Various Artists -- 'Saw IV' soundtrack [review]

Music from and Inspired by Saw IV
Artists' Addiction Records (10/23/07)
Hard rock / Metal/ Industrial


Rather than a true soundtrack, Saw IV seems more like a collection of songs. Sure, some of them will appear in the movie, most probably during the closing credits, but this is more of a mix with a theme.

In this case, the theme is aggression. Fans of metal, industrial music and hard rock will find plenty to love with this album. Producers did a good job hitting a slew of bands from each genre: Ministry, Nitzer Ebb, Skinny Puppy and Dope Stars Inc. fom the industrial department; Everytime I Die, The Red Chord, and Avenged Sevenfold for those who like their metal heavy; newer metalcore acts like Saosin, From Autumn to Ashes and Sixx: A.M.; and filled out with tracks from Drowning Pool, Submersed and Emlie Autumn. There's even some nice instrumental mood music from Charlie Clouser to close the set.

With 19 tracks offering over an hour of music, it's hard to miss with this set. And since a collection like this might not really sell in this age of music downloads (Why buy a collection for a handful of songs when you can download one or two?), Artists' Addiction is actually offering a digital version of the soundtrack with a couple of different songs not available on the CD (due out, according to press materials, in November).

Saw IV is one of those enjoyable soundtracks, simply a collection of songs for people who are into a certain type of music. There's no underlying message or mood, and you can't find fault because the music was crafted specifically for the movie (like, say, the soundtracks for Once or Into the Wild released earlier this year, where the songs were specifically crafted for the film). While the set lacks any big "get" (a song released by a big, notable band specifically for the album), there's enough balance in everything on here (obscure bands vs. bigger acts, for example) to make this work. It's not fantastic, but it's good enough.

Eddie Vedder -- 'Into the Wild' soundtrack [review]

Eddie Vedder - Music for the Motion Picture: Into the Wild
J Records (9/18/07)
Rock



Into the Wild is, in many ways, probably the last album you'd expect from a man who has fronted one of the biggest rock outfits of the past 20 years. Still, Eddie Vedder crafts a nifty little rocking and (for the most part) mellow album that, for some reason, just seems to fall completely short of its goal.

First the positive.

Vedder wrote all the lyrics and performed all the instruments on this release, save for two cover tracks. There's no stadium anthems on here, everything is low-key, with touches of folk and a mellowness that will remind longtime fans of Pearl Jam's "Who We Are" or "Footsteps." The songs have this sort of inner beauty, and tell a beautiful story when taken as a total package.

Sadly, it's the bad that far outweighs the good here.

It's telling that Vedder, in interviews prior to the release of the album, said the process happened very quickly. The entire album clocks in at just over a half hour, and that includes a lengthy silence following the last track (preceding a hidden track of sorts) followed by some instrumental work. Eight of the 11 songs are less than three minutes in length, and half of those fail to break the two-minute plateau. I guess that's fine and good with musicians that can figure out a way to make it work, but here the songs just seem unrealized or unfinished. This is especially apparent on songs like the rocking opener "Setting Forth" or "Far Behind," that just seem to peter out as soon as they get going. It's a real shame, because from what's there, both seem to be strong songs for Vedder to add to his extensive body of work.

It's also telling when the best song on your album happens to be a cover -- in this case, "Hard Sun", orginally performed by the obscure Canadian outfit Indio. This song is also the longest on the disc, at a little over five minutes in length.

Fleshed out a little more, Into the Wild is a perfectly serviceable soundtrack. There's some very nice storytelling in here, and the music definitely sets a mood. But as a solo debut, it falls far short. Which is a shame, given the high expectations fans have for Vedder's work.