The Soundtrack of Our Lives - Behind the Music
(Stickman)
(Admittedly, I'm a little late catching up with the phenomenon here. This album has been universally hailed on almost every independent "best of" list as one of 2002s finest releases. In their infinite wisdom, the Grammy folks even saw fit to nominate it for Best Alternative Album of the Year. In their infinite stupidity, they gave the award to the wrong album... some piece of crap from Coldplay. Hello! Didn't these losers get the award last year? How about spreading the wealth around! Nevertheless, in case you've not heard about this album, I wanted to include my review for your entertainment and encourage you to rush out and pick this up. It's also just been reissued (on VINYL!!!) by Stickman.)
Behind the Music is the name of a VH-1 documentary series which strives to give us the dirt via a warts 'n all biographical look at some of the most popular bands from the 60s up to today's biggest (s)hitmakers. By coincidence or design, it's also the title of the third album from Swedish psych pranksters, The Soundtrack of Our Lives as well as a virtual jukebox of the British and American pop/psych/mod music scene of the last 35 years. It is, in effect, their own look "behind the music" of the bands that have influenced them over the years.
And "spot the influence" is a game I love to play, usually while listening to a Nick Lowe album. So listening to this becomes a fun game as well as a most enjoyable experience, and while I am sure you will hear your own influences, here's what I've come up with so far (another advantage of well-made albums like this is that you may hear a different "song" with each subsequent listen).
"Infra Riot" opens the album like Oasis, full of their trademark sweeping, anthemic wall of sound; the latest single, "Sister Surround " offers a Jeff Lynne-inspired, British take on what The Kinks might have sounded like if produced by Phil Spector; then like a left hook from right field, "In Someone Else's Mind" bleeds vintage Lennon ca. his Plastic Ono Band debut, right down to the title. And as long as we're getting "behind the music" from the British psych/mod 60's scene, "Mind the Gap" is an outtake from an old Floyd album, specifically something off their soundtracks More and La Valee (Obscured By Clouds) or side one of Meddle.
"Broken Imaginary Time" is sumptious and baroque, like The Zombies crossed with Supertramp and 10cc, with an evocative, almost Gothic use of organ, and a vocal coda straight out of "Strawberry Fields Forever." "21st Century Ripoff" is a mod-infected, pub rock stomper—imagine The Kinks meets Rockpile; "Independent Luxury" returns to the Britpop 90s, and sounds like something from The Stone Roses Third Coming with a Kula Shaker chaser floating on top; "Keep the Line Moving" is "Tusk" crossed with "Come Together;" and "Nevermore" is America's "Sister Golden Hair" updated for a different kind of 21st century ripoff. In fact, the pessimistic among you may hear this entire project as exactly that, and I will admit that the downside to albums like this is that the true personality of the performers often fails to emerge. So while the Soundtracks have impressive record collections, I'll be curious to hear what THEY sound like. Until then, though, I can't get enough of Behind the Music.
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