In the spirit of the “Record Rewind” column–and with finals looming dangerously near–I’ve decided to “quantum leap” us into the completely arbitrary year of 2001 (SPOILER ALERT–this article will not involve any further allusions to the Kubrickian masterpiece).
If you could travel ten years in the past, you would have the ability give yourself a copy of “Gray’s Sports Almanac,” or you could re-live the cultural marvels that were the birth of Wikipedia, the death of Australian cartoonist Jim Russell and the release of the pinnacle of American cinema “Donnie Darko.” And while I’m sure there are people that actually like “Donnie Darko,” the movie is just too distracting for me to consider worthwhile.
When I watch the film, I am led to just ponder the quantum ramifications of Hugh Everett’s “many-worlds” hypothesis, which is obviously necessary to avoid the inevitable causality paradox that prevents time travel. Often enough, this type of musing just prevents me from experiencing the only aspect of the film I find enjoyable — the music. Luckily, I can avoid this conundrum altogether through my recently acquired U.K. bootle…um, I mean “exclusive” version of “The Donnie Darko Soundtrack.”
“The Donnie Darko Soundtrack” is a compilation of 80s alternative rock masterpieces. Overseen by San Diego-based musician and composer Michael Andrews, this soundtrack is a barrage of 80s staples that never lets up. I mean, you can’t go wrong with the likes of Echo & The Bunnymen, Oingo Boingo, Joy Division, Tears for Fears and INXS. Personally, my favorite track is “Under the Milky Way” by Australian alternative band The Church, a song that was voted best Australian song of the 1980s and features an awesome EBow solo.
The gem of the album, however, isn’t an 80s song at all. It’s a cover of an 80s song, and that song is “Mad World.” Originally written by Tears for Fears and recently featured in the “Gears of War” trailer, this stripped-down version of “Mad World” features Michael Andrews on piano and Gary Jules on vocals. The song is simple and depressing, but morosely beautiful and a far more honest version than the synth-driven original.
Watch Gary Jules perform “Mad World” live
Luckily for all of us, no one needs an overly convoluted alternative reality plot, poor Jake Gyllenhaal acting, or a hypothetical interpretation of the subatomic wave function to be able enjoy good music from a past era. All we need is a pirated…oops, I mean legitimately purchased copy of “The Donnie Darko Soundtrack.”
