The release of the soundtrack to a new Wim Wenders film is an event of equal, if not greater, importance than the film itself. It's no secret that even when grappling with colossal missteps, the great German director has still managed to put together music selections of the highest quality and interest. Just think of the exceptional soundtrack to the ambitious but unsuccessful "Until the End of the World", which featured unreleased material from Rem, Depeche Mode, Elvis Costello, Lou Reed, Talking Heads and many others. But the examples could go on, from "Faraway, So Close!" all the way to the disastrous "Million Dollar Hotel".
This "Palermo Shooting" has yet to hit theaters (and was in fact savaged at Cannes), but its soundtrack already stands out as one of the finest and most refined of the year. The mix of sounds, artists and influences is colourful and disorienting, well suited to the wanderings of photographer Finn through the Sicilian city. Opening the dance is an old acquaintance of the director, Nick Cave (whose first collaboration with Wenders dates back to "Wings of Desire" in 1987), who with his Grinderman contributes two tracks recorded specifically for the occasion: "Dream (Song For Finn)" is a sort of dirty, electrified version of "One" by U2, while "Song For Frank", less conventional with its tribal, schizoid rhythm, wouldn't look out of place on the Australian's latest work, "Dig Lazarus Dig!!!".
Other familiar faces: there's Velvet Underground with the classic "Some Kinda Love" (Lou Reed also appears in the film in a small role), De André with the splendid blues track "Quello Che Non Ho" (the soundtrack is dedicated to him), Portishead with "The Rip" (kudos for the timing!), probably the most moving track from their "Third", and their vocalist, Beth Gibbons, with "Mysteries" (taken from her solo album from 2002). The original score, a hypnotic piece somewhere between the Vangelis of "Blade Runner" and Brian Eno, is the work of Irmin Schmidt of Can, another band very dear to the director from Düsseldorf.
But Wenders also proves himself attuned and up to date with what might be called the new "trends" of the rock scene. Bonnie "Prince" Billy contributes the previously unreleased "Torn And Brayed", a classic folk tune embellished by Matt Sweeney's guitars, while from Iron & Wine (discovered by the director on a tip from actress Michelle Williams) we get the captivating "Freedom Hangs Like Heaven" (from the 2005 EP "Woman King").
Also present is one of last season's biggest surprises, Zach Condon, aka Beirut ("Postcards From Italy", an obvious but fitting choice), a rising star of the new American indie-pop scene. Calexico appear with the celebrated "The Black Light" (from their eponymous masterpiece), a fitting backdrop for capturing photographer Finn's arrival in Palermo. The syrupy power pop of Jason Collett ("We All Lose One Another"), a member of the sprawling Canadian collective Broken Social Scene, is offset by the robust, raucous rock of the Long Winters (do seek out their underrated "When I Pretend To Fall").
Less convincing are the contributions from a few (little-known) German rock bands: Thom (who already worked with Wenders on the music for "Land of Plenty") persist in imitating Radiohead (although their "Beds In The East" has more dance-inflected rhythms), while Get Well Soon, who contribute two decent unreleased tracks, come across as a typical middling band lacking a real identity of their own, caught between copying the dark-wave sound of Echo & The Bunnymen and venturing into something bolder ("Good Friday").
Despite these flaws, the overall result is powerful and compelling. Of course, some will say that if you're an internationally renowned director backed by a major studio's money, it's easy to assemble such a rich roster of names. But you also need to know how to blend images and music in a convincing, non-trivial way: and in this, Wenders has always been a master.
Ride the wave of great music
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24/11/2008
This article is an English translation of the original Italian text by Alex Poltronieri, published on OndaRock.it. It was translated with the help of artificial intelligence, under the editorial responsibility of OndaRock's editor-in-chief, Claudio Fabretti.
Tracklist
- 1. Dream (Song For Finn) - Grinderman
- 2. Busy Hope - Get Well Soon
- 3. The Rip - Portishead
- 4. Bei Flavia I - Irmin Schmidt
- 5. Freedom Hangs Like Heaven - Iron & Wine
- 6. It's A Departure - The Long Winters
- 7. The Black Light - Calexico
- 8. Some Kinda Love - The Velvet Underground
- 9. Beds In The East - Thom
- 10. Fresko - Irmin Schmidt
- 11. Postcards From Italy - Beirut
- 12. Quello Che Non Ho - Fabrizio De André
- 13. We All Lose One Another - Jason Collett
- 14. Torn And Brayed - Bonnie Prince Billy & Matt Sweeney
- 15. My Impropriety - Monta
- 16. Let Us Know - Sibylle Baier
- 17. Bei Flavia II - Irmin Schmidt
- 18. Quannu Moru - Rosa Balistreri
- 19. Song For Frank - Grinderman
- 20. Mysteries - Beth Gibbons & Rustin' Man
- 21. Good Friday - Get Well Soon
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