Friday, 24 January 2014

Various Artists- Frankenweenie Unleashed! Soundtrack Review


 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Album- Frankenweenie Unleashed!
Artist- Various

Director Tim Burton has been for some time a renowned director known for films that have a quirky style but are full of heart. Music is seemingly a major force within the Tim Burton world, but recently is films have also created soundtracks of songs by a range of artists who are inspired by the film. The latest offering is Frankenweenie Unleashed, inspired by the 2012 film Frankenweenie, whose narrative focused on a young boy named Victor and his love for his dog who dies, and who Victor brings back to life. Could this soundtrack be a sign that we should pay even greater attention to Burton’s work?

Track 1- Strange Love (performed by Karen O)

Karen O is more widely known for her role as the vocalist for the American Rock Band Yeah Yeah Yeah’s, but she has also had involvement in soundtrack work before, and was approached by Tim Burton himself to produce a song for the film. Inspired by the B movie fright films that were referenced in the film, Strange Love is a quirky and peppy mid tempo song that feels rooted within the film in terms of the love sentiment. The lyrical content focuses on how love can be strange, but you should kind of accept that. The message is strange overall but the lyrics have a sweetness that will appeal to the films core demographic, whilst the singer gives us a fragile, cute vocal performance that becomes embedded in your head through the varied vocal range that she uses. The production features quirky drum percussion and guitar rhythms that feel a little European to me in terms of the tone, and although this is just a cute but weird song as a whole, it is appealing and nice in terms of the movie.

3.5/5

Track 2- Electric Heart (Stay Forever) (performed by Neon Trees)

American, alternative rock band Neon Trees give us a light and almost euphoric feeling rock song that also sounds pop influenced and finds the group in this mixture of a jolly and calm, mid tempo state. Lyrically the track finds lead singer Tyler Glenn singing to this person about the way he used to feel, with the chorus focusing on how if they stay together then love will always be there. The song very nicely slots into the Frankenstein narrative of the film in terms of using electricity to revive the dead, but for me the song’s lyrics are also sweet and innocence and could stand alone as a single outside of the movie. Glenn gives us a smooth and light vocal performance that has a slight suave characteristic in the bridge and which also shows of the power of his voice in the last chorus. The production features a cool blend of a gritty electric guitar, clattering synth beats and a heavy bass drum to create this almost sedated but still bouncy and uplifting sound that is attention grabbing and makes for a great tune.

4/5

Track 3- Polartropic (You Don’t Know Me) (performed by Mark Foster)

Mark Foster (the lead singer from Foster the People) gives us a funky, up tempo indie track that features a harsher sound than the previous tracks and more of a negative lyrical basis. We find the singer seemingly fitting himself into the role of Victor from the movie in terms of giving us this simple sentiment of being an outsider. The lyrics are very catchy in terms of the twisted but direct message that people can relate to, whilst Foster gives us a dark, ethereal vocal that is nicely layered and grows in power. Production wise the song features a frenetic piano melody, haunting strings and heavy drum beats that gives us this dark song that builds in power, and which is also invested in fright films of the past like the albums opening number.

3.5/5

Track 4-Almost There (performed by Passion Pit)

Appearing as a bonus track on the Japanese Edition of their album Gossamer, Almost There is a mid tempo tune by Passion Pit with frenetic electro beats and ambient synths that give a transition in the mood of the record. Lead singer Michael Angelakos gives us a delicate vocal performance that has this nice intense quality about it and which finds the singer seemingly conveying this message of going through some hurdles to get to the other side. The song features a cool blend of peppy bass and smooth electro beats with these light synth notes, and so although the song is perhaps a bit too lyrically sparse and a bit too instrumental heavy, the track has this inspiring, happy but fragile tone that gives it a cute and almost heart-warming quality.

3.5/5

Track 5- Pet Sematary (performed by Plain White T’s)

A cover of a song by the Ramones, Pet Sematary once again finds the album changing again, as American pop punk band Plain White T’s give us a stomping pop rock effort. The song lyrically finds the group singing of how they don’t want to be buried in a pet sematary and don’t want to live life again, with the song’s lyrics working well with the storyline of the film even though the track wasn’t designed for the film. The vocal performance is smooth and simple and effectively taps into the emotion of the lyrics, but the production is easily the tracks best asset, with the flourish of strings and crashing cymbals making for a grand finish to the songs latter half.

3.5/5

Track 6- With My Hands (performed by Kimbra)

New Zealand singer-songwriter Kimbra provides us with a stomping indie pop number complete with a quirky vocal delivery and some snappy hand clap beats in the form of With My Hands. Lyrically we find the singer telling us of how she can put us back together, focusing on the reanimation perspective of the film. The lyrics are nice but the way that Kimbra delivers the lines is much more interesting, with the artist dipping into various elements of her range to create this languid but equally snappy edge to the song that makes it seem as if she definitely means what she is saying. The layering of the singer’s voice also works really well in creating an extra layer of passion to the track, making this a smart and snappy addition to the soundtrack.

3.5/5

Track 7- Everybody’s Got a Secret (performed by Awolnation)

Featured on the deluxe edition of the groups debut album, Everybody’s Got a Secret is a bubbling mid tempo track from American electronic rock band Awolnation. The song focuses on the band telling us of how they and everyone has a secret, and how they think about their secrets and how something good should come from such things. This song is probably one of the tracks that doesn’t work as well within the soundtrack, as the song has this quality of being focused on different situations, but with the commanding and tender vocal performance the track does seem to tap into the mind-set of having a secret very well and links with the films main character. The stomping, bass led rhythms of the song creates a vibrant tone that works simply but effectively, keeping you engaged with this idea of having a secret.

3.5/5

Track 8- Immortal (performed by Kerli)

Immortal focuses on the idea of growing up in life and coming to this point where you take a risk and feel immortal with this person by your side. Initially recorded by Finnish artist Tarja, the song was reworked by the initial singer and writer of the track Kerli, giving us a song that taps into both the life and friendship elements of the film. Kerli’s voice is really distinctive and has this smooth but slightly vulnerable texture that brings out the emotive qualities of the lyrics very nicely. The blending of thumping pop rock production with shimmering synth notes creates a grand tone to the track that almost makes it feel like we are listening to the albums emotional epicentre.

4/5

Track 9- My Mechanical Friend (performed by Grace Potter, The Flaming Lips)

Another shimmering, haunting song that focuses on the idea of friendship that is one of the films foundations, My Mechanical Friend finds American singer Grace Potter teaming up with American rock band The Flaming Lips for a rock heavy song that is infused with some electronic notes. The songs production is another grand affair built around a looping drum beat and forceful guitar riffs, with bleeping electronic notes punctuating the track throughout. The song simply finds Potter telling us of how she is going to stitch up her mechanical friend and bring them to life, being lyrically cemented in the main narrative of the film. Yet because of this the lyrics don’t really have that much of an impact, and whilst Potter gives us a moody vocal performance, the production feels like it overpowers things, whilst it seems quite pointless to credit The Flaming Lips considering they only really give us some background vocals.

3/5

Track 10 Lost Cause (performed by Imagine Dragons)

American alternative rock band Imagine Dragons provide us with Lost Cause, a song that brings the record down to a slightly darker place, as lead singer Dan Reynolds sings of being a lost cause and digging his own grave. The song is much more lyrically intriguing as the song could be relatable to the idea of reanimating a dead dog being a lost cause, or could be related to the idea of a boy being lost without his faithful companion. Reynold’s vocal performance is great in the way that he controls his vocal in the verses and then belts out the chorus with the right amount of passion and pain, creating this vocal performance where you are continually attentive. The simple tone of the production with the use of a subtle piano line, thumping rock rhythms and nice electro flourishes creates this intense but steady sound that makes the song more of a complete package.

3.5/5

Track 11- Underground (performed by Grouplove)

Underground finds indie rock band Grouplove telling us of how it is nice to know that someone is safe underground and that you can be at peace with this idea. The song nicely offsets the darkness of the previous track, with lead singer Hannah Hooper providing us with a light vocal performance that feels full of warmth and which is emotive enough to make the song feel believable. At times the production could be taken down a notch, but ultimately the blend of guitar, drums and strings just creates a bright texture for the song that makes things feel passionate and heartfelt, despite the ‘woah’ hook being incredibly annoying.

3/5

Track 12- Building a Monster (performed by Skylar Grey)

Once again we have a song focused upon the idea of reanimation with Building a Monster, a song where American singer-songwriter Skylar Grey tells us of how she is building a monster and how she isn’t who people thought she was. Lyrically it interesting in a way, but vocally Grey’s voice feels very weak, and therefore the lyrics don’t have the right level of impact that they should. The mix of strings and military style drums is nice but becomes bland after a while, creating a dark moment in the record that feels slightly pointless.

2.5/5

Track 13- Witchcraft (performed by Robert Smith)

A popular song originally made famous by Frank Sinatra, Witchcraft lyrically focuses on the idea of The Cure lead singer Robert Smith being overpowered by witchcraft. The idea of witchcraft doesn’t seem to totally fit with the ideas present in the film, but Smith provides us a with a quirky vocal performance flecked with some nice high notes, whilst the soulful, jazzy qualities of the production with the use of piano provides an interesting sound for the soundtrack as a whole, even if it doesn’t fit as comfortably alongside the other songs.

3/5

Track 14- Praise Be New Holland (performed by Winona Ryder)

The closing track of the record actually prominently features in the film, and finds actress Winona Ryder (who voices one of the film’s characters) praising the town of New Holland, which is the films setting. As such it is hard to actually judge the song, and really this is just a bonus track that makes sense if you watch the film.

Final Review

Frankenweenie Unleashed! is a really strong collection of songs inspired by a film, with each of the songs being really relatable to the film’s storytelling. Each of the individual artists bring something different to the soundtrack but remain within the same realms, with tightly structured lyrics and slightly different sounds that still come together for one coherent piece. Some of the production could have been toned down and the vocals could have been improved for some songs, whilst the latter half of the record does slip in quality. But all in all this is an accomplished accompanying soundtrack that shows Tim Burton has a great ear for music.

7/10

Best Track- Electric Heart (Stay Forever) (performed by Neon Trees)

Worst Track- Building a Monster (performed by Skylar Grey)

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