Hear it!
 School
of Rock
Atlantic
Jack Black's box-office topper has a fun and kooky soundtrack that
features a dash of everything. You get a faux band fronted by Black and
the actual kids from the movie (coached by Sonic Youth's Jim O'Rourke)
tackling songs by AC/DC and New York punks The Mooney Suzuki. Snippets of
Black's dialogue are interspersed with classic cuts from monsters of rock
like T-Rex, The Who, The Doors, Cream and Led Zeppelin. Contributions from
alternative bands (The Black Keys, The Darkness) who ape those past
masters round out the disc and they prove to be the most enjoyable.
 Kill
Bill: Vol. 1
Maverick
The only thing that's as
highly anticipated as a new Quentin Tarantino film is the soundtrack from
said slab of celluloid. His movies are so uber-stylish that anything less
than a note-perfect companion would ring hollow in the ears of his fans.
Fortunately, the string of sonic successes continues with Kill Bill:
Vol. 1 - it's a wild chop-socky ride that offers us gems from Isaac
Hayes, Nancy Sinatra and Zamfir (no, really!) then follows them up with
some vintage Tarantino dialogue. You're not impressed yet? How about a
10-minute disco/flamenco version of "Don't Let Me Be
Misunderstood"? Still indifferent? Maybe adding a Japanese rockabilly
mash-up and Al Hirt's frantic theme from The Green Hornet will do the
trick. Yeah, we thought so. Welcome back, Mr. Brown. Brother
Bear
Walt Disney Records
Disney's latest animated offering is about a man turned into an animal so
he can learn a little something about seeing the world through different
eyes. The tale features tunes from Phil Collins, who brought us songs like
Tarzan's "You'll Be In My Heart". This time around,
Collins wrote every track on the album including the score, which reunites
him with composer Mark Mancina (the two collaborated on Tarzan as
well). Collins handles vocals on all but a few tracks, with a notable
guest turn by Tina Turner on "Great Spirits". Sadly, there are
no songs from SCTV alums Rick Moranis and Dave Thomas, who reprise their
famous Bob & Doug McKenzie characters in the guise of two
wise-cracking moose in the film.
- Mike McCann
|
Nokia
has just launched its portable "N-Gage" game deck, a tri-band
GSM phone that plays video games stored on tiny memory cards. Players can
indulge in wireless multiplayer matches via short-range Bluetooth
technology over a cellular network or have the option to play over mobile
networks through N-Gage Arena. Top game makers are onboard, including
Electronic Arts, Sega, Eidos, THQ, Taito and Activision. The N-Gage also
includes a built-in MP3 player and stereo FM radio and can be used to surf
the Net, send/receive e-mails or chat through text or multimedia messaging
(dependent upon carrier). The N-Gage is available at Electronics Boutique
locations across Canada and retails for $449. Games retail at $45-55 each.
More info is at www.n-gage.com
Dogme
Uncut
Looney
Tunes