Shortbus [SOUNDTRACK]

Original Soundtrack (Artist)

Product Details

• Audio CD (November 7, 2006)
• Original Release Date: November 7, 2006
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Soundtrack
• Label: Team Love Records
• ASIN: B000IOMXZ8
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #39,112 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com
His follow-up to Hedwig and the Angry Inch may not be a music movie per se, but music is indeed important to the aesthetic of John Cameron Mitchell's Shortbus. While some soundtracks go out of the way to be diverse, this one prefers a uniform mood, and that mood is reflective, relatively lo-fi indie rock. This is exemplified by Scott Matthew's five new tracks. The first, "Upside Down," gives off a strong whiff of late-period Magnetic Fields (maybe it's the ukulele), and the remaining four stay within these parameters of predominantly acoustic, forlorn introspection. Other paragons of American indie creativity include Yo La Tengo (the previously unreleased "Wizard's Sleeve"), Azure Ray, Animal Collective, and guest Canadians the Hidden Cameras. Rocker and former MuchMusic VJ Sook-Yin Lee (who plays a sex therapist in the movie) sings one of the best tracks, the pared-down but catchy "Beautiful." Two songs by Sweden's the Ark mercifully inject a welcome dose of disco excitement, while jazz singer Anita O'Day sounds as fantastically smoky as ever on "Is You Is or Is You Ain't My Baby." Look also for Justin Bond (a.k.a. Kiki of Kiki and Herb) as he delivers the elegiac coda with the melancholy "In the End." --Elisabeth Vincentelli

Product Description
The much rumored-about new film from John Cameron Mitchell ("Hedwig And The Angry Inch") comes to the US this fall following its sold-out premiere at the Cannes Film Festival where it received a ten-minute standing ovation. "Shortbus" is an engaging study of love and lust; a playful comedy about oddball New Yorkers in search of love, happiness, and the perfect orgasm. The soundtrack includes all the original songs from the film, composed by singer-songwriter Scott Matthew. Other contributors include Yo La Tengo, Animal Collective, Azure Ray, The Ark, and Hidden Cameras.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

22 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars John Cameron Mitchell Has Great Taste in Music!!!, November 10, 2006

By	Bettyboy72 "Thom" (Buffalo, New York United States) - See all my reviews

After seeing the film Shortbus, I was tremendously moved and felt I needed the soundtrack. The music is such an integral part of the film. JCM has chosen great songs and has exposed me to many great artists I never heard of. The great thing about listening to the CD is that it takes you right back to the film and many of its emotionally moving components. I am now looking for CDs by many of the artists featured on the CD. I love the CD start to finish but highlights are Azure Ray, Scott Matthew, Jay Brannan, The Hidden Cameras and Justin Bond. The film is a masterpiece and the soundtrack is the perfect compliment. John Cameron Mitchell is a genius. Thanks John. Everyone in the free world needs to own this ecletic and diverse offering.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Music that supplies the soundtrack to our passions..., June 14, 2007

By	Matthew G. Sherwin (last seen screaming at Amazon customer service) - See all my reviews (TOP 50 REVIEWER)

Shortbus boasts a great soundtrack of various artists with amazing abilities to communicate emotions through words and music. The track set has songs that explore the different angles and dimensions of love, romance, and more fleeting encounters. The result is one awesome ride!

The track set starts off with somewhat pared down "Upside Down" by Scott Matthew; he and musician B**** play the ukuleles well, too. Scott sings of how happy he would be if his one true love "would just stick around." Scott's voice, while distinctly masculine, also has a vulnerable quality to it that truly makes his vocals all the more powerful. The melody is beautiful and The Wau Wau Sisters do a great job with the background vocals, too. "If You Fall" plays with key changes to enhance the beauty of a song about love; Azure Ray does a great job of singing this ballad. "If You Fall" has an upbeat, pop flavor to it that works well; and the sometimes flat vocals play off the musical arrangement to perfection!

"Wizard's Sleeve" by Yo La Tengo has a type of 1960s mood music feel to it; and Yo La Tengo sing the vocals without a superfluous note! Yo La Tengo, as always, really shines with this track. In addition, Scott Matthew returns with "Surgery;" Scott sings this passionately as he compares a love to a "saving surgery." Awesome!

"Beautiful" features Sook Yin Lee singing in several different keys in such a way as to infuse this number with a singular beauty. I can only hope that Sook Yin Lee will continue to make more creative music like "Beautiful." "Beautiful" makes good use of the percussion, too.

Other gems on this CD include the strikingly beautiful "Is You Is Or Is You Ain't My Baby" performed by the incomparable Anita O'Day. Anita performs her usual vocal gymnastics on this number; and the overall effect stuns you with its shimmering quality. "Boys Of Melody," performed here by The Hidden Cameras, offers us a great melody; and "Little Bird" by Scott Matthew glows brightly as Scott sings this to perfection! The melody makes good use of the ukulele and the chimes, too. "Kolla Kolla" by The Ark serves up a disco type number apparently thrown in for shock effect to balance out some of the lower keyed musical numbers on this CD.

Justin Bond performs "In The End" with panache and great sensitivity; as the music plays there are thoughtful key changes that give "In The End" an extra special sense of poignancy. Justin refers to our last dying moments as he sings of how our time on Earth is all too short and how we should die contently as we remember "that (we) tried." The line "'Cause we all get it in the end" could have a double meaning: It could mean that we all must experience the sadness of our lives ending, and this could be especially accurate because the overall mood of this album is pensive and often sad. On the other hand, it could also mean that if we strive hard enough to find true love, as the characters in the move do, we will have that one true love as an ultimate prize and one magnificent trophy to cherish and remember fondly as our lives end.

The liner notes contain the song credits and the artwork is very nicely done. I would have liked an essay of some sort but that is a relatively small disappointment.

Amazon correctly notes that the songs on this CD deal with and inspire introspection. The artists who worked so hard to make the soundtrack music--and this CD--display an incredible amount of creativity and even genius through their art. I highly recommend this CD for fans of "indie" rock; and anyone who wants to experience a fresh, rich sound and creative ballads would also do well to buy this CD.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars WARNING, May 7, 2007

By	G. Kahn (W Orange, NJ United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This soundtrack should come with a warning message, because once these tunes get into your head, you cannot get them out.

If you see the movie, the effect will be greatly intensified by the synergy between music and imagery.

Each song holds a moment, a time and emotional space. As difficult as it was to get this CD out of my car CD player, getting the tunes out of my head has proven impossible.

The songs contain the kind of melodies that build in intensity with each listening.