Serendipity: Music from the Miramax Motion Picture

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Music reviews of Serendipity: Music from the Miramax Motion Picture

Music Review: Satisfying
Rating: 4 Stars

Just like the movie, the Serendipity soundtrack passes the test w/ flying colors. The tracks are selected with careful intentionality, and it shows, both while watching the film and while listening to the album. If you've seen the movie, it is quite possible you will remember many of these tracks. That is because they are all well selected.

Bap Kennedy's "Moonlight Kiss," David Gray's "January Rain," Nick Drake's "Northern Sky," Annie Lennox's "Waiting in Vain," Shawn Colvin's "When You Know" and John Mayer's "83" are all superb. Louis Armstrong's "Cool Yule" is perfect for the obligatory upbeat vocal jazz standard which backs the opening credits of every romantic comedy. Even the album's slightly obnoxious poppish tracks -- Wood's "Never a Day," Evan and Jaron's "The Distance" and Chantal Kreviazuk's "This Year" -- are not all that offensive, and all three have grown on me.

Only a few fairly minor complaints: Why do soundtracks include titles not heard in the movie? Is this because the albums are produced before the film is edited? In the case of Heather Nova's "Like Lover's Do," I don't particulaly mind. It's a very likable song from an artist I enjoy, and is in keeping w/ the tone of the soundtrack. Brian Whitman's version of (There's) Always Something There to Remind Me, however, is completely unneccesary. Perhaps the album's weakest track, it adds absolutely nothing to an already over-covered song. If it appeared in the movie, it might be another story -- but it doesn't, and could stand to be cut from the soundtrack as well.

Also -- why is it that soundtrack songs are always placed in a different order than they appear in the film? I suppose I can understand that a purchasable album requires cohesiveness, and this often makes it neccesary to reorder the tracks. However, when I purchase a soundtrack, I do so to relive the movie -- a difficult task when the songs are out of order. And after all, the world does revolve around me and my desires -- doesn't it?

In any case, this is a strong soundtrack. I am happy to have purchased it, and even happier to have discovered some new (and well respected) artists in the process. (Nick Drake currently sits happily waiting on my wish list, and I recently burned a friend's copy of David Gray's White Ladder.)

There is a definite qualitative difference between this album and other soundtracks of its kind, and I eagerly reccomend skeptics explore it. Perhaps it will become a "happy accident."
--TIM

Description of Serendipity: Music from the Miramax Motion Picture

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