UP IN THE AIR SOUNDTRACK REVIEW
By: Jackson Truax
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Up in the Air is one of the year's best soundtracks...
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In my interview with WGA member Larry Gross about this year’s nominees, Gross stated that Writer/Director/Producer Jason
Reitman is “one of those guys who the future of American movies rest on.” I would add that Reitman may also be one of those
who the future of American music rest on. After bringing Kimya Dawson and her band The Moldy Peaches to the national
spotlight with the soundtrack for his last film “Juno” (for which he won a Grammy) Reitman is back with another collection of
songs that brings formerly obscure artists new exposure, and revives album tracks from better musical days gone by. Reitman
mixes songs and score to create a musical experience that recreates that of the movie and also takes the listener to places they
may not expect to go. By creating a collection of jazz solos, acoustic demos, and harmony vocals, Reitman creates a perfect mix
of music that serves as a perfect musical companion whether you’re alone late at night and yearning for a connection, looking
for the right music to accompany a profound mental, emotional, or physical journey, or if you’re simply “Up In the Air”.
“Up In the Air” has been compared by both the New York Times’ Frank Rich and Conservative pundit George Will to John
Steinbeck’s novel “The Grapes of Wrath”. The comparison is apt, and just as the Great Depression served as the inspiration for
Steinbeck’s novel, it did the same for Woody Guthrie’s well know folk song “This Land is Your Land.” The soundtrack begins
with a cover of the song performed by the Brooklyn-based funk/soul band Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings. Everything about this
track is truly timeless in every sense of the word. The song was written in 1940 and Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings recorded it
using their regular techniques of creating a sound not heard since the 1970s. Their version was recorded with their lyrical
variations in 2005, and the social, economical, and political unrest of each era therein can be heard in their version of the song.
Though the revisionist arrangement of the song may alienate folk purists, as it can easily be seen as part of the folk process
Guthrie himself engaged in while writing it, it’s easy to see Guthrie himself approving.
The second track (“Security Ballet”) is the first on the soundtrack to feature selections of the score composed by Rolfe Kent
(Golden Globe nominee for “Sideways”). These selections are few and short in length, and musically fit in well with the overall
mood of the soundtrack. Reitman honors Kent’s work by giving it the respect it deserves by placing these pieces of the score
alongside the songs herein, but masterfully works the score in with the songs to create an album that is above and beyond the
sum of it’s parts. Like many successful film scores (“Jaws”, “Chariots of Fire,” and “Brokeback Mountain” come to mind) Kent
establishes musical themes and then riffs and expands on them, yet never strays too far from particular refrains the audience of
the soundtrack or film gets hooked on. “Security Ballet” is a percussion-heavy piece while “Lost in Detroit” finds Kent exuding a
more Brian-Eno (“The Lovely Bones” composer) vibe. Coincidentally or not, both songs feature a swelling of the string section in
the last few seconds. While this is used to an ultimately positive affect once, the second time one wonders if he couldn’t have
made better use of the string section throughout the entirety of a piece. This is what he does more of on the third and final track
of his score “Milwaukee: To the Wedding With a Plus 1”. While the rhythms and arrangements Kent is falling back on could grow
tiresome by the third track, an expanded instrumentation make this his most successful piece on the soundtrack. That’s why it’s
unfortunate that it’s one of the two songs that are only available as bonus tracks on iTunes.
Two other songs on the soundtrack are compositions that were released by the duo Charles Atlas, who bill themselves as
being “bicoastal, bipolar, bisexual, and bilingual”. Though their tracks were not written for the film, they are both instrumental so
Reitman incorporates them as bridging the gap between score and the rest of the soundtrack. Their composition “The Snow
Before Us” is driven by multiple acoustic guitars, and fits in well with the other primarily or entirely acoustic songs on the album.
In the middle of the track, the musicians can also be heard murmuring to each other which adds to demo mix feel of the album,
as several of the recordings Reitman chose are either actual demos, or include similar elements that intentionally give the
recordings a demo feel. Towards the end of the track, the duo infuses their signature synthesizer sound, and in doing so
creates a track that seamlessly blends an acoustic track that calls to mind “Crosby, Stills, and Nash,” with a new-age production
quality, again, an influence of Brian Eno’s musical style referred to “ambient music”. Their other track on the album “Genova,”
finds the duo mixing said influence with a jazz composition that calls to mind the Miles Davis classic “Flamenco Sketches” in
that it fuses feelings of joy, reflection, and sadness into one track.
The rest of the album is dominated by music in the acoustic singer-songwriter vain, including two songs by members of
Crosby, Stills, and Nash. Stephen Stills can be heard prepping and counting down for “Taken At All,” one of the best examples of
a song in the movie that best serves as a stand-in for a voiceover of Ryan Bingham’s. Stills’s signature guitar acoustic guitar
sounds and solos fill the track, as the trio’s unmistakable three-part harmonies. The album also includes a demo solo acoustic
version of Graham Nash’s “Be Yourself” from his seminal album “Songs for Beginners”. While the background vocals and
instrumentation of the album version are missed, this is clearly the version that best fits in with this collection.
The two signature songs on the album are “Help Yourself” and “Up In the Air” by Sad Brad Smith and Kevin Renick,
respectively. “Help Yourself” served not only an integral role in the film, but was featured in the trailer and has been played on tv
broadcasts anytime the film wins an award. “Up In the Air” plays over the films credits and serves as the title track here. These
songs both feature the musical and lyrical elements that create the cornerstones for the album as a whole. “Up In the Air” is
literally a solo-acoustic demo recording, and “Help Yourself” is a another showcase for beautiful harmonies and acoustic guitar
work. In real life, both songwriters are otherwise unemployed and Smith recently said that he would likely be homeless if it had
not been for Reitman featuring his song so prominently in his latest film. While this is all independent of the superb quality of the
songs, I couldn’t help but feel that the purchase of this particular album might lead to some good karma (as is the case when
supporting all independent artists and musicians).
Other tracks on the album that capture a feel congruent with these are “Goin’ Home” by Dan Auerbach of The Black Keys. The
folk influence of this song is not only strongly felt but also a far cry from the electric-blues of The Black Keys, so much so that if
you didn’t know any better you’d never think the two acts had anything to do with each other. “Angel in the Snow” the first track
from the collection of the late Elliot Smith’s rarities entitled “New Moon” and released in 2007, also appears here. The lyrics are
likely inspired by Smith’s struggles with drug addiction and depression, topics that frequently influenced his lyrics. Still, the folk
ballad is short, haunting, and beautiful. The song plays much like a snowy winter’s day which is beautiful yet bleak, and melts
away much too quickly. Another late musician, blues guitar legend Roy Buchanan is also included here. His song “Thank You
Lord” is another solo-acoustic folk song that last about a minute and then goes into a blues guitar solo lasting about another
minute-and-a-half. Whether or not this looks strange on paper, both sections prove to be deeply soulful and spiritual and make
for another unique musical experience.
I highly recommend buying the album on iTunes, as not only is the $9.99 price almost unbeatable, but following the final title
track are two bonus tracks. In addition to the aforementioned Kent track, a live version of “Bust a Move” by Young M.C. is also
included. While the inclusion of these two tracks better helps the re-create the experience of the movie, (especially as Young M.
C. performed his own song in the film) “Bust a Move” really is an odd-man-out in this collection and feels awkwardly sandwiched
between the title track and Kent’s final piece here. Yet for the completists whose musical taste are varied enough to want your
Elliot Smith with a side Young M.C., then this rare live track should prove enjoyable. It also does prove to be a nice change of
pace after the rest of the album, which makes it a shame that this couldn’t be the final bonus track.
While this is the first soundtrack review I’m writing in this series for this Oscar season, of the few soundtracks I’ve heard from
this year this is bay far my favorite. I’m able to relieve the experience of a wonderful movie anytime, and have been exposed to
music that has been fodder for much thought and emotion, which is a worthy feat for any soundtrack, or album that matter, to
accomplish.
****/****
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