Luna fans (the most likely audience for this soundtrack to an obscure late-'90s comedy) will come for the otherwise unavailable tracks by their urban guitar heroes, but it's the supplemental assortment of sophisticated European pop that will hold their interest. Luna's swoony cover of John Lennon's "Jealous Guy" is predictably magnificent, and their suite of incidental music for the film far surpasses their one prior stab at an instrumental ("The Enabler" from 1996's Luna EP), revealing previously unknown sides of their collective personality, including a fun dash of noirish jazz. The remix of "Chinatown" and the early version of "Hello Little One," however, differ only minutely from their album counterparts. No matter. Anyone who digs the band's take on Serge Gainsbourg's "Bonnie and Clyde" should find plenty to enjoy among the other artists' contributions, including Autour de Lucie's sweet, sunny guitar pop ("Ce Que L'On Tait") and the always welcome Paolo Conte's cracked cabaret stylings ("Via Con Me"). Big Joe and Robert Een provide instrumentals that reinforce the disc's urbane, continental flavor, while Françoise Hardy's "Je Ne Suis la Pour Personne" and a piece from the score to Truffaut's Jules et Jim evoke a more magical, lighthearted time in the histories of both music and movies. Irma Thomas' classic "It's Raining" may not precisely fit the theme, but it offers the same sort of creamy, dreamy pleasures. The only misfire is the inclusion of Harry Chapin's didactic "Cat's in the Cradle," which plays a key role in one of Mr. Jealousy's most hilarious scenes, but here serves no function except to stick out like a sore and clumsy thumb. Otherwise, the album is a low-key, rainy day delight through and through.
© Daniel Browne /TiVo