John Hughes - Scarlett Diva (Soundtrack)
(Hefty)
If John Hughes III's latest project
were not the soundtrack for the film Scarlet Diva (written,
directed by, and starring Italian actress Asia Argento and co-starring
of all people Schoolly D), perhaps he would have titled it
John Hughes Sings, Again!. Hughes' first bands, Turtletoes and
Bill Ding, made apt use of his mumbled, lazy, low blues vocals, but
recently Hughes' interest in abstract beats in his solo outfit Slicker
has led him away from vocals. For the Scarlet Diva soundtrack, John
Hughes sings (again!).
Of course, Hughes' label is no stranger to soundtracks; in 1999, Hefty
released the soundtrack to Reach the Rock, a film by John Hughes' dad
(yes, that John Hughes). This soundtrack has a similar feel,
using all live instrumentation (with only a few moments of Slicker-like
techno) and John McEntire helping out on percussion along with many
other guest musicians (using everything from trombone to vibes and
melodica to violin and cello).
The music of the Scarlet Diva soundtrack was composed for the film.
It is not music composed and then used in the film. It is not music
composed for the film and then further developed into full songs. It
is music made to be used (directly and entirely) in the film. Songs
last less than a minute (18 tracks last a total of just over 30 minutes),
and some music ("Bathtub Flashback," "Nightmare Intro," etc.) sounds
more like sound effects than music. This is detrimental to the album,
making it more disjointed,
as very good songs like "'Lying in the Backseat'" and "'Everything Will Be
Just Fine'" are so short that they are unsatisfying, the former being
divided into two parts, each less than one minute long, and the latter
lasting less than two minutes.
The full songs are very good though. "'Set Me on the Couch,'" the only song
with vocals over 2 and a half minutes long, features Dan Snazelle (also
of Bill Ding) playing guitar, creating a song that sounds very much
like Bill Ding. Snazelle's guitar is slow and graceful as Rick Embach
on muted vibes and Phil Ranelin on trombone play similar melodies
in a staccato style. Towards the end of the album, Ranelin's trombone
becomes a marquee player on the album. On the short "Driving in LA,"
it is played through an echo effect against beats, much like a Spaceheads
song. On "Street Song," the trombone comes in only at the end of the
3 minute song, putting an exclamation point to the funk laid down by
Razelle's guitar and Erik Bocek's bass (Funk!). On the short "Arriving
in LA," Hughes lets the trombone go off, carrying the melody of the song.
Soundtracks are odd animals. As Hughes recorded just enough to get the
job done, the album seems a little short, the songs seem a little short,
and initial listens can be unsatisfying. However, the music is really
good. If Hughes had lengthened the songs further, caring as much about
how the album sounds as the movie does, the album would be terrific.
As it is, it still comes recommended; I mean, after all, John Hughes
sings, again.
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