent focus on the soundtrack - and having a character in the film developed around GB front man Eugene Hütz - makes this a great [and unexpectedly unique] compilation. Yep.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Lionsgate has a winner!, April 5, 2008

By 

Tom Scum "Ghostrider" (Connecticut) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Wristcutters: A Love Story (Audio CD)

I waited a long time for this movie to be released. It was not in theatres in my area. (bummer). It was well worth the wait for the DVD. Everyone in the film was fantastic, but Shannon, Patrick and Shea could never have been replaced by anyone else. They were the perfect team to pull this wonderful movie off. It is a heartwarming and charming love story. I wish it had been released in wider areas for more of us to see on the big screen. However, I will settle for the home big screen. I really hope that it does become a cult classic. Try to get your friends to see it. It is worth every minute. Watch it twice, you will miss some things the first time. Everyone who has watched my copy loved it. Some of them are hard to impress, but this movie did it.
I wish to thank everyone that was involved in this movie for the joy it gave me personally.
Buy this movie. You will not regret it!!!!!!
PS; Soundtrack is also awesome...