Zer0

I was flicking though TV channels on Saturday night looking for something good to watch when I noticed that the film Into the Wild was on. I haven't watched this film since seeing it in the cinema when it was released here and it's a film that I really enjoy and highly recommend. Also enjoyable is the film's soundtrack, much of which was composed by Eddie Vedder on his acoustic guitar. I've had the soundtrack sitting in my CD collection for a number of years and after watching this film again I felt the urge to dig it out and pop it into the CD player.

Pearl Jam stopped being any way musically interesting after a couple of albums and should have packed it in long ago. But this album definitely stands apart from the mediocre music that Pearl Jam have released since and it's something that I wish Eddie would do more of. It's also a very short album, if you were to remove the silence between the last listed song and the hidden song this album would be under half an hour long. The album does a really good job of capturing a lone individual's outlook on the world and society, either through a sense of freedom and adventure ('Setting Forth'), or not wanting to be part of common society ('Society'). This soundtrack suits the theme and feel of the film superbly while also working very well as a standalone album. I'd definitely recommend hearing this if you enjoy the film.


It's funny that I'm writing about this album despite only downloading it a few months back. I only listened to the album once after downloading it and then moved onto other stuff and forgot about it. I know very little about this band, apart from them being from Australia and having a band name which doesn't make any sense to me. This album is probably far from being essential indie listening but if you're a fan of twee pop, C86 and Flying Nun Records you will more than likely get some enjoyment out of this.

As I said it's far from being essential. At times they sound like a second-rate Pastels or Beat Happening but this album does have a character of it's own. It's a shambling and sloppy affair, like the band honed their craft while drunk onstage in Australian bars or in friends bedrooms. But this kind of music has never been about musicianship and the band let the boy-girl melodies rip and their innocent charm shine through. It's an album worth checking out if you're curious and one which probably deserves a little more attention from myself.

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