It's Different... But There's Something Kinda Fantastic About That

The first Wes Anderson film I ever saw was The Royal Tenenbaums, and I was instantly smitten. I loved the humor. I loved the characters. I loved the acting. And even more, I loved the visual style.

From that first love, which included three visits to the surrounding theatres to re-watch Gene Hackman steal the show, I went through the rest of Anderson's short filmography. Since then, I've seen each new film and have anticipated the release of the next. With each one, I've continued to be astounded by Anderson's specific style, tone, and aesthetics--which I think many others are in love with as well. But I haven't heard many people talk about the soundtracks.

Because I'm such a visual person, the cinematography and set / costume designs always took the forefront, but it was somewhere during an umpteenth viewing of RT that I realized how perfect--even if a bit off--his musical selections were. It clicked for me when Royal and Margo are sitting in the ice cream parlor, the Charlie Brown Christmas song playing in the background. It seemed so bizarre but so incredibly right. The rest of the music opened up, then, and I realized that Anderson had as impeccable of music selections as any Tarantino film. Apparently, I'm not the only one to discover this, as American Laundromat Records put out a compilation called I Saved Latin!: A Tribute to Wes Anderson.

I stumbled across this compilation when researching the band Telekinesis (one of my personal favs), who did a cover for "This Time Tomorrow." The album seemed like such a wonderful idea, and I can't believe it took me so long to find out about such things--since there are volumes of these things dedicated to Tarantino. But much as I love the original versions of the songs, as Anderson uses in the films, I like that this compilation is all covers by up and coming bands.

For the most part, the tracks are solid. If you like the originals, you'll like the covers. There are some that definitely take a departure--like Tomten's "30 Century Man" and Freelance Whales' "Let Her Dance," which are both highlights of the collection. But all in all, it stays true to its roots while creating something uniquely itself.

To me, the highlights are the aforementioned Telekinesis cover, PHOX's "The Way I Feel Inside," The Ghost In You's "Oh Yoko," and Solvents' "Nothing in This World Can Stop Me Worrin' 'Bout That Girl."

Honestly, it's an all around great collection for a Wes Anderson fan, and with the limited vinyl pressing, the sooner you snatch one up--if vinyl is your thing--the better.