Various Artists - Underworld Soundtrack - Soundtracks - CD
Key item features
To claim film is just a visual medium is willful ignorance. Just try watching a horror movie without the sound on and you'll understand just how critical music is to the atmosphere of a movie. So when making a film blending gothic fashion, gory violence, and nightmarish creatures like vampires and werewolves, it's essential to create a soundtrack whose music can adrenalize the audience in tandem with the film's intense visual action.
Capturing the essence of film is no easy task. So when it came time to design the soundtrack for the blockbuster Underworld, Sony went to one of the best -- Nine Inch Nails member Danny Lohner. "The idea was to try and do a cool soundtrack," Lohner said, "put some moody stuff in there, some aggressive stuff, and assemble a lot of cool artists that I knew." (www.rollingstone.com)
Apparently, Lohner has one of the most comprehensive black books in rock. Joining him for Underworld: Music from the Motion Picture are rock and industrial luminaries like Skinny Puppy, Milla Jovovich, John Frusciante of the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Filter's Richard Patrick, former Limp Bizkit guitarist Wes Borland, and the legendary vocalist of Tool and A Perfect Cirle, Maynard James Keenan.
But the crown jewel of Lohner's star studded cast is none other than the Thin White Duke himself, the immortal David Bowie. "We've maintained a friendship ever since the mid-'90s," Lohner says. "I called him up and I was like, 'Hey, do you have anything laying around that you've done and I could take a vocal from?' He's like, 'Oh yeah,' and he just shot out some vocals to me."
Bowie helms a temporary supergroup with Keenan and Frusciante on "Bring Me the Disco King," a haunting ballad that builds nervous energy measure by measure. It is, however, tension that goes unresolved. Bowie and Keenan's eerie vocals plant a kernel of sonic disquietude within the listener that refuses to dissipate even when the song is through.
While "Bring Me the Disco King" is the clear standout on the soundtrack, the album's other songs display the same kind of macabre genius. The apocalyptic "REV 22:20" pours from the dark creative mastery of Keenan and Lohner's Puscifer project. Keenan's tormented poetry is haunted by the ghostly backing vocals of Lisa Germano and Jovovich, and Lohner's mixing and tricky channel programming shoots a supernatural charge straight into your brain.
Jovovich assumes the stage name of Milla, and showcases a remarkable vocal range on "Rocket Collecting." The gothic poignance of Milla's ethereal lyrical delivery couples with the track's spartan electronic soundscape to deliver a lonely, evocative ballad.
The sonic despondency of "Rocket Collected" and its successive tracks does an abrupt about-face when you get to Skinny Puppy's "Optimissed." The industrial club kings of the '90s come back in a big way, delivering a vicious piece of speedball electronica with a counterculture vibe that's perfect for the movie.
The song you'll be hearing most on the radio is "Awakening," the product of another hybrid group featuring Lohner, Patrick and Borland. It's heavy, pulsing industrial metal that's not as dissimilar from mainstream music as the rest of the soundtrack, making it the perfect bridge to the tortured, angst-filled music of the rest of the album.
The test of any great soundtrack is to see if it makes the movie better. In this case, there can be no question: Lohner and Co. have made Underworld a better movie.
By Isaac Clemens
Specs
- PerformerVarious Artists
- Music genreSoundtracks
- Music release typeSoundtrack
- Media formatCD
- Original release date2004
- LanguageEnglish
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Product details
To claim film is just a visual medium is willful ignorance. Just try watching a horror movie without the sound on and you'll understand just how critical music is to the atmosphere of a movie. So when making a film blending gothic fashion, gory violence, and nightmarish creatures like vampires and werewolves, it's essential to create a soundtrack whose music can adrenalize the audience in tandem with the film's intense visual action.
Capturing the essence of film is no easy task. So when it came time to design the soundtrack for the blockbuster Underworld, Sony went to one of the best -- Nine Inch Nails member Danny Lohner. "The idea was to try and do a cool soundtrack," Lohner said, "put some moody stuff in there, some aggressive stuff, and assemble a lot of cool artists that I knew." (www.rollingstone.com)
Apparently, Lohner has one of the most comprehensive black books in rock. Joining him for Underworld: Music from the Motion Picture are rock and industrial luminaries like Skinny Puppy, Milla Jovovich, John Frusciante of the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Filter's Richard Patrick, former Limp Bizkit guitarist Wes Borland, and the legendary vocalist of Tool and A Perfect Cirle, Maynard James Keenan.
But the crown jewel of Lohner's star studded cast is none other than the Thin White Duke himself, the immortal David Bowie. "We've maintained a friendship ever since the mid-'90s," Lohner says. "I called him up and I was like, 'Hey, do you have anything laying around that you've done and I could take a vocal from?' He's like, 'Oh yeah,' and he just shot out some vocals to me."
Bowie helms a temporary supergroup with Keenan and Frusciante on "Bring Me the Disco King," a haunting ballad that builds nervous energy measure by measure. It is, however, tension that goes unresolved. Bowie and Keenan's eerie vocals plant a kernel of sonic disquietude within the listener that refuses to dissipate even when the song is through.
While "Bring Me the Disco King" is the clear standout on the soundtrack, the album's other songs display the same kind of macabre genius. The apocalyptic "REV 22:20" pours from the dark creative mastery of Keenan and Lohner's Puscifer project. Keenan's tormented poetry is haunted by the ghostly backing vocals of Lisa Germano and Jovovich, and Lohner's mixing and tricky channel programming shoots a supernatural charge straight into your brain.
Jovovich assumes the stage name of Milla, and showcases a remarkable vocal range on "Rocket Collecting." The gothic poignance of Milla's ethereal lyrical delivery couples with the track's spartan electronic soundscape to deliver a lonely, evocative ballad.
The sonic despondency of "Rocket Collected" and its successive tracks does an abrupt about-face when you get to Skinny Puppy's "Optimissed." The industrial club kings of the '90s come back in a big way, delivering a vicious piece of speedball electronica with a counterculture vibe that's perfect for the movie.
The song you'll be hearing most on the radio is "Awakening," the product of another hybrid group featuring Lohner, Patrick and Borland. It's heavy, pulsing industrial metal that's not as dissimilar from mainstream music as the rest of the soundtrack, making it the perfect bridge to the tortured, angst-filled music of the rest of the album.
The test of any great soundtrack is to see if it makes the movie better. In this case, there can be no question: Lohner and Co. have made Underworld a better movie.
By Isaac Clemens
