Various Artists: Juno: Music from the Motion Picture

Kimya Dawson's songs charm in Juno.

www.rhino.com/

Related Content

• Looking Glass: Rock Music's Five Most Famous Four Eyes (Other Than Buddy Holly)
  December 14, 2011
• Buddy Holly Raves On Into 21st Century
  August 11, 2011
• Playbill: What's In The DNA Of Titan Blood?
  November 17, 2011
• Out Today: New West Strikes Gold On Robert Ellis, Old 97's Discs
  July 5, 2011
• The Doobie Brothers
  June 9, 2011

More About

• Kimya Dawson
• Juno McGuff
• Cat Power
• Movie Comedies
• Teenagers

Too many movie tie-in collections put profits before cohesion. Tunes by widely disparate performers, most of whom just happen to record for companies affiliated with the film studio, wind up being tossed together willy-nilly in the hope that one of them will stick, thereby inducing fans to purchase all the other crap. In contrast, the best soundtracks enhance the flicks from which they spring even as they make a statement of their own. Current Best Picture nominee Juno's CD companion more than accomplishes this goal. Onscreen, singer-­songwriter Kimya Dawson's voice serves as a sort of Greek chorus for lead character Juno McGuff, the funniest pregnant teen in cinema history, a tack that also works on disc. Dawson figures in eight songs, including solo curios like "Loose Lips" and beauties from her days with Moldy Peaches and Antsy Pants. Moreover, charming and/or creepy cuts by everyone from Buddy Holly and the Velvet Underground to Belle & Sebastian and Cat Power echo the protagonist's sensibility, even though many were recorded decades apart. The result deserves two thumbs up.