Review Summary: [Part 1 Of The Soundtrack Project. For my opinion on the film and more info about the project, here is a link for your easy access:http://www.sputnikmusic.com/list.php?memberid=1071458&listid=172827]
The Crow is a heavily atmospheric, gritty 90s action flick with slight sci-fi and horror leanings. This film predated other similar ones such as
The Matrix and
Blade, while feeling slightly darker and more down-to-earth (especially in the action scenes). Though the adventures of Neo and the vampire hunter are good in their own respective rights, both have a bit more of an emphasis on stylized, tech-heavy moments rather than the sepia tones and downcast characters of
The Crow. It only makes sense that the film would have a dark soundtrack, though for the genre of the film, this is a more melodic outing than the later likes that would feature bands like Killswitch Engage, Marilyn Manson, and Slipknot. So, two questions: are the songs themselves good, especially in comparison with other hits of the respective bands and the question of if they would fit the film better? And leading into the second question, does the soundtrack as a whole fit the film?
A pounding bassline, tribal drums, atmospheric snyths, cleanly picked guitar lines, and of course calls of the crow open the post-punk/alt-rock number “Burn” from The Cure. It’s dark, extremely brooding, and has a low-line of suspense and general creepiness throughout, very much like the film. At about seven minutes long, this is a slow-burner that clearly serves to immerse, both for the song itself and the rest of the soundtrack. To my knowledge, the group actually wrote the track as an original for the film, so major props there as well. Following this track is the heavier, distortion wracked (but still slow paced) industrial number from Machines of Loving Grace, a track titled “Golgotha Tenement Blues”. With the profane and frankly hopeless lyrics, the creepy tone, slithering bassline, and unsettling synths, you cannot help but see Eric hunting down his enemies in the gang-torn streets of New York. The Nine Inch Nails cover of Joy Division’s “Dead Souls” carries a very similar tone and feel, though admittedly a little bit more hopeful. It’s cool to hear this, because though it still carries a dark feel, there’s almost a transition between the darkness and the light, very fitting with the anti-hero in The Crow and the cavalier attitude of both young Sarah and Sergeant Albrecht. Rap rockers Rage Against The Machine bring “Darkness” to the table, and while it still features some of the classic scatting and riffing we’ve come to expect from the band, it intersperses some calmer moments with spoken word, cleanly picked guitar, and a chill bass line that make it fit much better with the film’s dark but not overly stylized tone. It also serves in the album to vary from the more industrial-esque tracks that come before it. The Violent Femmes bring a bluesy, club-like tinge to the table, replete with a slinky guitar riff, shaking vocal delivery, and smooth bass line. This track literally bleeds of brokenness and pain, something the movie also does. It is a little bit of a shock being placed after the harder-edged RATM track, but at the same time, it also complements it as a breath of calmer air. Two heavier tracks follow (but still fairly atmospheric) in the form of the stoner/sludge rock in Rollins Band’s “Ghost Rider” and the riff-heavy alt-metal number “Milktoast” from genre pioneers Helmet. The swaggering, devil-may-care tone of the Helmet track couldn’t match the behavior of our hero any better, especially with the violent, raw action scenes. Speaking of alternative metal, rockers For Love Not Lisa contribute the pulsating, thrashing beat of “Slip Side Melting, also replete with a punky, boxy riff and a reckloose delivery of vocals. My Life With The Thrill Kill Kult contribute the punk and thrash influenced industrial number in “After The Flash”, and the random overdubbed voiceovers and strange lyrics only enhance the atmosphere. Finally, the anthemic “It Can’t Rain All The Time” from singer/songwriter Jane Sibbery works well as both a closing for the album and an anthem to the passing of Brandon Lee.
Now, this is an impressively stacked soundtrack, and I have to admit that. It holds up fairly well for fourteen tracks long and most of this fits well for the film, but a fair bit of it doesn’t. First, let’s hit the contribution of Stone Temple Pilots in “Big Empty”. It’s not necessarily a bad song, but it’s a bit too optimistic for the film’s overall tone. Perhaps the inclusion of a track like “Dead And Bloated” would gell more smoothly. Pantera’s “The Badge” suffers for the opposite reason: it is too thrashy for the film, and with essentially no moment of melody, it feels extremely out of place. A couple tracks here are essentially repeats of other tracks, just by different artist, and I almost feel that it’s a little over-bloated.
Still, there’s some really awesome stuff here. Again, it fits fairly well with the sepia tones of the movie and is a worthy accompaniment as a whole.
