Published on May 9, 1998
As a movie,
Zero Effect had to be considered a flop. I thought the
previews looked interesting, but the film disappeared faster than a
donut in front of Rush Limbaugh. (Now I have to patiently wait to
find out when this will be released on home video – too bad the
staff of OnVideo is in Cannes right now.)
But the soundtrack this movie left behind contains not only some
exciting music that resurrects interest in the alternative scene,
but also serves as a great introduction to some of the artists
featured therein.
Most likely only a few names will be familiar at first glance.
Elvis Costello is a surprisingly wonderful way to open up the
album, but “Mystery Dance” is far too short, leaving me wanting to
hear more from the bespectacled one. I got my first real taste of
Jamiroquai off this soundtrack; “Drifting Along” is a
reggae-flavored trip-fest that definitely raised my interest level
in this band. (Just the fact that I wasn’t familiar with them
should clue you into how much MTV I watch these days.) Another
artist who raised my interest level with a performance here is Nick
Cave and the Bad Seeds, whose “Into My Arms” is surprisingly
beautiful – something, quite frankly, I wasn’t expecting.
Of course, anyone who checks out this site on a regular basis
would be knowledgeable about three artists who we’ve previously
featured here. Dan Bern reminds us that he is a protest folk-rocker
to be reckoned with on the song “One Dance”, while Mary Lou Lord
puts forth one of her best efforts on this soundtrack with “Some
Jingle Jangle Morning”. (Hey, if Belly could succeed a few years
ago, this lady should be given the same chance.) And Esthero, the
band I’m calling the next Bjork, throws their two cents in with the
cut “Lounge”. (Another artist from The Work Group roster, Bond,
will soon be featured on “The Daily Vault” – and if “Starbucked” is
any indication of how the rest of their album is, I’m gonna like
these guys.)
If any portion of the
Zero Effect soundtrack disappoints, it would be in the three
performances of The Greyboy Allstars. These songs aren’t bad – I
wouldn’t hit the “advance” button to skip over them – and they do
have a bit of schmaltz to them with their retro-’60s sound. But,
compared to some of the other tracks on this album, they don’t hold
up as well. I wasn’t too enamored with Brendan Benson’s
performance, either, though “Emma J” is respectable enough.
Also featured on this soundtrack are Candy Butchers, Thermadore
and Heatmiser, all of whom contribute some decent tracks, if not as
noteworthy.
Not having seen the film, I am left to wonder how the music fits
in with the action in
Zero Effect – demonstrating a difficulty in reviewing a
soundtrack without having seen the corresponding film. Hopefully,
I’ll be able to rectify this soon. Until then, the soundtrack to
Zero Effect is pleasant enough, both as a sampler to try new
artists and as a soundtrack.