Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind

by

Jon Brion

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Charlie Kaufman's movies have been brilliant, twisting, beautiful pieces of work. Some complain, but the average intelligent individual knows that, though flawed, each is one of the most original pieces of work you'll see in the given year. And fortunately, the soundtracks tend to match the film's with a wonderous grace and beauty.

"Being John Malkovich" featured Carter Burwell's saddest score to date, two mixes of a brand-new Bjork song, and the irresitable "Malkovich Masterpiece". Lesser-known (and Gondy-directed) "Human Nature" had an eclectic mix of jazz, pop, classical, and musical numbers ("Hair Everywhere"), and was a wonderful piece of work. The "Adaptation" score (also Burwell) was very understated and calm, featuring a bad Fatboy Slim mix and an excellent 60's classic ("Happy Together") which fit the film perfectly. And finally, the excellent pop-through-the-decades compilation that was the "Confessions of a Dangerous Mind" soundtrack beat all, featuring everything from Donovan & Freddy "Boom Boom" Cannon to Alex Wurman's score and a techno-remix by little-known dance act Peas.

So, along comes the most star-filled film to date, with one of his best scripts, handled by the brilliant Michel Gondry. Yet, instead of going with Carter Burwell, Greame Revell, or Wurman, Gondry picked one of the best and underrated in the business - Jon Brion, the man who handled the scores for all of P.T. Anderson's films (including his brilliant work for "Punch-Drunk Love"). He's also produced countless artists (Fiona Apple chief among them) and has done his own solo work (his excellent web-only "Meaningless"). So, this is the right man for the job, right?

We can now gladly say - absolutely.

First of all, this is Brion's briefest score. Many of the songs are less than a minute, but still have an aural beauty to them, and are very understated and subtle - much like Burwell's "Adaptation" score, but far more lush. This is all best exemplified by his closing number, "Elephant Parade" - a touching and moving piece by itself. He also contributes another original song of his own, "Strings That Tie to You", which, though wonderful, simply doesn't top his own "Here We Go" from the "Punch-Drunk" score.

Yet, he still manages to round up an elite and wonderful batch of songs. Chief among them isn't even in the movie (just in the trailer) - the joyous "Mr. Blue Sky" by E.L.O. One of the best Beatles knock-offs of all time (and I mean that in the best of ways). The use of Polyphonic Spree, and admittedly cheesy band, is good, particularly with the studio (and not orchestral) version of "Light & Day", though the KCRW version of "It's the Sun" borders on excess. The Don Nelson and Lata Mangeshkar tracks invoke true nostalgia, while unheard-of Willowz contribute a by-the-numbers rocker ("Something"), and a beautiful acoustic work ("I Wonder"), while a brand new cover by Beck brings his best Sea Change work to the table and creates the album's true highlight.

While it isn't perfect, this is one of the best, high-end, beautiful, and diverse efforts ever done for a Kaufman film. And yes, one can enjoy it even if they haven't seen the movie.

The movie is excellent, the soundtrack I find lacking for several reasons. It has an excellent theme, but unfortunately the theme is never fully explored or developed. The soundtrack has too many short tracks of original score work with a few full length songs that, while expressive of the movie, feel out of place at times. Had this soundtrack featured full length pieces of the fully developed theme I feel it would be one of my favorite soundtracks of all time. It leaves the listener wanting more. Tracks like Theme, Peer Pressure, and Elephant Parade show the true beauty of what Jon Brion is capable of, but unfortunately those tracks are 2:24, 1:12 and 0:26 in length respectively. I beleive this soundtrack needs an extended edition where the theme is fully explored because it relies too much on the found tracks. Not to disparage the Polyphonic Spree or The Willowz, as both contribute excellent tracks, but the theme tracks are lacking, and without further exploration the them will never be fully appreciated.