In recent months, Hollywood has gotten smart to the power of good music. Whether it’s the devastatingly cool New Moon Soundtrack or the pop-punk heavy Almost Alice, the folks in charge of making the movies we watch understand the appeal of everyone from Death Cab for Cutie to Grace Potter and the Nocturnals and others. Now, two more movies have attempted to harness the aforementioned might of indie, pop, hip-hop, Robert Smith and beyond with soundtrack choices of some of our favorite musical acts.
Via The Playlist, Kyle Patrick Alvarez’s Easier With Practice is a film about a bored author who starts a relationship over the phone with a strange girl. While not the most inherently thrilling plot, the likes of Grizzly Bear (who also scored a film for Phillip Seymour Hoffman), The Spinto Band, Deer Tick, Kevin Drew of Broken Social Scene, and The Watson Twins (plus many more artists that you can find here) should help set the pace of a potentially interesting tale of boy-meets-girl. Plus, it’s rated NC-17, so even better! While no tracklist has been announced, you can expect the pre-existing Watson Twins track “Darlin’ Song” to appear. The movie is available on DVD April 6th.
But small festival darlings with limited releases, movies about sparkly vampires, and flicks rubber stamped for rampant drug use by Tim Burton aren’t the only films mining the indie world. Hot Tub Time Machine, the film which sports a plot that is exactly as it sounds, will feature the likes of Public Enemy (who re-recorded 1988’s “Louder Than a Bomb”), The Replacements, and Echo & The Bunnymen. And since the film’s set in 1986, you’ll also hear plenty of Talking Heads, INXS, Men Without Hats, and The English Beat. But best of all, Craig Robinson will make the ladies (and many of the men) swoon with renditions of Rick Springfield’s “Jessie’s Girl” and the Black Eyed Peas burner “Let’s Get It Started”. This film hits theaters March 26th with the tracklist below.
If Darryl Philbin from The Office can’t win you over, none of these soundtracks ever will.
Hot Tub Time Machine: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack Tracklist:
01. Public Enemy – Louder Than A Bomb (Back Into Time)
02. Scritti Politti – Perfect Way
03. Men Without Hats – The Safety Dance
04. INXS – What You Need
05. David Bowie – Modern Love
06. The Replacements – I Will Dare
07. Salt ‘N Pepa -“Push It
08. Echo & The Bunnymen – Bring On The Dancing Horses
09. The English Beat – Save It For Later
10. Spandau Ballet – True
11. Craig Robinson – Jessie’s Girl
12. New Order – Bizarre Love Triangle
13. Talking Heads – Once In A Lifetime
14. Mötley Crüe – Home Sweet Home
15. Craig Robinson – Let’s Get It Started