Return of the Badly Drawn Boy (About A Boy - Soundtrack - Badly Drawn Boy)

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Product:	About A Boy - Soundtrack - Badly Drawn Boy
Date:	24/05/02 (17 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Return of Badly Drawn Boy, Some good tracks, listenable

Disadvantages: some tracks sound bland, short tracks, slightly dissapointing

Writing an entire new album is no simple task. Writing an entire soundtrack, making the songs so that they go well with scenes in a film is much, much harder, by a long shot. So when you that Damon Gough (a.k.a. Badly Drawn Boy) actually did this, but then released an entire new album several months later (Have You Fed The Fish? ? Out Now) you can understand the pressure Damon Gough must have gone through in the making of this album. And he has managed to produce some moving, atmospheric pieces that not only blend in well with the film but are also great to listen to in the car, at home, or anywhere relaxing.
The album provides the only soundtrack for the film About a Boy (now available on DVD and VHS). The film is basically about a boy entering his early teens, and having to go through many difficulties, including having divorced parents, no apparent friends and Will Grant in a surprisingly cool role. The film brings about laughs, sadness, and a lot of atmosphere, and the album reflects all of this perfectly.
The Soundtrack also has a lot of influence from Badly Drawn Boy?s previous album, The Hour of Bewilderbeast (1999, XL Recordings), but also implements some new style at the same time.
As music was mainly written for the film, there are some short, instrumental songs here, but also some genuine songs that have been released as singles. The songs blend well into each other, giving a non-interrupted stream of music.
After the first classic album some fans may be a little disappointed, but most will be more than satisfied with this original album.

Full Track list
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Exit Stage Right, 0:22 ? A short introduction song that is calm and quiet, and gives you a taster into what can be expected from the album. 6/10

A Peak You Reach, 4:33 - A fast moving, up-beat song that should get you into the stride of things, sounds a little like some of the songs from the first album. 8/10

Something to Talk Abou
t, 3:41 ? Undoubtedly the best song on the album. It is really the title song of both the film and the album, featuring the line ?I?ve been dreaming, all the things I learnt About A Boy?. The song is catchy and has a good tune and features in several parts of the film. A definite 10/10.

Dead Duck, 0:46 ? Don?t be put off by the title, this short and calming instrumental song isn?t all that bad. 6/10

Above You, Below Me, 0:46 ? A fast paced, moving song that makes full use of instruments and lyrics. Possibly a little annoying. 7/10

I Love N.Y.E., 3:20 ? A Nice little instrumental song that you can just see being used in a scene in which Hugh Grant falls in love with someone? and it is. 7/20

Silent Sigh, 4:44 ? Blending perfectly on from the previous track, this atmospheric, saddening tune was used as the first single for this album, and rightfully so. It starts off with Damon?s heavy, tuneful sighing to go with the title. 10/10

WET, WET, WET, 0:42 ? a short instrumental song that adds to the atmosphere ? A little like some of the songs from The Hour of Bewilderbeast. 5/10

River-Sea-Ocean, 2:24 ? An unusual, up-beat song that has a certain dream-like feeling about it. 7/10

S.P.A.T., 3:24 ? Definitely getting unusual now. A fully electronic song, using a variety of modern instruments, to present a unique but well made sound. 7/10

Rachel?s Flat, 0:34 ? A quiet, instrumental song, clearly intended for one of those ?I?m falling for you? kind of scenes. Nice. 6/10.

Walking out of Stride, 1:48 ? This, sad, mainly instrumental song is great for a film like this. 7/10

File me Away, 3:23 ? This slightly bizarre but good all the same song definitely has a very dream-like feeling to it. I assure you BDB has never made anything like this before. 7/10.

A Minor Incident, 3:44 ? This song definitely has a ?bewilderbeast? feeling to it, but it is definitely not as good, in fact, quite a
verage. Basically BDB strumming away on a guitar and singing. 5/10

Delta (Little Boy Blues), 4:00 ? This highly unusual electronic song, is unique to the album. Quite good as well. Definitely worth a listen. 8/10

Donna & Blitzen, 4:20 ? A Christmas song! It?s got a good tune and works well, with some catchy lines etc. 8/10

So there you have it. This album has been shoved in between BDB?s other albums, and may unfortunately be quickly forgotten. Not By me though.
It may be a small disappointment next to Hour of the Bewilderbeast, but it is a great album nonetheless. Definitely worth a look.

Related Websites:
www.badlydrawnboy.co.uk - Badly Drawn Boy official website. It?s a little strange, mind?

www.about-a-boy.com - Official About A Boy website. You might want to turn the sound down, it plays a continued loop of a section of ?A Peak You Reach?, which gets annoying very quickly.

Soundtrack produced 2002 ? XL Recordings.

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