Various Artists: Sucker Punch Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
It is always an interesting proposition reviewing a movie soundtrack; I always feel like I should connect the soundtrack to the movie but rarely have I ever seen the movie whose soundtrack I am reviewing. This is the case for Sucker Punch. Although the movie looks pretty good, its not even out yet.
Fortunately, the Sucker Punch soundtrack is not something that needs to be connected to the film. For better or worse, the soundtrack is comprised almost completely of cover songs. Some of the cover songs are actually pretty good. Jumping out of the group is Emiliana Torrini‘s cover of Jefferson Airplane‘s “White Rabbit.” Torrini’s Icelandic pop voice handles the classic psychedelic pop tune with grace while the production gives the track an epic quality. Unfortunately, the song has been released before and has been floating around the internet and various compilations since 1996.
Of the covers recorded specifically for the album, none are extremely good. Sucker Punch‘s star, Emily Browning sings three songs on the album, covers of Eurythmics‘ “Sweet Dreams”, Pixies‘ “Where Is My Mind?”, and The Smiths‘ “Asleep.” Her singing is perfectly fine but the interpretations and arrangements of the tracks are not very well crafted.
In the end, the album’s highlights end up being the two non-cover songs. Skunk Anansie‘s remix of Bjork‘s “Army of Me” is actually really well done. The remix makes the song even bigger and more epic than the original.
The other album highlight is Armageddon Aka Geddy‘s “I Want It All/We Will Rock You” mash-up. Over the familiar Queen tunes, Geddy spits some very solid verses, the likes of which are usually reserved for bootlegs and mixtapes.
Unfortunately with the exception of Bjork, Emiliana Torrini, and Geddy, the soundtrack is pretty mediocre. Covers are generally pretty hit or miss anyway so trying to populate an entire soundtrack just with them seems like a recipe for disaster. Hopefully, the movie fares better than the soundtrack because the soundtrack is doing nothing for me.
Rating: 3.5/10
MP3: Armageddon Aka Geddy “I Want It All/We Will Rock You”
Buy: iTunes or Amazon
Various Artists: Sucker Punch Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
