I've been a little surprised at some of the criticism I've read of the Shields' pieces, though. These are merely score pieces, written under the direction of Sofia Coppola and Brian Reitzell - and it's ridiculous to approach these four pieces expecting another `Soon' or `To Here Knows When'. The purpose of these songs is to accompany images, not to overshadow them - and assessed on those terms, I think that Kevin's contributions are excellent. Having said that, however, the four songs he contributes are still strong enough to stand on their own as individual pieces. (If you are nostalgic for MBV's screaming guitars, then seek out the stunning six-minute piece that Shields wrote for the LaLaLa Human Steps production `2' in the mid-90s instead.)

His first song on this soundtrack, `City Girl' is about the simple, rapt gaze of infatuation and has really grown on me over the last few days. It sounds quite similar to the MBV songs `Sugar' and `Cupid Come', and its fractured melody begins to make a great deal of sense on the second or third listen. It's also wonderful to hear Kevin's voice again. `Goodbye' is perhaps the strongest of the four pieces - a gorgeous ambient piece that unfolds gently and tenderly over two-and-a-half minutes, and displays more feeling and invention during that time than almost anything else I've heard all year. `Are You Awake?' is similarly impressive and does an excellent job of capturing all the wonder and disorientation of late-night Tokyo. `Ikebana' is probably the most immediate, but also the most disposable, of the four pieces - yet still merits inspection.

The rest of the disc is something of a mixed bag. `Just Like Honey' (Jesus and Mary Chain) and `Sometimes'(MBV) tower above everything else on this disc, including Shields' new pieces, and most of the tracks are actually pretty uninteresting, in all honesty - effective in the film but slightly tiresome when on their own. The Air and Squarepusher contributions are pleasant enough, as are the Brian Reitzell pieces - but `Girls' by Death in Vegas, for instance, is a depressingly one-dimensional attempt to mimic `Loveless'-era Shields, and merely makes you realise just how remarkable My Bloody Valentine were at their peak.

Overall, though, this is an excellent soundtrack - rich and varied, and containing impressive new material from Kevin Shields.


What's the song where?   May 31, 2004
 42 out of 48 found this review helpful

http://wairen.bravehost.com/lost.html

This link has what most of the songs are and where in the movie they are played.


Best of 2003 - Eclectic, beautiful: perfect!   March 24, 2004
 34 out of 38 found this review helpful

Once in a while there's an album you can never get enough of. The soundtrack to Sofia Coppola's movie "Lost in Translation" belongs in that category. I first heard it a few months ago. The first time it was like: "What was that?" Such an eclectic work takes a bit of time to sink in, but after the second or third listen, you cannot avoid but acknowledge you're in front of an exquisite piece of art. Today it is always playing in my jukebox.

The high moments of the album carry the stamp of Irish guitarist and songwriter Kevin Shields (much like Cliff Martinez did back in 2001 with another splending soundtrack for the movie "Traffic"). His eclectic and impeccable four tracks are perfectly complemented with equally brilliant works by Air (who crafted the music for Coppola's previous movie, "The Virgin Suicides"), Brian Reitzell & Roger J. Manning Jr., My Bloody Valentine (Shields' musical alma matter) and an amazing closing track ("Just Like Honey") by The Jesus & Mary Chain.

Eclectic and beautiful, this is, without a shade of doubt, one of those albums that will stand the test of time, a rare and perfect gem that belongs in all serious musical collections.


Nothing Lost in this Translation   August 31, 2004
 22 out of 23 found this review helpful

Lost In Translation as a movie had a major impact on me. It got me to thinking about where I was going with my life and what it really means to be happy. As such I think of it as invaluable, and it was a given that I was going to buy a copy of the DVD.

In a more subtle way, the soundtrack is just as much a must-have for lovers of the movie. So many of the moods that Sofia Coppola sets depend heavily on visuals (particularly the night scenes of Tokyo ablaze in neon and bustling with activity) and sound (namely the music). It's hard for me now to look at a night-time cityscape of red lights atop buildings without thinking of Death In Vegas' "Girls."

There are other songs that grew on me more gradually but are no less important. "Sometimes" by My Bloody Valentine did not elicit a major reaction from me initially but before long I started to fall under its spell of fuzzy guitar chords and soothing vocals (yes it's hard to understand what the lyrics are, but the vocals are more like another instrument than a vessel for words). "Just Like Honey" by The Jesus and Mary Chain was a clear winner too -- I'm not sure how I did not get into this band sooner, considering how much I like some of their contemporaries such as The Cure.

But the short tracks that appear in between these songs -- "On the Subway," "Ikebana," "Alone in Kyoto," "Are You Awake," etc. -- these are the "audible wallpaper" that kind of hold everything together. Many people will complain that these atmospheric tracks are just filler, but don't buy into that simplistic argument. These are the tracks that you almost don't even notice because they fit into their respective scenes so perfectly. They are just as important as the lighting, acting, and cinematography, but most people don't think enough to go back and associate these tunes with their corresponding events in the film.

It's true that the Teaches of Peaches song (do I have that right?) is not on the soundtrack but frankly it would be completely out of place if it were. The scene it was used in is, to put it mildly, a bit raunchy, and at odds with the movie's overall intelligent, introspective feel.

If you loved Lost In Translation, then this CD is a no-brainer purchase. Or even if you haven't seen it, but you like Air and other music that sets a navel-gazing mood, it's STILL a no-brainer purchase.