A great soundtrack is an album that is full of enjoyable songs that drive or compliment the film it accompanies. Many soundtracks have enjoyable songs, but they contribute little to the film (i.e. "Godzilla"). Every so often though, a soundtrack comes along that perfectly accompanies the film, whether featuring new music (i.e. "The Graduate") or classics (i.e. "Forrest Gump"). The soundtrack to "Magnolia," featuring songs primarily performed by Aimee Mann, is a near-perfect soundtrack. It is a very enjoyable album, even to those who have not seen the film it accompanies, yet the songs perfectly highlight the textures and moods of the film.

The first nine songs of the album are recorded by Aimee Mann, the first being a cover of the Three Dog Night classic "One." The song begins with a very short clip of dialogue (two seconds in length), before launching into the eerie, opening diad of the song. This is an extremely spooky-sounding song, and is extremely reminiscent of the original, but with better production and a more creative use of instruments. The backup vocals are placed very cleverly against Aimee's voice to create counter
melodies. This is a bizarre song, but it is the perfect song to start this album.

The second track is one of the highlights of the album, entitled "Momentum." This song displays how clever a lyricist Mann can be. Many lyricists rely on slang terms and improper English. While there is
certainly nothing wrong with this, it is exceptional when an artist has a firm command on the English language and cleverly words the lyrics to the song. The music to this song is very well arranged, and the many instruments playing completely different parts at the same time make for a very unique and interesting sound. The guitar solo is also very stylistic, without detracting from the song, as great solos have the ability to do. To really appreciate this song, as well as most of the others on this album, listen to it with headphones.

The third track is "Build That Wall." This song has a very Beatles-esque feel to it. Musically, it is deceptively simple, but the lyrics are interesting. The music has an almost "Pet Sounds" feel to it, with the lush instrumentation. The laid-back drum beat of the song gives the song its own feel. This is a nice song, but is not one of the standout tracks on this album, although it is very important to the film itself.

"Deathly" is the fourth track on the album. This song has the ability to be very personal, yet appealing to the masses, because it speaks of a feeling that is shared by many. That is what a great song should be. Personal to the songwriter, yet understood by the listeners. The song sounds like a little ballad, but it is very well written. The opening line, "Now that I've met you/Would you object to/Never seeing each other again" is a very clever line, and is extremely important to the theme of the film.

"Driving Sideways" follows, complete with a swing drumbeat. The song is pretty catchy, but nothing special. The piano is nice, but this song could be better. Lyrically, it feels as if Mann is trying a little too hard to draw the analogy between the story she is telling and the idea of driving sideways. This is not to say that the analogy doesn't work, because it does, it is just that it feels a bit forced.

Sixth is "You Do." There is nothing too special about this song; it is pretty forgettable. The string arrangement is nice, though, and the song does enhance the overall feel of the album.

The seventh track is "Nothing Is Good Enough," an instrumental piece. Due to its 3/4 time signature, the song has a waltz feel to it. The countering parts of the piano and the string section create a beautiful melody. The bridge of the song throws the mood off a little bit, but is well-crafted nonetheless.

Eighth is "Wise Up." This is a very simple song, featuring Aimee, her piano, strings, and mild percussion. This song has a very slow tempo to it which perfectly fits the song. This is one of the highlights of the album, and accompanies a very essential moment in the film. This song seemed somewhat boring to me at first, but after a few listens, I realized just how beautiful a song it is, both musically and lyrically.

The ninth track is the absolute best track on the album, "Save Me." The bass-line is played steadily and with attitude, and the rest of the production is seamless. Aimee's voice shines on this song, as do her lyrics. This song features my favorite line on the album, "From the ranks/of the freaks/the suspect/they could never love anyone." This is a truly awesome song that expertly describes the characters of the film.

After a three second clip of dialogue, Supertramp's "Goodbye Stranger" begins. It is the first non-Aimee Mann song on the album, and is a rock classic. The song is extremely catchy, especially the "Goodbye stranger/it's been nice" falsetto section, that sounds rather like the Bee Gees. While it may not seem to flow with the rest of the album, it was used in the film to describe one of the characters, played by William H. Macy.

The eleventh track, another Supertramp song entitled "Logical Song" follows. This song has a very 1970's feel to it. While it does further enhance the character played by William H. Macy, I feel that it is somewhat redundant to place it on the album.

Sometimes the producers of soundtracks leave certain songs that were featured in the film off the soundtrack. The producers of this album should have done so for the twelfth track, Gabrielle's "Dreams." From what I hear, Gabrielle is a girl, but she sounds much more like a guy with an annoyingly high voice to me. I guess this song is a little catchy, but it is too slickly produced, and the singing is nothing special at all. This album is placed with many meaningful songs by Aimee Mann, and this song seems to cheapen that meaning.

Closing the album is an excerpt of the Magnolia score, composed by Jon Brion. This is a very haunting piece, and while I never listen to it and kind of wish that there were another Aimee Mann song on the album instead, it is a very well-composed piece, and the mood of it returns to the mood created by Aimee Man in the first part of the album.

While the "Magnolia" soundtrack does not compare to such classics as "Forrest Gump" or "The Graduate," it accomplishes its goal, in that it contains enjoyable songs that help tell the story of the film.




Recommended: Yes