CD/DIGITAL DOWNLOAD REVIEW - JACK GOES BOATING


Jack Goes Boating
Music by Evan Lurie & Various Artists
Lakeshore Records (US)
13 Tracks

Released digitally tomorrow and on CD on the 14th of this month by Lakeshore Records, is the soundtrack album for Philip Symour Hoffman's directorial debut, Jack Goes Boating, an adaptation of Bob Glaudini's Off-Broadway play, in which Hoffman also takes the lead. The film enjoys a limited release in US theatres from the 17th.
The album largely consists of songs, some familiar, others not so, by a diverse range of artists, including Fleet Foxes, Grizzly Bear, The Melodians, Cat Power, Goldfrapp, Darondo, Devotchka, Dave's True Story and Mel Torme - not many of whom I have heard of, but they might mean something to some of you out there. There's also a jazz instrumental by Bill Evans, whose classic take on the Spartacus Love Theme was of course the inspiration for the many diverse takes on the theme featured with the recent release of that classic score by Varese Sarabande.
Sadly, Jack Goes Boating's score composer Evan Lurie only features on two very brief tracks on the album; both pieces predominantly feature piano and are pretty sparse and cold.