A Dangerous Method: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (a J!-ENT World Groove Album Review)

“A Dangerous Method: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack” features beautiful, emotional music composed by Howard Shore (composer of “The Lord of the Rings” trilogy) and the performance by Lang Lang for Richard Wagner’s “Siegfried Idyll” is just the icing on the cake for this delightful soundtrack.  Recommended!

TITLE: A Dangerous Method: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack

LABEL: Sony Classical/Howe Records

DURATION: 1:04:57

RELEASE DATE: November 21, 2011

1. Burghölzli
2. Miss Spielrein
3. Galvanometer
4. Carriage
5. He’s Very Persuasive
6. Sabina
7. Otto Gross
8. A Boat with Red Sails
9. Siegfried
10. Freedom
11. End of the Affair
12. Letters
13. Confession
14. Risk My Authority
15. Vienna
16. Only One god
17. Something Unforgiveable
18. Reflection
19. Siegfried Idyll

From filmmaker David Cronenberg  (“The Fly”, “Eastern Promises”, “A History of Violence”) comes his latest film “A Dangerous Method” based on the 1993 non-fiction book by John Kerr and a screenplay by Christopher Hampton, who wrote the original 2002 play “The Talking Cure” which was based on the book.

The film stars Viggo Mortensen, Michael Fassbender, Keira Knightley and Vincent Cassel.

“A Dangerous Method” takes place during World War I and features the turbulent relationship between psychiatrist Carl Jung (played by Michael Fassbender) and his mentor Sigmund Freud (played by Viggo Mortensen), as the two professionals had a theoretical divergence.  The film would also feature Sabina Spielrein (played by Keira Knightley), one of the first female psychoanalysts and a woman that was  admitted to the Burgholzli mental hospital where Carl Gustav Jung worked and he was also her medical dissertation advisor.  The two had sexual relationship which was a breach of professional ethics.

So to create music based on these relationships, composing the music for the film is award-winning Howard Shore (best known for composing all three “Lord of the Rings” films, the upcoming “The Hobbit” films and “The Aviator”).

While Shore is known for creating music for epic films, the music for “A Dangerous Method” continues to show that Shore still has the magic touch when it comes to creating music even when the film focuses on three individuals.

The track “Miss Spielrein” has a slow building ferocity to showcase the introduction of Sabina.  Forceful as the string orchestra compliments this score to full effect. And there are other beautiful tracks such as “Galvanometer”, “Sabina”, “Freedom” which the soundtrack tends to either focus more strings or more piano.

For the first 15 tracks, most of the songs are only 2 minutes long (or less).  It’s not until you reach track 16, where you get music that lasts longer than two minutes.  So, listening to the soundtrack, for Howard Shore’s music,  I found myself not listening to one song but listening to his compositions as a whole.

Shore’s final three tracks are his longest on the soundtrack.  “Only One God” has the sense of a composition that wants to be powerful but its power slowly descends, “Something Unforgivable” is a beautiful song which begins with piano and then is joined by the strings and becomes whimsical and sad which leads to another track that is just as sad, “Reflection” which is more of an emotional track that is reinforced by its low and high chord progressions.

And while Howard Shore’s music is a big part of the film, for this soundtrack, his songs are quite short.  The longest track on this album is Richard Wagner’s “Sigfried Idyll” performed by Lang Lang and arranged by Howard Shore.

As Howard Shore is well-known for his compositions for “Lord of the Rings”, Lang Lang, a Chinese concert pianist is amazingly popular for his music, performing with nearly ever major orchestra in the world and selling out venues, I would not be surprised if most people were attracted to this soundtrack because of Lang Lang’s performance of “Sigfried Idyll”.

“Sigfried Idyll” is a symphonic poem for chamber orchestra which was made public in 1876 which lasts about 20 minutes but for Lang Lang’s performance it is about 32 minutes long.  It’s a track that showcases Lang Lang’s technical marvel as a musician.  I found his version to be delightful.  Outstanding!

As for the CD insert, we get a few stills from the film and production credits.

Overall, the music of Howard Shore fits the film’s structure very well.  But as mentioned, these compositions are 1-2 minutes long and rather than listening to one song, to experience the album, you listen to it straight-through.  The addition of the 32-minute performance by Lang Lang is like icing on the cake.

“A Dangerous Method: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack”…A wonderful soundtrack featuring two talented men.  Recommended!

The Artist: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (a J!-ENT World Groove Album Review)

A wonderful soundtrack that compliments Michel Hazanavicius’ “The Artist”.  Composer Ludovic Bource did a magnificent job in having a music that compliments the film but also an amazing step up for his music since his “OSS 117″ film years.   Also, includes wonderful tracks from Duke Ellington, Red Nichols & His Five Pennies and Rose Murphy.   If you loved the music for the film, you will enjoy this soundtrack! Recommended!

TITLE: The Artist: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack

LABEL: Sony Music

DURATION: 1:17:45

RELEASE DATE: November 21, 2011

1. The Artist Ouverture
2. 1927 a Russian Affair
3. George Valentin
4. Pretty Peppy
5. At the Kinograph Studios
6. Fantaisie D’Amour
7. Waltz for Peppy
8. Estancia OP. 8
9. Imagination
10. Silent Rumble
11. 1929
12. In the Stairs
13. Jubilee Stomp (Album Version)
14. Comme Une Rosée De Larmes
15. The Sound of Tears
16. Pennies from Heaven
17. 1931
18. Jungle Bar
19. L’Ombre Des Flammes
20. Happy Ending…
21. Charming Blackmail
22. Ghosts from the Past
23. My Suicide 03.29.1967
24. Peppy and George

In 2011, the French film “The Artist” directed by Michel Hazanavicius (“OSS 117: Cairo, Nest of Spies”, “OSS 117: Lost in Rio”) and starring Jean Dujardin (as George Valentin) and Bérénice Bejo (as Peppy Miller) have been catching a lot of buzz since the 2011 Cannes Film Festival (where Dujardin won the “Best Actor Award”).  And with buzz reaching out to other countries including the United States, there also has been talk about the music which was composed by Ludovic Bource, who worked with the director in both “OSS 117″ films.

While the film takes place in Hollywood between 1927 and 1932 and revolves around the end of silent cinema as it was replaced by talkies, the film is a silent film, so the music plays an important part of the film.

According to Ludovic Bource, the relationship that he and Hazanvicius have during the making of the film is not saying so much.  If anything, Bource watches the rushes to understand the feeling of the film and builds his music from there.  Prior to making the film, both he and Hazanvicius listened to Chaplin, Max Steiner and Franz Waxman to Bernard Hermann.  They analyzed and listened to the music from the past, including romantic composers from the 19th century.

Bource said in an interview, “We worked – a bit like Chaplin – along the lines of a light sophistication… What was great was being able to work in sequence blocks of 7, 8 or 9 minutes; to be able to reflect on the mood that could be connected to the plot or to a resonance which would be like the characters interior echo, even if there were different sequences within these blocks.”

Part of the challenge that Bource had in creating the music for a silent film was having to edit the music during editing.  Bource said, “we had to reduce certain pieces according to the editing, throw lots of them away, and write new ones, adapt them following each step of the film that was being made.  Michel and I didn’t stop fine-tuning, refining.”

For the soundtrack, Ludovic Bource worked with the Flanders Philharmonic Orchestra in Brussels for a week.  Featuring 80 musicians, 50 string players, four French horns, four trombones, five percussionists, a harpist, ten technicians, five orchestrators and three mixers.

My personal favorites from the soundtrack were “George Valentin”, which was a whimsical track that has a touch of elegance of piano and strings.  While a track such as “Pretty Peppy” and “Fantaisie D’Amour” had strings and horns and would transition from upbeat to elegant to upbeat.  “At the Kinograph Studios” is another song driven by its strings but such a beautiful song that brings out a feeling of romance and happiness.  Also, the carefree feeling of “Jungle Bar”.

But an interesting change as we see the decline of silent film and hearing the music starting to go for upbeat, to something much more melodramatic and with a hint of sadness.  Clearly evident on tracks such as “Comme Une Rosée De Larmes” and “The Sound Of Tears”.  The latter, Bource ha said was inspired by Brahms’ “Sapphic Ode” and a song that fits the film’s image of decline and loneliness of character George Valentin.

The soundtrack of the film gets darker and tracks such as “L’Ombre Des Flammes” is action-driven, “Ghosts From The Past” effectively uses the strings and horns to produce the sound of dread.

While Ludovic Bource created the majority of the music on this soundtrack, also featured are Brussels Philharmonic with “Estancia OP.8″, a surprise for me was seeing Red Nichols & His Five Pennies “Imagination”.  Red Nichols was a popular jazz band in the 1920′s and a wonderful inclusion to this soundtrack.  Also, included are Duke Ellington’s “Jubilee Stomp” (from 1928) and Rose Murphy’s “Pennies from Heaven” (a song that earned her the nickname “The Chee Chee Girl”).

And as appropriate to the soundtrack, one last upbeat swing track from Ludovic Bource titled “Peppy and George”.

The CD booklet features interviews with composer Ludovic Bource in English and French.

Overall, “The Artist: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack” was fantastic and amazing step for Ludovic Bource compared to his musical soundtrack for “OSS 117″.  Wonderful music that worked in conjunction with the silent film and its characters and situations.  If you loved the film, you will love the soundtrack.  Recommended!

Feist – Metals (a J!-ENT World Groove Album Review)

While some who are still hooked on “The Reminder”,  for those who value great music and to recognize Feist’s ability of capturing that fine balance of music and vocals, but to also have each track so varied and not banal, that’s what I love about “Metals”.  Each song is something different, something new and something brilliant.  This album is definitely recommended!

ARTIST: FEIST

ALBUM: Metals

LABEL: Cherrytree / Interscope

DURATION: 1:04:21

RELEASE DATE: October 4, 2011

1. The Bad in Each Other
2. Graveyard
3. Caught a Long Wind
4. How Come You Never Go There
5. A Commotion
6. The Circle Married the Line
7. Bittersweet Melodies
8. Anti-Pioneer
9. Undiscovered First
10. Cicadas and Gulls
11. Comfort Me
12. Get It Wrong, Get It Right

If there is one thing that can be said about Leslie Feist, after her activities in the band Broken Social Scene and moving on to her solo career, Feist is absolutely resilient.

With the magnificent release of Feist’s third solo album, “The Reminder” with the breakout hit “1234″ and being named in 2007 “Breakout Artist of the Year” by Spin and Blender, I’m sure with all the media attention and pressure, it wasn’t easy for the music artist.  Having taken a break in 2008 and rejoining Broken Social Scene in 2009, Feist has been keeping busy joining other bands and collaborating with other artists and many of her fans wondered if she would make another solo album.

Well, it’s 2011 and Feist’s fourth album, “Metals” is here.  Featuring collaborations with Valgeir Sigurosson (a producer/engineer known for working with Bjork), Canadian musician Chilly Gonzales, Somali-Canadian singer/producer Mocky, Vanessa Carlton and Marina & The Diamonds.

But if I had to describe this album in one word, I can easily say “beautiful”.

Let’s forget about “1234″, as many people keep asking me, “are there any songs like ’1234′?”.  Forget that song, let’s move forward and I can tell you that from the quality of music, the varied style of each song and the beautiful voice of Leslie Feist and the efficacy of “Metals” shines of brilliance.

From the melody of “Graveyard”, the tender drums in balance with her vocals on “Bittersweet Melodies”, the acoustic vibrance of “Cicadas and Gulls”, the bluesy guitars on “Anti-Pioneer”, her songs are wonderfully crafted lyrically and musically.

And the beauty of “Metals” is the fact that it’s easily accessible that anyone can listen to and enjoy.  Yes, youngsters, even mom and dad will dig it.

While some who are still hooked on “The Reminder”,  for those who value great music and to recognize Feist’s ability of capturing that fine balance of music and vocals, but to also have each track so varied and not banal, that’s what I love about “Metals”.  Each song is something different, something new and something brilliant.

Feist’s “Metals” is definitely recommended!

Zone Tribute ～君がくれたもの～ (a J!-ENT World Groove Album Review)

With three of the members of ZONE reuniting this summer, Sony Records pays tribute to the band by having a few of Japan’s all female rock bands and idol groups singing covers of ZONE songs.  Featuring SCANDAL, Stereopony, ClariS, Yaginagi and more, “Zone Tribute ～君がくれたもの～ ” is a tribute album worth checking out.

ARTIST: Various Artists

ALBUM: Zone Tribute ～君がくれたもの～

LABEL: Sony Records

CATALOG #: SRCL-7682

DURATION: 46:11

RELEASE DATE: August 10, 2011

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Glee: The Music, Volume 6 (a J!-ENT World Groove Album Review)

Another awesome Glee soundtrack but because it features primarily Fleetwood Mac, Barbara Streisand, many classic songs and original songs, it may not be the most accessible “Glee” soundtrack.  But still, it’s a well-done album and for “Glee” fans, it’s an album worth listening to and worth buying!

ARTISTS: Glee Cast

ALBUM: Glee: The Music, Volume 6

LABEL: Columbia

DURATION: 1:04:21

RELEASE DATE: May 23, 2011

1. Turning Tables (Glee Cast Version feat. Gwyneth Paltrow)
2. I Feel Pretty/Unpretty (Glee Cast Version)
3. As If We Never Said Goodbye (Glee Cast Version)
4. Born This Way (Glee Cast Version)
5. Dreams (Glee Cast Version feat. Kristin Chenoweth)
6. Songbird (Glee Cast Version)
7. Go Your Own Way (Glee Cast Version)
8. Don’t Stop (Glee Cast Version)
9. Rolling In the Deep (Glee Cast Version feat. Jonathan Groff)
10. Isn’t She Lovely (Glee Cast Version)
11. Dancing Queen (Glee Cast Version)
12. Try a Little Tenderness (Glee Cast Version)
13. My Man (Glee Cast Version)
14. Pure Imagination (Glee Cast Version)
15. Bella Notte (Glee Cast Version)
16. As Long As You’re There (Glee Cast Version)
17. Pretending (Glee Cast Version)
18. Light Up the World (Glee Cast Version)

The FOX musical, comedy-drama known as “Glee” has received a lot of praise and its popularity of the show and the music has done extremely well in the US as well as in several countries. With several soundtracks released and each having entered in the top 10 of the Billboard 200 Music Charts as well as charting on UK’s BBC Radio 1 and Australia’s Aria Music Charts, the music of Glee has its share of fans all over the world.

Here we are now with the sixth “Glee: The Music” soundtrack and this latest album features songs featured on episodes before and on the day of the Nationals competition.

The album kicks off with Gwyneth Paltrow’s cover of Adele’s “Turning Tables” and Paltrow has been getting noticed for her vocals on the show and the cover is actually a pretty solid cover of the Adele hit. Paltrow doesn’t try to mimic Adele’s style and stays within her own vocal zone which is good and for the most part, is a very good cover.

The second track “I Feel Pretty/Unpretty” is sung by Quinn (Dianna Agron) and Rachel (Leah Michele) and a pretty solid mashup of the “I Feel Pretty” from the Broadway musical “West Side Story” and TLC’s 1999 hit “Unpretty”. It’s a pretty awesome track from both talents!

The third track features Kurt’s (Chris Colfer) cover of Barbara Streisand’s “As If We Never Said Goodbye”. And just by listening to this song, it gave Colfer a chance to really breakout and show us his vocals and his range. I was pretty impressed with Colfer’s delivery of this song and he did a wonderful job with this cover.

The fourth track features the Glee Cast singing Lady Gaga’s “Born This Way” featuring the entire Glee cast, which is a pretty solid cover by the cast. But the fifth track “Dreams” features April’s (Kristin Chenoweth) cover of Fleetwood Mac’s hit and I love Chenoweth’s voice and she does a wonderful job singing this song! And another wonderful duet between April and Will (Matthew Morrison).

The sixth track features another Fleetwood Mac cover by Santana (Naya Rivera) and typically Naya is given a soul R&B track to sing but this time, it was great to hear her sing something different for her solo and she did a good job with this cover. The seventh track is another Fleetwood Mac cover and this one is “Go Your Own Way” by Rachel Berry (Lea Michele) and Lea is a wonderful singer and she did a solid job with this cover of the Fleetwood Mac hit! And one more Fleetwood Mac cover with the eighth track “Don’t Stop” featuring the Glee cast!

The ninth track features Jesse St. James (Jonathan Groff) back with his duet with Rachel (Lea Michele) for a cover of Adele’s “Rolling In the Deep”. I thought it was OK…but I think I’m too used to hearing Adele’s version that I can’t picture anyone else singing the song.

The tenth track features Artie (Kevin McHale) singing a cover of Stevie Wonder’s “Isn’t She Lovely”. Similar to the first soundtrack’s “Dream a Little Dream”, McHale’s covers typically add another dimension to the original tracks and in this case, he did a pretty good job with this classic!

The eleventh track features the divas Mercedes (Amber Riley) and Santana (Naya Rivera) and once again, whenever these two are paired up, they are fantastic! Both do a wonderful job in this ABBA cover! And fortunately Amber Riley returns with a solo in the 12th track with “Try a Little Tenderness”, a fantastic cover of Otis Redding’s classic hit!

The 13th track “My Man”, Rachel’s cover of the Barbara Streisand song. Leah Michele is known for her Broadway work prior to Glee and she does another fantastic job with this cover.

The 14th track features a surprising cover of the Willie Wonka song “Pure Imagination” by the Glee cast. A wonderful cover by the cast!

The 15th track “Bella Notte” is sung by Puck, Sam, Artie and Mike. The hybrid a capella has been covered by several artists but this classic is a wonderful cover by the guys!

The 16th track “As Long as You’re There” sung by Sunshine Corazon (Charice) and Charice has a fantastic voice and is an original song that Charice just nails down. A wonderful track and I hope we will see more of her on “Glee”!

The 17th track “Pretending” is an original song that Will (Cory Monteith) and Rachel (Leah Michele) performed at the Nationals and it’s a pretty awesome song! I was pretty impressed by this original track and I thought it was a cover at first. But a pretty cool duet!

And the final track on the “Glee: The Music, Volume 6″ is titled “Light Up the World” and another original song which is performed by the entire Glee cast. And it’s an upbeat dance track by the group!
Overall, as a fan of the show, I actually enjoyed the soundtrack! But for those looking for more contemporary covers, this album may not be for them. Especially since the songs featured on this album are mostly Fleetwood Mac, Barbara Streisand, Abba, Lady Gaga, classic songs and original songs.

But if you are a fan of the series, then you are probably are familiar with the context of how the songs were used in the series and if you enjoyed the series, I wouldn’t be surprised if you enjoyed the album!

For the most part, this album is probably more for the fans of the series and while I wouldn’t select this album for a person just getting into Glee and wanting to purchase their first Glee soundtrack, it’s a cool soundtrack overall worth listening to and worth buying!

Various Artists – Holiday Tunes: UkiUki Mode (a J!-ENT World Groove Album Review)

A wonderful compilation feature exciting Japanese music hits from the ’90s – early 2000′s. Featuring 34 tracks, “Holiday Tunes: UkiUki Mode” is definitely for those who are looking for cool music hits from the ’90s and 2000′s.

ARTIST: Various Artists

ALBUM: Holiday Tunes: UkiUki Mode (HOLIDAY tunes ～ うきうきモード)

LABEL: Sony Music Direct (Japan) Inc.

CATALOG #: MHCL 1902~3

DURATION: DISC 1 (1:18:27) / DISC 2 (1:10:18)

RELEASE DATE: April 27, 2011

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Various Artists – J-Rocker Densetsu [DJ Wa in No.1 J-ROCK MIX] (a J!-ENT World Groove Album Review)

A compilation featuring 43 shortened version of hit rock songs from the last 20 years.  It’s great if you are familiar with the tracks on the album or if you have a short attention span or want to familiarize yourself with Japanese rock music from the past.

ARTIST: Various Artists

ALBUM: J-Rocker Densetsu [DJ Wa in No.1 J-ROCK MIX]

LABEL: Sony Music Associated Records, Inc.

CATALOG #: AICL-2235

DURATION: 1:19:40

RELEASE DATE: March 16, 2011

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Various Artists – Holiday Tunes: Nonbiri Mode (a J!-ENT World Groove Album Review)

A wonderful compilation feature care-free Japanese music hits from the ’90s – early 2000′s.  Featuring 32 tracks, “Holiday Tunes: Nonbiri Mode” is definitely for those who are looking for cool music hits from the ’90s and 2000′s.

ARTIST: Various Artists

ALBUM: Holiday Tunes: Nonbiri Mode (HOLIDAY tunes ～ のんびりモード)

LABEL: Sony Music Direct (Japan) Inc.

CATALOG #: MHCL 1904~5

DURATION: DISC 1 (1:15:02) / DISC 2 (1:13:00)

RELEASE DATE: April 27, 2011

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“E”qual – 7 Days (a J!-ENT World Groove Album Review)

“E”qual’s “7 days” album is a one man tour-de-force of beats and rhymes.

ARTIST: “E”qual

ALBUM: 7 DAYS

LABEL: Columbia Music entertainment/Harlem Recordings

CATALOG #: COCP-50921

DURATION: 59:10

RELEASE DATE: September 27, 2006

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Glee: The Music – Love Songs (a J!-ENT World Groove Album Review)

An awesome tribute to “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” which I have no doubt will top the music charts worldwide!

ARTISTS: Glee Cast

ALBUM: Glee: The Music, Love Songs

LABEL: Columbia

DURATION: 21:07

RELEASE DATE: 2010