Searching for the Wrong-Eyed J

Jim White Presents… “Searching for the Wrong Eyes Jesus” Original Movie Soundtrack. Luaka Bop, Reviewed by Matthew Stark Rubin. FCC CLEAN.

Indie-Folk. This is a soundtrack, with folkster Jim White most heavily represented and curating the whole affair. His songs are typical indie-folk of the slightly dark, brooding variety, storytelling in the lyrics. The rest of the artists here compliment his stuff nicely. A bunch of singer/songwriters doing that whole rootsy-and-gritty-but-bittersweet-and-profound thing, plus some classic traditionals. The theme is the American South, and it’s clear that White envisions himself as a modern day Flannery O’Conner using music to capture the depression of the region. Is it accurate? Probably not. But a nice listen all the same.

Picks: 2, 4, 5, 14

Track 1- Short dialogue. DO NOT PLAY.

Track 2- fingerpicking in the moody folk style with sporadic acoustic bass. Tells a somewhat incoherent story in a nice, calm voice with pretty, airy female backing vox. Towards the end it starts to groove a bit with more pronounced bass, some percussion and echoing guitars.

Track 3- Sorta country with some eerie atmospheric background. Two-step bass-line with dancey drums and some minor chords. Reminds me of mark knopfler’s solo work but more country.

Track 4- You all know this song. Cat Power’s most radio-ready hit. Sad 4 note guitar pattern and drum-machine like dance beat the whole time. Her classic vocal style- unstable, upset, and awesome. She harmonizes beautifully with herself in this one. Play it!

Track 5- Dark minor key blues. Aggressive, plaintive singing with a deep voice. Almost sounds like a spiritual number adopted for voice and guitar. It’s about a girl, I think, but it talks a lot about the Mississippi river. You get the idea.

Track 6- Acoustic guitar and bass start with a vamp. Singer tells story with rare spurts of melody. Melody starts creeping in and suddenly we get drums, full instrumentation, and a catchy pop refrain. Rest of the song alternates between these styles. A little corny for my tastes.

Track 7- Banjo or Dobra, I can’t tell, but just that. Spiritual singing atop. This one belongs in the O Brother Where Art Thou department.

Track 8- Just talking, NOT A SONG. DO NOT PLAY.

Track 9- Another minor key dance number in the verse. Singer has a really interesting voice. The chorus is even darker than the verse and more straight-ahead alt-country rock.

Track 10- Traditional bluegrass number, banjo and twangy voice (almost yodel).

Track 11- I swear these are the same chords as “Everybody Hurts” by REM. Just an electric guitar and a sad-sack sounding southern dude singing about having no job and how and why he robbed the feed store. Then a woman takes over singing with vibrato. REALLY BORING but the lyrics are stupid enough to keep it a little funny at least. At the end he kills someone.

Track 12- Doc Watson plays the blues. It’s classic bluegrass/blues. ‘Nuff said.

Track 13- This is Amazing Grace done instrumental and weird. Various car and other noises in the background while some odd instrument that sounds like the wind whistles the tune.

Track 14- Some Jim O’Rourke-like noise effects and synth with sad guitar picking. Pretty and standard singing on top of the less secure instrumental foundation. The chorus adds percussion, slide guitar, and a catchy vocal part, but not a lame one like track 6. Eventually he’s riffing off of the lyrics of Amazing Grace, and it’s cool. Pretty.

Track 15- More talking. DO NOT PLAY.