Django Unchained Soundtrack - Various Artists (05/04/2013)
Quentin Tarantino has seemingly made a career out of being as unabashedly ridiculous in his film-making as he possibly can; his work oozing through pop culture as a thick treacle of sharp dialogue, shameless violence, and reprehensible characters. For the best example of this you don't need to look much further than his latest treat for movie-goers everywhere, 'Django Unchained'.
If theres one things that can be said about Tarantino's vision in regards to each of his movies, its that they are a cohesive experience; both in sight and sound. This is where his musical choices come in, and it can be said that Tarantino is well known for his perfect decisions in regards to music. 'Django's' soundtrack continues this trend, both in original and selected tracks, albeit with some strange choices along the way.
The opening track, DJango, serves as an overall theme and tells the tale of the titular character. It's a ballad, and when I say ballad, I mean it. Complete with angelic backing vocals through its chorus, and sprinkled with strings, it's also worth noting that Tarantino actually lifted the song from another film, which was also called 'Django'. This also goes for the track His Name Is King, another ballad intended to tell the tale of Django's mentor bounty-hunter, and a fair levy of instrumental tracks such as La Corsa, and Days of Anger taken from various spaghetti western films of the 1970s. Some people might find issue with this but I think it's a fantastic choice on Tarantino's part, as the songs have a fantastic aged tone, something that Tarantino has done well to preserve from their original vinyl pressings.
Now is also a time to mention that, as is usually the case for a Tarantino soundtrack, there are plenty of small interludes and inclusions of dialogue in between the various tracks which, in my opinion, add a level of continuity to the record, and also a good helping of character. Tarantino evidently likes his own one liners so much, he doesn't want the music to be left without his direction.
The only few issues I find with the soundtrack is a few original songs specifically written for the film. Rick Ross' '100 Black Coffins' is bombastic but lacks any real depth other than lightly sharing the films theme of revenge. I understand that people don't flock to Ross for exceptional lyrical content, but when he's got a film rich with content like Django Unchained to work with, its disappointing to hear him laying down rhymes like "I've seen a hundred n****s die, I wouldn't tell a lie". It's just a tad underwhelming for a film score that should be anything but.
Anthony Hamilton and Elayna Boynton's contribution, Freedom, one of the singles to come off the record, is a western flavoured duet with some fantastic soul vocals from Boynton, and its one of the stronger original tracks included. The track doesn't exactly reach a point of impact or climax, but it soldiers on with a driving beat, much like the characters of the film. Along with Who Did That To You? by John Legend, the record isn't without it's fair share of RnB, country, and hip-hop influences.
Overall it's a great accompaniment to the film, and is even worth a listen just by itself. If you're in the market for a good ballad, western vibes or a disappointing Rick Ross single, this is the album for you.
Nick Kennedy
If theres one things that can be said about Tarantino's vision in regards to each of his movies, its that they are a cohesive experience; both in sight and sound. This is where his musical choices come in, and it can be said that Tarantino is well known for his perfect decisions in regards to music. 'Django's' soundtrack continues this trend, both in original and selected tracks, albeit with some strange choices along the way.
The opening track, DJango, serves as an overall theme and tells the tale of the titular character. It's a ballad, and when I say ballad, I mean it. Complete with angelic backing vocals through its chorus, and sprinkled with strings, it's also worth noting that Tarantino actually lifted the song from another film, which was also called 'Django'. This also goes for the track His Name Is King, another ballad intended to tell the tale of Django's mentor bounty-hunter, and a fair levy of instrumental tracks such as La Corsa, and Days of Anger taken from various spaghetti western films of the 1970s. Some people might find issue with this but I think it's a fantastic choice on Tarantino's part, as the songs have a fantastic aged tone, something that Tarantino has done well to preserve from their original vinyl pressings.
Now is also a time to mention that, as is usually the case for a Tarantino soundtrack, there are plenty of small interludes and inclusions of dialogue in between the various tracks which, in my opinion, add a level of continuity to the record, and also a good helping of character. Tarantino evidently likes his own one liners so much, he doesn't want the music to be left without his direction.
The only few issues I find with the soundtrack is a few original songs specifically written for the film. Rick Ross' '100 Black Coffins' is bombastic but lacks any real depth other than lightly sharing the films theme of revenge. I understand that people don't flock to Ross for exceptional lyrical content, but when he's got a film rich with content like Django Unchained to work with, its disappointing to hear him laying down rhymes like "I've seen a hundred n****s die, I wouldn't tell a lie". It's just a tad underwhelming for a film score that should be anything but.
Anthony Hamilton and Elayna Boynton's contribution, Freedom, one of the singles to come off the record, is a western flavoured duet with some fantastic soul vocals from Boynton, and its one of the stronger original tracks included. The track doesn't exactly reach a point of impact or climax, but it soldiers on with a driving beat, much like the characters of the film. Along with Who Did That To You? by John Legend, the record isn't without it's fair share of RnB, country, and hip-hop influences.
Overall it's a great accompaniment to the film, and is even worth a listen just by itself. If you're in the market for a good ballad, western vibes or a disappointing Rick Ross single, this is the album for you.
Nick Kennedy