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The Honolulu Advertiser

Posted on: Friday, July 9, 2004

MY VIEW: MUSIC
Soundtrack for 'Spider-Man 2' doesn't do the trick

Editor's note: Because of the record-setting success of the film "Spider-Man 2," we're running a bonus CD review of the soundtrack. Music and video-game reviews typically rotate each week.

By Jessica Labrador
Special to The Advertiser

CD: "Spider-Man 2 — Music From and Inspired by"; various artists (Sony).

• Style: Rock.

• Rewind: Track No. 4. "Hold On" by Jet.

• Skip it: Track No. 3. "Did You" by Hoobastank.

• My view: Spider-Man must be a real in-touch-with-his-emotions kind of guy, judging from this soundtrack.

The Verdict: One. A sad reminder of how bad music can be.

THE RATINGS

5 — Outstanding: Add it to your collection now. A must-have.

4 — Great: Buy it or rent it — definitely listen to it.

3 — Good: Worth listening to despite some flaws.

2 — Fair: Unless you're a fan of the group or singer, don't bother.

1 — Poor: Save your money (and your ears).

Most of the songs are part of the horrible epidemics spreading in mainstream music called "nu-metal" and "nu-emo." Both consist of bad, whiny vocals over relentlessly rehashed riffs and differ in presentation only. Bands of both genres seem to borrow from each other as well.

The first track, "Vindicated" by Dashboard Confessional, is mildly impairing compared with the next song, "Ordinary" by Train. The vocal-only intro was bad enough, but once the music chimed in I thought, "How could it get any worse?" Hoobastank answered my question as soon as the third song, "Did You," started.

After the 10th repetition of the chorus line "Don't want to waste another day," I finally figured out what the singer was trying to say: He needed to make it painstakingly obvious he didn't want to waste another day.

Whining really loud just doesn't do the trick.

Thankfully, the warm acoustic sound of Jet's "Hold On" was a safe haven from the "harder" songs I endured. It's definitely the best, if not the only one worth listening to. Surprisingly mellow, it's hard to believe this is the same band that did the song for the famous iPod commercial.

After a single mellow, pleasant song, the soundtrack swings back into ear-numbing mode with Yellowcard's "Gifts and Curses." This track got a lot better once the singing stopped, but then, sadly, vocals came back.

Did Chris Carrabba from Dashboard Confessional join Taking Back Sunday? The vocals in "This Photograph is Proof (I Know You Know)" suggests so.

This song seems to mesh into all the other bad nu-emo songs on this album. Even though this is a compilation, most of the songs manage to sound like manufactured copies of each other.

"We Are" by Ana serves as the token "bad-girl rocker" song reminiscent of artists like Avril Lavigne, TATU and Ashlee Simpson. I couldn't find anything enjoyable in this song and couldn't stop thinking about how depressing this new genre is.

The soundtrack ends with two scores by Danny Elfman that seem misplaced. Fans of movie scores may not appreciate the rest of the songs, and vice versa.

Jessica Labrador is a senior at Waialua High School.

Have a video game or CD you want to review? Contact Island Life deputy editor Dave Dondoneau at ddondoneau@honoluluadvertiser.com.